QUICK HITS: JUNE 14, 2018
1) Later today, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall will meet with the media at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. As he does annually, Hextall will discuss, in generic terms, his views on the crop of players available in the upcoming NHL Draft.
Hextall will likely talk up the flexibility the team has this year to either stand pat with three picks in the top 50 (14th, 19th and 50th), trade up in the first round or trade down to come away with an additional asset. He'll no doubt be asked about trade possibilities, such as last year's Draft day deal that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis, and no doubt will decline to say anything behind acknowledging that the Draft has become a busy time for trade discussions. The GM may also provide injury updates on Wayne Simmonds, Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth, Sean Couturier, Ivan Provorov and Samuel Morin.
2) The second part of Jim Jackson's two-part video of interviewing Flyers assistant general manager Chris Pryor about the 2018 Draft is now online on Flyers TV on the Flyers official website.
3) On Monday, Brian Smith and I will have a Draft preview edition of the FlyerBuzz podcast on Flyers Radio 24/7. We will discuss some of the pool of players who may be available in the team's current 14-to-19, what it might take to move up if the organization tries to do so, and assessing the depth of the Flyers current farm system at different positions.
4) If you have not already done so, I recommend reading the
Nick Boynton article on the Players Tribune talking about his struggles with depression, anxiety and substance abuse both during and after his NHL career. It has been known for years, but not made public out of respect for his right to privacy, that Boynton was struggling mightily with these issues by the time he spent his brief late career stint with the Flyers and that Paul Holmgren did all he could do to offer support to the player, as he has done for many others. Boynton's words of gratitude are powerful:
The Flyers and Paul Holmgren, who was the GM in Philly at the time, didn’t judge me or make me feel like an outcast when they found out. They sent me to rehab and pledged their support. They looked out for me. Even though I hadn’t been looking out for myself.
And to this day, I honestly believe Paul saved my life back then.
If I had been somewhere else, and they had just traded me away … I’d probably be dead.
Actually, there’s no doubt about it. I wouldn’t be sitting here today writing this thing if that had happened. That’s for sure.
I’d be six feet under.
Paul Holmgren got a second chance in his own life and he believes in paying it forward behind the scenes. He's done so for many, many people. Homer dislikes receiving any publicity for it, because he simply believes it's the right thing to do. However, it was heartening to see Boynton take a moment to acknowledge his gratitude to Holmgren. Boynton's struggles were ongoing for years after his playing days ended and continue to this day to some degree, but Holmgren helped him get started on a better path.
5) Related note: A couple of alumni Flyers tough guys, Dan Carcillo and Shawn Antoski, have shown dogged courage in fighting the good fight to provide awareness and direct support for mental health issues (such as Antoski's "Fear Nothing" movement) and concussion-related concerns. Both men have made these issues a deeply personal crusade. Both have sometimes ruffled feathers and made some enemies with their outspokenness on these and other issues, especially Carcillo in taking aim at the NHLPA as well as the NHL.
It's not typically the "Canadian way" to be as aggressively outspoken as the two Ontario natives, and it makes some uncomfortable. Some might say they're biting the hand that fed them now that they are out of the game and that no one forced them to make what both acknowledge were some bad decisions in their lives. Nevertheless, it can never be said that Carcillo or Antoski lacks the courage of his convictions to fight for what he believe is just. Both are very open and honest about struggles they've had in their own lives off the ice and after leaving the NHL.
Both "Anton" and "Car Bomb" are good examples of the adage of not judging a book by its cover. They were wild men on the ice, with Carcillo in particular being one of the most volatile players in the NHL during the late 2000s to mid-2010s. It would be easy took at their fight clips, their collection of tattoos, their scarred faces, etc. and form a judgment. Then, to hear them talk, both quite eloquently,defies those expectations. If nothing else, Carcillo and Antoski get people talking about mental health, depression and/or post-concussion recovery and doing their part to destigmatize these issues.
