The NHL has scheduled a major news conference for Detroit on Thursday, which industry observers expect will be to announce a 2013 Detroit Red Wings-Toronto Maple Leafs Winter Classic hockey game.
On NHL.com, the league would only say that it will hold a news conference at Comerica Park in Detroit at 10:30 a.m. followed by a second one in Ann Arbour, Mich..
The event will be carried live on NHL Network and on NHL.com, the statement said.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the next Winter Classic will be played Jan. 1, 2013 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbour, about 70 kilometres west of Detroit.
A Dec. 11, 2010 outdoor game at the stadium between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University drew 113,411 fans -- a Guinness world record for a hockey game, according to The Canadian Press.
This season's Winter Classic saw the New York Rangers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park before about 45,000 fans in Philadelphia.
Other cities that have hosted the Winter Classic include Buffalo, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Besides the main game in Ann Arbour, the NHL will hold several events at Comerica Park in Detroit, TSN said.
Those include:
- two NCAA college hockey games as part of the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament
- a regular-season AHL game between the Toronto Marlies and the Grand Rapids Griffins
- two regular-season OHL games
- high-school and youth hockey
The showpiece event will be a game between the alumni of the Red Wings and Maple Leafs, both Original Six franchises.
