Photo Credit: Katelynn Reiss
What a wild offseason for the Philadelphia Flyers. We welcome two great longtime fans to the hot seat and talk about the season overview, some great players and memories, and their expectations. Today, we welcome Matt Stewart
and Joe McKeever from Northeast Philadelphia to talk some hockey- Lets get into it.
2021 Season Overview
What a year it was, full of hope and sadness all at the same time. We start with Matt to get his take on the season. When asked what his thoughts were, his response was “Very disappointing season, started out very well,” Matt said. “Carter Hart was exposed. The defense played down because of the loss of (Matt) Niskanen. The offense wasn’t there, no one was playing well. I certainly hope for a better rebound year.”
I then asked for Joe’s take and he delivered with this, “Defense failed in front of the goalie, a lot of trust issues with the coach and the team never got on track- the team was derailed, with what looked like such a promising season.”
Favorite Flyer of all time
A fun part of this segment is asking the fans their favorite player. We started off with Matt on this one, his answer was no shocker, as the former Captain of the team was a heck of a player. He chose…well, here’s what Matt had to say. “Eric Lindros- his mobility and power during a game was superior, I wanted to be just like him growing up, I remember my father getting me a Lindros jersey and I still have it to this day. His downfall was the devils series, what an unbelievable player he was to say the least.”
Joe on the other hand went with the other member of that famous “LOD” line one of the best goal scorers ever, here was his player. “John Leclair, one of the best american born scorers ever.” Joe said. “The legion of doom line was perfection, his numbers were amazing- three straight 50 goal seasons. An amazing player.”
Favorite moment as a fan
We started off with Joe with this question. He had a great moment that will always sit with every Flyers fan, here is Joe’s best moment ever witnessed. “Senior week at Marietta College in Ohio and the bar was closing. The Flyers were still on. Full of penguins fans. I was with my good friend and we were watching history. It was the five overtime game where Keitth Primieau scored a huge goal in the playoffs. After that win, I banged on my buddy’s door and called him the biggest wimp ever, classic.”
Now Matt couldn’t settle for one, so he went for the “Double Deuce.” “The best game I witnessed was the brawl with the Ottawa Senators.” Matt said. “There was nothing like it, Brashear vs Ray started it off and it never stopped. Everyone was fighting that night. I have to mention another moment, when they went to the cup in 2010. To get in as the last place team, in a shootout, unreal.”
Expectations
What a crazy season it was, but with all the new moves and additions, what do the fans expect this upcoming season? I started with Joe and he responded, “Will they respond to the coach and the way he wants them to play? You have to play well for the coach, I think they need some more speed. I think they can make the playoffs, my prediction is a second round exit.”
To end this great segment with two great fans, I asked Matt the same thing, quote surprising response. “The Flyers are going to be as good as they want to be. They certainly improved on defense. I think a lot of this comes down to Carter Hart. I expect a bounce back year from him in front of a better defense. I don’t think the Flyers make the playoffs this coming season. With the new players in, I think they will lack team chemistry, no playoffs.”
I want to thank both for giving me their time. Although, I certainly disagree with their playoff takes, that’s why the fan base is all over the place.
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That’s my story and Im sticking to it.
