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It became apparent that Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher was building from the net out during the 2021 offseason. He added three defensemen in Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Keith Yandle. Yandle is officially a retired Iron Man, as he sits atop the leaderboard with 989 consecutive games played. Yes, you read that right he has officially decided to hang up the skates.
Yandle is from Milton, MA, and is good friends with Kevin Hayes. Hayes needed somebody to lean on during his trials and tribulations. Not only was Hayes hurt, but he was also grieving with the unexpected loss of his late brother Jimmy Hayes. It became clear that signing Yandle was more than just about the sport of hockey, it was about a human being in Hayes needing someone during the time of need.
It wasn’t the easiest day/night for Kevin Hayes and his family when he returned back to his hometown in Boston. He took his nephew Beau, his late brother Jimmy Hayes’s son, for a pre-game skate earlier in the day. Kevin Hayes believed it was his first practice skate.
At the age of 36, Yandle wasn’t the offensive defenseman he once was with the Flyers, but Yandle did bring leadership as he was a former Assistant Captain. Yandle had superior offensive instincts at one time, coupled with great puck handling skills. Even though, Flyers fans did not witness that very much during his tenure with the club, as he was in the latter parts of his career, Yandle still possessed these skills. It just wasn’t often enough, hence the reason for Yandle to make this tough decision and realize it’s time to hang his skates up. He remained a competitor with the orange and black.
Yandle becomes the third player in recent days to hang up their skates, a list that also includes Zdeno Chara and P.K. Subban. He netted 103 goals, and tallied 516 assists in 1,109 games played throughout his career. Now Yandle can ride off into the sunset, and just enjoy the game he fell in love with, with no strings attached. Best of luck Keith, what a great career/run.
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