The annual hockey Winter Classic scheduled to be played Jan. 1 in Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., reportedly is off, but negotiations between the NHL and the Players' Association could resume soon.

ESPN cited an NHL source who said Friday that the league is canceling the Winter Classic game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs because of the extended player lockout that has wiped out the first two months of the season. A formal announcement was expected Friday in New York from the league.

If the NHL hadn't canceled by Nov. 2, it would have been required to play the university's expenses related to a cancellation after that date, according to ESPN.

Meanwhile, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Canadian Press that he expects to get back to the bargaining table in the "relatively near future." The two sides haven't met since Oct. 18.

No date, time or location for a meeting has been confirmed, Daly said.

Reports indicated earlier this week that Daly had talked at length with NHL Players' Association

special counsel Steve Fehr on the phone.

The NHL lockout, which began Sept. 16, has wiped out games through Nov. 30.