6) I was saddened to learn of the passing of famed Philadelphia sportscaster Al (Big Al) Meltzer. We were not related, although I wish I could claim we were. I met Mr. Meltzer on several occasions and he was a very nice man as well one of the best television sports journalists of a now-bygone era. My message board avatar here at HockeyBuzz is a photo of Big Al, partially an inside joke about the countless times over the years that people have asked me if he's my father or uncle and partially in tribute to how much watching his sportscasts and hearing his instantly recognizable voice were a part of my childhood growing up in Philly.
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2018 Flyers Charity Classic
The 2nd annual
Flyers Charity Classic will take place on July 15, 2015. There have been some changes this year -- new bike routes, staggered start times, the creation of a Flyers Alumni Team, more entertainment and Fanfest activities, etc. -- but the basic setup is the same. As with last year, the event is sponsored by Toyota.
The Charity Classic is a city-wide event incorporating a 5k walk/run through the Philadelphia Navy Yard, a 10-mile family bike ride through the Navy Yard and FDR Park, and two bike rides – a 50K and a 100K – spanning the sights and sounds of Broad Street, through historic Valley Forge Park leading back through MLK Drive to the Wells Fargo Center Complex.
In addition to the Classic, families of participants and fans alike will have all-day access to the Flyers Fan Fest: family-friendly outdoor games, inflatables, street hockey, food and more. After-party live entertainment will be provided by
Chico's Vibe.
The biggest participating team last year, both in terms of number of participants and funds raised, was
the Ides of Marsh, captained by Brad Marsh. An avid long-distance cyclist, Brad and members of his family will be doing the 100k bike ride again this year. However, there will be team members taking part in all of the different events and everyone will be together later in the day for the after-party.
Last year, I did the 5k walk/run as an Ides of Marsh member and, thanks to the generosity of my HockeyBuzz readers, family members and friends, raised $425. I also lost weight over the summer getting ready for it. This year, my wife is also planning to take part with me in the family 5k, and our goal is raise money than last year as well as to lower my 5k finish time from last year (although the events are strictly for enjoyment, not a competition).
The
Flyers Alumni Team, as with the Ides of Marsh, is open to the public to join and there will be able opportunity for fans to interact with their favorite Alumni during the day, even if they participate in a different event.
With more names to come, the confirmed participating Flyers Alumni Team members to date are as follows: Danny Briere (family 5k walk/run), Terry Carkner (family 10-mile bike ride), Bob Clarke (5k walk/run), Doug Crossman (5k walk/run), Paul Holmgren (100 k bike ride), Kerry Huffman (5k walk/run), Joe Kadlec (5k walk/run), Bob "the Hound" Kelly (5k walk/run), Ian Laperriere (100k bike ride), Neil Little (family 10-mile bike ride), Jim McCrossin (100k bike ride), Bernie Parent (family 10-mile bike ride), Dave "the Hammer" Schultz (5k walk/run) and Joe Watson (family 10-mile bike ride).
Chris Therien (5k) is organizing a team within the Alumni Team called Bundy's Chariot of Flyers.
Fans can also sign up for a team captained by Flyers Hall of Fame inductee Brian Propp. Brian's group is called
Team Guffaw.
All proceeds raised from registrations and team fundraising benefit Flyers Charities and the Flyers Alumni Association and the various non-profit organizations they support throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The Flyers Alumni component will be donated toward the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation's goal to build a new rink in the Delaware Valley for use by the Snider Hockey kids.
In terms of individual fundraising, there is an escalating scale of rewards offered:
$50 – Flyers ball cap.
$200 – pair of upper of level tickets to a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game for the 2018/19 season + Flyers ball cap.
$400 – pair of lower level tickets to a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game for the 2018/19 season + Flyers ball cap.
$1,000 – pair of Flyers tickets in the Alumni Party Suite, a Flyers jersey autographed by the Flyers Alumni + Flyers Ball Cap.
The game tickets will be for a mutually agreed upon Philadelphia Flyers home game in October of the 2018/19 season.
There is also a team fundraising incentive component, with Flyers Charities offering donations to a charity of the participating team's choice. More information is available
here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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