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2013 Winter Classic

February 9, 2012 by · Comments Off on 2013 Winter Classic 

2013 Winter Classic, The NHL made it official: The 2013 Winter Classic will pit Original Six rivals Detroit and Toronto at Michigan Stadium in a chance to break the hockey attendance record. The Big House, which hosted a record hockey crowd in 2010 for a college game, will be the site of the 2013 Winter Classic.

“Even with 115,000 or more tickets available, we still won’t have enough to satisfy the demand,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

The record hockey crowd is 104,173 at Michigan Stadium for a college game in Ann Arbor, Mich., between Michigan and Michigan State on Dec. 11, 2010.

The first five Winter Classics are contained in one venue, but next season, the NHL is constructing a second ice sheet at the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park. Mike and Marian Ilitch own both the Red Wings and the Tigers.

In the week leading up to the Winter Classic, the alumni game will be played in Comerica, along with the Great Lakes Invitational college hockey tournament that usually takes place at Joe Louis Arena.

An American Hockey League between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs’ affiliates is scheduled, as well as two Ontario Hockey League games and youth hockey games and public skates.

Bettman estimates that more than 150,000 tickets will be sold for the downtown events.

The Red Wings played in the 2009 Winter Classic at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

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