The chatter was true: Michigan Stadium and Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, will both host games at the 2013 NHL Winter Classic.
The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a lease of the historic football stadium today for Dec. 1, 2012 until mid-January 2013; the NHL will pay $3 million for it and receive all gate, signage and parking revenues, while splitting operations proceeds with the school. (The university has a special liquor license that will be used for the event.) The Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six matchup. The largest crowd to see a hockey game is 104,173, and we’re guessing that record could be broken with a large number of Maple Leafs fans making the five-hour drive to Ann Arbor.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have scheduled a Thursday press conference, presumably to announce Comerica Park‘s role in the Winter Classic. While the big Jan. 1 game will be played at Michigan Stadium — along with at least one other college game, we assume — Comerica Park will host the Great Lakes Invitational as well as other college and high-school games.
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