NHL's annual outdoor Winter Classic will be at Michigan Stadium

The NHL Winter Classic will be played at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2013, sources tell MLive.com.

AnnArbor.com file photo

Outdoor hockey is returning to Michigan Stadium, and this time it's the NHL's show.

The Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2013 in the annual NHL Winter Classic, Ansar Khan reported for MLive.com, citing an anonymous source.

From MLive.com:

The Red Wings lobbied to have the game at Comerica Park, but the NHL couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hold this annual outdoor spectacle at "The Big House," where it is expected to attract a record crowd in excess of 110,000. To appease Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, a rink will be constructed at Comerica Park. The home of the Detroit Tigers will host other events leading up to the Winter Classic, including the alumni game and possibly the Great Lakes Invitational.

Michigan Stadium was the site of "The Big Chill at the Big House" on Dec. 11, 2010, when a Guinness World Records crowd of 104,173 watched the Michigan hockey team beat Michigan State, 5-0.

MLive.com reported that an official announcement on the NHL Winter Classic is expected in February. The NHL attendance record for the Winter Classic was set in 2008 in Buffalo when 71,217 watched the Buffalo Sabres play the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This year at the NHL Winter Classic, New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, on Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park.