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Quick Hits: Lindblom Rings the Bell. Konecny Wins Toyota Cup and More

July 3, 2020, 10:18 AM ET [15 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Quick Hits: July 3, 2020

1) Yesterday was a very happy and emotional day in the hockey world. After completing his final treatment for Ewing Sarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer that is especially rare in adult patients), 23-year-old Flyers left winger stopped to symbolically ring the bell before leaving the Abramson Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. He embraced his girlfriend, gifted an autographed Flyers jersey to the nursing staff and left the building, officially cancer-free.

"I can't even explain how I feel. Feels like having my birthday, Christmas and all those holidays at the same time. Feels awesome to be done. Can't wait to get back to normal life again and feel like I'm living," Lindblom said.

He then expressed heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of love and support he has received.

"From family, to friends, to fans...I can't even explain how much they meant to me," he said.

People from around the hockey world, including the archrival Pittsburgh Penguins, responded with joy to the news of Lindblom achieving remission. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher issued a statement on behalf of the organization reflecting the traits that make Lindblom such an especially compelling human being as well as hockey player.

"I can't say enough about this young man. Everyone can see the talent and impact that Oskar has had for us on the ice, but he is an outstanding teammate in our locker room and a genuinely good person. His attitude and strength through all of this is a tremendous inspiration for us all. Today is a great day. Congrats to Oskar. We look forward to having him rejoin our team in the near future," Fletcher said.

According to a recent Instagram post by Lindblom's girlfriend, Alma Lindqvist, in addition to his chemotherapy course, Oskar is now three-plus months removed from surgery (the purpose of which, in tandem with chemo, was to make sure that 100 percent of the cancer was removed). The cancer, thankfully, was detected in its earliest stages before it spread to areas where the odds of survival would have become much lower.

Flyers senior director of communications Zack Hill was on hand for Lindblom's milestone day. He asked Lindblom what his next steps will be.

"We'll see," Lindblom said. "I'm going to try to get back from the chemo and take it from there. Haven't planned anything yet, just trying to get back in shape and we'll see how far it goes."



2) Due to the leaguewide pause for Covid-19, the Flyers are handing out their team awards this season in a different fashion that usual. Yesterday, the team announced the Toyota Cup award for the most three-star selection points (5 for first star, 3 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd) over the course of the season. Edging out Kevin Hayes by a single standings point (43 to 42), this year's winner is Travis Konecny.

The Toyota Cup is the lone Flyers team award that is cumulative over the season, and not based on a separate ballot. Come next week, the Flyers will announce the winners of the voting for each of the other awards.

On Monday, the team will announce the Gene Hart Memorial Trophy, selected by the official Flyers Fan Club for the player who demonstrates the most heart and dedication. On Tuesday, they'll bestow the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award (formerly "the Class Guy" Award), selected by the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. On Wednesday, it'll be the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy, selected by the Flyers players themselves, honoring the team's most improved player over the course of the season.

Thursday will bring about the announcement of the Barry Ashbee Trophy winner, selected by Flyers writers and broadcasters for the team's top defenseman. Finally, on Friday, the winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy for team MVP will be announced. As with the Ashbee, the Clarke is selected by a panel of Flyers writers and broadcasters.

In the interest of transparency, I will share my votes. I chose Ivan Provorov for the Ashbee and Sean Couturier for the Clarke. When we vote, we are asked to choose 1st-place, 2nd-place and 3rd-place selections. For the Ashbee, my second-place choice was Matt Niskanen and third place was Travis Sanheim. For the Clarke, I had Provorov second and Konecny third. If Carter Hart's road numbers had been half as good as his home stats, he'd have been at least my second-place choice.

3) On today's edition of Flyers Daily, Jason Myrtetus and I discussed Lindblom, our respective Flyers team award selections (both for the awards in which we have a vote and those for which we do not), and the latest on the NHL's return-to-play plan. We also gave our respective all-Canada and all-USA Flyers teams in honor of Canada Day and U.S. Independence Day.

4) ICYMI: Morgan Frost has joined the Flyers' Phase 2 workouts at the Skate Zone in Voorhees this week. He discussed what he did during quarantine, his 21st birthday celebration, and in the gym as well as his outlook for Phases 3, 4 and next season.

5) Due to the City of Ocean City’s pandemic-related announcement of the cancellation of all public events, the Flyers Community Caravan event scheduled for for July 9 will not be held.

6) Today in Flyers History: On July 3, 1981, the Flyers and Hartford Whalers completed a multi-player trade. The first Flyers stint of Rick MacLeish's career (he later had a brief return) came to an end and the Flyers also dealt defenseman Blake Wesley, forward Don Gillen, a 1982 1st-round pick (Paul Lawless), a 1982 2nd-round selection (Mark Paterson) and a 1982 third-round pick (Kevin Dineen). In return, the Flyers received highly touted young defenseman Fred Arthur (who retired a year later to pursue medical school and eventually became a doctor), winger Ray Allison (Brian Propp's close friend and former Brandon Wheat Kings linemate), a 1982 first-round pick (Ron Sutter) and a 1982 third-round pick (used on veteran Czechoslovakian nation team star Miroslav "Cookie" Dvorak).
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