The Philadelphia Flyers’ “Community Caravan” descended upon Rust Arena on Sept. 14, bringing with it the iconic, chaotic mascot Gritty and the promise of a new and beneficial partnership.
It was the Flyers’ partnership with the university’s up-and-coming women’s ice hockey program that brought the Philadelphia pro team to South Campus for the afternoon. Varsity ice hockey is set to begin play next season with the university’s move to FBS league Conference USA. Ice hockey will compete in Atlantic Hockey America, a newly merged conference that has women’s and men’s wings.
The university and the Flyers formally announced the first-of-its-kind partnership in March, making the university’s women’s ice hockey team the only NCAA Division I program in the nation to have a partnership with an NHL team.
The partnership is said to focus on growing the game of ice hockey in the greater Philadelphia area and launching a world-class women’s ice hockey program from scratch. Rob Baer, senior director of community relations and hockey development, made it sound like a no-brainer.
“This was a unique opportunity to partner with a team just starting up in DI right in our backyard,” said Baer, who has been with the Flyers for 23 years. “We’ve had some great conversations about forming a marketing agreement, about providing some assets for the team and just about growing the game. It’s exciting.”
While a palpable sense of excitement surrounds the start of the women’s team at the university, the buzz around the Flyers might be even louder. Doug Crossman, who played five of his 14 NHL seasons as a defenseman for the Flyers, smiled as he signed autographs for fans.
“You gotta wonder how they did it, behind the scenes.”
Crossman is of course talking about Russian phenom Matvei Michkov, drafted seventh overall by the Flyers in 2023 with the expectation that he would not be able to join the team for several years due to a contract with Russian pro team SKA Saint Petersburg. Instead, the 19-year-old Michkov – widely considered the franchise’s best prospect since landing rookie Eric Lindros in a trade 30 years ago – will make his Flyers debut this fall.
Other Flyers alumni at the event echoed Crossman’s sentiments.
“Getting him over early is huge for this team,” said Brian Propp, Flyers franchise icon and Hall of Famer.
Baer credited the optimism around the team to the new Flyers management group of Governor Dan Hilferty, President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones and General Manager Danny Briere, all of whom he said have revitalized the culture of family and winning that became a staple under the leadership of the Flyers’ late founder, Ed Snider.
“The culture has always been good, but this is the best I’ve seen in a long time,” Baer said. “There’s real buzz around this team.
“This is the last caravan stop before the season starts, you know. And I’m ready.”
