The NHL yesterday “formally announced the Flyers and Citizens Bank Park as the hosts for the 2012 Winter Classic against the Rangers, to be played on Jan. 2" at 1:00pm ET, according to Frank Seravalli of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. The league held a news conference at Citizens Bank Park, which “featured a makeshift rink dashed across the bases.” Ticket information for the 43,500-seat ballpark “has not yet been released, though Flyers season-ticketholders will have the option to purchase as many tickets as seats they own.” Rangers fans “will have an option to purchase tickets through the Rangers, and all remaining fans will be able to enter a lottery to purchase tickets.” The Winter Classic “will not be only a 1-day event,” as the AHL's “Phantoms will battle Hershey on Jan. 6” at the ballpark. Penn State Univ.'s men's hockey team, transitioning to NCAA D-I, will “face off against Aston's Division III Neumann University, tentatively scheduled for Jan. 4.” Philadelphia high schools Malvern Prep and La Salle High “will face each other at Citizens Bank Park on a date yet to be set.” The Flyers also “will hold public skating sessions on the Winter Classic ice.” The Flyers and Rangers alumni “will play each other on Dec. 31” (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/27). Flyers D Chris Pronger called Citizens Bank Park a “great venue for us,” and said the team was “hoping to try to get” the game in Philadelphia. The team played the Bruins in '10 at Fenway Park, and Pronger said, “I don’t know if I thought we were going to get it this quickly” (ESPN.com, 9/26). In Vancouver, Halford & Brough note while each of the four previous Winter Classics were played on Jan. 1, New Year's Day falls on a Sunday in '12. That is the “final Sunday of the NFL's regular season.” The move to Monday for the outdoor game means the NHL's “main competition that afternoon will be a handful of second-tier college football bowl games” (Vancouver PROVINCE, 9/27).
KEEPING IT REAL: HBO and the NHL announced that they will partner again for “24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road To The NHL Winter Classic.” The four episode, all-access, reality series will follow the two clubs simultaneously chronicling their highs and lows each week. The first show will debut on Dec. 14 at 10:00pm, with an immediate encore at 11:00pm. The following episodes will air on Dec. 21, Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 (NHL). Rangers GM Glen Sather said that there “were ‘mixed feelings’ within the Rangers about allowing HBO full access for the ‘24/7’ series and that although he would ‘welcome’ the crew, ‘there are some spots where we’ll be a little bit careful.’” Rangers coach John Tortorella said the team would “have a little say about what’s put on that TV” (N.Y. TIMES, 9/27). He added, "If you're asking a coach, 'Are you thrilled about cameras all over the place?' No. There's a lot of things that happen as you go through emotions and games and situations. I just want to make sure there's no embarrassing things, especially to the players, that don't need to be out there. And I don't think we'll have a problem.'" Sather said, “I was a little bit concerned about what I saw last year (on HBO). It wasn't all wine and roses, but I think you can figure a way”(NEWSDAY, 9/27). Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said, “I don’t like being miked and I don’t like being taped.” But he added, “If the deal is that, in order to get a Winter Classic and to be so well represented like they were by HBO, the two teams and the National Hockey League, I’m all for it, every day of the week” (ESPN.com, 9/26). Rangers RW Ryan Callahan said, “I think there'll be an adjustment period at first, obviously, having a camera in your face 24/7, and having to do a bit more, interview-wise. But I think it'll be great for the fans to see what we're like off the ice and kind of behind the scenes. I think it's good for the game, and good to promote the New York Rangers, too" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/27).
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: In N.Y., Larry Brooks writes Sather is “tired of having his team and city serve as little more than props for the NHL.” At the the press conference yesterday he “issued twin guarantees” for his team and the Yankees. He first guaranteed “victory in the outdoor game.” Sather then said, "At the end of the year, we are going to be carrying the Cup, just like the Yankees will have the World Championship as well." He added, "I just couldn't let [Flyers Chair Ed] Snider go on and on like that. I mean, we're here, too, you know." Brooks writes Snider and the Flyers “hold disproportionate sway over NHL policy.” The Flyers are “the second team to play twice in the five-year-old Winter Classic.” The Flyers “get the game at home in a nice, but hardly iconic ballpark, while New York apparently will not be considered as a stage until and unless Yankee Stadium becomes available” (N.Y. POST, 9/27).
