2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic: Yes, I Paid $45 For A Cheap Scarf, You Wanna Make Something Of It Chief?

OK, so the first thing I noticed on my trek from downtown Philadelphia to Citizens Bank Park was that good smells of the downtown area end at Broad Street train station. Replacing the warm, comforting aroma of breads, smoked meats and coffee was a cold, stark blend of exhaust fumes, stale urine and damp cement. No wonder the Flyers were nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies" back in the 70's...if I had to smell that on a daily basis I would want to pound someones face in as well.

The "sports venue express" was more orange than Snookie's skin tone. Jam-packed with Flyers fans...and when I say packed, I mean shoe-horned in like some Japanese commuter train running a lunch special for fried squid eyes. I was surprisingly calm as I sat there taking it all in...alone, clad in my New York Rangers toboggan. There was a young Flyers fan beside me who kept nervously shooting me sideways glances as we bounced along down the track. Evidently, in his eyes, my allegiance to the Rangers was akin to me being a recently paroled axe murderer with an airborne strain of the Ebola virus. Several times he looked down at himself to make sure that no part of his physical being, or Flyers apparel were actually touching me.

Once we reached the station, it was a short thirty-six mile walk to the stadium. This march was made all the more enjoyable by the sub-freezing wind-chill and non-stop group serenade of "FUCK THE RANGERS". In fact, I would guess that never, in the annals of Rangers history, has that particular phrase been uttered as many times as it was that day.

Once at Citizens Bank Park, it was time to explore the Winter Classic Fan Zone! Twenty seconds later I was fed up. This zone should have been called the Winter Classic Fan Cryogenic Misery Queue Zone. Next it was time to get in line at the merchandise tent. There were actually two lines here...one to get in and a separate one to pay. The pay line was, no joke, at least 200 people deep. Now call me crazy, but my desire to purchase a $45 Winter Classic scarf can only be quantified to about a 35 minute wait in the freezing cold Pennsylvania air. The end of this queue was clearly on schedule for a post-game checkout. Couple these factors with my desire to actually watch the game, and the only logical conclusion was simple: break in line. Total damage after successful line break in front of teenage girls and checkout: $151.00

Inventory:
1 Winter Classic Program: $10.00
1 Winter Classic Ticket Holder and Lanyard: $18.00
1 NY Rangers Winter Classic Scarf: $45.00
1 NY Rangers Winter Classic Thermal Shirt: $44.00
1 NY Rangers Winter Classic T-Shirt: $34.00

The cost of both the thermal t-shirt and scarf could be justified as "necessary for survival" as my core body temperature had reached 34 degrees by this point...and only an hour and a half until face-off! It's amazing the lengths the mind will go to in considering warmth. Actual thought: "The bathrooms are heated, I could just occupy a stall. It would be at least 10 minutes before someone gets suspicious enough to intervene."

To kill time I decided to find my seat and watch some of the pregame festivities. My seat was fantastic and included a really handsome, complimentary Winter Classic seat cushion. Once the game was underway, the cold was a non-issue. The the stadium was electric, and the action on the ice was terrific. The usual Rangers/Flyers intensity was ratcheted up a few notches given the magnitude of the event and the intense build-up that the HBO series 24/7 Rangers Flyers: Road To The Winter Classic provided. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you check it out...especially if you are a fan of the game. Short of the playoffs, this was the most important game of the year. After a scoreless first period the Flyers capitalized on a couple of opportunities early in the 2nd to go up 2-0. For some reason I didn't let myself get down at this point. Maybe I could chalk my optimism up to the fact that the Rangers were playing really well and I knew we would break through. Or perhaps it was the Rangers fan in front of me who (very lovingly) took a picture of his beer. While he was snapping it he said out loud to himself, "God I love this fucking phone." Evidently this guy hadn't had much luck taking pictures of his beers with previous phones. Either way, I knew we were coming back. Mike Rupp cut the lead to 2-1 about a minute later, justifying my optimism. That's the way the second period ended 2-1 Flyers.

Snow began to fall at this point, making the scene even more surreal. But the magic of this moment was lost on the 11 year old Flyers fan across the the aisle who was shouting "FUCK THE RANGERS" in 10 second intervals at the joyous approval of his morbidly obese father. The Rangers tied it up early on in the third on Rupp's second tally, and took the lead shortly after when Brad Richards slammed home a rebound. At that instant, section 113 where I was seated erupted in a jumping, screaming, high-fiving fury. The beer photographer and I, who had said almost nothing to each other up to that point, found ourselves in a three-way hug/circle of strangers, wide-eyed and screaming like drunk fraternity brothers who just found an untapped keg of beer. Citizens Bank Park was comparatively quiet for the remainder of the game...at least until the NHL and NBC tried their best to send the game to overtime by awarding the Flyers with a penalty shot with 19 seconds left. But King Henry (goalie Henrik Lundqvist) made the clutch, game-winning save. My joy was unleashed in a torrent a vile obscenities in the face of my 11 year old tormentor across the aisle. Only kidding, of course. The little pussy ran off before I could get to him.

The Flyers fans were actually really great. The ribbing was genuinely good natured and I only witnessed one confrontation that looked a bit nasty. Aside from losing my wallet, the entire trip was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime affair. The magnitude and coolness of the whole thing is still sinking in. In particular the game, as it was pretty much sensory overload for over five hours.

Thanks Philly!

The city of Philadelphia did a great job hosting the event from every aspect, except having The Roots perform. I would have rather had a root canal than listen to anymore of that shit in the freezing-ass cold. My stay, the hotel and the people I met far exceeded my expectations.

Whew, that was a long post. God I love this fucking phone!