Winter Classic 2013: Sponsors informed of cancelation, according to report

The NHL has informed sponsors of the 2013 Winter Classic that it will be canceling the event later on Friday, according to a report by Nick Kypreos of Sports Net. The official announcement could come some time around 2 p.m. ET on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, a report surfaced from Canada's Globe & Mail, which stated that the annual event was not going to be canceled and that the hard deadline for a decision could come no earlier than Nov. 15. However, that report was quickly contradicted by several other outlets who cited sources saying that the event was going to be canceled on Friday.

If the NHL does cancel the Winter Classic on Friday, it would remain consistent with several other reports from the past week, which stated that the decision was expected to be announced either on Thursday or Friday of this week.

The cancelation of the event is connected to the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between the NHL and NHL Players Association. As of this time, there are no future negotiations scheduled, but the two sides have been engaging in "substantive" discussions via phone and email.