SB Nation Detroit - Winter Classic 2013 officially canceled by NHL in wake of lockout

Red Wings players react to cancellation of Winter Classic

2012-11-02T22:12:53Z

Detroit Reds Wings players were disappointed to hear that the 2013 Winter Classic was canceled on Friday due to the current NHL lockout, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

The Detroit Red Wings were scheduled to play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium on New Year's Day, and the event was expected to draw 120,000 fans. The NHL did announce that the 2014 Winter Classic will take place between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2014, at Michigan Stadium.

Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard told St. James that the cancellation is "extremely disappointing," as he expected the event to be the "grandaddy of the Winter Classics."

Defenseman Ian White said he has been looking forward to participating in the event since it was announced, and is saddened by the cancellation.

The NHL has canceled a total of 326 games for the 2012-13 season as it tries to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association.

Winter Classic 2014 scheduled to feature Red Wings, Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium

2012-11-02T19:35:39Z

With the NHL lockout sending the 2013 Winter Classic to the chopping block, the league announced Friday that the 2014 Winter Classic will be played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. The Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The next NHL Winter Classic – featuring the Red Wings and Maple Leafs – and Hockeytown Winter Festival will take place at the University of Michigan and Comerica Park, respectively. Those who have purchased tickets for the 2012-13 events can either receive refunds or maintain their tickets for the future events.

The Red Wings and Maple Leafs were scheduled to play at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2013. But with no Collective Bargaining Agreement in place between the NHL and NHL Players' Association, the league was forced to cancel this season's event and the Hockeytown Winter Festival. The league said that it is not in a position to do all that is required to stage such large events:

"The logistical demands for staging events of this magnitude made today's decision unavoidable. We simply are out of time," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "We are extremely disappointed, for our fans and for all those affected, to have to cancel the Winter Classic and Hockeytown Winter Festival events."

The lockout began on Sept. 15 and has resulted in the cancellation of 326 regular-season games, so far.

Winter Classic 2013 canceled by NHL

2012-11-02T19:24:07Z

The NHL announced on Friday that the 2013 Winter Classic has been canceled, which means the entire Winter Festival will be wiped also. The cancellation of both events could cost the host cities of Ann Arbor and Detroit, Mich. up to $75-80 million. This outcome has long felt like an inevitable end to a situation darkened by a dismal lockout, and on Friday the league formally announced the decision in a press release. In that release, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly offered up a bare bones rationale for the decision:

"The logistical demands for staging events of this magnitude made today's decision unavoidable. We simply are out of time," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "We are extremely disappointed, for our fans and for all those affected, to have to cancel the Winter Classic and Hockeytown Winter Festival events."

The league remains dedicated to bringing a Winter Classic event to Michigan, and the Winter Classic event has essentially been scheduled in the same venues for the 2014 season.That means the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs are still set to meet in the next NHL Winter Classic. Daly added: "We look forward to bringing the next Winter Classic and the Hockeytown Winter Festival to Michigan."

For those who purchased tickets to the 2013 Winter Classic or the SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival, ticket refund information can be found at: nhl.com/winterclassicrefund.

Winter Classic 2013 will reportedly be canceled on Thursday

2012-10-29T16:39:20Z

The 2013 NHL Winter Classic will be canceled by the league on Thursday, according to a report by Katie Strang of ESPN New York. Citing a source familiar with the NHL's plans, Strang reported that the league will be announcing the cancelation of the event on Thursday due to the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the NHL Players Association.

This development remains consistent with a report from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune last week, which stated that due to the size of this year's event in Detroit, that preemptive decisions would need to be made sooner than usual. With millions of dollars in non-refundable payments scheduled to begin this week, the league needs to evaluate whether it is possible to continue with the planning of the event.

Following the rejection of the league's most recent offer by the union and the subsequent rejection off three proposals from the NHLPA by the owners, the two sides remain at odds over key issues. This resulted in all games through November being canceled last week and now it appears the Winter Classic will be the next casualty of the standoff.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation.

