In what is the first of many reunions for the Flyers this season, Shayne Gostisbehere, or Ghost as he was known as, returns the Wells Fargo Center since being traded to the Arizona Coyotes in the offseason for cap relief. He spent 6 seasons with the Flyers.
He had one of the most dynamic rookie years of all rookie defensemen in Flyers history and is one of the best offensive defensemen in franchise history as well. Gostisbehere was a player who wore his heart on his sleeve and was a big emotion guy and you could see he was loved by his teammates so tonight will be emotional for him for sure.
Whether you loved him or hated him, you can not say he never gave 110% on the ice whether he was healthy or not. Gostisbehere had his string of injuries which usually involved his knees, but when he was healthy, he was one of your top D men. He had an incredible career here in Philadelphia and it needs to be celebrated and remembered for his accomplishments on and off the ice.
Off the ice, he did a lot for the community. Gostisbehere created the Ghost Bear foundation. Through this foundation, he has helped at risk children, disabled children and endangered animal in Philadelphia, South Florida and Schenectady, New York. They also work with foundations who strive to make their communities better as well.
He has hosted benefits, shows and other means to help raise funds for those who he wishes to help. I went to one of the comedy shows that he had hosted and it was packed. You could tell Gostisbehere wanted to help and he did his best to make these communities better. Players do not have to do things like this, but it was something he wanted to do on his own.
On the ice, he was drafted in the third round, 78th overall, in 2012 . In 2014, he was named the most outstanding player of the Frozen Four when he was playing for Union College where he and his teammates won the championship. Take a guess as to where he accomplished this amazing feat. None other than the Wells Fargo Center.
That following year, Gostisbehere would go on to break the record most goals by a defenseman in a single season, scoring 17 goals. He also scored the most overtime goals in a single season with four. He was electric that season, having a point streak over 15 plus games. He ended up recording 46 points that season, scoring 17 goals and assisting on 29 of them. He finished in second place for the Calder behind Artemi Panarin and ahead of Connor McDavid.
His best season was in 2017-2018. Gostisbehere had 65 points in 78 games. He scored 13 goals, but assisted on 52. He had six power play goals and 26 power play assists. Gostisbehere also made the All Star Game that year alongside Claude Giroux, who had 102 points that same year. That season was ultimately a let down with many players having career years. They went on to lose to the Penguins 4-2 in the playoffs
Gostisbehere went on to have a decent season in 18-19 but wasn’t the same player he was in that previous season. This would also be the last time we saw him play almost a full season. The knee injuries began piling up and he just couldn’t stay on the ice. In the short 56 game season, he played 41 games and seemed to be back to his old self.
His name began coming up in trade talks and he was eventually sent to the taxi squad to help the Flyers get some cap relief. At this point, everyone knew Gostisbehere was on the chopping block and there was only time keeping him here in the orange and black.
In July, the trigger was pulled. Chuck Fletcher sent Gostisbehere and a seventh round pick to the Coyotes for some much needed cap relief. That went on to help acquire players like Keith Yandle, Derick Brassard and other much needed pieces for not only Lehigh, but back up in case the Flyers have another Lake Tahoe situation.
Gostisbehere has played nine games for the Coyotes so far and has recorded five assists but has a -5, which is to be expected. The Coyotes are right where we expected them to be at 0-8-1 and their future in Glendale is over as they need to find a new home for next year. Gostisbehere has only one more year left for the Coyotes after this, but he could be on the move for more assets for the Yotes for the future. If he can get back to form, he can help a ton of teams who are looking for a good power play quarterback.
Gostisbehere embodied what it meant to be a Flyer. He donned the Orange and Black with pride and played with heart. Whether his teammates scored or he did, he made sure to celebrate them both like they were his last. He deserves all the applause we can give tonight.