Editor's note: Kathryn Cooper worked for the NHL for this year's NHL Winter Classic and this is a personal account of the week she spent at Citizen's Bank Park preparing for the game.

The 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers was nothing less then a spectacular event -- an NHL hockey game on an outdoor rink that brings the players back to their childhood days of playing on frozen ponds, purely for the love of the game. 

This year, I was fortunate enough to be a part of this annual celebration, working behind the scenes with the NHL Broadcast Department. 

It all started on December 27 when my boss called and instructed me to report to Citizens Bank Park, the Major League Baseball Park that the Philadelphia Phillies call home. Having worked many events at the Flyers' Wells Fargo Arena, this was my first visit to a new venue. 

I arrived, with the mission to get familiarized with the ballpark but in a pouring rain I realized that it was going to be a long cold week, however, it was one that I greatly anticipated. 

Wednesday, December 28 was my first full day. I was called in around 9:00 a.m. and didn't leave the ballpark until 7:00 p.m. [A typical day consisted of updating the meeting schedule for the day and posting it in our offices so everyone knew what the tasks at hand were for the day.] 

Around 1:45 that afternoon we had our first broadcast meeting. In this meeting, we discussed everything from the time of the actual puck drop, to NBC and CBC camera positions and commercial breaks, to what was happening during intermissions.

We also walked around the field multiple times checking camera positions, and walked the path that the players would travel on the day of the game to make sure everything would go according to plan. 

Also, anytime one of the networks did a live shot on-set at the ballpark, or a pre-game show, one of us from the NHL Broadcast staff was there to support in case anything was needed. 

Seeing the ice progress every day was quite interesting. The NHL ‘ice guru', Dan Craig, was charged with the monumental task of ensuring the ice would be in perfect condition for each of the games. He did a great job making sure everyone from his crew did exactly what needed to be done in order to keep it in perfect condition. 

A last minute assessment of the ice condition prompted a 2-hour time change in the broadcast schedule. There was such a concern with the temperature and the sun glare that the game time was changed from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Needless to say, this put the broadcast arm of the event into major overdrive. Sponsors had to be contacted as everything from the time of the puck drop to the time of each network going on the air had to be changed. It was a chaotic time. 

Every inch of the ballpark and rink was decorated as if they were props on a movie set. From the fake snow, to the sponsor banners, and real fire barrels, nothing was out of place. Despite all of our preparations, it was the weather that dictated the start time of the big event. 

The Winter Classic week consisted of an alumni game, the Winter Classic, and a Adirondack Phantoms (AHL affiliate of the Flyers) game, as well as other college, high school and youth games. The alumni game would be played on New Years Eve and telecast across North America on multiple networks.

My dad, Bryan Cooper, the Executive Producer of Comcast Sportsnet for the Philadelphia Flyers, produced the telecast. We had a long meeting to go over the show format. 

Fans in Philadelphia love their Flyer's alumni so much that the alumni game is often more anticipated than the actual winter classic.

"It was an event that can never be replicated, and it was an honor as a long time broadcaster to be part of it," said Flyers television broadcaster Steve Coates in reference to the alumni match-up.

During the alumni game I was standing down on the field between the benches with my NHL bosses making sure everything ran smoothly. The game, as well as the live telecast were both a success. We were now ready for the big event, the Winter Classic on Jan 2. 

On Jan 1, both the Flyers and the Rangers had their team practices outside to get themselves acclimated to the weather conditions, and the ice itself. This was a day for us to talk to the team public relations directors and confirm the various network requests for player interviews on and off the ice. 

I could see the anticipation and excitement on the players faces as they ventured onto the ice. Clearly, playing on the outdoor rink was a nostalgic moment, where so many of the players had been introduced to the game they love so much. 

Jan 2, game day had finally arrived. Besides the work we had done all week every individual NHL employee had dedicated most of every workday since the beginning of November to the preparation of this event. 

It was safe to say everyone was finally ready for this game to begin. 

The event started with the players walking down the long black tarp path onto the ice one-by-one. First the Rangers, then the Flyers. 

After all of the players were on the ice, the entire stadium was asked to stand for the national anthem, sung by Patti Labelle. As the final key words were sung, "for the land of the free and the home of the brave," two Air Force jets did a thunderous ‘fly-by', clearly igniting the patriotic spirit among the 47,000 spectatore in the crowd.