U-M Board of Regents approves lease of Big House for NHL Winter Classic

Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP) -- The University of Michigan Board of Regents has authorized athletic director Dave Brandon to seek a contract with the NHL for the Winter Classic, though no deal has been approved or signed yet.

The board called a special meeting Wednesday to discuss renting Michigan Stadium to the league for the outdoor hockey game.

A news conference has been scheduled for 10:30am Thursday morning, February 9, at Comerica Park in Detroit, with the another scheduled for 1:15pm at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Buffalo, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have all hosted the Winter Classic, but a game at Michigan Stadium would likely draw the league's largest crowd.

The Wolverines and rival Michigan State attracted a Guinness World Record 104,173 people for a hockey game on Dec. 11, 2010.