On Saturday night, the Flyers lost 6-3 to the Devils at MetLife Stadium, marking the 6th time the orange and black have played in an outdoor game in franchise history.
Below are my takeaways from this years event:
1. Outdoor games are still awesome
No longer the novelty it used to be when the Flyers hosted the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in the 2012 Winter Classic, outdoor hockey games are still awesome. There were 70,000 fans instead of 20,000, parking lots were packed hours before puck drop with tailgating, the cold air really added to the atmosphere. The teams shook hands when the game ended and the world-renowned Jonas Brothers even rocked the stage both pregame and after the second period. This was the 40th time the NHL played a regular season game outdoors. On Sunday, the Rangers and Islanders will play on the same MetLife Stadium ice for the 41st. It still feels like a big event.
2. Flyers still can’t figure it out in these games
As awesome as the idea of outdoor games are, they have not been kind to the Flyers over the years. They are now 1-5 in outdoor contests, with their lone win coming in a 4-3 OT win over the Penguins at Lincoln Financial Field in February 2019. The Flyers have now lost games at Fenway Park, Citizens Bank Park, the then-named Heinz Field, Lake Tahoe (against the Bruins) and now MetLife Stadium.
3. MetLife Stadium is as big as any stage in the world
The dual home of the Giants and Jets has quite the reputation. Bad turf, looks like a large gray blob when you drive by it on the Jersey Turnpike, doesn’t really get much more exciting when you walk inside. The stadium cost $1.6 billion and doesn’t have some large scoreboard hanging over the field or even a roof. It’s still a great place to watch a game.
The stadium made history in 2014 when it played host to the first ever outdoor cold weather Super Bowl. It was recently announced that it will play home to the 2026 World Cup Final. Saturday night’s event was a total success for everyone involved. Forget bells and whistles, MetLife has proven itself as a big game venue in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.