Setting the world record for the biggest crowd to watch an outdoor hockey game was the goal when The Big Chill at The Big House was announced. And with more than 100,000 tickets sold, achieving a new attendance mark was all but a formality.
Expectations were exceeded, however, as an audience of 113,411 was announced for the hockey game between Michigan and Michigan State at Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
That’s the largest crowd ever to witness an outdoor hockey game. It’s the largest crowd to attend any event played at Michigan Stadium. And the mark was officially recognized as a Guinness World Record.
The previous record for an outdoor hockey crowd was 77,803 for a game between Germany and the United States played at the World Championships in Gelsenkirchen, Germany in May of this year.
The Cold War between Michigan State and Michigan played at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing drew 74,544 in 2001. The first NHL Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo drew 71,217 in 2008.