Bridgestone Winter Classic 2012

[EPJr]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/eventhome.htm?lo ... assic/2012" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[89Hen]

After attending last year's game in Pittsbugh and having a blast we decided that we'd go anytime they were within driving distance... then they decided to have it at a 43,000 seat venue making no tix available to anyone outside of season ticket holders. We're not paying $400 a seat on StubHub. Not to mention that Philly won't be anywhere near as fun/convenient as Pittsburgh. We dropped our car off at the hotel and were able to walk downtown, walk to the game, stumble to a bunch of different bars, etc... unless the South Philly stadium complex has changed since I was last there, it will be a tailgaiting event, which IMO isn't as good.

[GannonFan]

After attending last year's game in Pittsbugh and having a blast we decided that we'd go anytime they were within driving distance... then they decided to have it at a 43,000 seat venue making no tix available to anyone outside of season ticket holders. We're not paying $400 a seat on StubHub. Not to mention that Philly won't be anywhere near as fun/convenient as Pittsburgh. We dropped our car off at the hotel and were able to walk downtown, walk to the game, stumble to a bunch of different bars, etc... unless the South Philly stadium complex has changed since I was last there, it will be a tailgaiting event, which IMO isn't as good.

There is a pretty easy to navigate subway system that takes you from Center City Philly (where there are plenty of bars) to the complex in about, I don't know, a minute or two. Maybe 5 minutes tops. And there's Chickie and Pete's and the Stadium bar within easy walking distance of the stadium. Being able to drink and get to the game shouldn't be a problem at all.

As for the size of the stadium, sure, that makes sense. Of course having it in a baseball stadium rather than a football stadium means the price of the tickets will go up because of the smaller capacity. I'm not sure why they didn't have it in the Linc - well, I do since the Eagles still have a home game that weekend. Still, can't really beat the venue - Citizen's Bank is probably one of the most fan-friendly stadiums I've been in so those who are going will certainly enjoy it - although I agree, $400 per seat and I'd pass too.

[89Hen]

There is a pretty easy to navigate subway system that takes you from Center City Philly (where there are plenty of bars) to the complex in about, I don't know, a minute or two. Maybe 5 minutes tops. And there's Chickie and Pete's and the Stadium bar within easy walking distance of the stadium. Being able to drink and get to the game shouldn't be a problem at all.

As for the size of the stadium, sure, that makes sense. Of course having it in a baseball stadium rather than a football stadium means the price of the tickets will go up because of the smaller capacity. I'm not sure why they didn't have it in the Linc - well, I do since the Eagles still have a home game that weekend. Still, can't really beat the venue - Citizen's Bank is probably one of the most fan-friendly stadiums I've been in so those who are going will certainly enjoy it - although I agree, $400 per seat and I'd pass too.

Pittsburgh was perfect. Of course the fact that we could see the stadium from our hotel window, yet were in downtown kinda made it hard for Philly (or Washington) to compete.

Yes, the Eagles host the Skins on Jan 1 and the NFL fucked Philly on the Winter Classic.

[GannonFan]

There is a pretty easy to navigate subway system that takes you from Center City Philly (where there are plenty of bars) to the complex in about, I don't know, a minute or two. Maybe 5 minutes tops. And there's Chickie and Pete's and the Stadium bar within easy walking distance of the stadium. Being able to drink and get to the game shouldn't be a problem at all.

As for the size of the stadium, sure, that makes sense. Of course having it in a baseball stadium rather than a football stadium means the price of the tickets will go up because of the smaller capacity. I'm not sure why they didn't have it in the Linc - well, I do since the Eagles still have a home game that weekend. Still, can't really beat the venue - Citizen's Bank is probably one of the most fan-friendly stadiums I've been in so those who are going will certainly enjoy it - although I agree, $400 per seat and I'd pass too.

Pittsburgh was perfect. Of course the fact that we could see the stadium from our hotel window, yet were in downtown kinda made it hard for Philly (or Washington) to compete.

Yes, the Eagles host the Skins on Jan 1 and the NFL **** Philly on the Winter Classic.

Like I said, though, don't be scared of the subways. Amazingly useful.

[89Hen]

Like I said, though, don't be scared of the subways. Amazingly useful.

How do you think I get to every Caps game I go to?

[93henfan]

Like I said, though, don't be scared of the subways. Amazingly useful.

How do you think I get to every Caps game I go to?

Limousine?

[93henfan]

Timing is pretty good on this with the Flyers and Rangers in a first place battle.

[Grizalltheway]

Timing is pretty good on this with the Flyers and Rangers in a first place battle.

