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Of the three Philadelphia Flyers players at 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy, only Rasmus Ristolainen has seen action so far. Ristolainen skated 19:49 (E, three shots on goal) in Finland’s mild upset 4-1 loss to Slovakia on Wednesday
Meanwhile, Team Canada scratched Travis Sanheim from Thursday’s game against Czechia. Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar dressed for the game but served as the backup to Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal. Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet serves as a Team Canada assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s staff. Former Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas plays for the Czech national team.
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey suffered an injury in Thursday’s game. That may open the door for Sanheim moving forward. At last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, Sanheim was scratched in the opening game. Thereafter, he dressed in every game and gave a solid account for himself.
Flyers Daily
On the latest editon of Flyers Daily, host Jason Myrtetus interviews defensemen Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale. Additionally, Jason speaks with the head of Flyers Charities Cindy Stuttman. The interviews took place during the Carnival on Feb. 1.
60th Anniversary: Philly gets an NHL franchise
This week marks the 60th anniversary of the National Hockey League tentatively awarding six expansion franchises to grow the league from six to 12 teams. The conditional approvals depended on two factors: a $2 million franchise fee (due in March 1967) and having a suitable arena in place by the start of the 1967-68 season.
On Feb. 9, 1967, the NHL expansion committee met at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. Philadelphia Hockey Club, Inc., learned they’d been conditionally approved for a new team. The other five expansion locations: Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Oakland. The next season, the Flyers, Penguins, Blues, Kings, North Stars, and Seals began play.
The “Original Six” teams played in the “East Division”. The six expansion teams were placed in the new “West Division”. The division names were misnomers, with Chicago and Detroit in the East and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the West.
On the Flyers’ official site, there is a short history of the NHL’s first expansion as relates to the franchise later dubbed the Flyers.
Flyers Alumni: Taylor and Hextall Auctions
Flyers Alumni goaltenders Bobby Taylor and Ron Hextall have each consigned items from their personal collections to Classic Auctions.
- Taylor’s collection features, among other items, his 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup rings. It also includes the jersey he wore (stained with locker room champagne) in Game 6 of the 1974 Cup Final against the Boston Bruins at the Spectrum. There is also a road jersey from the same time period. Other items include personal Stanley Cup trophies, a personal Campbell Conference championship bowl, autographed sticks from the Broad Street Bullies, his and Bobby Clarke’s Flyers Alumni Team jerseys and more.
- Hextall’s collection includes the 1988 Mercury Cougar he received for becoming the first NHL goalie to score a goal by shooting the puck into the opposing net. Other items including a variety of game-worn jerseys from the Flyers, Nordiques, Islanders and more.
