2012 Winter Classic: Beaten New York Rangers Fan Discusses Fight, Injuries

Neal Auricchio, the New York Rangers fan who was beaten during a fight after the 2012 Winter Classic, told NBC New York that he is still having trouble with his vision and is scheduled for surgery to repair a fractured bone under his left eye.

Auricchio said he was standing in line with a friend waiting to buy a cheese steak when a Philadelphia Flyers fan began to attack the pair.

"They grabbed my friend's hat, threw a cigarette in it, threw one at me," he told NBC New York.

"I said, 'Relax, it's just a game,'" he said. "Then I was overwhelmed by a mob, punched and knocked to the ground."

Denis Veteri of Glassboro was arrested as a result of the incident and charged with aggravated assault. Auricchio's attorney Ray Gill said that once the criminal investigation is finished, Auricchio, a Woodbridge, NJ policeman who was off-duty at the time of the incident, is expected to file a civil suit.

For more New York Rangers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Blueshirt Banter.

2012 Winter Classic Brawl: Philadelphia Cops Release Post-Game Fight Video

Following the 2012 Winter Classic, Jan. 2, a brawl between Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers fans took place resulting in a fan being seriously injured, and now the Philadelphia Police Department is taking their investigation to the internet by posting a YouTube video to try to identify those responsible.

According to the YouTube video description:

"On January 2, 2012, at 7:15pm, three unknown males wearing Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys assaulted two males while at Geno's Steaks located at 1200 South 9th Street. The assault began after the Winter Classic hockey event and the male victims were wearing New York Rangers jerseys. During the altercation one of the victims was seriously injured."

Unfortunately, this isn't an uncommon thing at sporting events, which usually involve a lot of booze and hot heads looking for someway to blow off some steam after a loss. Back in April, San Fransisco Giants fan, Bryan Stow, 42, was severely beaten after a baseball game at Dodger Stadium.

If you have any information about the incident, police are asking for you to call them at 215-686-3013

Keep up with SB Nation New York's 2012 NHL Winter Classic for the latest coverage of the event. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see Broad Street Hockey or SBNation Philly.

John Tortorella Fined After Criticizing 2012 Winter Classic Referees

Despite apologizing for his remarks about NHL officials who refereed the 2012 Winter Classic Wednesday, New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella was fined $30,000 Thursday for his fiery comments, which came Monday night after the Rangers 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizen Bank Park.

"There is no acceptable explanation or excuse for commentary challenging the integrity of the League, its officials or its broadcast partners," said Colin Campbell, the NHL vice president of hockey operations. "People can disagree with calls by officials on the ice, but even in instances of the utmost frustration there is no justification for speaking as inappropriately and irresponsibly as Mr. Tortorella did."

On Monday, Tortorella suggested that NBC, which broadcasted the game, was involved in a plan to make sure the one-goal game reached overtime. Flyers forward Danny Briere was awarded a penalty shot with 19.6 second remaining after the referees said that a Rangers player had closed his hand over the puck while it was in New York's goalie circle. The violation results in a penalty shot, which Ranger's goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, stopped.

2012 NHL Winter Classic: Rangers Coach John Tortorella Apologizes For Officiating Complaints

New York Rangers coach John Tortorella apologized on Wednesday for remarks he made regarding the officiating in the 2012 NHL Winter Classic.

"I tainted the Winter Classic with my mouth," he said, according to ESPN's Katie Strang.

New York defeated the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, 3-2, but Tortorella later lashed out against officiating that afforded a penalty shot to Philadelphia with 19.6 seconds left.

"I'm not sure if NBC got together with the refs and wanted to turn this into an overtime game," Tortorella said at the podium in the basement of Citizens Bank Park. "I'm not sure if they had meetings about that or what."

"I didn't think the game would come down to that situation," Rangers GM Glen Sather told The Bergen Record. "You see three or four calls that are enough to blow your mind... Look at all of it."

