The NHL will announce the cancellation of the Winter Classic this afternoon, a source told MLive.com.

The league is expected to make the official announcement at 3 p.m. The Jan. 1 game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs has been scrapped due to the lack of a collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the players.

This move has been anticipated for more than a week, so it didn't exactly catch players by surprise Friday afternoon during the Red Wings informal practice at the Troy Sports Center.



“It sucks,'' Red Wings forward Danny Cleary said. “I'm almost in disbelief, really. Obviously disappointed.

"I think everybody was looking forward to the Winter Classic. It was going to be such a great event, not only for downtown Detroit with all the events, but in Ann Arbor, setting a record attendance.

“That stings a little bit.''

The Winter Festival at Comerica Park, a series of events between Dec. 15-31 that included college, AHL, junior and alumni games, also has been canceled.

“It's surprising people actually have the courage to cancel something like that when so much relies upon it and so many people are looking forward to it,'' Detroit defenseman Ian White said. "I think to this point we've already had some damage that won't be able to be undone to our sport. They just continue to pile it on.

"It actually embarrasses me as a player. You go out in public, people view us differently from this. The NHL just continues along this path.''

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