Forever Flyered up

201220931

This year marks the 50th anniversary season for the Philadelphia Flyers, easily my favorite local pro sports team. I began to follow them in 1989 and did not waver in my fandom one bit when they failed to make the playoffs. The subsequent two decades have featured many highs and lows, and I have come to know the depth to which others take their love for this franchise in that time. Because of that, I thought of telltale signs of undying love for the Fly Guys and generated this list of indicators that someone is a diehard supporter.

10) You think you could have stopped more pucks than Ilya Bryzgalov: The Flyers signed the ever-interesting goaltender to a nine-year contract in June 2011, and though he turned in two decent seasons for the Orange and Black, he gave more memorable quotes than he made key saves.

9) You have nightmares that feature some of the worst goalies in team history: While “Bryz” certainly subjected fans to some head-scratching moments, the man at least won 52 games in 99 appearances. Memories of him would certainly not induce the evening angst that recollections of Jeff Hackett, Tommy Söderström, and Ken Wregget would, though.

8) You often think certain players will join the team well beyond their prime: I know I am guilty of this one! The Flyers have signed soooo many guys whose tanks have been near empty that I watch the game now and think particular opponents will end up on the team when they are at least 40. Given that many players do not last that long, you can tell how often I have been through this mess.

7) You love when rival teams either fail to qualify for the playoffs or make early exits: I call this the Washington Capitals Phenomenon. I hate no team more than this dirty bunch, and love that they will never marry a strong postseason to their impressive regular seasons.

6) You would gladly replace family members with Flyers at your Christmas dinner table: Was Thanksgiving rough because of political differences? Come Christmas Eve and Day, I am sure many of you would prefer to talk about only ice efforts with the Flyers, especially the Italians among us, who could prolong the joy with The Feast of the Seven Fishes.

5) You watched every second of the five overtime game against Pittsburgh: The Penguins are right behind the Capitals in terms of who merits the most disdain, and I know I am certainly not alone in loathing them. Their recent success has made them even harder to stomach, but we will always have May 5, 2000, when Keith Primeau won Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a gorgeous wrist shot.

4) You would name your first or next child Claude or Claudette if the team were to win the Cup with Claude Giroux as captain: We fans have waited a long time for this franchise to have a third Stanley Cup. If the next title comes with Giroux bearing the “C” on his jersey, you just know that some folks would commend him by naming their children after the star center.

3) You envision how many titles they would have won had Eric Lindros remained healthy: When The Big E joined the team in 1992, oh how I envisioned multiple marches along Broad Street. Sadly, we experienced none, and diehards definitely still lament the time he lost to injuries during his stellar career here.

2) You proudly wear a jacket bearing the years they won the Stanley Cup: For those not in the know, those glorious years are ’74 and ’75. I have seen many folks, who have likely taken their share of ridicule because of the drought, proudly wearing jackets with those digits. Here’s to the hope of adding two more quite soon.

1) You never grow tired of believing each season will be their year: Sports can often trick us into believing in what is truly not there. I experienced this last season just after the death of founder Ed Snider, thinking “This team is going to win the Cup this year.” Those Capitals killed that dream, but like me, many fans hold that each season brings with it a realistic shot at glory. May our fantasies become the real deal soon, fellow sufferers. SPR

Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com.