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Quick Hits: Sept. 30, 2022
1) I wrote an in-depth review and analysis of the Flyers' 2022 training camp at the one-week mark: Three areas of concern, three areas of encouragement and a notebook of observations on selected players in camp. For the full rundown, click here.
2) Flyers Daily for Sept. 30: In Friday's edition of Flyers Daily on the Flyers Broadcast Network, host Jason Myrtetus answers listener-submitted questions. He also discusses long-term injured reserve and the ramifications for the Flyers. To listen, click here.
3) The Flyers originally had a practice scheduled for Thursday morning but it was replaced with an off-day after the team's 2-1 loss in Buffalo on Tuesday and a low-energy 3-1 defeat at home by a bare bones version of the Washington Capitals the next night. Practice will resume today at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees.
Two veteran Lehigh Valley Phantoms players and dressing room leaders, team captain Cal O'Reilly and power forward Garrett Wilson, are slated to practice with the Flyers on Friday (officially as PTO players but, in reality, as tune ups for the Phantoms' AHL training camp). Wilson, who came close to having his AHL contract converted to an NHL deal out of training camp last year before the Flyers claimed Zack MacEwen off waivers, was not in NHL camp for the start because he wanted to be there for the birth of his newborn son, Ty. Both O'Reilly, a future AHL Hall of Fame shoo-in, and Wilson have been working out at the PPL Center in Allentown
Garrett Wilson is not attending Flyers Training Camp in Voorhees. For a good reason... Meet Ty Wilson!! Born Sept 19. Congrats, Garrett!! pic.twitter.com/HxwsFEmXDI
On Saturday afternoon, the Flyers have a 1 p.m. exhibition game in Boston against the Bruins. On Sunday evening, Philly will play its penultimate preseason game as they travel to Long Island to take on the New York Islanders.
4) On Thursday, the Flyers released veteran left winger Antoine Roussel from his professional try-out (PTO) deal. The 32-year-old veteran of 607 NHL games came to camp as a longshot. He had to beat out multiple younger wingers outright by outplaying them in camp. Unfortunately, after appearing in one preseason game, two scrimmages and four practices, it became clear that Roussel was not on a path to earn a contract.
The Flyers also released Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) over-age center Theo Rochette from his amateur try-out (ATO) arrangement. The 20-year-old, who will turn 21 on Feb. 21, 2023, will return to the Remparts. A pint-sized but shifty forward, Rochette posted a 99-point season in the Q last year.
The rate of roster cuts will pick up considerably in the next few days, especially once the NHL team is down to one preseason game remaining and the Phantoms' training camp is underway.
5) Andre Payette, a member of the 1997-98 Calder Cup winning Philadelphia Phantoms and a Flyers draft pick back in 1994 (10th round, 244th overall), passed away at age 46 on Sept. 28.
Payette, a large-framed, demonstrative and tough-as-nails enforcer on the ice, was a friendly, humorous and fundamentally kind-hearted man off the ice. Sadly, he battled for many years with sobriety and mental health issues. After hitting rock bottom a couple of years ago, he moved back from England to his native Canada. He was doing much better. Payette started a successful contracting business, reconnected with family, stayed in daily touch with his son Oliver (who lives in England with his mother), coached youth hockey and also reconnected with old friends and teammates. He appeared to be in his best space in many years.
The saddest part of Payette's passing is that 10-year-old Oliver has lost his father. For all of Andre Payette's struggles and foibles, he adored his son and it was their relationship that kept Payette fighting to get better every time he'd slip and fall in battling his demons.
Terrible, Sad, Sad news. I saw Andre in May in Edmonton at @iceiswar. We spoke for a few minutes about life. He was doing really well! Hate to see and hear this. RIP my friend! https://t.co/QYPczPyYj9
Payette spent many years playing in the UK, where he was a fan favorite wherever he played. Nicknamed "Wild Thing", he accumulated more than 3,000 penalty minutes in his career. He loved interacting with fans -- whether in person or via social media -- and he often expressed his appreciation to them for being able to live out his dream of playing professional hockey. The former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound never played in an NHL regular season game but he spent parts of six seasons in the AHL and then 11 years playing in the UK.
