Detroit Red Wings alumni pose for a group photo in Comerica Park
/ Jamie Edmonds
DETROIT -- In 173 days, Comerica Park will host the Hockeytown Winter Festival, a two-week long celebration of hockey in downtown Detroit to coincide with the NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium.
Starting December 15th, Comerica Park will turn into a hockey haven, including a Red Wings practice open to fans, high school hockey games, open skates, concerts, as well as the first-ever outdoor OHL game: a double header including the Saginaw Spirit.
"It's exciting to see it all come to fruition here on the field at Comerica Park," Saginaw Spirit President Craig Goslin said Wednesday. "It's exciting for our fans, and the Great Lakes Bay region. It's something special."
The festival concludes on December 31s with a show-down between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings alumni, where fans will get to see a lot of familiar faces.
"Everyone wants to be apart of it. Playing outside like we did as kids, the older guys didn't get that opportunity," Red Wings Alumni Dino Ciccarelli said. "It's going to be a riot, playing with old teammates, playing against guys you admired. Plus, we get to ring in the new year together."
There were so many players from the Maple Leafs and the Red Wings that wanted to be apart of the alumni game, Ken Holland announced they will have two of them to accommodate it. Holland says they're working on finalizing the rosters.
