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Quick Hits: July 15, 2024
1) Flyers Daily: On this week's Mondays with Meltzer, Jason Myrtetus and I have an in-depth discussion on highly touted incoming Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov. What traits does he share with players who've gone on to attain stardom? What are the most outstanding characteristics of his game? What are the areas in which he needs work? How can teammates help him along in his adjustments to the NHL, both on and off the ice. To watch the 43-minute episode, click below. The audio version is available on Apple or Spotify.
2) Speaking of Michkov, I wrote an article for PhiladelphiaFlyers.com entitled "39 Things to Know" about the prospect who is set to become the 10th player in team history to wear uniform number 39.
Michkov, who got his first pair of skates at age three, started playing hockey shortly thereafter. A prodigy, he typically dominated games against players up to two years older than himself. He made his KHL debut at age 16, and dominated the Under-18 World Championships two years before his NHL Draft eligibility. At 17, he scored three goals in two games before the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2021-22 World Junior Championships. In 2023-24, Michkov fell just one point short (in 2023-24) from matching Kirill Kaprisov's KHL rookie scoring record despite Michkov being set back for several weeks and missing multiple games with pneumonia.
I will post a link when the article goes live.
3) In memoriam: Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of the passing of legendary Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart at the age of 68. On July 18, Ed Snider and the Flyers held a public memorial for Hart at the First Union Center (now Wells Fargo Center). Hart's daughter, longtime game-night anthemist Lauren Hart, sang a beautiful song in his honor during the memorial.
During his prolific radio and TV broadcasting career, Hart did play-by-play for both of the Flyers two Stanley Cup championship games. He also handled the duties on the Philadelphia Phantoms' first Calder Cup champion, emceed the Pelle Lindbergh memorial at the Spectrum, the closing ceremony after the final regular season game at the Spectrum, and dozens of other seminal events over the first 27 years of franchise history.
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