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.
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"Hearing Ranger D-man Marc Staal is playing today in the Winter Classic.
"
"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 officialโMarc Staal will make his long-awaited season debut tonight in the Winter Classic.
"Marc Staal will return toย #NYRย 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.ย
New York Rangers: 23-9-4; 50 Points
Forwards
Artem Anisimov | Derek Stepan | Mariรกn Gรกborรญk
Carl Hagelin | Brad Richards (A) | Ryan Callahan (C)
Brandon Dubinsky | Brian Boyle | John Mitchell
Mike Rupp | Ruslan Fedotenko | Brandon Prust
Defense
Ryan McDonagh | Dan Girardiย
Michael Del Zotto |ย Anton Strรฅlman
Jeff Woywitka/Stu Bickell |ย Marc Staal (A)
Goaltenders
Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron
Scratches
Erik Christensen
Philadelphia Flyers: 22-10-4; 48 Points
Forwards
Scott Hartnell | Claude Giroux | Jaromรญr Jรกgr
Matt Read | Danny Briรจre | 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 anย unforgettableย moment for all players involved.
Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players:
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