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On our final morning in Russia, the Flyers Alumni Team was visited by Arhkady Dvorkovich, the country's deputy prime minister. I had the opportunity to briefly interview him. My primary question: What did he see as the value of an NHL team's trip to three cities in his country in a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the United States?
Mr. Dvorkovich, who attended graduate school at Duke University and speaks English well, responded that sports and cultural exchanges are vital for building bridges when there are political divides. He said that the youth hockey clinics the Flyers Alumni participated in while in Russia were especially valuable and that the biggest hope for better long-term national relations is through increased cooperative efforts such as the Alumni's trip or youth hockey exchange programs.
From the beginning of the tour, the Flyers' Alumni's goal was simply to get together with people in one of the world's elite hockey countries. It was not designed to be about politics, but about a mutual love of hockey. Although the group ending up meeting a variety of powerful figures -- the president of Tatarstan and his minister of the interior played in the game in Kazan and both Alexander Medvedev and Roman Rotenberg played in St. Petersburg against the Flyers Alumni for the SKA team, while the deputy prime minister stopped by at our hotel in Moscow -- the tour itself was hockey-centered.
Basically, it was just an Alumni team on an exotic road trip. Due to the shortage of bonafide Flyers Alumni willing/able to commit to the trip, there were just seven players who were actual Flyers Alumni plus two more (AHL Hall of Fame goaltender Freddy Cassivi and Chase Watson) who are regular players on the Flyers Alumni Team at the various fundraising benefit games the Alumni conduct around the Delaware Valley.
As a result, the team needed a variety of guest players to round out the roster, and the cast changed from game to game. A handful were NHL Alumni, such as Bobby Carpenter, Alexei Yashin, Andrei Nikolishin, Andrei Kovalenko (who briefly played for the Flyers during his NHL career) and Alexander Semak.
The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind of activity. We had a 10-hour flight back from Moscow to JFK Airport in New York, followed by a three-hour bus ride back to our original meet-up spot in the Wells Fargo Center parking lot, and then a car ride home. Last night, I covered the Flyers vs. Capitals game. The jet lag started to set in during the third period, but there was no way I was going to not be there last night. Actually, due to the Flyers' western Canada road trip coinciding with the Flyers Alumni trip to Russia, I didn't miss covering any home games.
The two most commonly asked questions I have gotten since coming back, predictably, have been "What was being in Russia like?" and "What was it like traveling with the Alumni?"
To answer the first question, I wrote a tour diary for the Flyers Alumni website and a summary of the five biggest tour highlights for the Flyers' official website.
The short answer to the second question is that the Alumni -- both the guys who played for the Flyers and ones like Carpenter and Nikolishin who did not but most certainly would have been fan favorites had their NHL careers taken them to Philly -- are a great group of guys. There was not even one whom I disliked, although I may have shared more in common with some than others.
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QUICK HITS
1) With each successive loss and every day of digging a little deeper hole in the climb for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, it seems to be become more likely that the Flyers will sell off some pieces by the NHL trade deadline (even though the 2017 NHL Draft is a so-so crop). If the Flyers lose in the Stadium Series game over the weekend, seller status seems almost inevitable.
Coming into this season, Michael Del Zotto appeared to be a potentially valuable commodity -- either to keep in a contract-drive season or as a potential trade candidate. Right now, though, his value is down compared to where it was before he went down with the wrist injury last February.
Mark Streit could still have some value to a team looking for a power play defenseman and/or some added veteran leadership. Not first-round pick type of value, but a conditional second-round pick (guaranteed at least third round) is a fair return. is doubtful that Nick Schultz, who is most likely playing his final NHL season, will bring in any offers.
The Flyers could also deal one of their goaltenders by the deadline. This has been an inconsistent and overall disappointing season for both Steve Mason (his weakest as a Flyer) and Michal Neuvirth but both have shown themselves capable of sustained stretches of good play in the past.
2) Some sad news in the Flyers family: Susanne Smith (nee McCammon), the daughter of former Flyers head coach and general manager Bob McCammon, passed away on Sunday at the age of 52. The McCammon family has been through hell in recent years. Susanne battled cancer for the last six years before losing her fight. She passed away in hospice care in Maine. Her dad, "Cagey", has himself been in deteriorating health. Susanne is survived by husband Lowell Smith, mother Marie and father Bob, brother Joe, a daughter named Ashleigh Dixon (nee Smith) and grandchildren.
3) On the Philadelphia Inquirer website, Sam Carchidi has a good article on how several Flyers Alumni are helping out with a memorial benefit for local youth hockey player Nick Bond of the Wissahickon Warriors. Flyers Alumni Brian Boucher, John LeClair, Keith Primeau, Kimmo Timonen, and Chris Therien will be there, as will Flyers PA announcer Lou Nolan.
4) Registration is now open for the Flyers Alumni's 2017 Golf Invitational (June 26 at Dupont Country Club). Proceeds benefit BLOCS, Flyers Charities and the Flyers Alumni Association. For more information, click here.
5) Congratulations go out to coach Rapattoni's Delco Phantoms PeeWee Purple A team. They won the IceWorks President’s Day Tournament this past weekend, defeating the NJ Stars Blue team 3-1 in the championship game. They were a perfect 3-0 in tournament play this season.
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