"Mike Lopresti of "USA Today" called the game between the rivals "a perfect fit" when the news broke, while Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com called the peace in the rivalry "fitting" for a Mets fan, and said that it drew parallels to their 3–2 win over rival Atlanta Braves on September 21, 2001 in the first major sporting event in New York City since the attacks.On September 26, 2011, the day after the teams' final meeting of the season, the National Hockey League formally announced that the rivalry would be played out at Citizens Bank Park during the offseason at the 2012 NHL Winter Classic on January 2, saying it would be a showdown between the teams' hockey counterparts, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.