LANSING, Mich. – A proposed law may soon allow hockey fans to purchase alcohol at Michigan Stadium during the 2013 NHL Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
State Rep. Mark Ouimet and a University of Michigan official testified on Wednesday in support of a new bill which would allow the National Hockey League to receive a temporary liquor license for its outdoor hockey game.
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The NHL agreed to rent the stadium for the event only if alcohol could be served.
"The Winter Classic will provide a huge economic benefit for the greater Ann Arbor area, and the event cannot go forward without a liquor license," said Ouimet. "The event will bring tens of thousands of people to the area at a time when the stadium is usually dormant."
Held annually on Jan. 1, the Winter Classic could break a Guinness World Record as the most-attended hockey game ever. Currently, the record is at 104,173, which was set in 2010 by a crowd attending a Michigan State-Michigan hockey game.
"The Winter Classic not only could break a world record for hockey game attendance, but could be the most-attended event in the storied history of the Big House," Ouimet said.
The bill is expected to be formally considered next week by the House Regulatory Reform Committee. Cynthia Wilbanks, the University of Michigan's vice president for governmental relations, also testified in support of the legislation.