Due to the lockout that ate up a big chunk of the 2012-13 season, the NHL had to cancel the annual Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. This year’s contest was supposed to take place at Michigan Stadium - A.K.A. the “Big House” in Ann Arbor, MI in a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.

As expected, the NHL pushed the date back to New Year’s Day 2014, and all previous plans will be in place. In addition to the game itself, there will also be a Hockeytown Winter Festival in downtown Detroit. The festival will consist of two Maple Leafs-Red Wings alumni games, an AHL game between the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins (affiliates of the Maple Leafs and Red Wings, respectively), and the Great Lakes Invitational: a college hockey tournament that normally is held at Joe Louis Arena. All of these games will be played outdoors at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.

What is different this year, however, is that the Winter Classic will not be the only outdoor game. It will be the first of six played outside as part of a “Stadium Series”, where games will also take place in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and British Columbia.

This game should be a treat for any hockey fan. Original Six (and now division) rivals square off in the elements, no white jerseys will be worn as Toronto will wear blue and Detroit will wear red, and it will likely be the highest-attended NHL game in history, taking place at the largest stadium in the United States.