4. Winter Classic at the Big House
On January 1, 2014 the Detroit Red Wings played an outdoor game at Michigan Stadium in front of a record 105,491 fans.
The leadup to this event featured outdoor games at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit. I was personally thrilled to see Steve Yzerman back in a Wings jersey playing in the alumni game.
My hometown Windsor Spitfires also played in the first ever outdoor OHL game at Comerica Park. The Winter Classic itself was a windy and snowy affair. My main memory from this day is that they decided to split overtime into two 2:30 segments because of the wind. Henrik Zetterberg was on a breakaway as the clock got to the 2:30 mark. The whistle was blown and that was the end of that. This was even more annoying when they ended up losing in a shootout.
Nevertheless, this was an amazing day at the big house in Ann Arbor. It was even voted event of the decade by the NHL. This was a day to remember for everyone in attendance, even if they couldn’t feel their toes by the end of the game.