"About four months ago, NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins called Richard Peddie, CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, to see if the Leafs wanted to play the Red Wings on New Year's Day in front of the biggest hockey crowd in NHL history.

The quick response time was a record-breaker alone.

"I said absolutely, but wanted to run it by Brian Burke to make sure the team was cool with it," Peddie said Wednesday. "Of course Brian was. I just asked that the league make sure our Leaf season seat holders and our wait-list get a first crack at tickets."

The details will come out Thursday in two press conferences to be held at the 110,000-seat Big House at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Comerica Park in nearby Detroit, where the alumni game will be held. While Original Six rivals such as the Rangers, Bruins, Blackhawks and Canadiens have been part of outdoor games already and Calgary and Edmonton have hosted in Canada, the Leafs have been watching with envy."