NEW YORK (March 9, 2016) – The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings will face-off in an outdoor regular-season game at BMO Field in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in the first-ever NHL Centennial Classic™, the NHL® announced today.
In 2017, the NHL will conduct a year-long Centennial celebration that will feature a variety of ceremonies, recognitions, observances and special events that will highlight 100 years of NHL hockey and also will recognize a number of milestone anniversaries for member Clubs, including the Maple Leafs.
The game will be a rematch of the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. On New Year’s Day 2014, a record crowd of 105,491 watched the Red Wings and Maple Leafs rekindle their Original Six™ rivalry at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Snow fell throughout the day, providing the perfect backdrop for a thrilling game, which the Maple Leafs won, 3-2, in a shootout.
“This meeting of the Red Wings and Maple Leafs offers an ideal launch for a fantastic 2017 -- the year in which the National Hockey League will celebrate its Centennial, Toronto will commemorate 100 years of NHL play and Canada will observe the 150th anniversary of Confederation,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Since the Red Wings and Maple Leafs made NHL outdoor history by drawing more than 105,000 people to ‘The Big House’ in 2014, this unique rematch provides a perfect beginning to an historic year for our League, our Clubs and our fans.”
Additional details surrounding the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic™ - including broadcast and ticketing information and other events surrounding the game - will be announced in the coming months.
Read More: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=872937">http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=872937</a><!-- m -->
In 2017, the NHL will conduct a year-long Centennial celebration that will feature a variety of ceremonies, recognitions, observances and special events that will highlight 100 years of NHL hockey and also will recognize a number of milestone anniversaries for member Clubs, including the Maple Leafs.
The game will be a rematch of the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. On New Year’s Day 2014, a record crowd of 105,491 watched the Red Wings and Maple Leafs rekindle their Original Six™ rivalry at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. Snow fell throughout the day, providing the perfect backdrop for a thrilling game, which the Maple Leafs won, 3-2, in a shootout.
“This meeting of the Red Wings and Maple Leafs offers an ideal launch for a fantastic 2017 -- the year in which the National Hockey League will celebrate its Centennial, Toronto will commemorate 100 years of NHL play and Canada will observe the 150th anniversary of Confederation,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Since the Red Wings and Maple Leafs made NHL outdoor history by drawing more than 105,000 people to ‘The Big House’ in 2014, this unique rematch provides a perfect beginning to an historic year for our League, our Clubs and our fans.”
Additional details surrounding the 2017 NHL Centennial Classic™ - including broadcast and ticketing information and other events surrounding the game - will be announced in the coming months.
Read More: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=872937">http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=872937</a><!-- m -->