"Two things came to mind when Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf learned officially that the Leafs would be playing in the 2013 Winter Classic against the Detroit Red Wings.

"One, the crowd, the amount of people that are going to be in the building will be very special," Phaneuf said.

"Two, you are playing outdoors. I know being from Edmonton and growing up and having a rink in my backyard, playing with my buddies on that, and the community rink, playing a lot outdoors. You have those two aspects — the amount of people and playing outdoors — and you put into it an Original Six matchup, it is an exciting thing to be a part of."

The Leafs and Wings will play on Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan in a game that could draw as many as 115,000 fans, which would be a record for a hockey game.

Of course, the idea that the Leafs would be part of an HBO 24/7-style documentary would make the event that much more interesting. Those plans have not been finalized, but the documentary (which could be filmed by another broadcaster) has become as much of the event as the game itself.

The idea that cameras would follow their every move, even, possibly, to their homes, does not faze the Leafs.

Colby Armstrong, whose sharp humour could make him an off-ice star of the documentary, was part of something similar when he played for Wilkes Barre/Scranton, the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate.

"We did a chasing-the-dream thing when I was in the minors," Armstrong said. "We had fun with it, and after a while, you don't even notice (the cameras and their operators) are there.

"It might be a little weird to have them in your house, but I guess you have to see what they would want to do with certain guys.""