Last night, the Flyers and Capitals played their annual rookie game, held this year at the Wells Fargo Center. I wasn't down there, but it sounds like it was a pretty fun evening for all involved. Feels like forever since I've seen my twitter timeline blow up with actual game activity, and it certainly did last night. Approximately 11,000 fans are said to have been in the building,
welcoming the the Flyers rookies and giving them an idea of what hockey
means here. Brayden Schenn, Paul Holmgren, and others all commented on the energy in the
building for the exhibition. After a summer marked by upheaval of the
on-ice product, the fans once again showed they're ready to be a
constant.
Here are a few of the storylines that came from the evening, which saw the lil' Flyers top the mini Caps, 3-2, plus some video highlights.
The evening began with a moment of silence for former Flyer Brad McCrimmon, who was one of the victims of the recent plane crash in Russia. I imagine that with the impact he's made on several NHL clubs, there will be a few more of these as the season approaches.
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On to the game… First, some your video highlights:
Just a day after his signing with the Flyers was announced, Blake Kessel scored a powerplay goal and contributed an assist. Kessel is a defenseman out of UNH and the younger brother of Toronto's Phil Kessel. Blake was excited to get on the board, but seemingly just as excited to walk into the locker room and see his name on that Flyers sweater. [CSNPhilly]
While it was a big night for Schenn and Flyers' top pick Sean Couturier in making their Philly debuts, Frank Seravalli's top star from the contest was Czech forward Tomas Hyka, who scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Seravalli has a good look at Hyka, whom the Flyers passed up through seven rounds of the draft, but invited to camp. [Daily News]
Travis at Broad Street Hockey shares some thoughts on how a few of the youngins did individually. [Broad Street Hockey]
Russ Cohen takes a look at how a few Flyers goalie prospects did in their first action with the team. [CSNPhilly]
There were three fights in the rookie game, and yes, Derek "The Marshall" Mathers threw them things. No video of his drop yet, but here's Campbell Elyniuk getting his name on the sheet.
The Eagles just got underway, the Phillies just clinched their fifth straight playoff appearance, the Union are in the hunt for their first, and yet, there's still plenty of room for some excitement about a new-look Flyers team.