The official announcement is expected tomorrow, Link (new window). Although I'm still unsure why they decided they had to wait until the Wings got back into town. In any event, I hope I can score tickets to it, I went to The Big Chill in 2010 and had a blast.

/Go Wings!

I'll be making the trip. It's going to be a damn epic event.

The Wings versus the Leafs?
Yeeesh
Well there's some must miss TV for you.

mikaloyd: The Wings versus the Leafs?
Yeeesh
Well there's some must miss TV for you.

Says the guy from California. You were hoping for Sharks vs Ducks, weren't you?

9beers: mikaloyd: The Wings versus the Leafs?
Yeeesh
Well there's some must miss TV for you.

Says the guy from California. You were hoping for Sharks vs Ducks, weren't you?

Mika's actually a Penguins fan, although I can't remember the story of how that came to be, it's somewhere in one of this season's football threads.

9beers: I'll be making the trip. It's going to be a damn epic event.

I live less than an hour from Ann Arbor, so I'm going if I can snag a ticket (9beers, hopefully you don't have too big of a drive). My dad is a U of M football season ticket holder so I'm hoping Michigan's season ticket holders get some sort of priority when tickets go on sale. The Big Chill was farking fantastic; huge stage with a great atmosphere, it was just electric when they dropped the puck. I just hope that the Winter Classic can live up to its predecessor. The Big Chill was between bitter in-state rivals, pro match-ups generally don't generate the same level of intensity and anticipation that college rivalry games do. In any event, hopefully we'll be part of setting a new hockey attendance world record.

mikaloyd: The Wings versus the Leafs?
Yeeesh
Well there's some must miss TV for you.

No kidding. The wings again? I'll be ok. I'm sure there will be a Golden Girls rerun on somewhere.


Go Blues
St Louis vs Minnesota winter classic 2013

I'm already planning the vacation days off. This should be the second ever wings game I'll get to see live, and first ever leafs game live. Add to that, going with my parents, one is the die-hard leafs fan, and the other the die-hard wings fan will make things oh so interesting.

The Big Chill was amazing. I will definitely find ways to get tickets to the Winter Classic.

Nothing quite like watching NHL hockey in an Open Air environment with 100,000+ of your closest friends.

And for those who do not know, that is correct. 100 thousand people in the same stadium, watching hockey. The official attendance of The Big Chill was 104,173. I am sure the NHL will figure out at way to squeeze more into this game.

@tri26.2 - i believe the big chill was before the recent expansion too, amirite?

Glad they're having it in a football stadium again.

The sightlines just work better than in a baseball stadium, and also part of the coolness of having an outdoor game is having a really huge crowd in attendance.

I went to the first WC in 2008 in Ralph Wilson Stadium. Being part of a crowd of 73,000 to watch a hockey game was incredible. I'm sure that 100,000+ will be insane!

wwffan7385: @tri26.2 - i believe the big chill was before the recent expansion too, amirite?

Nope. Just after. My seats at the Big Chill were actually one's that were added during the expansion. We could still see all the action though, even that far up the bowl.

They are in the midst of planning yet another expansion too. Craziness.

With the amount of Leaf fans coming from Canada, I could easily see more of them than Red Wing fans in the crowd.

carnifex2005: With the amount of Leaf fans coming from Canada, I could easily see more of them than Red Wing fans in the crowd.


So, Ottawa on a regular game night?


/time to surrender the team if you can't support them, kids.

Cool/Weird stat from last night:

Ryan Miller (Buffalo) and Drew Miller (Detroit) became the first pair of brothers to post a shutout and a game-winning goal on the same night since Phil and Tony Esposito did it in 1973.

I'm enjoying all the butt-hurt State fans I know biatching about it being in Ann Arbor.

The Big Chill was fun... Hope I'm able to score tickets to this.

carnifex2005: With the amount of Leaf fans coming from Canada, I could easily see more of them than Red Wing fans in the crowd.

Not a chance. Ann Arbor is under a 2 hour drive for over 5 million people in Michigan. Toronto fans will be well represented but it will be 70% Wings

9beers: carnifex2005: With the amount of Leaf fans coming from Canada, I could easily see more of them than Red Wing fans in the crowd.

Not a chance. Ann Arbor is under a 2 hour drive for over 5 million people in Michigan. Toronto fans will be well represented but it will be 70% Wings

I respectfully disagree.

I think it'll be pretty darn close to 50-50.

Many Leaf fans will be willing to drive the 3 hours from Toronto to Windsor and then go the extra hour to Ann Arbour to catch this game. Unless tickets are being held for people from Michigan, I imagine when sales open up to the general public, Leaf fans will be purchasing in droves.

I know I'd drive the 4+ hours...but I work New Years eve, so I'll probably have to bail...

Tri 26.2: The Big Chill was amazing. I will definitely find ways to get tickets to the Winter Classic.

Nothing quite like watching NHL hockey in an Open Air environment with 100,000+ of your closest friends.

And for those who do not know, that is correct. 100 thousand people in the same stadium, watching hockey. The official attendance of The Big Chill was 104,173. I am sure the NHL will figure out at way to squeeze more into this game.

Figure out? Hell, capacity's technically 109,901. Record stands at 114,804.

Did anyone here attend any of the Classics (or the college game) that were held in stadiums rather than ballparks? I can visualize watching a game at Fenway and being able to see enough of the action, but I somehow feel that in the cheap seats of a stadium it might be like watching ants, because the rink is so small and infield. Any insight? What's the enjoyment factor when you're waaay out there?

It seems to me the ballpark approach is more intimate, like the fans are more on top of the players. I wish they would fill the infield so to speak, I hate looking at all that emptiness on television and seeing only a few photographers and Mike Milbury creeping around during the game.

Oh great, another game I can't afford to attend but have to deal with the out-of-towners crowding my local pub.

/Live 1/2 mile from the stadium.
//Taking donations to buy a ticket :)

S.A.S.Q.U.A.T.C.H.: Did anyone here attend any of the Classics (or the college game) that were held in stadiums rather than ballparks?

Yep. Ralph Wilson Stadium 2008.

It was awesome.

DrSieb: I respectfully disagree.

I think it'll be pretty darn close to 50-50.

I'd like to see them handle the ticket sales in a way to get a 50-50 split but I doubt they will. It would be cool to see half the stadium in red and the other half in blue. I would also assume that the University of Michigan is going to get some sort of preferential deal with ticket sales which is going to help slant the crowd towards Wings fans.

Would be great if it were to happen..however there might be another lock out if they don't agree on the new CBA

9beers: carnifex2005: With the amount of Leaf fans coming from Canada, I could easily see more of them than Red Wing fans in the crowd.

Not a chance. Ann Arbor is under a 2 hour drive for over 5 million people in Michigan. Toronto fans will be well represented but it will be 70% Wings

Doubtful, it will probably be 60 % leafs 40 % wings fans ...Leafs have the most fans in the league, they are by the thousands in every state and millions in Canada

Hell, when Leafs play in Ottawa and Buffalo its all go leafs go and booing the home team
nowhere does that happen in north america in any sport

I figure if we can get the fans from Dallas and SJ back on Jan 1 we'll have a real good chance to outdraw the Leafs.