Philadelphia Flyers

Meltzer's Musings: The Void is Real but Fleeting
April 10, 2017, 12:17 PM ET [138 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
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MELTZER'S MUSINGS: THE VOID IS REAL BUT FLEETING

Waking up this morning, I was hit with the realization that the next Flyers game of any kind will not be for over five months and the next one of significance is about a half-year away on the calendar. Eklund once said to me in a previous Flyers' non-playoff year, "As a lifelong fan, don't you find it more relaxing and easier to enjoy the playoffs from a hockey standpoint?"

The answer is no. I don't enjoy it at all. Whether the Flyers are involved or not, I've always closely followed every NHL series, and those from other leagues both domestic and foreign. Still, there's a void when there's no internal countdown clock to the next game or where there's some of the old jitters and edge-of-your seat feeling. In the pressbox, you have to be as stoic as possible and the coverage one produces should be based on balanced objectivity and not on personal rooting interest. That does not mean, however, that this born-and-raised Flyers diehard would not personally prefer to see the Flyers win. I would.

Last night, there was just an empty feeling walking into the building and a bit of sadness leaving. In fact, I lingered in the pressbox for awhile after I was finished, even though it was late at night by that point and only two other people remained.

This season, the Flyers organization entrusted its faith in me to be the 50th Anniversary Season content writer across a variety of different platforms -- long-read features on the main website, the 50th Anniversary microsite with Today in Flyers History and A-to-Z player bios (which I plan to keep current and complete into the offseason and, hopefully, beyond) for everyone who has played at least one game as a Flyer, the cover-to-cover content of the Flyers Magazine game program, the related "Fast Facts" type of information that the game presentation staff put on the ArenaVision screen, the broadcast trivia questions for all CSN/TCN games, historical information that went into this season's Media Guide, and content on Flyers Wives Carnival history (written material and photo research from the Flyers Archives) for use by Flyers Charities. There were the frequent trips to the Flyers Archives multiple days per month, where the hours just melted away until game time (even as I had to scramble to make sure my coverage of the current team for HockeyBuzz was complete and accurate beforehand). Then there was Jay Greenberg entrusting me to fact-check and supplement his research for the Flyers at 50 book, as well as doing some of the interview transcriptions on the front end.

From a working standpoint this season has been a blast, every day of it. I absolutely hated for this season to end.

I wanted to be writing playoff issues of Flyers Magazine, putting together playoff-related fast facts, doing playoff trivia. I missed working on Jay's book even as I proudly held the six-pound finished product in my hand. There was an instant void there, too, but the 50th anniversary season was only halfway through. The big Alumni games in Philly and Reading, not to mention being part of the Alumni Team trip to Russia were all still ahead. There was always something imminent that I was working on; something exciting.

Today, I feel the void. Tomorrow there's the inevitably busy focus on covering locker cleanout day and starting to focus on looking ahead to next season. I plan to spend a few down days with my wife and kids after that and then focus on the Phantoms' and still-playing prospects while writing player-by-player, issue-by-issue assessments, keeping the A-to-Z and Today in Flyers History current and accurate for the Flyers, keeping Flyers Alumni content rolling. etc.

I can't lie, though. Last night and today pale in comparison to the feeling on these same dates a year ago.

On April 9, 2016, an emotional day unfolded at the Wells Fargo Center. Before the final home game of the season, Wayne Simmonds dedicated the game to Ed Snider on behalf of everyone on the team and all but promised a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to clinch a playoff spot at the end of a long uphill climb in the second half of the season. Lauren Hart sang "God Bless America" not only to the Wells Fargo Center crowd but also via FaceTime connection directly to Mr. Snider, who could apparently still hear but was unable to respond.

The Flyers got off to a jittery, sloppy start but goaltender Steve Mason almost singlehandedly kept the team in the game until they finally got going. Later, Simmonds dramatically delivered on his promise by scoring two goals. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare added a hellbent-to-score empty netter.

After starting the season 5-8-3 and falling to 15-15-7 on Jan. 2 after going winless in a three-game California road trip, the Flyers had to go 26-12-7 the rest of the way to squeak into the playoffs on the next-to-last day of the season. That run included a 15-5-3 mark over the final 23 games.

Mason shouldered almost the entire stretch drive goaltending burden, and excelled. Returning from injury, Michal Neuvirth received a tuneup game in the otherwise meaningless season finale in Brooklyn, which proved useful before he had an outstanding playoff series against the Capitals in starting games four, five and six. Neuvirth's performance in game 5 of that series was one of the best games in goal by any netminder in franchise history.

On many fronts, that run to reach the playoffs last year was something that should not have been so soon forgotten. In the real world, though, people have short memories.

Last night's 2016-17 season finale at the Wells Fargo Center had no chance of measuring up to last year's final home game. With the Flyers and the opposing Carolina Hurricanes both out of the playoffs, the game had no significance except potentially for entry draft order implications for Philly.

Even that was much ado about nothing, especially this draft year. NHL teams' internal rankings are likely to vary widely -- more so the normal annual variances -- so there is still a strong possibility that (barring a statistically improbable win of the lottery drawing for the first overall pick), whomever the Flyers would draft at number 10 will still be there at 13.

There were some poignant moments to last night's game, however. The pregame cheers and in-game video tribute and standing ovation for Carolina's Bryan Bickell were heartwarming.

Side note: It was entirely predictable how last night's almost unanimous display of respect to a hockey player who never played a game as a Flyer is not getting any attention today from the same folks who gleefully reported about the small fractions of nitwit wastes of oxygen that threw their light-up bracelets during Game 3 of the Capitals series.

The same folks who use any opportunity to decry the "generational barbarism of Philadelphia fans" not-so-secretly root for things to turn into a full-fledged G.G. Allin show. If there had been even a smattering of meatheads giving the automatic "sucks!" response to Bickell's introduction, you can damn sure bet they'd have been reporting about it today. Since the fan behavior toward Bickell was unerringly classy and respectful, it's not of interest. That is understandable that people behaving decently is something that is just a reasonable expectation and not a news story. However, when a few idiots step out of line, don't then turn around and make it sound like the rest approved of it.

Last night's game also marked what was likely the final NHL game for Nick Schultz. It was a nice touch that he was inserted into the starting lineup to skate the first shift of his 1,069th NHL game. The average fan may not miss him much when he's gone, but the guys in the locker room will miss him the most as will the coaches, hockey ops guys and those who cover the team. Schultz was a true pro, understood the game and his role thoroughly, worked to his strengths and around his limitations, set an unfailingly positive example in his work ethic and was always in excellent shape and ready to do whatever was asked of him.

That, folks, is why he had such longevity in the game and why there's been a fuss about him in recent days. For an everyman sort of role-player to play that many games, he had to have exceptional qualities underlying them.

"Schultzy is a great player, he’s a great guy and he brings a lot to this team. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, he’s all about the team and when you see a guy like that you learn from that, I have so much respect for that guy, he’s a great guy," said Flyers captain Claude Giroux on behalf of the team.

The most important thing one can do, as Nick Schultz has always done, is to always stay prepared, keep on working and plugging for your opportunities, being grateful for them and never taking anything for granted. Nick is a family man and doing what is right for his family is his number one priority at this stage of life. I admire that.