2012 NHL Winter Classic

The 2012 NHL Winter Classic (known via corporate sponsorship as the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic) was an outdoor professional hockey game that was played on Monday, January 2, 2012. The New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 3-2.
The fifth annual outdoor regular season National Hockey League game was played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies with the host Philadelphia Flyers playing against their long-time Atlantic Division rivals, the New York Rangers. The original plan was to have the contest at the Philadelphia Eagles' home, Lincoln Financial Field; however, the Eagles played there the day before, and the NHL needed at least a week of preparation time to build the ice rink onto the field. 
The game returned to its original daytime time slot, with the Rangers-Flyers game beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (two hours behind its originally scheduled start time of 1:00 p.m.). This marked the first time the Winter Classic was not played on New Year's Day, as it fell on a Sunday; NBC's contract with the National Football League prevents them from airing NHL games (or anything else) on prime time Sunday night, because of NBC Sunday Night Football, and while NBC has an open time slot on Sunday afternoon, the NFL traditionally discourages its broadcast partners from programming high-profile sports events in competition with its own games, a full slate of which the NFL played on the afternoon of Sunday, January 1. 
==Game summary==
The game was delayed two hours from its originally scheduled start time due to the expectations of warm temperatures and sun glare. The 3:20 p.m. puck drop provided more ideal conditions, with a temperature around 41°F and overcast skies. Snow flurries fell for a short time during the second period. Ice conditions were mostly excellent with few delays to repair the playing surface, and they compared favorably to last year's game according to Michael Rupp, who played for the Penguins in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. The Rangers entered the game on top of the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with 50 points, with the Flyers trailing the Rangers by two points and having the chance to tie for first place with a win.
The first period was scoreless, with neither team sustaining much offensive pressure. The Flyers had the edge in play, and it was reflected on the scoreboard with their 12–9 lead in shots on goal. Each team was assessed a penalty late in period, resulting in short power plays for both. In the second, shadows were becoming prevalent on the rink as the sun set behind the stadium and the lights took full effect. Despite the ice conditions getting slightly worse, as well, the game became more fast-paced, and the Flyers scored two goals in less than two minutes in the second half of the period. Brayden Schenn's first career goal was scored following an offensive-zone face-off and Claude Giroux scored on an odd-man rush. On the Rangers' first shift following Giroux's goal, Rupp scored his second of the season on a wrist shot. The Flyers again outplayed the Rangers in this period and had a 14 to 8 edge in shots on goal.
The Rangers came out with more energy to start the third, and Rupp tied the game on his first shift of the period, beating Sergei Bobrovsky from a bad angle. Less than three minutes later, Brad Richards gave the Rangers a 3–2 lead when he hit an open side of the net following a rebound. The final period had the most end-to-end action of the game and sustained pressure, and it was played evenly by both teams. The Flyers had the only power play of the period, recording one shot. With Bobrovsky pulled from the net for an extra attacker, the Flyers and Rangers were assessed matching minors, so the Flyers had more room to skate with a five to four skater advantage rather than six to five. As they sustained more pressure and the puck was sliding through the crease, Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh slid in an attempt to block the net but was called for covering the puck in the crease. Danny Briere was chosen to take the ensuing penalty shot, which was stopped by Henrik Lundqvist, sealing the win for the Rangers. With the loss the Flyers became the first team to lose in two Winter Classics. Prior to this game, the Flyers had a record of 18–0–1 when leading after two periods. The win moved the Rangers into first overall in the league standings.
