The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins already have one of the most heated rivals in the NHL. That rivalry is about to take a step to the next level, according to one report.
Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Penguins and Flyers are “working on an agreement” to play a home-and-home series of outdoor games, beginning in 2017. The agreement would see the first outdoor installment take place in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins would host the Flyers at Heinz Field. It remains unclear if this game will be the next installment of the NHL’s Winter Classic, but this could mark the first time that the NHL will revisit a location for the event. For those that may not remember, the Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field for the 2011 Winter Classic.
While the location for game one is clearly known, the Philadelphia portion is not. The Flyers hosted the Rangers in the 2012 Winter Classic, which took place at Citizens Bank Park. However, a recent trend seems to suggest that they could be headed for a date at Lincoln Financial Field. Out of the last twelve outdoor contests, a total of seven have taken place at football stadiums, all of which have generated attendance numbers over 50,000 fans or higher. The 2011 Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary was the lone exception, tallying just over 41,000 fans.
At one point, it was discussed that the two teams would face-off at Beaver Stadium in State College, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards anymore.
There will be more details to emerge as the agreement becomes finalized, but this rivalry is about to get a whole lot more interesting…..
Tags: 2016-17 Season, Flyers 2016, Flyers News, Outdoor Series, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Sports News, pittsburgh penguins, Winter Classic
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