Quick Hits: December 3, 2021
1) After a team-wide off-day on Thursday, practice resumes today at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. Practice is slated for 11:30 a.m. ET. There may be an update forthcoming today on the status of Joel Farabee, who left Wednesday's game in New York during the first period with an apparent shoulder or collarbone injury after crashing into the lower part of the boards.
2) Sincere condolences go out to the family and the many friends of longtime Comcast Spectacor legal counsel and alternate governor Phil Weinberg, who passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday evening. He had been dealing with recent surgery but his health situation was nothing that was considered life-threatening.
Mr. Weinberg was a longtime close friend and confidant -- not just a business associate -- of the late Ed Snider. In 1990, he was hired by Spectacor and was part of the Flyers organization for the remainder of his life. Mr. Weinberg was an integral part of the process of putting together funding for a new arena in the 1990s (originally called Spectrum 2 in the development phase, now known as the Wells Fargo Center) and the 1996 merger of Spectacor with Comcast in which Mr. Snider remained as chairman of Comcast Spectacor for the rest of his life. After the merger, Mr. Weinberg stayed on in his post as chief legal counsel.
Mr. Weinberg was a longtime member of the board of directors of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation: Ed Snider's beloved legacy project in which access to hockey and educational services is made available to provide opportunities for underprivileged children in the Philadelphia area. After his passing, Mr. Snider saw to it that his personal estate made a two-to-one dollar match for every donation made to Snider Hockey. This is also something in which Mr. Weinberg took pride. He was also on the board of directors for Flyers Charities, Philadelphia Futures, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
An affable man who always made time for others and had a legion of friends, Mr. Weinberg was a well-liked and well-respected figure not just within the Flyers organization but with all who met him. He was a good conversationalist, had a razor-sharp mind and, above all, was a caring man and loyal friend to many.
Phil Weinberg is survived by his wife, Terry, and their children, Sydney and Zach.
In a statement released on Thursday, Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO and Flyers governor Dave Scott, expressed his sorrows at losing someone who'd become a friend as well as work colleague.
“Yesterday was the 31st anniversary of Phil Weinberg’s first day with the Flyers, and for more than three decades, Phil poured his heart and soul into this organization and all that it stands for in the city of Philadelphia. Phil loved the Flyers, he loved our fans, he loved this city, and he loved this organization," Scott said.
"He was an invaluable advisor to both Ed Snider and me, he was a beloved mentor and colleague to hundreds of employees over the years, and he cherished the history and tradition of this organization. Phil’s passing is heartbreaking for me personally and for everyone here because he exemplified the unique culture that the Flyers have built over the years, based on loyalty, determination, and family. He was, and will remain, an institution within the Flyers organization, but above all, we will remember him as a kind, brilliant friend and devoted husband and father.”
3) Following two COVID-related postponements of games scheduled against the Hershey Bears this past Sunday and on Wednesday of this week, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3-10-5) return to play tonight. They will host the Charlotte Checkers (8-9-2) at the PPL Center in Allentown. The teams split two games at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte back in early November.
Saturday's scheduled Phantoms game in Hershey has been postponed by the AHL. No makeup dates for the three games have been announced as of yet. The Bears roster has been decimated by a widespread COVID-19 outbreak that is believed to involve positive tests for double-digit players. Thus far, overall, there have been five Bears games postponed.
Flyers prospect Wade Allison was recently activated from injured reserve by the Flyers and assigned to the Phantoms. Back in September, Allison suffered a severe high ankle sprain in a Rookie Game. Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said earlier this week that Allison is getting close to returning to game action. However, he may not be quite ready to return for the game against Charlotte. Dec. 10 could be the more realistic goal.
Friday's game will be streamed for free on AHLTV. It is free to sign up for an account on the streaming service. One game per week is available free for non-paid subscribers.
4) The Flyers Alumni Association has made its ninth donation of a fully customized adaptive bike to a special needs child. In conjunction with Help Hope Live and through the generous support of Flyers fans and the Feasterville Business Association, the Flyers Alumni have had an adaptive bicycle constructed to the needs of
Cadie Ivey of Bristol, PA.
Cadie was born healthy but suffered non-accidental head trauma that required her to be life-flighted for admission to a pediatric intensive care hospital and removal from the custodial care of her biological parents. Her life was saved by doctors and nurses, but the neurological and physical effects of the trauma were devastating.
After three years of living in a pediatric care facility, Cadie was adopted by Tony and Megan Ivey. She now has a loving family and a happy home life. However, she still faces a variety of health-related challenges. She will eventually require hip surgery and also likely faces surgery on her trachea to help her breath. Cadie is learning to communicate with an adaptive device, learning to swallow independently, and undergoing physical therapy to learn to use her arms to perform tasks that he needs or wants to perform.
Adaptive bicycles can be of tremendous development value -- not to mention a huge boost to quality of life and self-confidence -- for special needs children like Cadie. For most families, however, the devices are cost-prohibitive because they have to specially constructed and customized both to meet the specific physical needs of the child and, after the child masters its operation, to be safely operated as independently as possible. Adaptive bikes can cost $5,000 to $7,500 and up depending on what's involved in having it built.
That's where programs such as the Flyers Alumni Association's Every Child Deserves a Bike campaign come into the picture. The Flyers Alumni work with Help Hope Live to identify local candidates to receive a bike donation. The Alumni then order a bicycle to the specifications of the child and then present it in person for donation to the family.
Founded in December 2020, the Every Child program has been able to donate nine bikes in the first year. Flyers Alumni Association president Brad Marsh has set a goal of increasing the rate in 2022 to one adaptive bike donation per month. The program is entirely funded through donations by individuals, families and businesses and supported by Alumni-run events such as the recent Hall of Fame Game, the annual Alumni Golf Invitational, Alumni Fantasy Hockey Camp and Friday Night Fights speakers event (which will return in 2022 after a pandemic-caused hiatus).
For more information and/or to donate to the "Every Child",
click here. To donate to the medical assistance fund that Help Hope Live set up on Cadie Ivey's behalf,
click here.
4) Congratulations to Flyers' 2020 fifth-round pick Elliot Desnoyers for earning a spot in Team Canada's selection camp for the 2021-22 World Junior Championship. The versatile two-way forward, who can either center or play wing and has blossomed offensively as well at the QJHL level in the 14 months since he was drafted, stands a good chance at staking down a roster spot.
The 19-year-old Desnoyers, who will turn 20 on Jan.21, had a very impressive Rookie Camp and first NHL Camp with the Flyers back in September. Perhaps most notably, he scored a goal in an NHL squad scrimmage after winning a battle on the walls against Morgan Frost and then going to the net. After returning to the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, Desnoyers has posted 14 goals and 20 assists across the first 20 games of the 2021-22 regular season. He has done so without sacrificing the heady two-way play that enabled him to get selected in the first place in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
5) Today in Flyers History: Dec. 3, 1969
The late Jim Johnson scored a surprise hat trick, recording his fifth, sixth and seventh goals of the season in a 7-1 road rout of the Los Angeles Kings. In the same game, Simon Nolet notched a pair of goals while rookie center Bobby Clarke scored the third goal of his NHL career. Mr. Johnson passed away on May 4, 2021, at the age of 78.
For a memorial tribute to Jim Johnson, including recollections by Flyers Hall of Fame teammate Joe Watson,
click here.
6) Happy 76th birthday wishes go out to legendary Flyers public address announcer Lou Nolan.
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