Just like Saturday's Winter Classic Alumni Game, the 2012 NHL Winter Classic between thePhiladelphia Flyers and New York Rangers will start at 3 p.m. ET, pushed back two hours from its original 1 p.m. start time. The NHL announced the news, and it's assumed that it's being forced by the same concerns that pushed back Saturday's game.
The problem isn't the unseasonably warm temperatures in Philadelphia, rather the sun that beats down on the rink in the middle of the afternoon. The ice conditions become too soft for an NHL game. Cloud cover would have solved the problems, but with mostly sunny skies in the forecast for Monday, delaying the game became necessary.
The Philadelphia Flyers will play host to the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League's outdoor Winter Classic game on January 2, the league announced Monday.
The game will be played outdoors in the 43,500-seat ballpark of Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies. The division rivals are the geographically closest foes to meet in the US outdoor series, set for its fifth installment.
"The Rangers-Flyers rivalry is one of our very best," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.
"It is only a short distance from Broadway to Broad Street, and over the years these not-so-neighbourly teams have provided an assortment of memorable games."
Last year's Classic between Washington and Pittsburgh was the most-watched NHL telecast in the United States in 36 years with 4.5 million viewers.
"It is a wonderful platform to feature our great sport to millions of worldwide viewers," Flyers founder Ed Snider said. "It's an honour for the Philadelphia Flyers to serve as ambassadors for the NHL."
