NHL Winter Classic: It's Broad Street vs. Broadway

At an on-the-field Citizens Bank Park news conference Monday in which the Flyers' 78-year-old chairman playfully took verbal jabs at the New York Rangers' general manager, the NHL announced what its commissioner, Gary Bettman, called the "worst-kept secret" in North America: The Flyers will face the Rangers in the Winter Classic.

The game will be held Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park at 1 p.m.

The real secret: How can fans purchase tickets?

The NHL announced that Winter Classic souvenirs were available, but that it would not know the ticket availability for several weeks - after it figures out the exact site configuration and how many seats the ballpark can hold for hockey.

Jamey Horan, an NHL spokesman, said he expected tickets to sell in the $50-to-$350 range. BargainSeatsOnline.com was selling tickets Monday between $581 to $813, while it had a 16-person suite available for $48,861, which included three parking passes.

A Flyers official said the team is waiting for the NHL to "manifest the building" - that is, determine how many seats can be added - and set ticket prices before they move forward. It is expected that about 50,000 people will be able to fit in the hockey-created stadium.

The official said Flyers season-ticket holders will get first crack at tickets.

The Flyers are waiting to hear from the NHL on how many tickets will be allotted to the Flyers, Rangers, Phillies and the league. (Dave Montgomery, the Phils president, said his club will get about 1,400 tickets for its suite holders and will also be given "a small number" of other tickets to sell. The Phillies on Monday sent season-ticket holders a notice about the "potential of a ticket-drawing opportunity.")

When the Flyers get information from the league on the number of tickets available, they will announce how they will be sold.

After Flyers' season-ticket holders are accommodated, partial season-ticket holders would be next in line.

It seems likely a lottery will be held for some tickets, though the Flyers' executive said nothing is definite at this point.

The rink will run from around first base to third base and go into shallow parts of left, center and right field (See a video of the rink set-up on Philly.com.) The best seats will be the ones up high.

The Flyers and Rangers will play an alumni game at Citizens Bank Park on Dec. 31, and the AHL Phantoms will play Hershey there on Jan. 6. The Flyers also said collegiate and high school games will take place at the park.

In addition, HBO announced it will follow the Flyers and Rangers for 24/7, which will debut on Dec. 14.

The highlight of the news conference was when Ed Snider, the Flyers chairman, verbally attacked Glen Sather, the Rangers GM.

Sather talked about how the Rangers have had success against the Flyers and that they were "going to come to Philadelphia and win."

Startled, Snider jumped out of his seat and raced to the microphone in one of the event's few unscripted moments.

"I remember kicking the hell out of the Rangers on the way to our Cups!" Snider cracked.

Flyers winger Scott Hartnell kidded he thought Snider "was going to drop the mitts there."

"That's the passion we love to see from him," defenseman Chris Pronger said, "This is his baby, his team, and he loves it. It's great to see when your owner gets that passionate about a press conference."

Snider, whose club was in the Winter Classic at Boston's Fenway Park two seasons ago, said he was thrilled to host the event. "I never dreamed it was possible," he said.

Pronger, who was at the news conference with teammates James van Riemsdyk (a Rangers fan growing up in Central Jersey), Hartnell and Matt Carle, said the game was more than a novelty.

"I wouldn't call it a novelty. It's two points and a chance to showcase the game of hockey and obviously the city of Philadelphia and Citizens Bank Park - and what Philadelphia is all about," Pronger said. "It's a chance for the city to show itself off and also for us to show off the game to the rest of the country and to non-hockey people . . . that actually watch the game."

"Broad Street vs. Broadway" is how Bettman described the fifth Winter Classic.

Last season's Classic between Pittsburgh and Washington was the most-watched regular-season NHL game in 36 years with an average of 4.5 million viewers.