During his apology, Tortorella said that he never truly felt the game was being fixed and that his comments were meant to be taken in jest.

Keep up with SB Nation New York's 2012 NHL Winter Classic for the latest coverage of the event. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see Broad Street Hockey or SBNation Philly.

NHL Winter Classic 2012: New York Rangers Coach John Tortorella Calls Officiating 'Disgusting'

The New York Rangers won Monday's NHL Winter Classic, an epic affair that required Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist to turn away a heart-stopping penalty shot with less than a minute remaining. But John Tortorella left the game with a sour taste in his mouth and harsh words for the NHL.

The Rangers coach called the officiating "disgusting," referring specifically to calls that went against New York in the final minutes, including the whistle that gave Philadelphia a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left that could have tied the game.

"I'm not sure if NBC got together with the refs and wanted to turn this into an overtime game," Tortorella said at the podium in the basement of Citizens Bank Park. "I'm not sure if they had meetings about that or what."

"I didn't think the game would come down to that situation," Rangers GM Glen Sather told The Bergen Record. "You see three or four calls that are enough to blow your mind... Look at all of it."

Keep up with SB Nation New York's 2012 NHL Winter Classic for the latest coverage of the event. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see Broad Street Hockey or SBNation Philly.

NHL Winter Classic 2012, Flyers Vs. Rangers: TV Ratings, Ticket Sales Prosper

Monday's 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 Winter Classic was something that New York Rangers fans will never forget, and to top it all off it seems that a lot of people watched the Blueshirts edge the Flyers for the third time this season.

According to ESPN.com's Sports Business writer Kristi Dosh, via Twitter, the ratings for the annual outdoor event, held this year at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, "beat out ABC, CBS and FOX in 18-49 category." Dosh also said ticket sales for the event have seen huge growth.

"Ticket re-seller StubHub has seen overall ticket sales for the Winter Classic trump not only the all-star game but also quite a few Stanley Cup games.

"The Winter Classic also out-sold Game 1 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, and the 2008 Winter Classic was the second-best selling game of the regular season."

Keep up with SB Nation New York's 2012 NHL Winter Classic for the latest coverage of the event. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

NHL Winter Classic 2012 Score: Rangers 3, Flyers 2

The NHL announced the New York Rangers would play the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park just less than five months ago. Ever since, there's been an inordinate amount of build up: from the media coverage in the days leading up to it to the memorabilia to HBO's show chronicling each team's every move. The Rangers and Flyers both enjoyed being a part of the whole experience, but the Blueshirts can walk out of Philadelphia and their first Winter Classic with their heads held high, defeating the hated rivals in come-from-behind-fashion 3-2.

First and foremost, the entire event was spectacular and was a great showcase of the National Hockey League. Forty-five thousand-plus fans in attendance, plus millions of casual fans (in addition to the diehard followers) received a treat in this one as they got a taste of all that's great about hockey.

The Rangers' heroes ended up being the unexpected: Mike Rupp and the big-name: Henrik Lundqvist and Brad Richards. And they overcame some very questionable penalty calls in the third period, to boot.

The reason the Blueshirts had a chance for heroics in the third period was the play of their world-class netminder. You would think that with all the hype surrounding the event, they would have been able to come out with more energy and more forechecking pressure. Instead, they were bottled up and really could get nothing going of the high-percentage variety. The first period finished scoreless and the 12-9 shot differential for the Flyers doesn't really do the territorial play justice as the Rangers could've easily been put in a hole early. One of the period's best saves came on a play in which Jaromir Jagr was sprung and split the Rangers' defense, but Lundqvist stuck with the play and kicked it away.

Even with more sound goaltending from The King, the Flyers broke through at 12:26 of the second period. Brayden Schenn potted his first career NHL -- could it be any more memorable? -- off a Matt Carle shot that rebounded right to him for the easy put back. One of the NHL's most dangerous players, Claude Giroux, would double Philadelphia's lead two minutes later on a pretty back-hander, and it looked very much like the Rangers were going to be trudging up hill the rest of the way.

