Big House awaits NHL

Michigan Stadium, future home of the NHL's
Winter Classic. (Wayne Newton photo)

Can you stare at the biggest football stadium in the United States and think about hockey?
You can if you are a Canadian NHL fan and you're in the massive press box looking out over Michigan Stadium, aka the Big House, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The stadium already holds the record for biggest attendance for a hockey game when the Wolverines played rival Michigan State in front more than 100,000 people.
Next month the NHL's second most important event (next to the Stanley Cup playoffs) was supposed to have been played in the stadium between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs - my team. Attendance likely would have topped 114,000. Typical NHL rinks seat between 18,000 and 20,000 fans.
The labour dispute between NHL players and the league forced cancellation of the Winter Classic along with about half the season - so far.
The university and city were geared up for the event, with plans in motion for receptions and parties along with staffing and inventory planning at the plethora of local brew pubs, microbreweries and restaurants. All of it came to a halt with hopes the game will be held in 2014 when the league and players get their acts together.
Meanwhile, I've written a piece about how to spend 48 hours in the Ann Arbor area for Sun Media newspapers in Canada, along with some great photos of the stadium, beer and food - all of which are ready for hockey fans to enjoy. Expect publication this month.