Sather heats up Winter Classic rivalry

PHILADELPHIA -- Leave it to Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather to put some sizzle in the cheesesteak.

At the gathering for the announcement of the Winter Classic between the Rangers and Flyers at Citizens Bank Park Monday, after hearing Phillies president Dave Montgomery, Flyers chairman Ed Snider and Mayor Michael Nutter praise their teams to the fans wearing orange jerseys in the front rows, Sather fired back.

First, he complimented Snider's long tenure, then added, "But we're going to come to play and we're going to win."

When the fans booed, Sather responded: "That's more like it . . . I knew I could get a rise out of you sooner or later . . . I've respected the fans in Philadelphia all the years we've been in . . . We kicked the hell out of you twice in the Stanley Cup and we'll do that on Jan. 2 and, at the end of the year, we'll be carrying the Cup just like the Yankees are going to win the World Series."

In his Stanley Cup reference, Sather was alluding to his years coaching the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s. Snider reminded him that the Flyers "kicked the Rangers' butts" on their way to their first Cup in 1974.

Sather also welcomed the opportunity for a national showcase on NBC and HBO, which will embed camera crews with the team for its four-part 24/7 series, which begins Dec. 14.

"I was a little bit concerned about what I saw last year [on HBO]," Sather said. "It wasn't all wine and roses, but I think you can figure a way. We've got probably one of the youngest teams in the league this year; the pressure, the exposure, the atmosphere is going to help a lot of these guys develop."

Said John Tortorella about the coverage: "If you're asking a coach, 'Are you thrilled about cameras all over the place?' No," he said. "There's a lot of things that happen as you go through emotions and games and situations. I just want to make sure there's no embarrassing things, especially to the players, that don't need to be out there. And I don't think we'll have a problem.''

Jagr scores pair. Jaromir Jagr scored two power-play goals and added an assist against his former team as the Flyers beat the Rangers, 5-3, Monday night. Andres Thuresson, John Mitchell and Brian Boyle scored for the Rangers, who left after the game for a four-game exhibition schedule and two regular-season games in Europe.

Staal back soon?

Sather said he expects Marc Staal (headaches), who has been seeing specialists and did not accompany the team to Europe, to rejoin the club in four or five days.