Report: Pens, Flyers planning outdoor home-and-home series

Scott Oake caught up with bearded NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss the hype of the Winter Classic and whether they’ve settled on any destinations for next year's Classic.

It appears as though the battle of Pennsylvania is headed outdoors.

According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are in the midst of finalizing a deal that would see the two teams play a home-and-home outdoor series.

However, the two games wouldn’t take place in the same season. Molinari reports the first game is expected to be played at Heinz Field sometime in 2017 with the second potentially taking place in the Philadelphia area two years later.

The Penguins have taken part in three outdoor games since 2008 (two Winter Classics and one Stadium Series game), hosting the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field against the Capitals. Meanwhile, the Flyers have played in two outdoor games. They visited the Bruins at Fenway Park in the 2010 Winter Classic and hosted the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park in the 2012 Classic.

The proposed 2017 game would likely be a Stadium Series game rather than a Winter Classic, according to Molinari.

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