What are you doing acknowledging hockey before April?

[bluehenbillk]

It's comments like 89's that make me want to suggest we yank away his degree and ex-communicate him from the Hen kingdom.

Are you seriously comparing Pittsburgh (where it's still 1978) to Philly? Cmon! The women in Pittsburgh have more facial hair than dudes in the eastern half of PA.

Pre-game scene in Pittsburgh better than Philly? You were obviously in a complete drunken stupor when you wrote that. I've been to PNC Park a couple times & have been to Steelers games & Pitt games at Heinz so it's not like I haven't been there. Tailgating is not as widespread there & a lot of it is done under exit ramps of highways in a distressed part of the city.

Comparing the tailgating scene at Philly vs Pittsburgh is like comparing the nightlife scene of NYC and Little Rock. If it's really bars that you want, Gannon Fan gave you some pretty good suggestions. I'll add McFadden's (something Pittsburgh doesn't have) as a spot to pound - hell it's inside the friggin stadium - is that close enough for you? Chickie's & Pete's has won awards for the best sports bar in America - Pittsburgh has nothing seriously close to it - and they run shuttles to the stadium (like Station Square in Pittsburgh - sorry it's not a Mark Twain steamboat) if you're too fat/lazy/cold to walk the 10 minutes it takes.

And there is the Broad Street Line to Center City. It will cost you $3.10 round trip for that - 12 minute ride from City Hall to the AT&T (Broad & Pattison) stop if you choose that for the "bar" experience.

Face it, yea the stadium is smaller but Washington isn't a real hockey town - nothing like Philly & New York - why do you think the games down there have so many visiting fans?

If there were rep points here I'd subtract some so since we don't this is what I think of your posts 89 -

[89Hen]

It's comments like 89's that make me want to suggest we yank away his degree and ex-communicate him from the Hen kingdom.

Are you seriously comparing Pittsburgh (where it's still 1978) to Philly? Cmon! The women in Pittsburgh have more facial hair than dudes in the eastern half of PA.

Pre-game scene in Pittsburgh better than Philly? You were obviously in a complete drunken stupor when you wrote that. I've been to PNC Park a couple times & have been to Steelers games & Pitt games at Heinz so it's not like I haven't been there. Tailgating is not as widespread there & a lot of it is done under exit ramps of highways in a distressed part of the city.

Comparing the tailgating scene at Philly vs Pittsburgh is like comparing the nightlife scene of NYC and Little Rock....

BK, in your usual zeal to paint me as not a true Hen (or Philly) fan because I live 100 miles from DE, you completely ignore the point of my post. Tailgaiting?? I said I DON'T WANT TO TAILGATE. If you live 30 minutes away and are loading up your family and meeting others... tailgaiting is the way to go. If you are arriving from out of town with several other guys, checking into a hotel, planning on getting blotto... the last thing you want to do is load up the car with food and drinks, grill, clean up, repack, drive back anywhere, etc...

The pre-game scene for out of towners was FAR better than it will be in Philly. We stayed in a hotel directly across the river from the stadium. We arrived at 1pm, put the car in valet, checked in and walked to three different bars in downtown Pittsburgh. Stopped by the hotel to get warm and dry clothes, had a couple pops in the hotel bar and walked across the bridge to two more bars right at the stadium. Post game we walked up to PNC where there were a couple more bars, then stumbled back to the hotel. Also, 68,000 fans >43,000 fans.

[93henfan]

Speaking of attendance, Pitt-Phi at Beaver Stadium would have been epic.

[bluehenbillk]

It's comments like 89's that make me want to suggest we yank away his degree and ex-communicate him from the Hen kingdom.

Are you seriously comparing Pittsburgh (where it's still 1978) to Philly? Cmon! The women in Pittsburgh have more facial hair than dudes in the eastern half of PA.

Pre-game scene in Pittsburgh better than Philly? You were obviously in a complete drunken stupor when you wrote that. I've been to PNC Park a couple times & have been to Steelers games & Pitt games at Heinz so it's not like I haven't been there. Tailgating is not as widespread there & a lot of it is done under exit ramps of highways in a distressed part of the city.

Comparing the tailgating scene at Philly vs Pittsburgh is like comparing the nightlife scene of NYC and Little Rock....

BK, in your usual zeal to paint me as not a true Hen (or Philly) fan because I live 100 miles from DE, you completely ignore the point of my post. Tailgaiting?? I said I DON'T WANT TO TAILGATE. If you live 30 minutes away and are loading up your family and meeting others... tailgaiting is the way to go. If you are arriving from out of town with several other guys, checking into a hotel, planning on getting blotto... the last thing you want to do is load up the car with food and drinks, grill, clean up, repack, drive back anywhere, etc...

