Winter Classic Ice Truck arrives in Ann Arbor

The NHL officially took over Michigan Stadium on Thursday with the arrival of the NHL Winter Classic Ice Truck presented by York.

The 53-foot trailer, the world’s largest mobile refrigeration unit, departed Toronto on Tuesday to begin the 273-mile journey to Ann Arbor, where it's now parked outside of the stadium. The truck houses state-of-the-art icemaking and ice-monitoring equipment used to create an NHL-caliber sheet of ice.

The truck was accompanied into Ann Arbor by retired Red Wing Tomas Holmstrom, who will be taking part in the Alumni Showdown at Comerica Park on Dec. 31

"It's going to be fun," said Holmstrom, who retired after the 2011-12 season. "This is going to be the first game since I retired. I have to stop eating and get back in shape."

Construction of the rink began on Dec. 2, and the ice truck will begin creating the ice for the Winter Classic next week. The 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings will be played on Jan. 1 (1 p.m. ET: NBC, CBC, RDS).