Flyers Focus: Godspeed, Myrt

The Flyers blogs on Hockey Hot Stove are powered by Phans of Philly, Liberty Valuation Group,  New Balance of Mount Laurel, The Mens and Boys Store, Carl’s Cards and Collectibles, Team Toyota, Brian Propp’s Guffaw Cigars, Summit Public Adjusters, Marat Ioshpa’s State Farm Insurance agency and our newest sponsor, Joe Rivera of Coldwell Banker Realty.

Flyers Daily host made the public aware today of what those of us close to him already knew. This was — and remains — Jason’s story to tell. However, I do want to add some thoughts of my own.

I am proud to call Jason a friend as well as a colleague. We’ve worked together for roughly 10 years now, ever since the Flyers organization launched the Flyers Broadcast Network. Jason and his year-round Flyers Daily podcast are the bedrock of the network. He brought me along for the ride with the weekly Monday with Meltzer podcast, which we record every Sunday evening throughout the year. Jason also has me on periodically for special episodes.

I love and look forward to Sunday nights, no matter what else may be going on personally or professionally at the time. However, as much as I genuinely love our hockey conversations and the various rabbit holes we inevitably go down, my favorite part is the portion before Jason hits “record”. Jason lays out the show outline. More than that, though, we just chat about whatever: life, music (a mainstay), sports in general, you name it.

Two Sundays ago, Jason initiated a very serious conversation that covered all of topics in today’s announcement. He’s kept me (and fellow colleagues) aware throughout his cancer battle, so the latest update was not a total surprise. Nevertheless, it was a gut punch. All I could do, for the most part, was listen. Jason held it together and kept it factual for 90 percent of it. He got emotional talking about his family. I will keep that private except to say that we both had deeply personal and philosophical views to share.

There’s only so much in life that human beings can actual control. I will share something that happened with my family and me just one day before my conversation with Jason. We were driving along route 635 near Dallas. We were in the middle lane. There was a truck ahead of us to our left.

Suddenly, one of the truck’s front tires — passenger side — literally came off the vehicle. It went across the middle and right lanes. It bounced of a construction wall, then came back across the middle and left lanes. Next, it hit the wall on the left side, went back across all three lanes and finally settled on the right shoulder.

Thankfully, no one was injured. Traffic was unusually light. We trailed by enough distance that the tire avoided us twice. The truck driver was able to safely pull off to the shoulder. It was, nevertheless, terrifying.

I got to thinking about just how fortunate we were, and also how helpless. Had we been, what, a few hundred feet, ahead — or if there had been other vehicles adjacent to the truck — the outcome would have been devastating.

Until now, I’ve only told one person: Jason.

I think the world of everyone I work with around the Flyers: Brian Smith, Brian Born, Chris Therien, the Flyers’ TV and radio broadcasters. My press box colleagues, starting with Anthony Mingioni and the main writers from the other outlets. On Flyers game nights, I always enjoy the first period regardless of what happens on the ice. Why? Because Jason sits next to Anthony and me, and we trade observations.

Jason fully intends to keep working through his ongoing treatments. I’d expect nothing less.

Two weeks ago, after my serious discussion with Jason, we took a few deep breaths and went into the program recording. If a viewer had no idea what Jason is going through, they’d never be able to tell. He shifted immediately. That’s because Jason is a pro’s pro. Moreover, he loves what he does. It’s something he controls.

Bravery is not the absence of fear or no moments of despair. It’s confronting these things honestly and with a resolution to focus on — and get the most from — the things one can control.