The NHL "has all but finalized details to hold next year's Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, while continuing negotiations for a second outdoor rink in downtown Detroit where all ancillary events would be held," according to a source cited by Scott Burnside of ESPN.com. The source said that the league "would like to have the matter settled by the All-Star break in late January." The game would be played at Michigan Stadium, which is the "largest college football stadium in the country" with more than 110,000 seats. The NHL also "would like to build a second outdoor rink in downtown Detroit, probably at Comerica Park" (ESPN.com, 1/13). Univ. of Michigan AD Dave Brandon said, "When we were approached, I thought, 'Could be a great opportunity, but boy does it have a lot of complications.' And I still feel that way. They play on Jan. 1st. It’s a holiday. It’s long after our stadium is closed up. Everybody is out of town, and in fact I hope a lot of people are at a bowl game and watching our football team. So there’s a lot of complications as it relates to that. We’re still having conversations, and we’ll see if we can work something out. But it’s still a work in progress." In Detroit, George Sipple reports being able to sell alcohol at Michigan Stadium "is another issue that would have to be addressed." Brandon: "It's an issue. And it's not easy. ... This is not a venue that has a liquor license to operate on a day-in and day-out basis like a lot of other sporting venues. So, there are processess we would need to go through that could potentially give us that flexibility, but it's something we've never done" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/16). Brandon said that the Winter Classic "would be 'an NHL event' and no Michigan hockey game would be included in the deal." He added that it "is 'just rumors' about Michigan playing a Great Lakes Invitational tournament game at Comerica Park." He noted that the tournament "has a contract with Joe Louis Arena" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/16).
