Andrew Vetterlein
The Philadelphia Flyers will host the New York Rangers in what will be the fifth Winter Classic in NHL history. This will be the second time that the Flyers have participated in the event but it will be the first time that the game has been played in Philadelphia. Citizens Bank Park will be transformed into a hockey wonderland. Fans will be closer to the action and because baseball is in its off-season, winterizing the stadium will be much easier logistically than if it were held at Lincoln Financial Field.
It is usually a New Years day tradition, but the game was moved to the second of January so it would not conflict with the Eagles game or the Mummers Day parade. The NHL only has this event in certain cities so they can maintain the cold temperature of the ice.
This year’s Winter Classic will consist of three separate games. They include the Flyers-Rangers Alumni Game, the outdoor AHL showdown between the two “farm teams,” the Adirondack Phantoms and the Hershey Bears, and finally, the Winter Classic game itself. All of the old Flyers and Rangers greats will suit up to play each other in Citizens Bank Park for the Alumni game.
Matt Ernst ‘14 said, “It will be interesting to see how the weather works out; last year the ice was really soft. I hope that it won’t be that way this year so that the ice will not affect the way that the guys play.”
“I think the winter classic is a really great way for people to bond over hockey the way they do over football, because not only do the team’s fans watch the games, hockey fans from everywhere tune in to watch. It’s almost like a throwback to how hockey started and I think it’s really a fun way to experience hockey,” said Melanie Kovacs ’15.
The four other cites that this event has taken place in are Boston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Chicago. When the announcement came that this event was to be hosted in Philadelphia, fans were overjoyed. Wills Singley ’14, said, “It’s a great game, fun to watch, it gets hockey out there to people who might not have watched it otherwise. Every team wants to be apart of it, it’s great that the flyers have been so lucky.”
Scott Cikowski ‘12 agreed. “It is a really unique event and we are very lucky to have it being played in our city this year.”
The Flyers and Rangers will take a very unique approach to their uniforms for the Winter Classic. They will a vintage looking sweater that is orange and has the Winter Classic Liberty Bell patch on the side shoulder. The Rangers have a similar approach wearing white jerseys with patches on the shoulder.
John Nickolas ’12 said, “Besides the Stanley Cup, the winter classic is the most watched hockey game of the year so I am thrilled to have it in Philadelphia this year. The rivalry between the Rangers and Flyers goes all the way back to the late 60’s so it should be an awesome game. Go Flyers!”