The 2023-24 NHL season is less than a month away. The Philadelphia Flyers will begin camp on Wednesday, Sept. 20 with an off-ice day. Practices will begin on the 21st, and you’ll hear the Flyers regular-season opener on 97.5 The Fanatic on Oct. 12.

The Flyers Rookie Games took place on Friday and Saturday against the New York Rangers Rookies at PPL Center, home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. However, Matvei Michkov Mania continues to dominate the talk surrounding the Orange and Black.

Flyers Rookie Games: Ian Laperriere, Tyson Foerster

The Rangers Rookies took both games in Lehigh Valley over the weekend. Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere coached for Philadelphia.

The former Flyers gritter didn’t praise the collective effort after a pair of losses, but he spoke highly of top prospect Tyson Foerster at camp in Vorhees last week.

“He had the swagger all year (in 2022-23)… He carried the load, especially offensively,” Laperriere said. “I’m not expecting him back in the (Lehigh) Valley. I’m sure that fans won’t be happy with me saying that.”

He spoke similarly about Noah Cates during rookie camp last September. Cates ultimately finished ninth in Calder Trophy voting for the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. He was also one of only three Flyers to play all 82 regular-season games.

Foerster will compete for a roster spot on opening night throughout camp and the preseason. The 21-year-old former first-round pick showed promise with three goals and four assists in an eight-game NHL stint last season.

Matvei Michkov Mania

The world of the Philadelphia Flyers will fixate on Matvei Michkov as the centerpiece of the organizational rebuild for the foreseeable future. The seventh-overall pick represents the hope of the fan base as the Russian superstar who could become the savior of the franchise.

His tremendous performance in the KHL preseason, however, didn’t lead to a strong start to his second season as a professional. SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL sat him as a healthy scratch to begin the regular season.

They later loaned him to HK Sochi, which is comparable to a level demotion by North American standards. Bill Meltzer spoke on the Flyers Daily podcast about the complexities of the situation that extend beyond hockey.

Michkov has built a reputation as a strong-willed young player. The intense landscape of hockey in Russia also creates a multitude of factors involving the country’s political practices. Flyers fans will inevitably continue to scrutinize any and all news about their number-one prospect.

Mark Recchi: Hall Fame Inductee

The organization announced the induction of Mark Recchi into the Flyers Hall of Fame. They will honor him during a pregame ceremony before a January 27th matchup against the Boston Bruins.

Recchi played parts of 10 seasons in Philadelphia in two stints. He holds the single-season franchise scoring record with 123 points, set in the 1992-93 season. The Flyers reached two Eastern Conference Finals in 2000 and 2004 in his second stint. 

“My favorite moments were the two runs we had with the organization and with the players we had,” Recchi told the Philadelphia media on Sept. 14. “We were really a tight group (that) really enjoyed each other. We were a team that we felt if we got to the Finals we had an opportunity to win championships. We just didn’t quite get there.”

Recchi won three Stanley Cups during his NHL career. He is 13th in league history in scoring, the highest of any player who scored more points with the Flyers than he did with any other team.

97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Weekly Roundup: Center Ice Logos, Brian Boucher

The Flyers announced the return of the double logo at center ice at the Wells Fargo Center. They changed to a single logo in 2019-20. However minimal the change seems, the effort by the new regime to listen to minor recommendations from the fan base is a small step in the right direction.

Former goaltender Brian Boucher will take over for Keith Jones as the primary color commentator beside Jim Jackson on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcasts in 2023-24.

He played parts of six NHL seasons in three stints with the Flyers. He still holds the seemingly unbreakable record of the longest streak in NHL history without allowing a goal with 332:01 of scoreless time and five consecutive shutouts.

Philadelphia fans remember him as a contributor during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs and for his highlight-reel save against Patrick Elias in 2000.

Listen to 97.5 The Fanatic, the flagship radio partner of the Philadelphia Flyers.

7 Great Flyers Memories To Remind Us They Used to Be Fun

• 1974- The Flyers Win The Stanley Cup

  In 1974, the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup. Affectionately nicknamed The Broad Street Bullies for their aggressive style of play, the Flyers from the 70s gave the organization their two and only Stanely Cups. Led by guys like Bill Barber, Bernie Parent, Dave Schulz, and Bobby Clarke. Most Flyers fans are not old enough to remember them. But even for those too young to have seen them play, they serve as a reminder that this franchise used to win.

• 1975- Flyers Win Second Stanley Cup in a Row

  Two championships in a row. The only Philly franchise to accomplish that feat, unless you count Eagles Championships or the Philadelphia Athletics. Quite a feat. though with all that said, guys like Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber have had a large hand in getting the Flyers to this low point. Still, we can appreciate what they did as players and also acknowledge they need to stop having any say in the future direction of the franchise.

• 1997 - Lindros's No Stick Shift

  It would be hard to argue with anyone who said Eric Lindros was the most skilled player to ever wear a Flyers Jersey. And that was on full display in the 1997 playoffs. Lindros lost his stick in a game vs the Penguins. That would usually take players out of a shift. Not Lindros. He held onto the puck, and even finished the shift with a goal after getting his stick back.

• 2000- Primeau Wins It in 5th OT

  Beating the Penguins is always good. Beating them in the playoffs is even better. But beating them in a 5 OT Game? That is what Keith Primeau and the Flyers did in 2000. Game 4 of that Playoff Series was knotted 1-1 through 3 periods of regulation, and 4 of Over Time. But Keith Primeau finally;ly ended the marathon game with this goal.

• 2010- Shootout Clinches Playoff Berth

  2010’s run did not go the way we wanted it to. But the ride was still so much fun. But that run almost ended before the playoffs. After floundering down the stretch, they were down to their last game of the season. The Rangers held on to a 1-0 lead over the Flyers, until the final period where the Flyers finally lit the lamp. It went to OT, and then to a Shootout. And even that was close. The shootout was tied 1-1. Giroux comes up and nets it. Leaving the Rangers down to just Olli Jokinen with a chance to tie it back up. But Brian Boucher said No, and the Flyers were heading to the playoffs.

• 2010- Flyers Comeback from Down 3-0 in the Series and in Game 7

  If you thought the shootout was tense though, the series vs the Bruins jacked that up to another level. The Flyers went down 0-3 to Bruins. At the time, only 3 American Sports teams have come back in a 7 game Series after losing the first 3 games. The Flyers made that 4. But not only did they come back from a 3-0 hole in the series, they came back from being down 3-0 in game 7 too. It is something you could honestly argue is the best comeback in Sports history, given it was not only a series comeback but also a comeback in game 7.

  After this and the shootout, it felt like the Flyers were destined to win.

   

• 2010- Giroux's Game Winning Goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals

  That magic continued for a moment in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Series vs the Blackhawks. Chicago took games 1 and 2 of the series. And if it wasn’t for this Girouz game-winning shot, the Flyers would have been in another 3-0 series holes. But the Flyers were not dead yet. Giroux gave them a little bit of life. While it did not work out for the Flyers, there was fleeting bit of hope after this OT Game Winner.

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