With the Winter Classic taking place in Foxborough this afternoon between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, it's time for the annual Flyers-Penguins Winter Classic rumor.
Since the Flyers very successfully hosted the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park, one season after the Penguins had successfully hosted the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field, talks of a meeting between the two rivals outside was in the works.
We'll say this much: it's probably coming soon.
According to a report from ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, Toronto remains the front-runner for the 2017 Winter Classic, which would reportedly be against the New York Rangers, but if that plan falls through or cannot be executed, Flyers-Penguins at either Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia or Heinz Field again in Pittsburgh appears to be next in line.
So if not 2017, perhaps 2018 for sure. For years, the discussion had been of having the matchup in a neutral location, such as Beaver Stadium on the campus of Penn State in centrally-located State College, Pa.
The Flyers and Penguins have each made two previous Winter Classic appearances. The Flyers were defeated by the Bruins, 2-1, in overtime in 2010 at Fenway Park and fell 3-2 in regulation to the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in 2012. The Penguins won the first ever Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, 2-1, in a shootout and lost to the Washington Capitals, 3-1, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2011.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
