Ice hockey is a physical sport, with fights and roughing matches not being uncommon every few games. Altercations certainly get the team riled up, along with sending energy through the crowd and getting fans up out of their seats. In a season that succumbed to hardships such as COVID and tough losses, it has been important for our Philadelphia Flyers to keep fans engaged despite not clinching a spot in the postseason.
A trusty enforcer the Flyers can always seem to rely on has been defenseman Samuel Morin, who stands tall at 6’7. In a horrific 8-3 loss to the New York Rangers on March 25th, Morin laid out Brendan Lemieux late in the third period. Having been in attendance for that said game, watching my favorite team lose that badly stung, but that fight got my heart racing and blood pumping. A few games later, Morin took down the Islanders’ Ross Johnston. Having a player like Morin on your team is always a good thing, knowing that if somebody messes with your teammates, he’ll have their backs.
Shockingly, defenseman Travis Sanheim also saw a fight this season in an away game against the New Jersey Devils. After watching Michael McLeod take down Sean Couturier behind the Flyers’ net, he came to the aid of his teammate and fought. Even though there wasn’t necessarily a winner in that scrum, the fact that a guy who doesn’t assert himself often took it upon himself to defend a teammate is incredible.
Young winger Joel Farabee joined in on the action this season as well, having two fights within the past two weeks. First, he took on New Jersey’s Connor Carrick, and then dropped the gloves with former teammate Mark Friedman. After being mowed down by the Penguin, he stood up for himself and sent Friedman to the ice with a punch. This fight raised many questions among Flyers fans, with this being the most prevalent: What in the world is the beef between Friedman and his former team? He was picked up off of waivers in February by Pittsburgh’s general manager Ron Hextall, who just so happens to be the man who drafted him to Philadelphia in 2014. Whatever happened between the defenseman and the Flyers since then was certainly enough to stir up tension and cause bad blood.
No matter the outcome of fights, ice hockey fans all around the world can agree that a good brawl is sometimes more entertaining than the actual gameplay. Most importantly, it strengthens bonds throughout the team and raises team spirit. Having each other to rely on is one of the most imperative things about being part of a team, and the Flyers prove that to be true time and time again.
Great article! I also agree that fights are interesting to watch
Samuel Morin is great at firing up the team and it is good that Farabee is stepping up for his teammates!If only Myers and Allison did the same now, and come next season Attard and Rattcliffe continues that trend! Good article!