There was a time, and not that long ago, when there wasn’t a seat to be had in the house.
As recently as 2013, the Flyers were the hottest sports ticket in town.
They sold out all 41 home games at the Wells Fargo Center and set a franchise average attendance record – 19,839 – in the process.
It was a bit like the old days at the now-gone Spectrum, when the team sold every ticket of its available 17,077 seats for seven straight seasons between 1974-75 and 1980-81.
Of course there were some good reasons for that. The Flyers were either winning Stanley Cups (1974, 1975) or finishing runner-up (1976, 1980).
This is when the age of the infamous “Flyer Flu” began. NHL teams absolutely dreaded coming to the Big S down on Broad and Pattison. The Broad Street Bullies, cheered on by their insanely loud and boisterious fans, intimidated visiting squads all over the place.
One year, 1975-76, the Flyers lost at home only twice all season. Their 36-2-2 mark ranks among the best ever recorded in NHL history.
As mentioned, things were still going along rather well. . .up until about four years ago when COVID struck.
The 2020-21 season was pretty much a washout due to the pandemic. But even when health conditions began to improve, large crowds were slow to follow.
There were only eight sellouts two seasons ago and just 10 last year.
When Keith Jones and Daniel Briere took over as president of hockey operations and general manager of the Flyers respectively in May, 2023, they, along with new CEO Dan Hilferty, launched a new campaign called “A New Era of Orange,” a venture to improve fan engagement.
Jones competed for and against the Flyers during his playing career and knows what tough places the Spectrum and the Wells Fargo Center could be when full of energized fans.
Last year he said: “I played here against the Flyers at the Spectrum. And I had felt that animosity from the fans and just that environment that made you want to either play an incredibly aggressive game, or run. And that’s kind of what was involved in the original thoughts that entered your mind when you arrived here.”
And on Saturday, Jones made it clear this campaign is still very much a high priority with the organization.
“We’re very much looking forward to tonight (against Vancouver),” Jones said. “Our home opener is always a special occasion for the organization and our fans.
“Especially this year with the excitement surrounding this team. We began this New Era of Orange last season and it’s great to see the style of Flyers hockey our fans know and love return to the Wells Fargo Center.”
It’s not just about selling out the building or having the enthusiasm level pumped up by the antics of Gritty, it’s also about the overall feeling surrounding the Flyers. Back in the day, there was a buzz about the team – on the streets, in the schools, the offices, the bars. Right up there with the Eagles, the Phillies and the Sixers.
The emergence of Flyers rookie sensation Matvei Michkov and possibly his sidekick, Jett Luchanko, continue to move the needle on the excitement meter.
The further development of players such as Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster and Morgan Frost can only help.
The past four years at the WFC have not been good ones. The 64-68-19 record there will attest to that. Last season’s 20-17-4 mark shows the team still has work to do in front of its own fans.
The time to start that is now.
