The Jan. 1 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium could be canceled as early as Thursday.

A source told M-Live.com that the NHL already has decided to cancel the event, which was expected to attract a record crowd of 115,000, due to the lockout, and will make the announcement at some point between Thursday and Nov. 10.

It appears that will happen sooner than later.

The league can't afford to wait much longer because of the financial commitment involved and amount of time needed to prepare for the massive event.



The NHL, which rented Michigan Stadium for $3 million, has already put down a non-refundable deposit of $100,000. A $250,000 payment is due on Friday.

The Red Wings confirmed last week that the Winter Festival, a series of events scheduled for Comerica Park from Dec. 15-31, will be scrapped if the Winter Classic is canceled.

The cancellation won't come as a surprise to players.

“Of course it's something that everyone around here, not only players, but fans and people around Michigan and I'm sure around Toronto, too, have been looking forward to for quite a while now,'' Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “It's always a big build-up and obviously that was one of the highlights this season.

“Still hope we can get something done so we get to play that.''

That is not going to happen now.

The NHL and the players union remain far apart on a collective bargaining agreement. There are no proposals on the table and no talks scheduled.

The league on Friday withdrew its latest offer and canceled all games through Nov. 30.

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