6) This Week in Flyers History: Non-NHL Opponents
Sept. 29, 1974
During the 1974 offseason, the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association agreed to arrange a seven-game series of exhibition games between the two archrival leagues shortly before the start of their respective regular seasons.
In the first game of the series, the WHA's Houston Aeros defeated the St. Louis Blues, much to the consternation of NHL president Clarence Campbell. The second game of the series pitted the defending Stanley Cup champion Flyers against the New England Whalers.
Campbell, as was well-known, was no fan of the Flyers. However, as much as he disliked the franchise's maverick and rough-and-tumble image, he despised the World Hockey Association even more. The thought of the NHL dropping a second straight game to the WHA was unpalatable to Campbell, especially when it involved the NHL's league champions.
Much to the league president's relief, the Flyers delivered a 4-2 win. Two goals by Campbell's least-favorite player in the NHL, Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, led the way. The Flyers grabbed a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Schultz and prospect forward Bob Sirois. On the opening shift of the second period, Bill Barber opened a 3-0 lead. Schultz tallied again midway through the second period to extend the lead to four goals.
The Whalers got one back late in the second period on a goal by ex-Flyer Don Blackburn and another late in the third on a power play goal by Bob Charlebois (one goal. one assist on the night) but it was too little and too late.
It wasn't quite like our game against Red Army two years later but we got a congrats telegram from Clarence Campbell (who hated us) after we beat WHA's New England Whalers 4-2 in a game 47 years ago today. Campbell was nervous b/c the NHL had lost 1st game (Houston vs. STL) of 7 pic.twitter.com/RZBD567jXH
While the NHL brass very much cared about the outcome of the games in series, the exhibitions failed to attract much fan interest. The games were all sparsely attended. The players themselves considered the games to be tune-ups for the regular season -- the NHLers had friends and former teammates on WHA clubs, so it didn't raise nearly the same visceral emotions of games against teams from the Soviet Union.
The two leagues split the first four games of the series before the NHL clubs won each of the final three. The final scores:
Houston Aeros 5 - St. Louis Blues 3
FLYERS 4 - New England Whalers 2
Atlanta Flames 3 - Winnipeg Jets 1
San Diego Mariners 4 - California Golden Seals 3
Minnesota North Stars 5 - Toronto Toros 3
Vancouver Canucks 4 - Edmonton Oilers 3
Pittsburgh Penguins 5 - Cleveland Crusaders 3
Sept. 30, 2019
En route to opening the 2019-20 regular season in Prague against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flyers made an excursion to Switzerland to play Swiss National League team Lausanne HC at their new arena. The Flyers lost the game, 4-3, ending the 2019 preseason with a 1-3-3 record.
The Flyers fell behind, 4-0, as Carter Hart was pulled after yielding four goals on 10 shots. The Flyers subsequently realized they'd better start getting serious about the game and made a comeback push that fell a goal short.
Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist in the loss. Claude Giroux and Connor Bunnaman (who, along with Carsen Twarynski, earned an opening-night NHL roster spot on Alain Vigneault's team that few predicted at the start of training camp) also scored for Philadelphia.
The Flyers went on to beat Chicago in Prague. They posted a 41-21-7 record in the pandemic-shortened regular season before reaching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. That stands as the Flyers' best season by points percentage and deepest playoff run since 2011-12.
7) Sept. 30 Flyers Alumni birthday: Flyers alum checking winger and Phantoms captain Colin McDonald was born on Sept. 30, 1994. At the NHL level, he was strictly a fourth-line energy player and checker. In the AHL, he was a 42-goal scorer in his best season (2011-12 with the Oklahoma City Barons). Trivia note: McDonald and Chase Watson, the son of Flyers Hall of Fame inductee Jim Watson and the nephew of Flyers Hall of Fame member Joe Watson, were college hockey teammates and roommates at Providence.
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