VOORHEES, N.J. – No could blame an excited Cam York for slinging his stick into the stands seconds after he scored the 1-0 sudden-death overtime winner in Game 6 against Pittsburgh.
And lots of people understood why he regretted the move almost before the object landed in the stands at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Fortunately, the person who caught the stick was kind enough to return it to its rightful owner.
Why was that a big deal?
“When my career is done with, I want to have some things to look back on,” he explained after Friday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “Remember and cherish. Obviously a special moment for me.”
York appreciated the return of the stick by a devoted fan, Jack Brod, who hails from Bucks County. He handed it over for simply getting another stick from York in return.
“Super nice guy,” York said. “For him to just give it back for kind of nothing, I really appreciate that. That’s one of the best things about Philly fans. They love their players. They want their players to perform at the highest level they can.
“Pumped to get it (the stick) back and glad he’s OK.”
York got to ring the bell before Game 6 of the Sixers-Celtics playoff game on Thursday night at XMA. He might as well accept his “15 minutes of fame.”
“I mean it’s pretty crazy,” York said. “Obviously I’m ecstatic about it but just trying to turn the page here, we’ve got a big series coming up here against Carolina. Just trying to flip the switch. . .it was a pretty crazy moment for me and my family. But it’s nice to get back to work.”
>Seeler’s take on Hurricanes
Carolina has one of the most potent offenses in the NHL. Sebastian Aho, Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis and Jackson Blake all posted more than 50 points. There’s no way to focus on one line.
Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler said the Hurricanes’ depth is formidable.
“Obviously they’re well-coached, a lot of speed,” Seeler said. “I think we need to play a very similar style. Little tweaks here and there. We just need to be aware of their speed and be quick to close in the D-zone – that will be really important.”
>Quick turnaround
Usually there’s a gap of three or four days between series but this time the Flyers only got two.
According to coach Rick Tocchet, that might not be a bad thing.
“When we found out I thought, ‘I wish we had two more days to prepare,’+” Tocchet said. “But then I’m thinkin’ ‘no, I want to stay with the same routine.’
“I want the players to have the same mindset. This is great, let’s get right back at it. We want to stay in the routine.”
>Tippett doesn’t practice
Owen Tippett did not take part in Friday’s practice and there’s no word on the severity of a possible injury or two.
“It will be a game-time decision,” Tocchet said. “We just have to continue that mode.”
If Tippett is able to play, likely candidates for the bench are either Alex Bump or Garnet Hathaway.
Tocchet would not confirm which of those two would be told to sit if Tippett can’t go. In fact, Tocchet wouldn’t speculate on Tippet’s status.
>Underdog status a good thing?
Not many folks are picking the Flyers to win this series. That might act as an incentive for the underdog. At least it worked out that way against Pittsburgh.
Will Tocchet convey that to the players?
“I will have the odd snide comment,” Tocchet said. “Because people don’t believe in us. I don’t say it every day. I get it. People’s job is to predict. It’s not our mantra, like every day.”
>Series prediction
Although the Flyers are hitting this series with a lot of momentum off their triumph over Pittsburgh, Carolina has a lot of playoff experience (which the young Flyers don’t). If Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar keeps standing on his head, his team has a chance. That said, we believe it will be *HURRICANES in SIX.*
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