=== Scoring summary ===
Period	Team 	Goal 	Assist(s) 	Time 	Score
1st 	No scoring	No scoring 	No scoring 	No scoring	No scoring
2nd 	PHI 	Brayden Schenn (1)	Matt Carle (17) 	12:26 	1–0 PHI
2nd 	PHI 	Claude Giroux (18)	Maxime Talbot (7), Scott Hartnell (18) 	14:21 	2–0 PHI
2nd 	NYR 	Michael Rupp (2) 	Brandon Prust (7), John Mitchell (6) 	14:51 	2–1 PHI
3rd 	NYR 	Michael Rupp (3) 	Brandon Prust (8), John Mitchell (7) 	2:41 	2–2
3rd 	NYR 	Brad Richards (14)	Brandon Dubinsky (15), Ryan Callahan (16)	5:21 	3–2 NYR
=== Penalty summary ===
Period	Team 	Player 	Penalty 	Time 	PIM
1st 	PHI 	Matt Carle 	Slashing 	16:58 	2:00
1st 	NYR 	Brad Richards 	Tripping 	17:47 	2:00
2nd 	No penalties	No penalties 	No penalties 	No penalties	No penalties
3rd 	NYR 	Ryan McDonagh 	Delay of Game 	14:48 	2:00
3rd 	PHI 	Kimmo Timonen 	Interference 	18:54 	2:00
3rd 	NYR 	Ryan Callahan 	Holding the Stick 	18:54 	2:00
3rd 	NYR 	Ryan McDonagh 	Covering Puck in Crease	19:40 	Penalty Shot
3rd 	PHI 	Scott Hartnell	Cross Checking 	20:00 	2:00
3rd 	PHI 	Scott Hartnell	Ten-Minute Misconduct 	20:00 	10:00
;Shots
Period 	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
New York Rangers	9 	8 	16 	33
Philadelphia 	12 	14 	10 	36
;Power play opportunities
 	Goals/Opportunities
New York Rangers	0/1
Philadelphia 	0/2
=== Three star selections ===
 	Team	Player 	Statistics
1st	NYR 	Mike Rupp 	2 Goals
2nd	NYR 	Henrik Lundqvist	34 Saves (.944)
3rd	PHI 	Claude Giroux 	1 Goal
==Team rosters==
New York Rangers	New York Rangers	New York Rangers 	New York Rangers 	
# 	 	Player 	Position 	
4 	 	Michael Del Zotto 	D 	
5 	 	Daniel Girardi 	D 	
8 	 	Brandon Prust 	LW 	
10 	 	Marian Gaborik 	RW 	
17 	 	Brandon Dubinsky 	LW 	
18 	 	Marc Staal (A) 	D 	
19 	 	Brad Richards (A) 	RW 	
21 	 	Derek Stepan 	LW 	
22 	 	Brian Boyle 	C 	
24 	 	Ryan Callahan (C) 	RW 	
26 	 	Ruslan Fedotenko 	LW 	
27 	 	Ryan McDonagh 	D 	
30 	 	Henrik Lundqvist 	G 	
32 	 	Anton Stralman 	D 	
34 	 	John Mitchell 	RW 	
41 	 	Stu Bickel 	D 	
42 	 	Artem Anisimov 	C 	
43 	 	Martin Biron 	G 	
62 	 	Carl Hagelin 	C 	
71 	 	Michael Rupp 	C 	
 	 	Head coach: John Tortorella	Head coach: John Tortorella	Head coach: John Tortorella
Philadelphia Flyers	Philadelphia Flyers	Philadelphia Flyers 	Philadelphia Flyers 	
# 	 	Player 	Position 	
5 	 	Braydon Coburn 	D 	
6 	 	Andreas Lilja 	D 	
10 	 	Brayden Schenn 	C 	
14 	 	Sean Couturier 	C 	
17 	 	Wayne Simmonds 	RW 	
19 	 	Scott Hartnell 	LW 	
21 	 	James van Riemsdyk 	LW 	
24 	 	Matt Read 	LW 	
25 	 	Matt Carle 	D 	
27 	 	Maxime Talbot 	RW 	
28 	 	Claude Giroux (A) 	C 	
29 	 	Harry Zolnierczyk 	RW 	
30 	 	Ilya Bryzgalov 	G 	
35 	 	Sergei Bobrovsky 	G 	
41 	 	Andrej Meszaros 	D 	
43 	 	Marc-Andre Bourdon 	D 	
44 	 	Kimmo Timonen (A) 	D 	
48 	 	Danny Briere (A) 	C 	
68 	 	Jaromir Jagr 	RW 	
93 	 	Jacob Voracek 	LW 	
 	 	Head coach: Peter Laviolette	Head coach: Peter Laviolette	Head coach: Peter Laviolette
: Martin Biron and Ilya Bryzgalov dressed as the back-up goaltenders. Neither entered the game.
