Winter Classic Draws Record Crowd, 4 More Outdoor NHL Games Still To Come

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout at the Winter Classic on New Years Day. The game was played at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and over 105,000 people braved the snow and below zero wind chills.  The attendance was just slightly higher than the figure when Michigan and Michigan State met in a College hockey tilt at the "Big House" three years ago.

While the conditions made for less than perfect hockey, not one player involved had anything but good to say after the game, and not many fans left their seats before the shootout.  What's really great for us hockey lovers is that this is just the first outdoor game of the season.  The 2014 Stadium Series kicks off January 25th with a game between Anaheim and Los Angeles in Dodger Stadium.

Games 2 and 3 of the series will feature the New York Rangers playing the Devils and Islanders at Yankee Stadium! Those games are scheduled for January 26th and 29th.  The final game, which sold out in a matter of hours, will be played March 1st at historic Soldier Field in Chicago, and will feature the Black Hawks and Pittsburgh Penguins.