Thirty seconds later, however, the fourth line of John Mitchell, Brandon Prust and Rupp was sent onto the ice to hopefully give the Rangers some energy through good board work, some hitting and possibly a fight ... but instead they got it the best way possible, as Mitchell tipped the puck to Prust in the offensive zone, and he then flicked a back-handed pass to Rupp who ripped it glove-side on Sergei Bobrovsky. The enforcer also took off his glove and mimicked the Jagr salute ... as if the rivalry needed more spice. The Rangers would hold steady for the next five minutes and enter the third period down just one.

Rupp again broke through 2:41 into the third period as he sent a bad-angle shot from the boards that beat Bobrovsky high and tied the game. The Rangers would build on the momentum less than three minutes later as Brandon Dubinsky sent a shot via a no-look pass from Ryan Callahan behind the net and the rebound went right to Richards, who sent the high shot into the net for what ended up being the game-winner. Callahan and Dubinsky combined for 21 of the Rangers' 50 hits.

Granted, the period still had 14:29 left, but that's when Lundqvist showed his true form, making a number of jaw-dropping saves. It was truly a sight to behold and a save exhibition that just makes you believe this could be Lundqvist's Vezina Trophy season.

But the goalie was called upon a bit more because of some horrendous calls. In the third, Ryan McDonagh was penalized for delay of game when he knocked the net off its moorings, but in reality he was pushed in. Then, with the Flyers' net empty, Callahan flew down the ice to collect the puck on a clear break to the net, but was interfered with by Kimmo Timmonen, who also had his stick up high on Callahan's neck. Instead of penalizing only the Flyer, the referees also gave Callahan a bogus holding-the-stick. It gets better, though: on a goal-mouth scramble with 20 seconds left, McDonagh was called for covering the puck in the crease ... a questionable one at best. That resulted in a penalty shot taken by Danny Briere. He had no room to make any kind of move as Lundqvist, who finished with 34 saves, didn't flinch, and attempted to go five-hole, but shot it low into his pads. ... Oddly enough, the referees did not call a hooking penalty on the Flyers when Marian Gaborik broke free for a breakaway, but instead was tied up so badly the puck ended up weakly rolling to the net.

In the end, the Rangers would be "crowned" 2012 Winter Classic winners, giving themselves seven wins in their last eight games and tying them for the league lead in points with 52. As if the news of the day wasn't good enough, it also marked Marc Staal's first game back since April 23 after dealing with post-concussion syndrome.

2012 Winter Classic: Penalty Shot Stoned By Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Beat Philadelphia Flyers 3-2

The 2012 Winter Classic was decided on a penalty shot with 19.6 seconds remaining in the game. It was only fitting that Henrik Lundqvist, who had made a number of fantastic saves throughout the game, turned away Danny Briere's attempt, allowing the New York Rangers to escape with a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday evening.

The Flyers came within inches from tying the game in the final minute, but a shot that skittered through Lundqvist's legs was covered up by a Rangers player and the Flyers were awarded with a penalty shot rather than a game-tying score.

Briere attempted to shoot the resulting penalty shot through Lundqvist's legs, but the goalie reacted quickly enough to register the save. The Flyers won the ensuing faceoff but did not get off another quality shot before the clock ran out.

See SBNation Philly's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Broad Street Hockey for the Flyers perspective. For the Rangers, check out Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective.

2012 Winter Classic: Penalty Shot Turned Away, Rangers Outlast Flyers 3-2

New York Rangers center Mike Rupp entered the 2012 Winter Classic with one goal all season. On one of the game's biggest stages, outside and under the elements at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday evening, Rupp notched two more scores, allowing the Rangers to overcome a 2-0 deficit and outlast the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2.

Rupp's teammate Brad Richards slammed home a rebound for the game-winner at 5:21 of the third period, and the Rangers held on when goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stoned a Danny Briere penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left.

