The University of Michigan will host what is expected to be one of the biggest sporting events in history – and early ticket sales are showing that those expectations aren’t lofty at all.
General ticket sales for The Cold War II, also being referred to as ‘The Big Chill at the Big House,’ went on sale this morning. More than 7,000 tickets were sold in the first 30 minutes of availability. By the end of the day, nearly 15,000 tickets had been sold to the event. Officials announced that when added to tickets already sold or set aside for season ticket-holders, former players and other groups, the total amount of tickets sold comes in at nearly 80,000. Michigan Stadium has the capacity to hold over 110,000 fans. If the maximum seating capacity is filled, the event could set world attendance records.
The game will take place on December 11, 2010, and will be a rematch of The Cold War hockey game that took place in 2001 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. The original Cold War hockey game drew a record-breaking crowd of 74,544. The game resulted in a 3-3 tie. The event was such a success that the NHL soon adopted the outdoor format for the original Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens in 2003 and the annual Winter Classic. Several other college hockey teams have also participated in outdoor hockey games.
Tickets for The Big Chill can be purchased at www.MGoBlue.com/tickets.
I already got tickets… yay for hookups!