A Philadelphia Flyers fan said he is standing vigil at the city's famed Rocky statue to protect it from Pittsburgh fans seeking to dress it in a Penguins shirt.

Mike Prince, 23, said he accepted a charge from WIP, Philadelphia, radio host Angelo Cataldi to protect the statue of Sylvester Stallone's classic movie character after a posting appeared on Craigslist.com seeking a Pittsburgh Penguins fan in the Philadelphia area to assist with a plot to dress the statue in a Penguins jersey and take pictures, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.

The rivalry between the two teams has heated up as their Stanley Cup playoffs confrontation approaches. The teams are scheduled to open the Eastern Conference Finals Friday night.

Prince said the culprits may have already struck -- a black No. 87 Sidney Crosby jersey was found on the ground near the statue early Wednesday morning. Prince said the jersey may have been put on the statue overnight and removed by a passing security guard or stone mason.

Rocky's self-proclaimed bodyguard said he will not let any jersey-toting culprits near the statue again.

If anyone tries, I'll try to stop them, Prince said.

Bookmark this news