Lundqvist turned away 33 shots.

After a period and a half of scoreless play, the Flyers used two goals in fewer than two minutes to move to a 2-0 lead. Brayden Schenn scored the first goal of his career at 12:26 of the second period and teammate Claude Giroux followed with his own tally 1:55 later.

But Rupp answered just 30 seconds after, then added his second goal of the game at 2:41 of the third period. Richards added the game-winner three minutes later and the Rangers narrowly escaped a late Flyers threat.

See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, seeBroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

Rangers Vs. Flyers, 2012 Winter Classic Second Period Score: Philadelphia 2, New York 1

A scoreless tie evaporated with a flurry of goals during the second period of the 2012 Winter Classic.

The Philadelphia Flyers scored two goals in less than two minutes, and the New York Rangers answered 30 seconds later.

Flyers forward Brayden Schenn knocked in a rebound to break a scoreless tie at 12:26 of the period.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had been impenetrable before Schenn's tally, but the Flyers didn't take long to find another hole in Lundwvist's armor. At 14:21, Claude Giroux buried a backhanded shot into the top shelf.

The Rangers didn't quite hang their heads after Giroux's score, seizing back the momentum quickly with a Mike Rupp goal.

Lundqvist has 24 saves after two periods, while his counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky has 16.

See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, seeBroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

Rangers Vs. Flyers, 2012 Winter Classic First Period Score: Tied At Zero

The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers are tied 0-0 after the first period of play in the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Henrik Lundqvist was crucial to keep things scoreless for the Rangers. He made several great saves during the first period, including these two below.

Lundqvist also stoned Jaromir Jagr on a breakaway attempt.

Lundqvist finished with 12 saves in the first period. His counterpart for the Flyers, Sergei Bobrovsky, made nine saves.

There were two penalties called in the first period of play. Matt Carle was booked for slashing at the 16:58 mark. The Rangers saw Brad Richards go to the box at the 17:47 mark for tripping Claude Giroux. Neither the Rangers nor Flyers were not able to capitalize on their abbreviated power plays.

See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

Winter Classic 2012 Preview: Rangers Vs. Flyers

Two of the best teams the Eastern Conference -- if not the entire National Hockey League -- has to offer will do battle on the grandest stage Monday afternoon in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park (3 p.m. EST, NBC). The Winter Classic is the NHL's version of the Super Bowl, yet it occurs midway through the season instead of as the culminating event. The New York Rangers will visit their hated rivals in Philadelphia Flyers in a spectacle that's been covered ad nauseum since the beginning of the year, most notably with HBO's 24/7 chronicling the teams' "Road to the Winter Classic."

Finally, the two division rivals will take the ice with all the hoopla as a sidenote to what's most important, and that's the two points in the standings. Granted, both teams have only played 36 games, but the Atlantic Division (and Eastern Conference) is already setting up to be a dogfight. New York is second in the league, and first in the conference with 50 points, while Philadelphia is only a step behind with 48 points. The best part of this Winter Classic is that there is a lot of animosity between the two teams, and these points are very meaningful. For a regular-season game, there's a lot on the line.

Nobody wants to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime event like this and fall short, thus the key to the game for both teams is containing their emotions. The game has all the ingredients with a nationally-televised broadcast and all the lead-up excitement. Plus, every single player will undoubtedly leave it all out on the ice, the tempo will be ramped up and the players will be roaring to go -- making it easy to pinpoint the each coach's message: enjoy yourselves, but keep your emotions in check so as to not hurt the team or deviate from what's been successful.

The Rangers beat the Flyers in the first two home meetings of the year, so there's no way Philadelphia wants to begin the season series down 3-0. Both teams play an uptempo style, they skate very well and have depth across the lineup even with the injuries suffered by both.

