The 2013 NHL Winter Classic will be canceled by the league on Thursday, according to a report by Katie Strang of ESPN New York. Citing a source familiar with the NHL's plans, Strang reported that the league will be announcing the cancelation of the event on Thursday due to the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the NHL Players Association.
This development remains consistent with a report from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune last week, which stated that due to the size of this year's event in Detroit, that preemptive decisions would need to be made sooner than usual. With millions of dollars in non-refundable payments scheduled to begin this week, the league needs to evaluate whether it is possible to continue with the planning of the event.
Following the rejection of the league's most recent offer by the union and the subsequent rejection off three proposals from the NHLPA by the owners, the two sides remain at odds over key issues. This resulted in all games through November being canceled last week and now it appears the Winter Classic will be the next casualty of the standoff.
This story originally appeared at SB Nation.