As many of you know, I cover Central and South Jersey new for our blog while Jake concentrates predominantly in North Jersey.  And South Jersey is very much Flyers country.  I have been busy and have not had a chance to comment on the Flyers unbelievable run to the Stanley Cup. 

From their last game of the season needing a win by shootout against the Rangers to their 0-3 series turnaround against the Boston Bruins, this team has been one mass of pure heart and guts.  As a fan who watches them every night I am in town and tries to get to some games each year, it has been a great run from a team that doesn’t seem to accept adversity as an excuse.

Congratulations to the Flyers for closing our the Montreal Canadians and making their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1997!  And good luck against the Blackhawks!

It didn’t happen that way last year and I had the last laugh. But the Phils were to proceed to one of those team “life lessons” once they got into the playoffs. And it is that experience that I think has turned this years team into something truly amazing.

This year, when the Phils were in second place in the division and 3 1/2 games out for the wildcard, I happened to be running an errand in Morrisville (okay, I was getting a keg). I remember staying a few minutes chatting with one of the guys there and watched the Phils take the lead and suggested how it would be pretty cool to leave the weekend near the top. The rest is history and the Phils exited that weekend on top of the division and never looked back. This was a team that knew what they were doing and didn’t need luck.

To the Pennant and now the World Series, they have been awesome. They are frankly so like Philadelphia and will likely be the kind of heroes the Flyers were in the 70′s. Not just because of their success but because of how they did it. I have avoided writing about them to avoid the jinx. And I won’t make any predictions.

But this team if for real. And good luck tonight Phils. Here is hoping that this night becomes one of those special moments in the history of Philadelphia. Kate Smith. Bernie Parent. Bobbie Clarke. Dave Schultz. Steve Carlton. Mike Schmidt. Tug McGraw. Moses Malone. Dr J. and now….introducing…..

You see, there is no Flyer fan alive from the 1970′s that does not remember Kate Smith singing God Bless America before the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup. She is as much a part of Flyers lore than many of our star players over the year. All you need to do to understand that if watch the video below. In this political time where it is no longer cool to be patriotic, we still love this country in Philadelphia. It isn’t quaint. It isn’t trite. It is real.

When I first saw this anthem with our local singer Lauren Hart, the crowd just about came unglued. My friend was sitting there in awe at how the Philly fans reacted. The story ended that night with a Flyers shutout, and a Florida loss with the Flyers in the playoff. And they went deep. Welcome back hockey!

And now two for the ages!