Decades of Flyers Alumni will be coming back to the Wells Fargo Center in celebration of Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet ahead of their induction into the team’s Hall of Fame. An event that came together rather quickly will see players dating back to the inauguration of the team take the ice. Brad Marsh, Director of Community Development and Flyers Alumni President, helped put together the event that will see all of those players returning.
November 16th is when Holmgren and Tocchet will be inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Two former members of the organization who embodied what it meant to be a part of Philadelphia.
"“Homer is the Flyers. Player, coach, assistant coach, scout, president, GM. He’s done it all. He is the Flyers.“Rick Tocchet just identifies so much with the Flyers. He was drafted for a specific reason. He was tough, he was gritty, he could score. He played hard he showed up…He is what the Philadelphia Flyers are all about.”"
Among those players who are coming back are Joe Watson (1967-78) and Reggie Leach (1974-82). On the flip side of that, fans will see some of the more recent players in Danny Briere (2007-13), Simon Gagne (1999-10, 2012-13), and Scott Hartnell (2007-14). Donald Brashear (2001-06) and Mike McKenna (2018-19) are just a few of the players making their Flyers Alumni debut as well. The full roster of players, with the potential for more names to be added, can be found here.
Don't call it a comeback pic.twitter.com/Q2tFiU8fPE
— Mike McKenna (@MikeMcKenna56) October 25, 2021
Speaking of goaltenders, Marsh joked that it was probably one of their hardest positions to fill for the game. With the players still having that competitive nature in them comes the feeling of wanting to shoot the puck as well. He also joked that a few of them talked about having to find their equipment first.
Neil Little, Robert Esche, McKenna, and possibly one more former player will be the ones to do the goaltending for this event. For the latter, it will actually be his first time playing in any Alumni Game at all.
For McKenna, he only ended up playing a single game with the Flyers. Mitch Lamoureux was with the team for a single season. Adam Hall and Joffrey Lupul were with the team for two years. No matter how long a player was in the organization, they are always welcome back.
"“Whether you had a cup of coffee or you played one game or 1,000 games, you were special to be in the NHL regardless of how long you played. And when you sit in the dressing room, the guys are always great. The guys are good and they realize that no matter how big or small your contribution was, you’re still important to the team aspect.“The Flyers Alumni is about everybody that wore the jersey regardless of their stature. They wore the jersey, they’re an alumni.”"
The NHL as a whole has done a great job with all of the alumni events that are put together. Marsh is involved with the NHL Alumni Association as well as all of the former teams he was a part of. Each team around the league has its own alumni association, including the Seattle Kraken. While there are no former members of a team that just came into the league, there are plenty of players around the area who were in the NHL.
As for the Flyers themselves, Ed Snider was a big part of what this group has grown into. Even with Snider’s passing, his family is still a part of what the organization does. And with the players, coming back to see each other is a big selling point. The younger players have the opportunity to talk with some of the older players in regards to what the game was like. There is plenty of banter among them in the locker room.
And some of the events that take place there and on the ice give them stories they can carry with them for a lifetime. When Kimmo Timonen, who unfortunately won’t be able to attend this event, had a chance to play in 2017, he was paired with Joe Watson. Timonen was in his 40’s while Watson was in his mid-70’s.
"“The first game Timmo played was up in Reading. I paired him with Joe and he was laughing, ‘This is so much fun, but I had to tie my defense partner’s skates.'”"
But one of the biggest draws for the players is coming back to play in front of the Flyers fanbase. With all of the decades of players comes the decades of fans as well. Each group has their own memories and are able to, in a way, be transported back to the different teams that they watched during their lifetime.
Whether it’s about Bobby Clarke’s goal, the teams that went to back-to-back cups, or even the more recent Flyers that came back against Boston, every fan remembers and enjoys being able to talk about their memories.
"“The fans consider themselves part of the Flyers family. The players consider themselves part of the family. And they realize that with the fans, we are a family. Because without the fans, we would’ve never had a job.”"
The Orange and Black Alumni Game will be taking place at the Flyers arena on November 15th. Tickets are still available and can be purchased from the Wells Fargo Center website. Tickets start at just $35 while VIP options will be available as well.
"“Just come on out and cheer on your Flyers. You’ve cheered them for so many years as ticket holders, watching on tv or listening on the radio, listening to Gene Hart. Let the players take you back to a good place when you want to remember the good times when you used to sit in the seat.”"