===Scratches===
*New York Rangers: Jeff Woywitka, Erik Christensen
*Philadelphia Flyers: Matt Walker, Zac Rinaldo, Jody Shelley
=== Officials ===
* Referees — Ian Walsh, Dennis LaRue
* Linesmen — Jean Morin, Pierre Racicot
==Broadcasting==
The game was telecasted on NBC in the United States, CBC (English) and RDS (Français) in Canada.CBC English Broadcast Schedule, CBC English Television Broadcast Schedule RDS Grille Horaire, RDS Grille Horaire (Broadcast Schedule) Local radio broadcasts were provided by WIP-AM/FM in Philadelphia and WEPN in New York City, while Sirius XM Radio carried the game on satellite radio.
==Ratings==
The 2012 Winter Classic had relatively low ratings compared to the previous four events. The game earned a 2.4 rating and 3.74 million viewers; it is the first Winter Classic to fall short of the benchmark set by Wayne Gretzky's final game in 1999 (2.5 rating/6 share)http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22476623/ that had stood as the most-watched post-1975 NHL regular season game prior to the Winter Classic. In Philadelphia, the game had a rating of 11.9. The other highest rated markets were Buffalo (7.8), Boston (5.1), and Pittsburgh (4.4). New York's home market finished with a 4.3 rating, the first time that the host markets did not finish both first and second in the individual market ratings. Some critics reasons as to why the ratings were low were due to the fact that the game was moved back two hours from 1pm EST to 3pm EST; the game was played a day later than normally (January 2nd opposed to January 1st) because of the NFL last regular season games; it was played during the daytime on a day not universally recognized as a holiday (thus more people would have been at work and missed the game); the fact it had to compete with two college bowl games (Outback Bowl and Rose Bowl, although previous Winter Classics also had to compete with bowl games); and overexposure of the New York-Philly matchup.
==Alumni game==
An alumni game between former Flyers and Rangers players was played on December 31. The game was broadcast live by Versus, the CBC, and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, with a tape-delay broadcast on MSG Network. The start time was rescheduled to 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time from the original start time of 1:00 PM, due to weather concerns, but garnered a near sellout crowd nonetheless.
Two storylines built headlines in anticipation of alumni game. One was Bernie Parent participating in the game at the age of 66. Parent decided to participate despite his age due to requests by fans. The return of Eric Lindros also grabbed headlines. Lindros was a very popular and successful player for the Flyers, but left the franchise amidst controversy and bad blood. The Flyers players all wore a small number "10" on top of their shoulders in memory of former Flyers defenseman Brad McCrimmon, who died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash earlier in the year.
The game began with a ceremonial faceoff between Flyer captain Bob Clarke and Ranger captain Mark Messier, dropped by Flyers chairman Ed Snider, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, and a recent inductee in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. The game started with a total of seven members of the Hockey Hall of Fame one the ice: Clarke, Parent, Messier, Bill Barber, Mark Howe, Mike Gartner and Brian Leetch. Glenn Anderson, another Hall of Fame Member, also participated in the game. Parent started the game and earned ovations by several saves, most notably one on a breakaway by Ron Duguay, but was replaced with Mark LaForest by his request four minutes into the game. Early in the game, Jeremy Roenick committed a rare alumni game hit on Darren Turcotte.
The first goal of the game was scored by John LeClair on a pass by Eric Lindros, showing shades of the Legion of Doom. Mikael Renberg, the third member of the Legion, was invited to the game but was unable to participate due to prior commitments. Instead, Lindros and LeClair were joined by Mark Recchi, who retired less than 6 months earlier after winning the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins at the age of 43. Recchi played with Lindros early in Lindros' career, forming the Crazy 8s line with Brent Fedyk before being traded for LeClair and Eric Desjardins, who also participated in the game. Shortly after Lindros scored, Shjon Podein cleaned up a rebound to put the Flyers up 2-0. The first penalty was committed by Eric Lindros, resulting in a penalty shot (as did all penalties in the game) for Nick Kypreos. Kypreos' attempt was however stopped by LaForest.
