Kurtis Gabriel is a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community. He attended festivals, parades, would tape his stick with pride colors before the Covid-19 shutdown the hockey season. You name it Gabriel was and is there to help people who may need a voice, or just someone they could relate to. He continues that work through social media for those that may need an outlet, or a place to find themselves. Simply put, Gabriel has become a community hero, but still plays a solid game of hockey in the same token.
Gabriel, a Forward for the Flyers/Lehigh Valley Phantoms, was brought in by General Manager Chuck Fletcher to provide some physicality and grit for the orange and black, but be a voice in the locker room, as well. Hockey is about more than just representing the team on the ice, how a player represents the organization off the ice is just as important as playing the game. Fletcher wanted to make the Flyers and Phantoms locker rooms vibrant once again. If Gabriel wasn’t on the ice, then he was more often than not in a school or hospital throughout the Allentown area helping kids, and staff alike. He just appears to have a lot of devotion to helping the youth succeed, and become good individuals in the future.
The 27-year-old Gabriel was a solid Forward for the Phantoms this season. He tallied five goals, and four assists in 53 games played, and laid some heavy hits. Gabriel managed to put some fear in his opponents, as he could lay a big hit at anytime he was on the ice. Gabriel proved to the Flyers top brass, and the Phantoms brass that he could play valuable minutes for the Phantoms. Yariv Wolok and I were blessed for him to come on the air with us, and chat with us for a bit, hands down this was a blast.
You can find us on Spreaker, Itunes, Spotify, Youtube, and Apple Podcasts.
