Flyers Fans Bid Farewell to Jake Voracek

Whether you loved him or hated him, Jake Voracek was a crucial piece of the Philadelphia Flyers for ten seasons, and he has indelibly left his mark on the franchise. The former sixth-overall selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets will walk away as one of the greatest players ever to wear the orange and black. He ranks 10th in games played (727), 18th in goals (177), 5th in assists (427). and 10th in points (604) among the franchise.

Not many Flyers fans knew much about Voracek when he was acquired from Columbus as part of the Jeff Carter trade, but he quickly became a household name. He was a skilled player with a knack for playmaking that helped give Flyers fans plenty of fantastic memories.

Voracek’s overtime winner in Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins was his first real “big time” moment with the club, slapping home a rebound off the pads of Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net to lift the Flyers to a 4-3 come-from-behind after trailing 3-0 earlier in the game.

Voracek would score his first and, to date, only hat trick in the NHL on February 20th, 2013 at the previously-named CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh in a 6-5 Flyers victory. Voracek’s third goal on fellow Czech Tomas Vokoun with 1:31 to play in the third period would stand as the game-winner in the penalty-filled contest.

Voracek’s best statistical season came in 2014-15, as the Kladno native racked up 22 goals and 59 assists for 81 points in 82 games. His assist and point totals in a season have never been higher, and he also accumulated 78 penalty minutes that season, another career high.

Voracek also scored the second-fastest goal in franchise history that season on December 22nd against the Winnipeg Jets. A road matchup that featured Rob Zepp making his first NHL appearance in goal for the Flyers, the Jets coughed up the puck in overtime after Giroux fought off Jets defender Dustin Byfuglien for the puck. Voracek skated towards the loose puck and rifled it through goaltender and fellow Czech Ondrej Pavelec to give the Flyers a 3-2 overtime victory in Winnipeg.

The 2015 NHL All-Star Game in Columbus marked Voracek’s first visit to the event as a participating player. He proceeded to rack up six points in the game in his former home building, which tied the previous record set by the legendary Mario Lemieux in 1988.

Voracek led the Flyers in goals once in 2012-13 (22), twice in assists in 2014-15 and 2020-21 (59, 35), and twice in total scoring in 2014-15 and 2016-17 (81, 61). He was also incredibly well respected by his teammates and coaches and even donned the ‘A’ as an alternate captain at times as well.

Pieces of the Flyers old core are moving on. The trend really first started when Wayne Simmonds was traded to Nashville for Ryan Hartman at the 2019 trade deadline. The purge continued when the Flyers traded Shayne Gostisbehere, who was the team’s longest-tenured blueliner before he was shipped off just days before Voracek.

Sure, the team needed a new makeup of players who could gel together and create more success than recent teams, and Flyers fans will enjoy watching new acquisition Cam Atkinson.

There’s still a human element to all of this. These players called the city of Philadelphia home for years. They were franchise centerpieces that seemed tough to imagine in another sweater. The sentimentality of the situation creates a bond between fans and players that will last long after they stop playing for the Flyers.

Thank you Jake, for everything on and off the ice as a Flyer. While you may be heading back to your original team, you will always be a Flyer forever to us.