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.