NHL cancels Winter Classic as lockout continues
The NHL's big outdoor game was to feature the Red Wings and the Maple Leafs on New Year's Day.
November 2nd, 2012
03:47 PM ET

NHL cancels Winter Classic as lockout continues

The National Hockey League on Friday put its annual outdoor Winter Classic game on ice - the latest casualty of the NHL's lockout of its players.

The nationally televised game - a highlight of the season in part because it is the only NHL match played outdoors - was to pit the Detroit Red Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on January 1.

The league and the NHL Players' Association have not been able to reach a collective bargaining agreement, prompting a lockout that already has forced the league to cancel regular-season games through November 30 - or 26.5% of the season. The season was supposed to begin October 11.

"The cancellation (of the Winter Classic) was necessary because, given the absence of a collective bargaining agreement between the NHL Players' Association and the NHL, the league was not in a position to do all that is necessary to adequately stage events of this magnitude," the league said in a statement Friday.

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Filed under: Hockey • NHL • Sports
soundoff (3 Responses)
  1. Ex-NHL Fan

    Agreed!!!!! I had my tickets as soon as they were made available. In addition, to all the other games downtown, hotel reservations, etc... A nice hockey weekend for my wife and I....this sucks.

    November 2, 2012 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |
  2. TvNyC

    This game sucks, and so does football. Only crazys like these type of games. Besides the wprld is ending.

    November 3, 2012 at 4:28 am | Report abuse |
  3. chrissy

    What really stinks is all the people that need this sport to earn a living are now out of jobs because of the NHLs greed!!! They shouldve weighed ALL of the ramifications beforehand!

    November 4, 2012 at 9:20 am | Report abuse |
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