Comparing the teams, the Flyers have scored 123 goals to the Rangers' 107, however New York has only given up 77 compared to Philadelphia's 106. The difference has been in the goaltending; Philadelphia will turn to backup Sergei Bobrovsky over (the struggling) camera star Ilya Bryzgalov, while the Rangers will have Henrik Lundqvist. Marian Gaborik is the Blueshirts' leading goal scorer with 22 and 33 points, while Claude Girioux, one of the best players in the game, paces the Flyers with 17 and 45.

Playing outdoors in the elements, which look to be only some wind at this point, both teams will have to deal with an ice surface that's not ideal. Thus, it's likely to be low scoring, but it makes it more important to be fundamentally and positionally sound on defense, which the Rangers have been except for a few blips on the radar.

New York needs to continue to create offense from being smart defensively and forechecking hard. It's not a flashy offense but one that creates off of hard work and firm play along the boards. So long as the Rangers continue to play the style that's been successful all season long and they utilize all four lines (which all have scoring ability), there's no reason why the Rangers can't be the 2012 Winter Classic winners.

2012 Winter Classic Weather Forecast Update: No Rain Expected

The latest weather forecast for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic is encouraging for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers -- and the fans who will be in attendance at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. According to Weather.com, the report is for it to be 41 degrees and sunny at 3 p.m. when the puck drops.

Earlier Monday, it will be partly cloudy with winds that could reach nearly 20 miles per hour, and a 20 percent chance of rain. Weather concerns already pushed the Winter Classic start time from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Last season, it rained on the Winter Classic between the Penguins and Capitals, causing delays. This season, NHL officials hope to avoid a repeat if the weather cooperates with the new start time.

Keep up with SB Nation New York's 2012 NHL Winter Classic for the latest coverage of the event. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

Winter Classic 2012: TV, Live Streaming And More

For the first time ever Monday the New York Rangers will play in the NHL's annual New Year's game, the Winter Classic, as they visit the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. The contest, which started in 2008, will pair two Eastern Conference Atlantic Division rivals, who have already met twice this season -- the Ranger won both games.

For those Blueshirt fans who would like to watch the game, here's the game time, tv information and radio streams for the 2012 Winter Classic.

Location: Citizen Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Game Time: 3 p.m. ET. Gates open at 1 p.m.

• Sports Complex Parking Lots will open at 9 a.m. ET
  
• Spectator Plaza will operate from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ET.
  
• Gates to Citizens Bank Park will open at 1 p.m. ET

TV: NBC -- "Doc" Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter).

• Pregame Show on NBC, 1 p.m.
  

Rangers Radio Stream: 1050 ESPN
Fylers Radio Stream: 94 WIP

-- See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

2012 Winter Classic, Rangers Vs. Flyers Preview

The New York Rangers (23-9-4) and Philadelphia Flyers (22-10-4) meet in the 2012 Winter Classic from Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2 at 3 p.m. (TV: NBC).

The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but as with the Alumni Game, the time was pushed back to 3 p.m. to try to improve ice conditions. The Rangers lead the Atlantic Division with 50 points, the Flyers are in second place with 48 points. The Rangers have taken both games in the series this season. The Rangers have only lost once in their last seven games (6-1). The Flyers have won just two of their last six games.

HBO will have 12 cameras capturing the action for their "24/7" series. Rangers head coach John Tortorella says his team hasn't been harmed by the process. The final episode will air on Thursday instead of Wednesday because the network will need more time to produce the episode.

"I think we've handled it well," he said. "We've had a number of distractions right from the get-go of camp. The guys have handled it well. This has been a great experience for them. I'm glad we've gone through it. We're honored to be part of it." (via Wall Street Journal)

Marian Gaborik leads the Rangers with 22 goals and 33 points. Philadelphia will try to stop him and the Rangers offense with backup goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky is 8-2-1 on the season with a 2.52 GAA. He was in net for the Flyers' 2-0 loss to the Rangers on Nov. 26. He saved 30 shots.

Claude Giroux will lead the Flyers' offense against the Rangers on Monday. Giroux has 17 goals and 45 points this season. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start in net for the Rangers. Lundqvist has had a fantastic season with a 1.91 GAA and a record of 16-7-4.

