76,000 Expected To Watch WC Game

The Winter Classic may be big, but the IIHF hopes to take outdoor hockey to an even bigger stage at the 2010 World Hockey Championships.

On May 7th, 2010, the hosts Germany face-off against the Americans in front of almost 76,000 people at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, a soccer stadium with a retractable roof.

The idea has been in the works for over 3 years. The IIHF wants the World Championships to set a world attendance record for a single hockey game.

Vetins-Arena promised a seating capacity of 75,976 people. The current world record is 74,544 people who saw Michigan State tie Michigan, 3-3, at Spartan Stadium on Oct. 6, 2001. The NHL record is 71,217, was set on Jan. 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo.

38,805 people are expected at Fenway Park on January 1st, 2010 at the NHL's annual Winter Classic.