NHL Cancels '13 Winter Classic, Hockeytown Festival Due To Lockout

The NHL has cancelled the '13 Maple Leafs-Red Wings Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium as a result of the ongoing lockout. The league also cancelled all Hockeytown Festival events scheduled for Dec. 16-31 at Comerica Park. The next Winter Classic will take place at Michigan Stadium (NHL). The NHL needed "at least six weeks to begin construction of both rinks at U-M and Comerica," along with "ample time to begin publicizing the event and begin to get sponsorships in order" (DETROITNEWS.com, 11/2).

There were reports Friday that the NHL "was considering waiting for another two weeks to cancel the game." But league sources said that the "logistics of the event, all the tickets and hotels and part-time workers required to hold events in two different locations, all conspired to make holding the event with less than 60 days to pull it off became impractical" (THESTAR.com, 11/2).