Rangers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck was replaced by Dan Blackburn to start the second period. Blackburn would keep the net clean for the entire period, also stopping a penalty shot by Podein after Podein was slashed by Nick Fotiu. Flyers goalie LaForest was replaced by Neil Little halfway through the game without surrendering a goal. Little gave up a goal to a deflection by Glenn Anderson late in the 2nd period, cutting the Flyers lead to 2-1. The goal was originally credited to Brian Leetch before being changed. After the first five minutes in the third period, recent Hall of Fame inductee Mark Howe extended the lead to 3-1 by converting a penalty shot against Blackburn. Neil Little stopped another penalty shot by Glenn Anderson after Anderson was slashed by Bob Clarke. With both goaltenders shutting the door for the rest of the game the game ended in a 3-1 Flyers win, and was closed by handshakes between the teams and team photographs, for both teams individual and a joined photograph of both teams, after the game.
The game was officiated by retired NHL referee Kerry Fraser and his son, current AHL referee Ryan Fraser. Former NHL referee Harry Dumas, who is also Kerry Fraser's son-in-law, with retired NHL linesmen Kevin Collins, who is currently and NHL Supervisor of Officials, served as linsemen for the game. Bernie Parent had a special mask painted for the occasion to be auctioned off for charity but in the game wore the familiar plain white shell mask with two Flyer logos that was his trademark during most of his playing career.
New York Rangers
Coaches: Mike Keenan, Emile Francis, Colin Campbell and Mike Richter
Ambassadors: Rod Gilbert, Eddie Giacomin and Harry Howell
# 		Player 	Position
36		Glenn Anderson 	RW
31		Dan Blackburn 	G
37		Paul Broten 	RW
10		Ron Duguay 	C
22		Nick Fotiu 	LW
22		Mike Gartner 	RW
9 		Adam Graves 	LW
4 		Ron Greschner 	D
6 		Darius Kasparaitis 	D
19		Kris King 	LW
19		Nick Kypreos 	LW
2 		Tom Laidlaw 	D
15		Darren Langdon 	LW
2 		Brian Leetch 	D
26		Dave Maloney 	LW
32		Stephane Matteau 	LW
11		Mark Messier 	C
19		Brian Mullen 	RW
32		Dale Purinton (did not play)	D
21		Mathieu Schneider 	C
8 		Darren Turcotte 	C
34		John Vanbiesbrouck 	G
Philadelphia Flyers
Coaches: Pat Quinn, Mike Nykoluk, Terry Crisp and Keith Primeau.
Ambassadors: Gary Dornhoefer, Ron Hextall, Don Saleski and Dave Schultz.
# 		Player 	Position
7 		Bill Barber 	LW
29		Terry Carkner 	D
16		Bobby Clarke 	C
37		Eric Desjardins 	D
34		Jim Dowd 	C
5 		Larry Goodenough	D
2 		Derian Hatcher 	D
15		Al Hill 	C
2 		Mark Howe 	D
9 		Bob Kelly 	LW
26		Orest Kindrachuk	C
33		Mark LaForest 	G
10		John LeClair 	RW
27		Reggie Leach 	LW
88		Eric Lindros 	C
13		Ken Linseman 	C
35		Neil Little 	G
8 		Brad Marsh 	D
1 		Bernie Parent 	G
25		Shjon Podein 	LW
20		Dave Poulin 	C
26		Brian Propp 	LW
8 		Mark Recchi 	RW
97		Jeremy Roenick 	C
28		Kjell Samuelsson	D
6 		Chris Therien 	D
22		Rick Tocchet 	RW
20		Jim Watson 	D
14		Joe Watson 	D
==Associated events==
As the final event of the Winter Classic, the American Hockey League played an outdoor game at Citizens Bank Park on January 6 featuring the Adirondack Phantoms, the Flyers' AHL affiliate which was formerly based in Philadelphia, and the Hershey Bears. The game, which drew an all time AHL record crowd of 45,653, was won by the Phantoms, 4-3, in overtime.
 
On December 30, 2011, the Philadelphia Police Department Ice Hockey Club hosted the Boston Police Emerald Society in a rematch from their January 6, 2010 game at Fenway Park. 
=== Collegiate Games=== 
The American Collegiate Hockey Association D1 teams from Drexel University and Villanova University played at 7pm on Thursday, January 5th. Drexel won the game 7 - 3.
NCAA Div 3 Neumann University Knights vs Penn State's ACHA D1 Program is scheduled at the site at 8pm on January 4th, 2012.
==References==
Category:NHL Winter Classic
Category:2012 in hockey