I was informed late last evening that the 2012 National Hockey League Winter Classic will be held in the City of Brotherly Love. Citizens Bank Park ( Home of MLB Philadelphia Phillies) will host the Monday January 2nd match as the Broad St. Bullies meet the New York Rangers at Center Ice.
Flyers President Peter Luukko has been working diligently over the past few years with the NHL to land thus outdoor Winter showcase stating ” it would be the perfect climax to Philadelphia’s New Year weekend. The NHL was originally looking to host the event at Lincoln Finanical Field which seats 68,532 but the hometown Eagles host the rival Washington Redskins at 1 p.m that day in the regular season finale so Phillies President David Montgomery has granted the NHL permission to build the hockey rink on the infield of Citizens Bank Park which seats 43,500 people.
The New York Rangers are the only Original Six team yet to play in the Winter Classic that began in 2008 and were also lobbying to host the 2012 Winter Classic at Yankee Stadium but the annual NCAA Pinstripe Bowl is scheduled to be held there for the next four years. Maybe something can be held at the new Meadlowlands in a few years.
This will be the Flyers second Winter Classic battle as they faced the Boston Bruins in 2010 at Fenway but the first time the flyers will be accompanied by HBO’s 24/7 series , a weekly sports show that takes cameras into the locker rooms, hotels and daily lives of players and Coaches.
Citizens Bank Park is widely viewed as one of MLB’s best parks from it’s brick patterns to soft pretzels and Cheesesteaks first timing are sure to be in for a treat. Could there be a better way to bring in the New Year than in the city where Santa was booed than with the Broad Street Bullies against their bitter Tri- State rival New Year Rangers? Across the street from what could be a huge NFL division match up. I think not! The sporting world may all have it’s eyes on South Philadelphia January 2nd ,2012
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