As expected, the NHL has canceled the Winter Classic.
The league took an ax to its marquee event this afternoon, making the New Year's Day outdoor game the latest casualty of the lockout. Detroit was supposed to host Toronto in Michigan Stadium.
"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."
There were two weeks of events scheduled for downtown Detroit leading up to the big game, including college, minor- and junior-league games. With no sign of the labor fight between the NHL and its players' association ending, the league decided to take the guesswork out of the event.
The league said it will stage the next Winter Classic in the same venues, presumably in 2013-14.
---John Vogl
