So it was announced earlier this year. The Leafs are heading down to the Big House on new year's day of 2013 to take on the Red Wings.
So the question is: what should they wear? The winter classic has become a place for teams to create what are known as "faux-backs", jerseys that are inspired by a past look that the team used to use but aren't quite replicas of those jerseys.
My suggestion is to go back to 1926/27.
At the time, a newly formed team in Detroit, known as the Cougars, entered the league. Actually, to be historically accurate they were the remains of a WCHL team, the Victoria Cougars, but the NHL recognizes them as an expansion team. That same team would be re-named the Falcons for the 1930/31 season and finally, the Red Wings for the 1932/33 season.
I'd like to see the Red Wings wear the old Cougars jersey that is seen in this famous picture:
As you can imagine, the stripes were red. You can also see player #12 on the ice, with the number and the team name (on the front) fitting perfectly in the thick stripe.
As for the visitor's side of the ice, in 1917 a team by the name of the Toronto Arenas came to be, in 1919 they were sold and re-named the St. Pats, trying to appeal to the Irish-Canadian community. It wasn't until 1927 that they finally became the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2002 the Leafs wore a version of the famous green and white St. Pat's jersey, and this new years I believe that it should be revived.
A battle of the 1926/27 season revived outdoors. Another interesting note about the 1926/27 season was that the Detroit Cougars actually played all their home games in Windsor, Ontario at Boarder Cities Arena, which went on to become the famous home of the Windsor Spitfires from 1975 until 2008 and will become a market this year.
For all the reasons listed, I believe that a tip of the cap to the 1926/27 NHL season should be the underlying theme for the 2013 Winter Classic.
