NHL, Marketers Gear Up For 2012 Outdoor Classic

NHL marketing partners including Bridgestone, Geico, Molson Canadian, Honda, Reebok, EA Sports, Verizon and McDonald’s will be part of a three-day fan festival to be located outside the stadium. The event will run Dec. 31-Jan. 2 (weather permitting).

According to the NHL, the event will include live musical performances, interactive hockey-themed attractions, prizes and giveaways, food, beverage, and merchandise tents with officially licensed Rangers and Flyers NHL Winter Classic merchandise.

The fan festival will also include live NHL Network broadcasts of the Rangers and Flyers team practices from Citizens  Bank  Park and  pre-and post-game  coverage.

Among the highlights:

* Bridgestone will give fans a chance to test their one-on-one shooting skills against a Bridgestone goalie as a  play-by-play  announcer  makes  calls .

* Gaming consoles will be available to play EA Sports’ NHL ’12.

* The Honda tent will feature an autograph session with an NHL alumni, and fan prizes will include NHL game tickets and a trip to the 2012 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

* Molson Canadian will offer prizes for fans competing in bubble hockey and NHL video games.

The game will air Jan. 2 at 1 PM (ET) on NBC.