The Next Chapter

Philadelphia Flyers hockey has ushered in a new era. The 2021 offseason saw a flurry of roster turnover and plenty of changes that not many would’ve anticipated at the beginning of last season. But it is the dawn of a new day in South Philadelphia, and I’m glad I got to experience it before I turn a new leaf, much as the Flyers have.

This weekend I partook in my first ever home-opening Flyers game. I’d been to five Flyers games before this, but all were mid or late season matchups. The excitement was something I haven’t experienced at Wells Fargo Center in a long time. You could feel the energy in the air hours before puck drop. This was the first full-capacity crowd at the arena since March 2020, and the city and team were primed for a big night with all eyes on 3601 South Broad Street.

The build-up to Opening Night was something fans had been anticipating for months. Plenty of new faces and the first taste of a fresh team in the preseason gave people that sense of hope and anticipation we feel every year. It’s a buzz in the air you can’t quite fully describe, but the energy you feel inside of you knowing that Flyers hockey is finally back just simply cannot be contained.

I had the privilege to make the journey down to Philadelphia for this special night, but I wanted to do something special for this trip. This team is everything to me. I eat, sleep, and breathe Flyers hockey. They mean more to me than anything, and I felt it was only fitting I paid a visit to the man who gave me the one thing I love in this world more than anything before I headed into the city.

A warm, breezy Friday afternoon was when I stopped and said a prayer to Mr. Snider. It’s hard to believe this was already the sixth home opener without him, but I wanted to pay my respects on the day that his prized team would take the ice for the first time this season. I left a flower for him and then I finished my journey to my hotel at the Navy Yard, right across I-95 from the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

I checked in with my friend Ben, and we toured the complex. I was able to share my knowledge and love for my teams and some of the people and venues that helped make this area special. The parking lot that was once The Spectrum was most meaningful to me. That plot of land was where the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974 in six games against the Boston Bruins. I could only envision what the celebration was like that fateful May evening on Broad Street, hoping that one day I’ll get to share that same joy and emotion at the current arena just south of it.

I don’t just love the complex, I love the city of Philadelphia in general. It’s a love that I can’t fully describe. The history, the buildings, the people, the food, the culture, everything is just collectively in its own melting pot that I become more and more enriched in every time I visit. The city has become my home away from home, and every time it gets better.

We took the SEPTA train from the complex and got off at City Hall. We walked through the very heart of the city, and we also scoped out one of the four murals the Flyers had painted in celebration of the new season. We soon headed back south and stopped by Xfinity Live! for a quick bite before we entered Wells Fargo Center for the game.