Two Great Days, Part I

By: Patrice L. Leonard

As the Stanley Cup Playoffs are bearing down on us it was very refreshing to be able to experience two great days of stress-free events. In a time when everyone in the NHL is on edge and focused on the task soon to be at hand the Philadelphia Flyers provided their fans with some wonderful diversions.

On Monday evening I attended the Flyers/Phantoms Women’s Hockey 101 seminar. It was held at the Flyers Skate Zone in Vorhees, NJ. Not only were we treated to the best emcee around, Mr. Steve Coates, we were treated as fans, not women. There is a difference between the two for those of you who don’t understand that. We were talked to as the knowledgeable hockey fans that we are, not as a bunch of women who they assumed know nothing of the sport. We were a crowd of over 300 strong. We know our stuff, and we knew it well. Yes, we are just fans. But, we were fans full of questions for the speakers that would just feed our passion.

Coatesy led us through an explanation of all the new rules in the NHL this year. He did it with the humor and wit only he could provide. Some of the rules are harder to grasp than the others, but he was patient and answered all questions. John Stevens, head coach of the Phantoms, and his wife Stacy gave us all some insight into the hockey family. They let us in on some private and funny gems that kept us entertained and informed.

Equipment manager Harry Bricker had the best presentation of the evening. He showed us all of the crazy equipment that each player has to put on before every game. A lucky lady in the audience got the privilege of putting on all of this equipment, which happens to way about 30 pounds or so. That got the most laughs. Watching a woman trying to figure out how to put on a cup was hysterical. I have to tell you, seeing all of the gear they have to put on and how long it actually takes to get ready to take the ice gave me an even greater respect for these finely tuned athletes.

Flyers trainer, Jim McCrossin, gave us some insight on what our players have to go through all year long, not just during the season. He let out a few secrets, too. I won’t reveal them here. If you weren’t at the clinic, you’ll just have to ask someone who was. Sorry, guys. We learned that certain player’s bodies react differently to game situations than others. Did you know that the Flyers have their own, made just for them, sports drink? Well, it’s not really a sports drink. It’s like Gatorade only kicked up a couple of notches.

Then we got a tour of the facilities. We saw the Phantoms’ dressing room. We also got to go into the weight room. I’ve never seen so much work-out equipment in my life. They definitely work hard to maintain game form.

Then Steve Coates gave a clinic on puck handling. When you give that many women a hockey stick and a little orange ball, well, you can only imagine what could happen. We had a lot to laughs, and did our best not to run into each other. All in all, the evening was great fun for all. Anytime you can obtain more knowledge and information about the greatest sport there is you grab it. The fact that we were provided with a forum for that purpose by the Flyers and the Phantoms is further proof that they are classy organizations that value all facets of their fans. Male or female. Old or young. And we thank them for that.

In part II, I will describe my experience at Flyers practice today, Wednesday, and how it felt to see Keith Primeau back on the ice with his teammates. Stay tuned……..