The Philadelphia Flyers have played the Pittburgh Penguins twice in the Stadium Series. However, they’ve never faced off in the Winter Classic. Talk of a possible Flyers-Penguins Winter Classic at Penn State have made the hockey world’s rounds for years. Unfortunately, it never reached fruition. There was too much red tape involved.
Finally, the door appears open to that possibility.
Outdoor Doubleheader Opens Winter Classic Potential
On Friday, Penn State Athletics announced an outdoor hockey doubleheader involving their men’s and women’s hockey programs. Penn State’s men’s team will take on Big Ten rival Michigan State, while the women will play Robert Morris University on January 31, 2026 at Beaver Stadium.
“This is a historic moment for Penn State Hockey, our fans and the entire Penn State community,” said Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State’s vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics.
“To bring the excitement of college hockey to Beaver Stadium is truly special. Having our men’s program face a premier Big Ten opponent in Michigan State and our women’s program face Robert Morris on this stage reflects the incredible growth and national profile of Penn State Hockey. It provides an unforgettable experience for our student-athletes, alumni and fans. We can’t wait to see Hockey Valley come alive in Beaver Stadium.”
Massive Match-Up With Flyers Prospects Involved
The Nittany Lions are coming off a coming off an NCAA Regional Championship win in Allentown and their first ever Frozen Four berth. They added top flight talent in forwards Gavin McKenna, Luke Misa, and Shane Van Olm. Additionally, they have a pair of 6-foot-4 defensemen in Jackson Smith and Nolan Collins.
They face a formidable opponent in the Spartans, who were finalists in the McKenna sweepstakes. Moreover, MSU are back-to-back defending Big Ten champions.
Michigan State pivoted to sign Porter Martone the Flyers first round pick. Martone joins forces with second round selection Shane Vansaghi in East Lansing. Hence, Flyers fans have some rooting interest in late January.
Logistics To Consider For a Future Winter Classic
In many ways, the Hockey Valley Doubleheader will act as a proving grounds for a potential NHL outdoor game. There is little question that the Flyers and the Penguins want the opportunity. Flyers chairman Dan Hilferty has expressed his enthusiasm for it.
On Saturday, a newly refurbished Beaver Stadium opened for Penn State’s football season. Nevertheless, for hockey fans, it wasn’t that hard to think of what it will look like for a hockey game.
Expect the NHL will be in attendance for the event, with a specific eye for the ingress and egress of traffic. Specifically, this was a sticking point 11 years ago during the 2014 Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
During Sunday’s Off The Post Radio, my cohost Russ Cohen discussed the travel difficulties that occurred during that game. Some fans, unfortunately, weren’t able to get to their seats until the first intermission. Later, they experienced delays of up to three hours exiting the game.
The most recent NHL outdoor game at a university was the 2025 Stadium Series game at Ohio State. Columbus, as Ohio’s state capital and major metropolitan area, has a well established network of roads that isn’t comparable to Happy Valley.
Thus, the way this is handled in Janaury will a key factor in any decisions made for a future Winter Classic.
A Keystone Classic “Rubber Match”
The Flyers and Penguins have played each other twice in Stadium Series outdoor games, following an agreement between the teams in 2016.
The Penguins hosted the first match-up in 2017 at Acrisure Stadium, then known as Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh won that game 4-2, with a 39 save performance by goalie Matt Murray. Sidney Crosby opened the scoring 1:18 into the game and Nick Bonino staked the Penguins to a 2-0 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. The Flyers received goals from Jakub Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Two years later, the rematch was held at rainy Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This was a wild game that once again saw the Penguins captain get on the board first. Despite an equalizing first period goal by Sean Couturier, the Penguins would build a 3-1 lead early in the third period following an Evgeni Malkin goal.
However, the Flyers rallied following a James van Riemsdyk power-play goal to cut the lead to 3-2. Philadelphia put relentless pressure on the Penguins. After pulling their goaltender, Philly forced overtime as Voracek scored with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Therefter, captain Claude Giroux scored the overtime winner at 1:59. The Philadelphia faithful went home happy.
With the Hockey Valley Doubleheader, the possibility of a third game between the Keystone State rivals has moved a step closer to reality.
