Winter Classic 2014: Schedule, game time and more

The 2012-13 NHL lockout may have pushed back Wednesday's Winter Classic an entire calendar year, but that just means the excitement level is even higher for what will, at least in terms of actual numbers, be the largest NHL game ever played.

The Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium — or, the Big House — on Wed., Jan. 1, 2014. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBC in the United States and CBC in Canada. But the big game is the culmination of an entire week of hockey events in the Detroit area.

Long time coming

The buildup to the 2014 Winter Classic was a long and winding road. Read up on the twists and turns in anticipation of the first game of 2014.

After two days of collegiate action as part of the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament and an Ontario Hockey League double header on Sunday, the American Hockey League will take the field at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, on Monday, where the Grand Rapid Griffins will host the Toronto Marlies in a meeting of tomorrow's NHL players.

The future will be followed by the past, as the Red Wings alumni host the Maple Leafs alumni in a double header on Tuesday. Both games will be televised on NBC Sports Network in the United States and the CBC in Canada.

This will all culminate in the Winter Classic on Wednesday, where the Red Wings of today will host the Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium.

The weather forecast is projecting a 30 percent chance of snow on Tuesday morning, with a 60 percent chance of snow showers on Wednesday, via Weather.com:

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