-- See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

2012 Winter Classic, Rangers Vs. Flyers: Start Time Pushed Back To 3 P.M.

The 2012 Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park will now have a start time of 3 p.m. on Jan. 2 instead of the original 1 p.m. start time (via NHL.com).

The decision to push the game's start time back was based on the weather report for the Philadelphia area. The same decision was made for the Alumni Game on Dec. 31 to try to achieve optimal game conditions for the outdoor event.

Weather.com reports that Philadelphia should expect showers early tonight with clearing expected overnight. The chance of rain on Jan. 2 is only 20% but winds are expected to be 19 miles per hour.

The 2012 Winter Classic will be shown at 3 p.m. on NBC.

-- See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

2012 Winter Classic, Flyers Vs. Rangers: New York To Face Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky Not Ilya Bryzgalov

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Saturday that goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and not Ilya Bryzgalov will start Monday against the New York Rangers, who will play their East Conference Atlantic Division rivals in the 2012 Winter Classic (1 p.m. on NBC) at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.

Surprisingly, the announcement was not made by Fylers head coach Peter Laviolette, but by Bryzgalov himself:

"Great news, I’m not playing tomorrow night," Bryzgalov said Sasturday. "Good news, we have a chance to win the game."

Laviolette was not happy that Bryzgalov had made the statment to the media, as the head coach had yet to talk to either goalies about who was going to get the start.

The Blueshirt have already defeated both goaltender this season. On Dec. 23, New York netted four goals against Bryzgalov in a 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, in late November, the Rangers earned a 2-0 victory over Bobrovsky.

-- See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

2012 Winter Classic, Flyers Vs. Rangers: Weather Report, Game Time, TV Schedule

The 2012 NHL Winter Classic is less than 24 hours away and it seems that the weather report for the NHL's annual outdoor game looks pretty good for those attending New York Ranger fans. According to Weather.com, Sunday's forecast calls for windy and mild conditions, but very little chance for any precipitation to ruin the contest between the host Philadelphia Flyers (22-10-4, 48 points) and the Rangers (23-9-4, 50 points), who will play in a specially created rink in the middle of Citzen Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.

2012 NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game Preview: Game Pushed Back To 3 P.M.

The New York Rangers will meet the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2 for the 2012 Winter Classic at 1 p.m. Some of the more famous stars from both teams will meet on Dec. 31 in the Alumni Game.

The Alumni Game has been rescheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. due to poor ice conditions. Despite the ice problems, the game should be fun and high scoring like All-Star games usually are. Whenever the game starts, the Rangers will see Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, Mike Gartner, Don Greschner and John Vanbiesbrouck out on the ice as starters.

Messier said about the game

"I have a long history with the Flyers because of the two Stanley Cup finals I played against Philly with Edmonton, then coming to the Rangers-Philly battles, it just seemed to extend it for me personally," Messier said. (via New York Daily News)

Here's the full Rangers alumni roster:

Goalies (2): Dan Blackburn, John Vanbiesbrouck.

Defensemen (7): Ron Greschner, Darius Kasparaitis, Tom Laidlaw, Brian Leetch, Dave Maloney, Dale Purinton, Mathieu Schneider.

Forwards (14): Glenn Anderson, Paul Broten, Ron Duguay, Nick Fotiu, Mike Gartner, Adam Graves, Pat Hickey, Kris King, Nick Kypreos, Darren Langdon, Stephane Matteau, Mark Messier, Brian Mullen, Darren Turcotte.

Coaches (3): Mike Keenan, Mike Richter, Emile Francis, Colin Campbell.

Off-Ice Ambassadors (3): Rod Gilbert, Ed Giacomin, Harry Howell.

Here's the full Flyers alumni roster:

Goalies (3): Mark LaForest, Neil Little, Bernie Parent

Defensemen (9): Terry Carkner, Eric Desjardins, Larry Goodenough, Derian Hatcher, Mark Howe, Brad Marsh, Kjell Samuelsson, Chris Therien, Joe Watson.

