Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins: A Winter Classic Preview

This Thursday night, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins will go at it for the first time this season. The matchup will serve as a prelude to the NHL’s Winter Classic and, from all accounts, this game is sure to be one for the ages.

This year's NHL Winter Classic will feature the Flyers and the Bruins, taking place at historic Fenway Park in Boston on New Year's Day. The Winter Classic serves as an opportunity for the NHL to showcase the game of hockey in a unique setting and is quickly becoming the the NHL’s premier event since it’s inception in 2008.

The Flyers/Bruins rivalry is entrenched in a rich history, which includes the Flyer's beating of the Bruins in their 1973-'74 Stanley Cup Championship tilt, one which saw the Flyers beat the Bruins four games to two, the first time the Flyers had won the coveted Cup.

Other milestones include former Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall scoring his first NHL goal against the Bruins on Dec. 8, 1987 and a multitude of fights between opposing players, dating back to the 1970s and the days of the Flyers’ “Broad Street Bullies” and Boston's "Big Bad Bruins."

Both the Flyers and Bruins hold a piece of the NHL’s all-time longest home game winning streak at 20 games apiece. Boston accomplished the feat in 1929-'30 and Philadelphia accomplished the feat in 1975-'76. Ironically, the Flyers tied the record playing against the arch-rival Bruins.

The Bruins hold a decided advantage in the win column versus the Flyers. According to flyershistory.net , the Bruins’ all-time record against the Flyers currently sits at 59-85-21. The Bruins have scored a total of 545 goals against the Flyers, while giving up 500.

The Bruins' and Flyers' home arenas are tough places for any NHL rival to steal two points, history shows the Flyers have had their hands full when facing the Bruins, regardless of the venue.

The Flyers own a 34-37-10 record against the Bruins at home with a total of 264 goals for and 243 goals against and a road record of 25-48-11 with 236 goals for and 302 goals against.

Historically, both teams have had a multitude of All-Star calibre players on their rosters. In fact, the list of NHL legends is very impressive for both teams. Flyers fans have had the privilege of watching the likes of Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Rick Macleish, Mark Howe, Reggie Leach, Brian Propp, and Bernie Parent, to name a few.

Not to be outdone, Bruins fans have had the privilege of watching the likes of Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Rick Middleton, Gerry Cheevers, Brad Park, Terry O’Reilly, John Bucyk, and, more recently, Ray Bourque.

Both teams have always iced teams that put a premium on tough/gritty hockey and have featured some of the NHL’s best goaltenders, fiercest fighters and a tremendous number of skilled forwards to boot.

The current crop of Flyers and Bruins does not disappoint, and, in fact, features some of the NHL’s biggest stars. 2008-'09 Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas, 2008-'09 Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara and undervalued forward Marc Savard headline a very deep Bruins team.

On the other hand, the Flyers have one of the NHL’s best collection of young players, featuring the likes of forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and five-time All-Star (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008) defenseman Chris Pronger.

To date, both the Flyers and Bruins have had their fair share of struggles, with the Flyers sitting eighth overall in the Eastern Conference with seven points in six games and the Bruins just one point back of the Flyers in ninth place through seven games.

The Flyers and Bruins are both coming off strong campaigns in 2008-'09. The Bruins finished the 2008-'09 season with a record of 53-19-10, good enough for 116 points and second overall in the NHL standings. The Flyers had a record of 44-27-11, good enough for 99 points, ninth overall in the NHL standings.

Despite their regular season success, the 2008-'09 playoffs were not as kind to the Flyers and Bruins. The Flyers were ousted in the first round by cross-town rival Pittsburgh Penguins, four games to two. The Bruins met a similar fate, losing in the second round to the underdog Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.

The 2009-'10 season brings renewed hope to Flyer and Bruin fans alike that, with a little luck, their teams can take a run at a Stanley Cup Championship, something the Bruins have not accomplished since the 1971-1972 season; something the Flyers have not accomplished since 1974-1975 season.

One thing is for sure, NHL fans can expect a heated battle when the Flyers and Bruins take to the ice on Thursday night, there is no escaping history, not where these two teams are concerned.

The sun always rises, winter always comes and the Flyers and Bruins will always hate each other. Some things, will never change.