NHL Winter Classic 2012 Breaking News: Marc Staal Will Make Season Debut

The New York Rangers just received the greatest news in the world.

At 12:45, the team held a press conference. Everyone seemed to have an idea what was going to be announced, as Twitter was rampant with speculation fueled with tweets from on-site reporters like John Buccigross of ESPN.

@Buccigross 

"

Hearing Ranger D-man Marc Staal is playing today in the Winter Classic.

"

@DaveLozo

"

John Tortorella will speak to the media in 16 minutes. It's very possible he'll say Marc Staal is playing in the Winter Classic.

"

Well, now the news is official—Marc Staal will make his long-awaited season debut tonight in the Winter Classic.

@jessespector 

"

Marc Staal will return to #NYR lineup today.

"

This is a memorable event for the Staal family, as Marc's brother Jordan made his return to action at the Winter Classic last season.

Staal's return to the lineup makes this team a whole lot dangerous than they already were. The Rangers can now say they have a dominant top four pairing with a very capable third pairing. When the Rangers get Michael Sauer back, this team will have a very dominant shutdown defense.

If you already don't know, here is a projected look at the starting lineups. 

New York Rangers: 23-9-4; 50 Points

Forwards

Artem Anisimov | Derek Stepan | Marián Gáborík
Carl Hagelin | Brad Richards (A) | Ryan Callahan (C)
Brandon Dubinsky | Brian Boyle | John Mitchell
Mike Rupp | Ruslan Fedotenko | Brandon Prust

Defense

Ryan McDonagh | Dan Girardi 
Michael Del Zotto | Anton Strålman
Jeff Woywitka/Stu Bickell | Marc Staal (A)

Goaltenders

Henrik Lundqvist

Martin Biron

Scratches

Erik Christensen

Philadelphia Flyers: 22-10-4; 48 Points

Forwards

Scott Hartnell | Claude Giroux | Jaromír Jágr
Matt Read | Danny Brière | Wayne Simmonds
Max Talbot | Brayden Schenn | Jakub Voracek
James van Riemsdyk | Sean Couturier | Harry Zolnierczyk

Defense

Braydon Coburn | Kimmo Timonen
Marc-Andre Bourdon | Matt Carle
Andrej Meszaros | Andreas Lilja

Goaltenders

Sergei Bobrovsky
Ilya Bryzgalov

Scratches

Zac Rinaldo
Jody Shelley
Matt Walker

Television Information

Date: Jan. 2, 2012

Time: 1:00 p.m. pregame coverage, 3:00 p.m. game time

Network: US, NBC; Canada, CBC

Additional Coverage: NHL Network, NBC Sports, MSG Networks, CSN

The game is going to be very exciting for the fans watching live and at home. No matter what the outcome, this is going to be an unforgettable moment for all players involved.

Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: