Two Great Days, Part II

By: Patrice L. Leonard

This week I had the privilege to partake in two wonderful days of events involving our Philadelphia Flyers. In Two Great Days, Part I, I talked about my experience at the Flyers/Phantoms Women’s Hockey 101 Seminar. But, I failed to mention that I was able to touch a Championship Ring. The Calder Cup Championship ring to be exact. It was a thrill. Not as thrilling as it would have been if it had been a Stanley Cup Champion’s Ring, but close. We still have a great chance to get one of those this year. If we can get the Flyers straightened out. That remains to be seen.

Here, in Two Great Days, Part II, I’ll talk about my experience at the Flyers practice on Wednesday. Now, I’ve been to several of the practices this year, but this one felt different. I actually missed the real practice. They evidently changed the time to 10:00 from 11:30. My disappointment was soon replaced by a very pleasant surprise.

As I decided to go the rink where the Phantoms were holding practice I noticed that there was a youth hockey team gathered nearby. They were from Finland. They were here on a hockey exchange program. They had come to see our Flyers. I watched as they filtered into the rink were the Flyers generally hold their practices. I followed them, took a seat and waited to see what was going to happen. To my surprise and exhilaration out walked Branko Radivojevic onto the ice in full practice gear. He started throwing pucks on the ice. I began to wonder if maybe the youth team was going to get the chance to play with some members of the team for a while. Then out of the corner of my eye I see a very tall figure in a black practice jersey walk toward the ice. Could it be? It was. Captain Keith Primeau was skating right in front of me. By then several others who thought that the Flyers were practicing at 11:30 we in the stands. The applause and cheers for him were jaw-dropping. You just never hear anything from the people attending a practice. They just watch in respectful silence. These people, including myself, went nuts. He loved it. He skated past everyone waving and saying, “Thank you”. He smiled and winked at me as I waved back. It was sheer bliss.

I can’t help but wonder if his presence on the ice had that affect on fans, just how much of a lift would it be if he could actually make it back for the playoffs? One does have to wonder. I can not tell what I felt exactly at that moment. I can tell you that even while sitting in a freezing cold ice rink I had goose bumps watching him there. It gave me chills. Oh, how we have missed Keith. What a wonderful thing it would be to have him back.

But, with all of that going on I failed to notice the world’s greatest player on the ice with him. Peter Forsberg had come onto the ice as well as Turner Stevenson, Ryan Potulny, Denis Gauthier, and the aforementioned Primeau and Radivojevic. So, I had lucked out. My two favorite Flyers were on the ice and ready to play what was appearing to be a pick up game. I settled into my seat to enjoy hockey at it’s purest.

The only player I did not know was the goalie. They had borrowed one from the Phantoms, so I was unfamiliar with him. What I am familiar with is the way the game should be played and enjoyed by those watching it. This group of players was visibly having fun. They were laughing and joking with each other and the fans. They were serious to be sure at times. They were vocal and actually pretty darn hilarious. They showed us all that they are just like us. They take pleasure in what they do. They kid around like we do. They were like little kids out there. Every one of them, including the every stern Forsberg, had smiles on their faces. It was contagious. I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling right along with them. And from the look of the rest of the crowd, neither could anyone else.

They played for an hour. I later found out that it was an “optional skate”. Some players use that time to see how they feel from an injury, which may have been the reason why Peter was there. But the rest of them? They were just doing what they grew up loving to do. It showed. This is just one more reason why hockey players are the best athletes around. When you think about it you never hear them complain. They tend to keep quiet. They don’t poison teams with their venom. They don’t make a lot of money by professional athlete’s standards. Well, some of them do. But most play for just the minimum allowed by the NHLPA. They don’t ask for more. They honor of playing the game they love, the greatest and most time honored sport there is, is payment enough. Other sports should take a look at the NHL and its players. They could learn a lesson.

I left New Jersey that day with a glimmer of hope that Primeau would return. I saw Radivojevic, Stevenson, and Potulny busting their butts to improve their games. I saw Gauthier probably trying to work off the frustration of his suspension. Oh yeah, I saw a guy named Forsberg, and his groin looked just fine. The sooner he returns to the lineup the better.