NEW YORK – If getting named to Canada’s roster for the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament back in February didn’t confirm this is Travis Konecny’s best season to date, Wednesday’s announcement he will be playing in the upcoming IIHF World Championships tournament in May probably will.
The Flyers’ right wing will finish his ninth NHL season with career highs in assists and points. He’s been one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia in an otherwise disappointing season.
As was the case with the 4 Nations event, Konecny will be joined by his Flyers teammate, Travis Sanheim.
Prior to Wednesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers, Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw said Konecny’s selection to the International Ice Hockey Federation event was deserved.
“He’s a driver for us,” Shaw said. “He gets his success a little differently than some other guys. Not just through skill, there’s more of a work ethic.”
Konecny is by far the team’s leading scorer and reached the 50-assist mark just the other night in Montreal.
“He’s much more of a grind your way to success,” Shaw said. “He’s also an open-ice guy that can make you pay there as well. He’s proven this year he’s a bona fide star in this league. We really rely on him heavily to create offense right now.”
Shaw sounded pleased that the two Travises are playing in these prestigious tournaments and it might set them up for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“I’d be happier if we were playing playoff games,” the coach cracked. “That’s really the goal. I think the World Championships are a testament to the quality of play they’ve had throughout the year. I am happy for anyone from our team who gets to play in the Worlds.”
When told this might be the best season of his career, Konecny didn’t mount much of an argument.
“I mean, yeah, it’s hard the way you look at it,” he said. “We’ve still got a couple games to go, so I’m not looking ahead yet.”
One strong positive stat: He has registered eight power-play goals, by far a career-best, and quite an accomplishment on a team which is ranked 30th at 14.9 percent.
Having Sanheim, his locker room sidekick, joining the fun should make for an even more enjoyable experience.
“It’s a big reason both of us wanted to go,” Konecny said. “Doing it once (4 Nations) was pretty cool. We’ve always talked about doing it again as far as guys talk about going every year. Just never really lined up with my life and his.”
As for a steppingstone to the Olympics, the Worlds can give everyone a taste of international style hockey at its finest. It’s the first time NHL players will have participated in the Olympics since 2014 at Sochi, Russia.
“That’s a big reason guys want to go (to the Worlds), to show they’re committed,” Konecny said. “You want to be part of that.”
The Flyers coaching staff believes Konecny has really improved his all-around game. Does that just come with maturity and the better part of a decade under his belt?
“When you’re younger, you don’t tend to think about all the things you do, you’re worried about contracts, you’re worried about when you’re not playing good if you’re going to get sent down,” Konecny said.
“There are tons of variables you’re thinking about. Now I just worry about getting to the playoffs, doing what I can every night to help my team win and just enjoying it.”
>Memories of Ray Shero
The hockey world was saddened on Wednesday to learn the news of the passing of Ray Shero, son of former Flyers coach Fred Shero, at the age of 62.
Ray Shero had served as general manager of the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins. Most recently he had been a special advisor for the Minnesota Wild.
Shaw said he was employed by the Ottawa Senators when Shero served as assistant general manager from 1993 to 1998.
“I happened to have Ray as assistant GM in Ottawa,” Shaw recalled. “Basically negotiated a contract together and wondered at the end of it why I was paying my agent. We sat in the office and basically did all the legwork on it. I called my agent to tell him what I was going to make the next couple years.”
The late Fred Shero was and is a sports icon in Philadelphia. He coached the Flyers’ only two Stanley Cups (1974 and 1975) and was the leader of the Broad Street Bullies culture which remains somewhat in place to this day.
Ray followed in his dad’s footsteps and took a thoughtful approach to the game with the Devils and the Penguins.
“I really enjoyed him as a person and as a hockey guy,” Shaw said. “We lost a good one today. It’s never easy, especially at that young age. It’s tough.”
>Kolosov gets rare start
The Flyers chose to start Aleksei Kolosov in goal against the Rangers. Kolosov had not started an NHL game since Jan. 2, a 5-2 loss at Vegas.
