Who: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings
Where: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI)
When: January 1, 2014 @ 1 p.m. EST

The 2014 iteration of the NHL Winter Classic will happen on New Years Day at “The Big House” in Ann Arbor, Mich., as the Maple Leafs and the Red Wings will compete in an “original six” match-up. It will likely end up being a competitive showing, as the two teams are only two points apart in the eastern conference standings, with Detroit slowing down a tad in recent years and Toronto actually showing some signs of life this season. This match ends up making more sense this season as well, with Detroit having moved over to the east after the realignment at the start of the season (a better fit for the geography, and a boon to those in the west). This is also the first time a Canadian team has played in the Winter Classic, as usually they play in the Heritage Classic, a different stadium game.

These stadium games have been a logical way for the NHL to try and garner attention from a wider North American audience. If nothing else, it's a spectacle for those in attendance and those at home, and it shows hockey in a way that's more analogous to American football, which is an audience that the NHL is still desperately trying to court. It's also been a smart move to stage these games on Jan. 1, as most people are home that day, either hung over or with nothing to do — a captive audience, if you will. Either way, it's a great showcase for a fast-moving and hard-hitting sport that needs more people watching and playing it.

A Little Bit of History

The Winter Classic was started back in 2008, making this the sixth event bearing this name (with no event happening in 2013 due to the lockout-shortened season). The concept has generally resulted in some competitive games, with the home team only winning one of the previous five contests. Playing in front of that many home fans probably ends up creating some reasonable pressure, especially since these games are a bigger spectacle than the teams are used to.

2008 — Pittsburgh Penguins def. Buffalo Sabres 2-1 (shootout) in front of 71,217 at Ralph Wilson Stadium (Orchard, N.Y.).

2009 — Detroit Red Wings def. Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in front of 40,818 at Wrigley Field (Chicago, Ill.).

2010 — Boston Bruins def. Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 (OT) in front of 38,112 at Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.).

2011 — Washington Capitals def. Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in front of 68,111 at Heinz Field (Pittsburgh, Penn.).

2012 — New York Rangers def. Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in front of 46,967 at Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia, Penn.).
 

Even though the Winter Classic gets all of the attention on New Years Day, the NHL will also host several other “stadium games” this season, as well as the annual Heritage Classic, which is a Canadian-only event. I don't think there's any harm in doing a few stadium games a year, but the NHL would be wise to not go crazy with these spectacles games, as the magic will be lost if they end up happening every month.

Coors Light Stadium Series

Game 1, January 25 — Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings @ Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Game 2, January 26 — New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils @ Yankee Stadium (New York, N.Y.).
Game 3, January 28 — New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders @ Yankee Stadium (New York, N.Y.).
Game 4, March 1 — Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Chicago Blackhawks @ Soldier Field (Chicago, Ill.).

Heritage Classic

March 2 — Vancouver Canucks vs. Ottawa Senators @ B.C. Place (Vancouver, B.C.).

It should be interesting to see the Heritage Classic this year, as it's a dome stadium in B.C. Place that's just had a retractable roof installed, which gives the game a bit of an indoor and outdoor feel at the same time.
 

EA is commemorating the Winter Classic by releasing a HUT pack featuring several players from stadium series teams, including Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Dion Phaneuf.
 

Here is the complete list:

Forwards

Henrik Zetterberg – Detroit Red Wings
Pavel Datsyuk – Detroit Red Wings
Daniel Alfredsson – Detroit Red Wings
Joffrey Lupul – Toronto Maple Leafs
Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
David Clarkson – Toronto Maple Leafs
Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
Nicklas Backstrom – Washington Capitals
Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
Scott Hartnell – Philadelphia Flyers
Brad Richards – New York Rangers
Ryan Callahan – New York Rangers

Defensemen

Dion Phaneuf – Toronto Maple Leafs
Jake Gardiner – Toronto Maple Leafs
Jonathan Ericsson – Detroit Red Wings
Mike Green – Washington Capitals
Karl Alzner – Washington Capitals
Kimmo Timonen – Philadelphia Flyers

Goaltenders

Jimmy Howard – Detroit Red Wings
Jonathan Bernier – Toronto Maple Leafs