Griffins Host Fan Appreciation Night With Michigan Lottery Million-Dollar Giveaway

The Michigan Lottery will pre-select the contestants for its million-dollar prize, meaning one fan could arrive at Van Andel Arena on April 10 already knowing they are in contention to walk out $1 million richer. That is the centerpiece of the Grand Rapids Griffins' Fan Appreciation Night against the Chicago Wolves, presented by Michigan Lottery, and it lands at an unusually charged moment: four days after the Griffins clinched the AHL's Western Conference regular-season title for the first time since 2005-06.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. General doors open at 6 p.m., with season-ticket holders getting into the building 15 minutes earlier at 5:45 p.m. That head start matters because the Annual Team Equipment Sale opens in the banquet rooms at Van Andel Arena at 6 p.m. and runs through the end of the second period, offering new and used sticks, pants, jerseys, and more. Fans pay by cash or credit card, and a valid game ticket is required to access the sale. Full Season Members enter alongside the season-ticket holder window at 5:45 p.m.

After the game, fans can bring their skates for a post-game open skate on the Van Andel ice. The arena maintains a no-bag policy, but security will allow bags brought specifically to carry skates.

The weekend extends into Saturday. The fourth annual Grand Rapids Police Department versus Grand Rapids Fire Department charity hockey game takes the ice at Van Andel Arena on April 12 at 12:30 p.m., benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Fan Appreciation Night functions as the home-finale salute to a season that earned one. The Griffins' 48-13-4-1 record and 101 points through 66 games have produced a Western Conference crown, a Central Division title clinched on March 26, their first since 2014-15, and the earliest Calder Cup Playoffs clinch in franchise history, secured on Feb. 27. Head coach Dan Watson, who has never missed the postseason as a pro head coach, takes the Griffins into the Calder Cup Playoffs for the third straight season. The Michigan Lottery supplies the million-dollar headline; the hockey team supplies every reason to show up at 5:45.