Some pains are hard to break past. A former lover who did you dirty will do damage. A boss who treated you unfairly and then let you go can still bring you to a dark place. If you've ever been bullied by someone, just hearing the name of that person can make you feel like a scared teenager again. Trauma is real and affects who we are.
Sports trauma is also a real thing. Sometimes we are riding high and happy with our team, and something happens, and we are damaged. Maybe it is someone we loved who leaves our team and then joins our rival, or maybe they demanded a trade out of town. Maybe they injured one of our favorite players. Or maybe it was a player on another team who did something amazing for their team, but crushed us.
If you are in your 40s and over, you will all sigh and slump when I mention Joe Carter for destroying every young Phillies fan's dream in 1993. It happened so quickly. Even now, when I see a replay, I hope that maybe Mitch Williams doesn't hang that pitch over the plate.
The Flyers have several of these moments, as do all sports teams. One of the most traumatic is the following video. You'll be able to recognize it immediately.
The only thing about this video that is good is Doc Emrick not realizing the goal had been scored for a few seconds. But yes, Patrick Kane scored an amazing shot in a game that sunk the Flyers' hopes for a Game 7 and ended a wild Stanley Cup Final.
Time to Forgive, Move On, and Maybe Acquire?
Professionals from counselors to therapists to priests/pastors will all tell you that holding onto pain and resentment isn't healthy or good for you. At some point, if you can, find a way to forgive and start to move on. It doesn't make what the other person/party did ok, but it frees you from internalizing it and doing further harm.
Kane's goal shocked us and did some harm. It was a subtle little flick, not a violent slapshot or a goal on a breakaway. It was sneaky. Even some of the players on the ice didn't know it happened. It hurt. It ended a magical Cinderella run. It still hurts 16 years later. But what if we could move on?
I say this because Kane is still a free agent. The Flyers could use a solid veteran winger who can also spend time at center. Kane is 37 and will turn 38 in November. Last season, he signed a $3 million deal to play in Detroit, a team that is clearly going nowhere. In his 19th NHL season, he scored 16 goals with 41 assists. If you place that on the Flyers, that would be seventh in goals, tied for first in assists, and third in points.
Kane isn't the player he once was, but he is still two years removed from scoring 20+ goals. The future Hall of Famer has 508 goals. Anything close to 20 goals would put him in the top 40 all-time goal scorers. Likewise, he is sitting at 1400 points. A 50-point season would put him into the top 20 pretty easily.
He's won three Stanley Cups and is likely looking for another. Yes, he may sign with his hometown Buffalo Sabres, and there is a chance that the Wings may want him back. There are also rumors of a reunion with the Blackhawks. While the Flyers are still trying to develop their younger players, Kane would be able to take some of the young guys and teach them how to become champions.
I get it; it might be hard to cheer for Kane. It might be hard to see him on the Flyers. However, you can't deny that he's got talent. He's a shell of what he was, but he can still play and has a lot to teach. There is a savviness that older veteran players, like Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, and Jordan Staal, can teach younger players. He'd come cheap, and he might be motivated to join a young team on the rise.
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