Michigan Stadium set to host Maple Leafs & Red Wings for Winter Classic
Posted Feb 9, 2012 6:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The National Hockey League confirmed Thursday the Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2013.
The game will be played at Michigan Stadium, nicknamed “The Big House,” in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The league is expecting a world-record crowd of more than 115,000 at Michigan Stadium.
“Since this outdoor matchup is so big there is only one place where it could be played,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
He added that the Leafs-Wings edition of the winter classic will be the biggest ever.
“These two original six rivals will take this event to a new, record setting level.”
Leafs GM Brian Burke said he is confident that many of the tickets will be snapped up by Leaf fans.
“The league asked me originally if I thought we could sell 40-thousand tickets and I said I need 48 hours. You’re going to see a lot of blue in the big house,” he said.
Burke is calling the event “Hockeytown” vs “The Centre of the Hockey Universe.”
The Maple Leafs are the first Canadian team to be part of a winter classic.
Also, the NHL announced that the rest of the event will be based out of Comerica Park in downtown Detroit.
Bettman said at least 150,000 fans will take in games at Comerica Park.
The baseball stadium will host an alumni game as well as games featuring teams from the Ontario Hockey League, American Hockey League and NCAA.
