Nick Piccone
For years, we’ve been teased as to whether an outdoor game with the Flyers and Penguins would actually happen. Scott Burnside of ESPN says that even though Toronto may have too many events next year to host a Winter Classic, a possible Flyers-Penguins outdoor game would happen as a stadium series rather than a Winter Classic matchup.
Although plans for next year’s Winter Classic remain fluid, what does seem to be virtually locked in is an outdoor game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers sometime in 2017.
The unresolved question is whether the game, likely to be held at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, will stand as the 2017 Winter Classic or part of the Stadium Series held a few weeks later, a source familiar with the proceedings told ESPN.com
The two state rivals have been talking for months about a plan for an outdoor game or series of outdoor games. There was discussion about playing an outdoor game at Penn State, but it’s believed financial demands by the university soured the teams on the neutral site as an option, so the two franchises have been looking at a reciprocal arrangement with an outdoor game played one year in Pittsburgh and a second game in Philadelphia perhaps the next year.
So, it sounds like at least one outdoor game between the teams will happen soon. Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms Burnside’s report that the two teams are working on an agreement to play a home-and-home outdoor game series. Molinari quotes an anonymous team official as saying, “my guess is it will happen.” So an outdoor game in Pittsburgh next season and an outdoor game in Philly the season after? Sign me up.
While it’s no Winter Classic, a home-and-home series between the Flyers and Penguins would be awesome regardless. Both the Flyers and Penguins have played in two Winter Classic games, both home and away.