Reader here, and I can exhale now… my Philadelphia Flyers are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Screenshot / NBC Sports Philadephia
The last time Philly was in the postseason was in 2020, when the playoffs were played in the COVID bubble, with no fans in the building.
The last time the Flyers got to play a playoff game in front of their own fans was in 2018, so this has been a long time coming!
I’ve been a Flyers fan since I was 7 years old, when I started cheering for the Orange and Black during the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals. Even though Edmonton beat the Flyers in five games in that series, over the course of that series, my allegiance shifted from the Oilers to the Flyers, and I’ve never looked back!
There have been ups and downs since then. Unsuccessful trips to the finals in 1987, 1997 and 2010. The reign of Eric Lindros and the “Legion of Doom.” Richards, Carter, Briere and Hartnell leading the charge in 2010. Captain Claude, and that memorable series against the Penguins in 2012.
It’s never been boring. But over the last few years, it’s been tough. The Flyers have kinda been lost in the wilderness, nowhere near the playoffs.
But over the past year or so, you could feel some momentum building. Russian star Matvei Michkov coming to the Flyers earlier than expected. The acquisition of Trevor Zegras. The emergence of young stars like Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, Jamie Drysdale Owen Tippett. And in maybe the biggest move, bringing in Dan Vladar as a free agent from Calgary.
Let’s face it… goaltending has been the Flyers’ Achilles’ heel for decades. But nobody expected Vladar to solidify the Flyers’ situation like he has.
And he came up big tonight. Needing a win to clinch a playoff spot, the Flyers fell behind 2-0 to Carolina, before goals by Michkov and Zegras tied things up. Overtime solved nothing. Then, in the shootout, Foerster scored the only goal for Philly, and Vladar stopped every shot he faced. With that, the Flyers locked up their spot in the postseason.
Since 2020, I’ve watched the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but I haven’t been truly invested in them. But my Flyers are back, and I’m ready for the postseason. Who do we get in Round One? Who else… the Flyers’ Pennsylvania archrivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, led by Crosby and Malkin. This is going to be fun! Let’s do this!
LET’S GO, FLYERS!!!
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