Quick Hits: Dec. 26, 2019
1) Happy Boxing Day! The Flyers have one more to enjoy the leaguewide three-day holiday break before they get ready for a treacherous six-game road trip that ends on Jan. 8 with the second half of a back-to-back in which the Flyers will host the Washington Capitals. Before that, the Flyers will face road games in San Jose (Dec. 28), Anaheim (Dec. 29), Los Angeles (Dec. 31), Las Vegas (Jan. 2), Arizona (Jan. 4) and Carolina (Jan. 7).
Tomorrow, the Flyers will hold an 11:30 a.m. practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Shortly thereafter, the team will depart for its flight to San Jose. This rather inconvenient arrangement is due to the NHL's team travel prohibition on Dec. 26 under the terms of the CBA. A few years ago, the Flyers players themselves wanted to fly out a day early to get in a practice and a day to adjust to the time difference before a west coast road trip. The team did so, but got fined and reprimanded by the NHL.
2) The 2019-20 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic (Ostrava and Trinec) are underway. In first-day action, Team Russia defenseman and Flyers prospect Egor Zamula scored a mid first-period goal to erase an early 1-0 deficit against the host Czechs. He tallied again in the second period to re-knot the game at 3-3. As of this writing, Russia trails, 4-3, late in the second period. Zamula is the lone Flyers prospect on either team.
Later in the day, Team USA (Cam York, Bobby Brink) will take on Team Canada (no Flyers prospects), and Team Sweden (Adam Ginning) will play Team Finland (no Flyers prospects). The other early game, played simultaneously to the Russia-Czech game is Switzerland (no Flyers prospects) vs. Kazakhstan (no Flyers prospects).
3) Two weeks ago, Hockey Hall of Fame and Flyers Hall of Fame inductee, Bill Barber, underwent total knee replacement on both knees. Yesterday, on Christmas, Bill's wife, Lori Anne, posted the following update: he's already up and about.
4) Today in Flyers History: On Dec. 26, 1977, the Flyers hosted Czechoslovakian Extraliga team, HC Pardubice, at the Spectrum. The Flyers won, 6-1, over their talent-laden opponent, which featured numerous Czechoslovakian national team players including the late Ivan Hlinka, the high-scoring line of Vladimir "The Fox" Martinec, Jiri Novak and Bohuslav Stastny (which also played as a trio for the Czechoslovakian national team) and star goaltender Jiri Crha.
The game was part a tour of the two top teams in the Czechslovakian league at the time, reigning champion Kladno and former champs Pardubice, against NHL teams. For more on the game,
click here.
5) Dec. 26 Flyers Alumni birthday; Andy Delmore (1976).
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