2013 Winter Classic set to be canceled with Monday announcement, according to report

2012-10-26T17:40:42Z

The 2013 NHL Winter Classic will be canceled, according to John Buccigross of ESPN, who says an announcement of the cancellation will come on Monday. The NHL All-Star Game will also be canceled, according to Buccigross.

The Winter Classic, a New Year's Day event, was slated to take place in Michigan Stadium, home of the University of Michigan football team, and feature a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The cancellation comes on the heels of the league also wiping out regular season games through the end of November, and could cost the cities of Ann Arbor and Detroit big in lost revenue. According to Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the loss of the Winter Classic could cost the host cities up to $75-80 million.

As of three weeks ago, the event had already sold between 80-90,000 tickets. In a stadium with the capacity of nearly 110,000, the game was set to have a good shot at being the highest-attended hockey game ever.

Winter Classic cancellation could cost Detroit/Ann Arbor $75-80 million, according to report

2012-10-26T17:03:04Z

With the NHL lockout enduring, potential cancellation of the annual Winter Classic becomes more of a reality. According to Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, such a cancellation could cost the host cities of Ann Arbor and Detroit, Mich. up to $75-80 million.

The New Year's Day event is slated to take place in Michigan Stadium, home of the University of Michigan football team, and feature a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Today, the NHL cancelled games through the end of November. But even with December play still a possibility, the deadline for a decision to cancel the NHL Winter Classic may need to be made as soon as next week. According to Russo, next week begins the timeline for non-refundable money to be paid to make the event happen, including the $3 million needed to rent Michigan Stadium.

The reality of a dwindling season, including the league's biggest event aside from the playoffs, is approaching:

I've heard from several players that the real deadline, the real league pressure point is when the Winter Classic is in play. Well, it's at that point, folks. It's not going to be canceled in early December, in mid December. It's going to be canceled early next week.

Winter Classic 2013: Decision on status of game 'rapidly approaching'

2012-10-19T17:59:36Z

The Detroit Red Wings are currently scheduled to play the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium as part of the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2013, but with the lockout still in place, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the cancellation date for the Winter Classic is coming soon – reports have pegged Nov. 20 as the possible drop dead date.

Labor negotiations have been contentious and progress has been hard to come by, so drastic decisions are bound to be part of the process as talks drag on through what would have been the 2012-13 season.

According to the University of Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon, at least 80,000 tickets have already been sold, but that may not matter. Chris Johnson of The Canadian Press and Bob Duff of The Windsor Star have provided alarming updates, via Twitter:

Bettman says Winter Classic cancellation date is "rapidly approaching."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 18, 2012

Heard from a couple of sources that Nov. 20 would be drop dead date for saving Winter Classic. #NHL
— Bob Duff (@asktheduffer) October 18, 2012

If the 2013 Winter Classic is cancelled, it's expected that the plans will be pushed back and the Red Wings and Maple Leafs will play in Ann Arbor in 2014. The Winter Festival in downtown Detroit would likely be in danger as well if the Winter Classic is cancelled.

Winter Classic 2013: Cancellation rumors grow during NHL lockout

2012-10-09T15:46:14Z

Officials from the NHL Operations department currently have no plans to visit Ann Arbor, causing many to fear that the 2013 Winter Classic is in danger of being cancelled. The game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs is set to be played at Michigan Stadium, and could see an attendance as high as 115,000. However, the longer the lockout goes, the more likely it is that the Winter Classic will become a casualty to the battle between the owners and players.

If the 2013 Winter Classic is cancelled, it's expected that the plans will be pushed back and the Red Wings and Maple Leafs will play in Ann Arbor in 2014.

NHL staff visited the site in September, and were scheduled to return in October to do logistics scouting to help prepare for the event. However, the first two weeks of the season have been cancelled, and there's little hope of a quick resolution to the situation.

Aside from the game in Ann Arbor, the Winter Festival in downtown Detroit is also in danger of falling through. The Festival is supposed to include high school games, Ontario Hockey League games, the Great Lakes Invitational, and the NHL Alumni game.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation.