New York Rangers will play against Philadelphia Flyers in 2012 NHL Winter Classic –NHL Updates
According to New York Times, New York Rangers will be playing against Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Winter Classic.
There were many speculations and rumours prior to this announcement, but it now seems to be official as the Times also reported the same on Tuesday.
The fifth Winter Classic, which has become an annual tradition of the NHL, will be held at the Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, on January 2, 2012.
It is not confirmed yet since the Winter Classic is usually announced with the schedule of the upcoming season, but sources believe it to be very accurate.
NHL Winter Classic games began in 2008 between Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres at the Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park in New York, and became more of a tradition following that.
Philadelphia will be participating in the event for the second time in its fifth year as a yearly event.
Flyers played against Boston Bruins at the Fenway Park, in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2010.
Last year, it was between Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The matchup is usually held on the new year day, January 1st, but since the National Football League (NFL) will be playing its last week of regular season games on that day, the NHL has decided to keep it on the next day.
A spokesman from NHL said that nothing can be said for sure as yet about which teams will be participating and where the event will be held, but he assured that the details would be revealed by the league soon, this coming Thursday after the 2011 NHL Awards.
Since the NHL season ended and the new season begins, this yearly event is just one of many like the Heritage Classic held in Canada, which gives fans a different sort of experience in an outdoor stadium rather than the normal indoor environment.
It brings back hockey to where it originated and that is on the ice in open weather.
As soon as confirmations are made, an update will be provided promptly.
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