Terry Foster

Must-see hockey? Not to all

Tonight's Red Wings-Ducks game won't be seen at Halftime Sports Bar off Greenfield on the west side of Detroit.

It won't be showing a few miles away at another west side bar, Starters, either.

In most sports bars and taverns, the NBA will be top of mind, not the NHL. There's more talk of LeBron and Kobe than Chris Pronger and Nicklas Lidstrom. Do hockey players go by first names? ... Nah.

I asked a woman at a greeting area what would happen if I asked the bartender to switch the television to the Red Wings game.

"Good luck," she said, laughing.

Said Halftime manager Robert Berry: "We don't want to upset our clientele."

So, I texted a friend, and this was her response: That's bad for business.

In Hockeytown, there remains a giant hockey void in the black community. There is far more interest in the Lakers and Nuggets.

Tonight's critical Game 4 can more than likely be seen at places like HockeyTown Café, Marge's in Grosse Pointe Park and Black Finn in Royal Oak.

Not so at Halftime.

"You have to look at the location," said Dre Sanford, a patron at Halftime. "I think this is a cultural thing. I hate to say it, but white people are more into hockey and blacks like basketball and don't really follow the Wings. That might sound racist or something, but that is the reality of things."

Berry said the Lions remain a big draw Sundays. But the Wings aren't happening.

"I mean if somebody really wanted to watch them, we'd turn it on for them," Berry said with a shrug.

Star power, Lions style

It's rare you can get the two best running backs in Lions history in the same place the same weekend. But that's what's about to happen.

Barry Sanders (noon Saturday) and Billy Sims (1-3 p.m. Sunday) will sign autographs for fans at the Midwest Sports Collectors Show at Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.

Foote's a good fit

If former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Larry Foote were being pursued by 6-8 teams, why would he sign with the Lions, who were 0-16 last season?

For most players it wouldn't make sense. But for Foote it does. Detroit is his home and if he's in the community as a high-profile athlete it can create business opportunities for him -- just as it did for Robert Porcher .

Who knows? Maybe Foote will run for mayor one day. It worked for Dave Bing .

Terry's Town terry.foster@detnews.com (313) 222-1494