The pre-game scene for out of towners was FAR better than it will be in Philly. We stayed in a hotel directly across the river from the stadium. We arrived at 1pm, put the car in valet, checked in and walked to three different bars in downtown Pittsburgh. Stopped by the hotel to get warm and dry clothes, had a couple pops in the hotel bar and walked across the bridge to two more bars right at the stadium. Post game we walked up to PNC where there were a couple more bars, then stumbled back to the hotel. Also, 68,000 fans >43,000 fans.

That's fine if you don't want to tailgate 89Fraud (I've revoked the Hen part formally now), but I gave you options for the bar scene as well, so did GF. I believe I even miscalculated subway time (yea you should be used to that with the Metro) as they run express trains that take like 7-8 minutes from City Hall to get you there. There are countless bars in Center City to choose from, there's Chickie's & Pete's, there's McFadden's.

But that's not the real issue, the real issue you did bring up but you hid it way down in the end of your thread. You're too cheap to pony up to pay the going rate for tickets. Hey, it's a tough economy we understand, but just come out & say it next time versus tossing other zingers out there that are just uneducated.

[93henfan]

I try to be the middle man, hoping to keep the tenuous collection of deadbeats known as "Delaware Fans" together as a cohesive unit. My efforts have failed.

The only people I can get to attend beer/crab functions, even the ones in Delaware, are all non-Delaware grads (except Iola). WTF. These are sad times.

[89Hen]

After attending last year's game in Pittsbugh and having a blast we decided that we'd go anytime they were within driving distance... then they decided to have it at a 43,000 seat venue making no tix available to anyone outside of season ticket holders. We're not paying $400 a seat on StubHub. Not to mention that Philly won't be anywhere near as fun/convenient as Pittsburgh. We dropped our car off at the hotel and were able to walk downtown, walk to the game, stumble to a bunch of different bars, etc... unless the South Philly stadium complex has changed since I was last there, it will be a tailgaiting event, which IMO isn't as good.

Yeah, really hidden and far down in the thread.

BTW, the real fraud is the one who steals other posters Hen avatars because they are dedicated enough to make their own.

[GannonFan]

I try to be the middle man, hoping to keep the tenuous collection of deadbeats known as "Delaware Fans" together as a cohesive unit. My efforts have failed.

The only people I can get to attend beer/crab functions, even the ones in Delaware, are all non-Delaware grads (except Iola). WTF. These are sad times.

Hey, don't throw me in the mix, I get along just fine with any and all UD fans. And where did this animosity between BHBK and 89 even come from anyway - it's like I missed the week they got mad at each other.

Hey, I am taking the eldest down to Newark on Monday for the football meet and greet followed by the basketball game. You going?

And if you have one of those beer/crab functions within an hour of where I live/work, I'm up for it. Tough to get down to Maryland for lunch, though.

[89Hen]

Hey, don't throw me in the mix, I get along just fine with any and all UD fans. And where did this animosity between BHBK and 89 even come from anyway - it's like I missed the week they got mad at each other.

He's given me shit about not attending UD games for a couple years. I've had no problem with him other than that.

[93henfan]

I try to be the middle man, hoping to keep the tenuous collection of deadbeats known as "Delaware Fans" together as a cohesive unit. My efforts have failed.

The only people I can get to attend beer/crab functions, even the ones in Delaware, are all non-Delaware grads (except Iola). WTF. These are sad times.

Hey, don't throw me in the mix, I get along just fine with any and all UD fans. And where did this animosity between BHBK and 89 even come from anyway - it's like I missed the week they got mad at each other.

Hey, I am taking the eldest down to Newark on Monday for the football meet and greet followed by the basketball game. You going?

And if you have one of those beer/crab functions within an hour of where I live/work, I'm up for it. Tough to get down to Maryland for lunch, though.

I guess being from downstate Delaware has desensitized me to driving long distances. Quite honestly, if something sounds fun and I can drive there within three or four hours, I do it. The one-hour rule seems a bit restrictive to me.

I'd love to head to the STH event on Monday night, but since I will be leaving my job in Gaithersburg, MD sometime between 5 and 7pm that day, it will be physically impossible for me to be there, short of chartering a helicopter.

As far as attending Delaware games this season, I don't believe my loyalty can be questioned. My typical routine was:

Drive 125 miles on Friday night from my place in MD to parents in DE.
Drive 125 miles round trip on Saturday from parents house to game and back.
Drive 125 miles back to MD.

