Two ancient hockey rivals will challenge attendance records when they meet on New Year's Day in the NHL's annual outdoor showcase, with the Detroit Red Wings hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game at Michigan Stadium that will be expected to draw fans from both sides of the border.

"These two Original Six rivals will take this event to a new, record-setting level," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said during Thursday's announcement at Comerica Park in Detroit.

The Leafs are the first Canadian team invited to take part in the event. Michigan Stadium holds more than 100,000 fans, meaning the game will almost certainly obliterate the existing attendance record for the event - 71,217, set when the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., four years ago.

The Winter Classic has moved to Chicago (Wrigley Field, 2009; 40,818 in attendance), Boston (Fenway Park; 2010, 38,112), Pittsburgh (Heinz Field; 2011, 68,111) and Philadelphia (Citizens Bank Park; 2012, 46,967).

A temporary rink will also be built in Comerica Park in December for what organizers are calling "the Hockeytown Winter Festival," which will build to a crescendo with the NHL Alumni Showdown featuring teams of former Leafs and Red Wings players.

Comerica Park, home to the Detroit Tigers, will also host an American Hockey League game between the Toronto Marlies and the Grand Rapids Griffins.