Fly-By: 1/4/09

The Flyers may be jetlagged, but the internet is always well caffeinated.

• Richards Best Captain Ever? (philly.com) It starts off good, but then it gets ridiculous. I love Richie more than the next guy, but come on... It's about a decade too early to start thinking about putting him ahead of Clarke. Kudos to whoever at philly.com managed to not get their name on this one...
• Corey Perry Suspended For Hit on Giroux (James Mirtle, fromtherink.com) He has to cough up $114,516.12, which is four games pay for him. The league should also suspend Crosby, while they're at it. Oh, and revoke Alex Semin's testes.
• Flyers Officially Trying to Land Winter Classic at Penn State (Philadelphia Daily News) The Bruins hosting either the Rangers or Canadiens at Fenway seems to be the front runner for 2010 as far as I can tell, but wouldn't it be better to not do the two most iconic ballparks back to back? Spread 'em out a bit, I say. Here's hoping the Flyers' 2009 Stanley Cup win cements the Happy Valley bid.

How Do the Flyers Classic?

It's the second intermission of the Winter Classic now, Detroit up 4-3 on the 'Hawks at Wrigley (setting the stage for a big hometeam comeback, I betcha). The game has been pretty awesome, the setting is awesome, and the hype is beyond awesome.

So how do the Flyers get a piece of the action? Here are what I think would be the Flyers' best three chances to get into a Winter Classic game. (Warning: None of these would take place in Philly, sorry)

1. Philadelphia Flyers @ Washington Capitals. If the NHL gives DC a bid (likely because of Ovechkin), the Flyers would be the obvious choice of opponent. We're the Caps' closest opponent, a long time rival, and Pittsburgh has already had a shot at a Winter Classic. The game could be at some specially created rink down by the monuments, in the shadow of the Capitol or something. It'd be pretty sweet. Alternatively, the game could be held at a more neutral site in Baltimore (maybe Camden Yards), which is as major an in-between city as exists between two NHL rivals.

2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins @ Penn State. This scenario has been getting the most hype. It has a lot of pluses, such as a neutral location, Battle of Pennsylvania themes, enormous Happy Valley capacity (100k+ would easily be biggest ever), and two teams with no love lost between them. The reason I think it's less likely than Flyers-Caps is because of Pittsburgh's previous Winter Classic participation. I have to think the NHL is going to let a few more years pass before they start recycling teams.

3. Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Rangers. The Rangers are more likely to be slated against the Islanders, Devils, and even Bruins, but this scenario isn't impossible. Division rivals who play exciting, nasty hockey, from two big nearby cities. The venues would be cool, too. Yankee Stadium or Central park would be the front-runners.

I don't see any of these scenarios happening next season (Montreal-Boston at Fenway seems like the odds on bet), but I would be surprised NOT to see the Flyers in a Winter Classic by 2012 at the latest.