This was the only game in the Stadium Series scheduled during the 2016–17 NHL season (as opposed to multiple games in 2016), but the fourth and last outdoor regular-season games during that season. An announced attendance of 67,318 made the game one of the most attended outdoor NHL games in history.[2]
The game was played to help mark the 50th anniversary of the Expansion of 1967, in which the Flyers and the Penguins, along with four other teams, were formed to double the league's size. This Flyers–Penguins rivalry matchup was originally considered for the 2017 NHL Winter Classic in January, but scheduling conflicts with the National Football League in both cities, along with the belief that Beaver Stadium (a neutral site venue mentioned as a potential site for a Flyers–Penguins outdoor contest) was not properly equipped to host an event during the winter, led to plans for a matchup being moved to a later date as a Stadium Series game in February.[3]
Heinz Field previously hosted the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. This was also the Penguins' fourth outdoor game (after the 2008 and 2011 Winter Classics, and the 2014 Stadium Series), and the Flyers' third (after the 2010 and 2012 Winter Classics).
