The NHL’s Winter Classic is a hockey spectacle that has grown bigger each season of its five-year existence.
It won’t get much bigger than 2013.
The NHL announced Thursday that the next stop for the Jan. 1 outdoor game will be at Michigan Stadium, home of the Michigan Wolverines, with an incredible 115,000 tickets that will be available for fans.
Adding to the mystique of the New Year’s Day game at “The Big House” will be the two Original Six franchises participating in the game—the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.
“It’s Hockeytown against the center of the hockey universe,” Leafs GM Brian Burke said. “We’re real excited; two passionate fan bases. I promise you, there will be a lot of (Maple Leaf) blue in the Big House.”
This Winter Classic also marks the first time that the events of Winter Classic week will be split between two venues—Comerica Park and Michigan Stadium. Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, will host the Alumni game, as well as an AHL contest, an OHL game, college games, youth games and even public skating.
“We’re really excited for the fans of Detroit,” Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch said. “This community deserves a big event like this. We’re committed to making this the biggest NHL Winter Classic ever.”
The events, which will run for the final two weeks of December, are expected to bring more than 250,000 fans to the downtown area.
photo credit: jeffwilcox
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