Detroit Gets the Winter Classic Location

Well kind of. The Detroit Red Wings are set to host the 2013 Winter Classic game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. With how popular the past Classic game between the Flyers and the Rangers were this past January, the NHL is realizing how important the game really is the fans. The 2013 game will also give more fans access to the highly anticipated game but even with 115,000 available seats, the NHL thinks this will not be enough to meet fan demands.

The game is so highly anticipated since the Maple Leafs will be the first Canadian team to play in the classic game since the Winter Classic event began five years ago. The Leafs and the Red Wings are also original six NHL teams, which always makes for good games, so it will be no wonder that this Classic event will be very high in demand.

Considering how well the previous game went in Philadelphia, the NHL is expecting a Red Wings-Maple Leafs game to bring in even more fans and media attention. With these events the league is actually starting to get more recognition in the states in attempts to become a more popular sport in places where it is less popular. One of the ways that the league is planning on doing that is through having the actual Winter Classic game played at Michigan Stadium which is the stadium that holds the largest capacity in the North America. (That means the country and our neighbors above the border).

This game will be a little bit different because there will also be a week long festival at Commerica Park prior to the actual game. This will be where the Alumni game will take place, along with the Great Lakes Invitational. All in all the NHL is really starting to step up its game with how the Winter Classic Game is run, which added events each year that the event is proposed.