Forwards (17): Bill Barber, Bob Clarke, Jim Dowd, Al Hill, Bob Kelly, Orest Kindrachuk, Reggie Leach, John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Ken Linseman, Shjon Podein, Dave Poulin, Brian Propp, Mark Recchi, Jeremy Roenick, Ron Sutter, Rick Tocchet.

Coaches (3): Pat Quinn, Mike Nykoluk, Keith Primeau.

Off-Ice Ambassadors (3): Gary Dornhoefer, Dave Schultz, Ron Hextall.

-- See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

2012 Winter Classic Weather Forecast -- Updated: Slight Chance Of Rain

The chances appear pretty good that the weather will cooperate Monday for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Weather.com predicts a 20 percent chance of rain for Monday in Philadelphia, with the temperature reaching a high of 42 degrees. Winds could reach nearly 20 miles per hour.

Rain was a problem for last year's Winter Classic in Pittsburgh between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. That game, a 3-1 Capitals victory, was delayed due to rain.

This year's game will begin at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. The game is usually held New Year's Day, but will be played Jan. 2 due to NFL games being on NBC on Sunday.

-- See SB Nation New York's StoryStream for complete Winter Classic coverage. You can visit Blueshirt Banter for the Rangers perspective. For the Flyers perspective, see BroadStreetHockey or SBNation Philly.

2012 NHL Winter Classic Schedule, Game Time And More

The 2012 NHL Winter Classic is quickly approaching, and the outside venue isn't the only aspect of the game that sets it apart from the average regular season affair.

The Winter Classic, which will take place at Citizen's Bank Park on Jan. 2 between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, features an alumni game between stars from both franchises that will kick off the festivities on Dec. 31.

Participating in the alumni game for the Flyers will be Jeremy Roenick, Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mark Howe, among others, and the crew will be coached by Pat Quinn. The Rangers will be coached by Mike Keenan, who led the organization to its first championship in more than 54 years in 1993-94. Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves, Ron Duguay, Dave Maloney and Mike Gartner are all expected to skate in the game.

The alumni game should foreshadow the actual game, which features two of the Eastern Conference's top three teams (as of Thursday afternoon).

Game Date/Time: Monday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ET

Location: Citizen's Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.

TV: NBC (National), CBC (Canada)

For continued updates and analysis of both these teams, visit the Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey and the Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter.

2012 Winter Classic: NHL Outdoor Game History, Results, Scores, Venues

In just four days the New York Rangers will visit the City Of Brotherly Love, and play the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 edition of the Winter Classic, which will be played at Citizens Bank Park, Jan. 2 (1 p.m. ET on NBC). Surprisingly, this will be the first time that the Blueshirts will be playing in the NHL's annual outdoor game, which began in 2008 when the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

So far this season, the Rangers have hosted the Flyers twice and beaten them both times.

On Nov. 26, the Rangers used goals from center Brad Richards and right winger Brandon Prust, and 29 saves from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to blank visiting Philadelphia, 2-0.

And, just a few days ago, Dec. 23, the Rangers used another solid effort by Lundqvist (28 saves) to beat the Flyers, 4-2.

As for a composite final score-results history of the NHL's Winter Classic, here it is:

2008: Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Buffalo Sabres 1 (SO) -- Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo
2009: Detroit Red Wings 6, Chicago Black Hawks 4 -- Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
2010: Boston Bruins 2, Flyers 1 (OT) -- Fenway Park in Boston, MA
2011: Washington Capitals 3, Penguins 1 -- Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA

For more coverage of the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Flyers, stay tuned to our storystream. For more Rangers coverage, visit our team page or Blueshirt Banter. SB Nation's Broad Street Hockey has everything on the Flyers.

