VOORHEES, N.J. – The sport of ice hockey has grown in popularity to the point it’s reached just about every nook and cranny of the world.
Evidence of that surfaced once again on Tuesday when some 30 active-duty service members were able to skate with some of the Flyers after practice at the team’s training center.
This was in partnership with the United Heroes League, leading up to the Flyers annual Military Appeciation game against Edmonton at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
American-born Cam York was among some of the Flyers players who had a chance to converse with the military personnel for the second time in a month.
He related a story which drew a few laughs.
“They’re huge hockey fans,” York said. “Some of the guys were saying that they were bringing hockey sticks to Afghanistan. So that’s pretty funny, pretty cool. I don’t think they use them as weapons, obviously. But they probably could. The guys over there would probably be confused by what they saw. It’s special having them.”
York said just being around such dedicated people has an inspiring effect.
“It’s incredible,” York said. “What those guys do is a lot harder than what we do. Any time we get to hang out with them, spend time with them it’s special. It’s awesome having them here. They’re welcome any time.”
Coach Rick Tocchet sees the benefit of having his players interact with such dedicated military personnel.
“I think it’s huge,” the coach said. “The sacrifice they do. We’re asking players to sacrifice a lot of things but that (the U.S. military) is the ultimate sacrifice.”
This was the second visit by military personnel. They came for a preliminary visit last month.
“Any time that stuff comes our way, we welcome with open arms,” Tocchet said. “You will see the guys out there with them. When they were here before, guys (Flyers players) were still in there for an hour telling stories. I think it can go a long way.”
Sean Couturier holds citizenship in both the U.S. (he was born in Arizona) and Canada. As captain of the Flyers, he sees the dedication that goes into serving in the military.
“It’s always special,” he said of the visit. “What they do for this country. To give them a day like this, it’s just fun to be around, to get to hear their stories.
“And it’s fun to see. They come from all over from throughout the country. It’s not just local guys, so it’s nice to see.”
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