2013 Winter Classic, Winter Festival Canceled by NHL
On Friday, the NHL officially canceled the much-anticipated 2013 Winter Classic, set to be played between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on New Year's Day.
The event at Michigan Stadium would have brought in close to 120,000 hockey fans.
The NHL, after being on hiatus since September 16, canceled games through November. According to a report, "the owners locked out players when the NHL and the Players Association could not agree on a new collective bargaining agreement."
"It's sad," Wings defenseman Ian White said. "I was really looking forward to playing in that game. I've been looking forward to it since they announced it. I know everyone probably was in the state of Michigan. We were thrilled to have it. It would have been a great event."
Although an agreement could be reached before the Winter Classic is set to take place, the NHL decided not to take a chance at waiting until the last minute before canceling.
The 2014 Winter Classic is set to be played by the same teams at the same location, according to the NHL.
"It was something we were looking forward to doing this year, but if it's not going to happen, it's not going to happen," Johan Franzen said. "But hopefully we might get a carry-over to next year. Hopefully, we can get it then."
The Winter Festival to be held at Comerica Park in mid-December has also been canceled, according to the Red Wings' senior director of communications, John Hahn.
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