Winter Classic 2012 Weather Report: Rain Not Expected To Be A Factor For Rangers Vs. Flyers

The New York Rangers will faceoff against the Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in the 2012 Winter Classic on Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. As this is an outdoor event, it is important to ask, what will the weather look like?

According to Weather.com, there is only a 10% chance of precipitation. The high for the day is listed at 42 degrees. However, the wind will be coming from the west at 22 miles per hour.

Wind has been a factor recently in the construction of the rink for the game. The crew had to wait to paint the ice due to the wind, but that is underway now (via Dan Rosen's Twitter). Before the wind problems today, hard rain gave the crew problems with the ice sheet. Luckily, the gameday forecast appears to rule out at least the rain factor.

For more coverage of the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Flyers, stay tuned to our storystream. For more Rangers coverage, visit our team page or Blueshirt Banter.

NHL Winter Classic 2012: New York Rangers Announce Starting Lineup For Alumni Game

The New York Rangers announced their starting lineup for the Alumni Game (as voted on by the fans) for the NHL 2012 Winter Classic (via Rangers Twitter) today. The Alumni Game will be played at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. (TV: Versus).

Mark Messier
Adam Graves
Mike Gartner
Brian Leetch
Ron Greschner
John Vanbiesbrouck

Mark Messier, Adam Graves and Brian Leetch were all part of the Rangers' last Stanley Cup winning team in 1994. Messier is a Hall of Famer who played for the Rangers from 1991-97 and 2000-2004. Graves played for the Rangers from 1991-2001. Gartner is a Hall of Famer who played for the Rangers 1990-1994. Leetch is also a Hall of Famer. He played for the Rangers 1987-2004. Vanbiesbrouck played for the Rangers from 1981-1982, 1983-1993. He won the Vezina Trophy for the NHL's best goaltender in 1986. Greschner played for the Rangers from 1974-1990. He played 982 games for the Rangers and scored 179 goals, 431 assists for 610 points. He also accumulated 1,226 penalty minutes.

For more coverage of the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Flyers, stay tuned to our storystream. For more Rangers coverage, visit our team page or Blueshirt Banter.

Rangers Winter Classic 2012: Episode 2 Of HBO 24/7 Airs Tonight, With Live Rangers Twitter Commentary

Preparation continues as anticipation builds for the 2012 NHL winter classic between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Construction on the rink got underway in earnest on Monday and the Flyers have already revealed the Philly sports-centric helmet that goalie Ilya Bryzgalov will be wearing in the game. Both teams continue to conduct business as normal, of course, as they're currently embroiled in a battle for first place atop the Atlantic Division. The Rangers are 6-3-1 over their past 10 games and have won two in a row. They are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins with 42 points and are just two points behind the Flyers for first place.

The Rangers will host the New York Islanders Thursday night, but have tonight off to watch episode 2 of the acclaimed HBO series "24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic." The episode airs at 10:00 PM EST on HBO. You can find plenty more information as well as video previews of the episode at the official HBO 24/7 website.

As an extra-special bonus for Rangers fans, the official team Twitter feed will be providing commentary during the episode. Follow along at @TheNYRangers.

For more coverage of the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Flyers, stay tuned to our storystream. For more Rangers coverage, visit our team page or Blueshirt Banter.

Rangers Vs. Flyers, NHL Winter Classic 2012: Rink Building Continues At Citizens Bank Park

The 2012 Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia presents a particular set of difficulties in the construction of the rink. In comparison with other baseball stadiums used in past Winter Classics, Citizens Bank Park is lower from street level and not as close to a street.

In order to make the venue work, the NHL has sent a refrigeration truck to the stadium (via NHL.com) that will need to have an unusual piping route to the rink:

Piping from the truck will run out of the truck into the stadium through a window, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, and then it will travel 450 feet across the center field concourse and down a long Erector set-looking channel to field level.     

If you want to watch the rink build live, visit the live stream at the Winter Classic website.

For more coverage of the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Flyers, stay tuned to our storystream. For more Rangers coverage, visit our team page or Blueshirt Banter.