[GannonFan]

My son getting older is starting to cut into my UD games - this year was the first Fall with Fall sports on the weekend. I ended up missing ODU and Richmond at home and the only away games I went to were Navy and villanova. Probably more of the same next year and then the year after that my middle son starts playing.

[89Hen]

My son getting older is starting to cut into my UD games - this year was the first Fall with Fall sports on the weekend. I ended up missing ODU and Richmond at home and the only away games I went to were Navy and villanova. Probably more of the same next year and then the year after that my middle son starts playing.

We used to just have to work around soccer games to attend Hen games (even then there were times we'd leave straight from a soccer game to head to Newark). Now it's softball, soccer, hockey, dances, concerts, etc... most weekends are full of all of the above.

[bluehenbillk]

I try to be the middle man, hoping to keep the tenuous collection of deadbeats known as "Delaware Fans" together as a cohesive unit. My efforts have failed.

The only people I can get to attend beer/crab functions, even the ones in Delaware, are all non-Delaware grads (except Iola). WTF. These are sad times.

Hey 93 - if you're going to put together one of those beer/crab functions just lemme know early enough & I'll make it - I have too many vacation/personal days then I know what to do with.

[bluehenbillk]

For the sake of the Delaware community I'll apologize for educating about options & then berating 89. I took it a step too far.

But hey, there may be no "perfect place" to play this game in Philly. The Winter Classic was really special when they played it in Fenway & Wrigley. Heinz Field doesn't really grab me, and the Linc wouldn't either. CBP is kinda cool & I guess Franklin Field could've been cool but parking & the facility itself are nothing to write home about anymore. A Flyers/Pens tilt in Beaver Stadium could've been cool too but would've been overshadowed by the whole Sandusky thing playing there this season.

May we all break scrapple again this fall in the Gold Lot.

[89Hen]

For the sake of the Delaware community I'll apologize for educating about options & then berating 89. I took it a step too far.

But hey, there may be no "perfect place" to play this game in Philly. The Winter Classic was really special when they played it in Fenway & Wrigley. Heinz Field doesn't really grab me, and the Linc wouldn't either. CBP is kinda cool & I guess Franklin Field could've been cool but parking & the facility itself are nothing to write home about anymore. A Flyers/Pens tilt in Beaver Stadium could've been cool too but would've been overshadowed by the whole Sandusky thing playing there this season.

May we all break scrapple again this fall in the Gold Lot.

I agree about Heinz not being anything special, but the Caps/Pens hatred was all it really was about. At the time the Fenway game was played, there wasn't really much bad blood between the Flyers and Bruins (I believe it was before the 0-3 comeback). IMO the Fenway and Wrigley games were about the venue, whereas the last two were more about the rivalry. The next one in Boston needs to be against Les Habitants if they want to make it about the teams.

BTW, isn't that henfan's avatar?

[bluehenbillk]

For the sake of the Delaware community I'll apologize for educating about options & then berating 89. I took it a step too far.

But hey, there may be no "perfect place" to play this game in Philly. The Winter Classic was really special when they played it in Fenway & Wrigley. Heinz Field doesn't really grab me, and the Linc wouldn't either. CBP is kinda cool & I guess Franklin Field could've been cool but parking & the facility itself are nothing to write home about anymore. A Flyers/Pens tilt in Beaver Stadium could've been cool too but would've been overshadowed by the whole Sandusky thing playing there this season.

May we all break scrapple again this fall in the Gold Lot.

I agree about Heinz not being anything special, but the Caps/Pens hatred was all it really was about. At the time the Fenway game was played, there wasn't really much bad blood between the Flyers and Bruins (I believe it was before the 0-3 comeback). IMO the Fenway and Wrigley games were about the venue, whereas the last two were more about the rivalry. The next one in Boston needs to be against Les Habitants if they want to make it about the teams.

BTW, isn't that henfan's avatar?

You know, I don't how many times I've seen pics or what not that I thought would be pretty cool avatars & whenever I tried to use them as such I always get told it's too big. I claim no genius, in fact pretty much the exact opposite of genius when it comes to loading anything other than copying & pasting a hyperlink onto a post.

I saw that avatar a while ago & copied it. If it is henfan's I'm sure he won't have an issue with it. We've tailgated before a few times and I'm sure if anything is ever said he'll take it as a compliment. Heck, I'd even fly his Swedish flag for a game in his honor.

[danefan]

I care about hockey the same way I care about boxing.........only to watch 24/7 on HBO.

Preview for 24/7 Rangers/Flyers was on last night.

Looks like its going to be great. Some genuine dislike from both squads.