For many Flyers fans, the past few months have been anything but exciting. Lots of time inside wondering about when hockey, and life in general, will return. For Flyers winger James Van Riemsdyk, quarantine has been anything but typical.
On May 3, 2020, Van Riemsdyk and his wife Lauren announced the birth of their daughter, Scarlett Everly to the world. “It’s been incredible,” said Van Riemsdyk, “The silver lining of all this stuff is just the extra time I have been able to spend at home and be there for all the little moments.” The little moments in the life of a new parent are plentiful, and Van Riemsdyk has been loving every moment of it, “It’s something that’s hard to even describe until you meet her for the first time,” Van Riemsdyk said, “A little bit sleep-deprived over the first couple weeks, but it’s been great to be home and enjoy all that.” According to Van Riemsdyk, his daughter and wife are doing “great,” and they’re “back home staying with her parents.”
JVR is also a member of the NHL return to play committee, and has been balancing those discussions with his life as a new parent, “ There’s been some different talks and things like that, trying to sort through some different issues. It’s trying to manage your time a little bit better now that you have a baby,” Van Riemsdyk said. The return to play committee has obviously been discussing many options for a safe and smooth return, and some plans have started to trickle into the hands of the NHL community. One of these plans includes a 24-team playoff bracket, with some games being played before the playoffs begin. According to Pierre LeBrun, as of Sunday both sides of the committee still have work to do to ensure this plan is actually feasible. Although, the format may change, it seems there is finally progress taking place, “There’s a bunch of different formats being talked about, it’s hard to really say what the leader is just because things can change,” said Van Riemsdyk, “Nothing’s really certain until it’s certain.” Just like the world around us right now, it’s important to stress that everything can and will likely change, so it’s best to not get our hopes up. According to Van Riemsdyk, the NHL and the Return to Play Committee are “trying to keep as many options open,” and “navigate through the different things.” JVR also stressed the desire to keep things fair and competitive, saying, “Then from there, it’s trying to find one that keeps the integrity and competitiveness that’s so great about our game and so great about the Stanley Cup.”
Remembering back to the days before COVID-19 paused the NHL season, JVR was in the middle of recovering from a broken finger. Since then, Van Riesmsdyk has recovered well, “I have been able to play probably for a couple weeks, maybe a little longer now,” said Van Riemsdyk, “Things are feeling pretty good. I wouldn’t say it’s back to feeling like it felt before, but it’s certainly good enough to play.”
It’s good to hear that one of my personal favorite Flyers has been doing well and continues to heal. Hopefully, if and when the season reconvenes, JVR will be filling the nets with pucks long into the playoffs.
