Wings, Leafs to meet in 2013 Winter Classic at the Big House

Hockey Betting Lines

02/09/2012 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will play in the 2013 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Thursday at Comerica Park in Detroit, which will be the host city for the annual event. The home of the Detroit Tigers will also serve as the host for the Hockeytown Winter Festival, a week-long celebration that will lead up to the January 1, 2013 contest.

Michigan Stadium, better known as the Big House, is home to the University of Michigan's football team and is the largest stadium in North America with a seating capacity nearing 110,000.

"Since this outdoor matchup is so big, there is only one place it could be played," Bettman said during Thursday's press conference. "Even with more than 100,000 tickets, we still won't have enough to satisfy the demand."

It will be the sixth Winter Classic, the outdoor series which debuted in 2008 when Pittsburgh defeated Buffalo in a shootout in the snow before an NHL- record 71,217 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.

The 2013 matchup will undoubtedly break that mark. Michigan Stadium hosted an outdoor hockey game on December 11, 2010 when 104,173 fans attended a college hockey game between Michigan and Michigan State.

Detroit played in the second edition of the Winter Classic in 2009, notching a 6-4 win over the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The other Winter Classic games were held at Boston's Fenway Park in 2010, Pittsburgh's Heinz Field in 2011 and Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park this past January.

Each of those games featured only teams based in the United States. The Maple Leafs will be the first team from Canada to play in a Winter Classic.

"This is going to be a fun, fun event and we can't wait to get started," said Tom Anselmi, chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

There have been two Canadian outdoor games -- the first in 2003 when Montreal played at Edmonton and last February when the Canadiens visited Calgary.

In addition to the game itself, the Hockeytown Winter Festival will include an ice rink at Comerica Park that will feature games for every level of hockey -- high school, college, junior and minor pro. The rink at Comerica will also be open for public skating.

"We're committed to making this the best Winter Classic ever," said Red Wings and Tigers owner Mike Ilitch. "I can promise you, there will be something for everyone."

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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

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