Summer Bowling Report by Theresa Carney

Congratulations to “Team Tootels” for finishing in 1st place in this year's PFFC Summer Bowling League.  Teammates Joe Fisher, Andrew DellaVecchia and Tricia Walter narrowly defeated “Team LL Joo” (whose team consisted of Lou Milano, Alan Ellis and Logan Moore) to claim the 1st place title.  At the end each team was tied in win and losses, but Team Tootels had beaten Team LL Joo in total pins. 

“Team No "F" in Strike” whose members included Maureen Fisher, Stacey Squilla and Joe Bustard came in 3rd.  Although Maureen didn't win any money for her team's finish, she did however end the year with the high game scratch of 174.  She said "It was a miracle." 

Coming in last place and "winners" of the Milano Mug was “Team Gurlz W/ 2 Balls” who included Bunny Moore, MaryAnn Corner and Kevin James.
 
Even though our numbers were smaller this year, we saw newcomers along with returning bowlers.  Summer bowling is always a blast because our goal is just to have fun.  It doesn't matter what your average is, a good time is had by all. 
 
Thank you to all who participated this year and I hope to see you all next year. 

Keep on Bowling…

Click on the pictures for a larger image

Flyer'd Up Wedding by Lorraine Eschert

Flyers Al & I have been Flyers fans since the 70's and we have passed our love for the Flyers on to our two sons, Albert and Chris and their significant others, Amy and Amber.  Albert and Amy were recently married on May 8th.  They incorporated their Flyers enthusiasm into their
wedding.  All was planned well before anyone knew the Flyers would have such a fantastic playoff run! 

Game 1 of the Flyers/Boston series was being played, the week before, during their wedding rehearsal.  Most of the wedding party wore Flyers
jerseys and even the minister wore a Flyers shirt that we gave her.  She wasted no time getting through the rehearsal so we could catch the
remainder of the game at the rehearsal dinner. 

For the big day, Albert & Amy chose orange roses for their wedding cake, which was topped with custom made figurines of the couple standing
before a miniature 2010 Stanley Cup - the smiling groom in a Flyers jersey with one arm around his bride and the other cradling a hockey stick. 

Al had a hockey rink groom's cake made for Albert, complete with Flyers and Rangers players (the Rangers are Albert's most hated team). 
Amber, Chris's fiancee, gave Amy a custom made garter, complete with a hockey skate and crossed sticks.  Instead of the traditional white rose boutonniere, Albert went with an orange rose. 

It was a beautiful wedding and we will always remember the great playoff run the Flyers had the year Albert & Amy got married!

Was it the battle of the Towels?

                    VS 
No ...

Was it the battle of the Shirts?

                      VS 
No ...

Just Lois’s Vacation in Florida with her parents, Frank and Lois having some friendly rivalry with Chicago Blackhawk fans Tim & Deb Gallagher of Elk Grove Village, Illinois. 

                 

by PFFC Puck Editor Lois Witulski

One on One with Coach Laviolette by Lois Witulski

Flyers Coach Peter Laviolette (along with his son, Peter) joined the PFFC at our monthly meeting on Tuesday night, March 30th.  Peter was
originally scheduled to attend the February meeting that was cancelled due to the snow.  But on this rainy night, even though his family was
visiting from Florida, Peter insisted on joining the Fan Club as he had promised. 

What a treat!  Peter was truly happy to join us and even offered to come back to speak to us at a later time. Laviolette is thrilled to be part of the
Flyers Organization and it showed.  During his visit, he spoke about the Flyers playoff run, the challenges of joining a team mid-season, his
delight at coaching the Winter Classic Game and the thrill of winning the 2006 Stanley Cup in Carolina.  He also talked about the personal
challenges of his job, especially being away from his family and the many moves his family has made over the years. 

With regards to the Flyers recent adversities, Coach Laviolette shared with us something that he recently told the team:

“Don’t Hope, Expect”. 

His motto holds true not only for the team but in everyday life.  Don’t just hope, expect that you can and believe in yourself. 
Words we can all afford to live by.  Thanks, Coach!

Click on the pictures for a larger image

Hey, Where’s my Pants?
My Winter Classic Experience by Kevin James

I should’ve known that the snow greeting me as I left the house was a bad omen.  And in a way it was.  The snow wasn’t deep but it
made the roads very slick as I witnessed a few cars spun out and in a ditch.  So I took my sweet old time driving to the Flyers Skate
Zone in Voorhees, to catch the bus to “Beantown” this past New Year’s Eve.

The two buses departed about 8:30AM and we were on our way.  Despite the weather, we continued to make decent time, until we
reached the Connecticut border.  It always seems to become slow going when crossing the state line.  Instead of a six hour ride, it
became a snail’s crawl, taking eight hours.  But our drivers made sure we arrived safely to our destination and that’s what counts.

We all checked in to the Holiday Inn Beacon Hill, and I decided to change the sweatpants I wore on the ride up for a pair of jeans to go
out to dinner.  I started unpacking my suitcase…shirts, long johns, socks, underwear, pants??  Where are my jeans?  Oh, no way!! 
I had forgotten to pack my pants!  Now what?  Was I going to hike around Boston the entire weekend in the same sweatpants? 
You bet!  I wasn’t going to let it spoil my weekend.  What else was I going to do?  My funds were somewhat limited and I didn’t know
where I could possibly find a clothing store open on New Year’s Eve. 

After putting on my winter boots, a group of 16 of us trekked to “Boston’s Best” pizza joint, Pizzeria Regina.  Lou Milano treated me as
part of an early birthday present.  We all could taste why it’s rated Boston’s best pizza too!  I knew that I needed to walk around a bit
following the consumption of all that pizza, so Joe Perez, Joe Calderaio, Al Neher and I walked through the slush over to Boston Harbor
for the midnight fireworks.  The New Year was ushered in with a spectacular 20 minute display. 
|It sure beat watching New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, sitting in my hotel room (what an understatement!)…

January 1, 2010 is a day I will long remember.  The buses picked us up at 9AM to take us over to Fenway Park.  Since I didn’t have a
ticket to the game, I was going with the hope that there’d be a Jumbotron outside the stadium so I could watch the game at Fenway
instead of watching at the hotel.  I didn’t care how cold it was, I just wanted to be there.  I was disappointed to find no Jumbotron. 
The group headed for the Winter Classic Fan Zone, located across the street from Fenway.  There were many activities going on as
well as free stuff being given away.  If it’s free, it’s for me!  The Geico caveman made an appearance and there was a place to get a
bowl of “chowdah” too.

Yawkey Way, the street outside the ballpark, was jam packed with fans waiting for the gates to open at 11AM.  The crowd began
thinning out slowly as the gates opened.  That’s when I met a guy who was selling a ticket to the game.  Was I in the right place at
the right time or what?  We started talking and I tried to make sure he wasn’t a scalper.  He was selling the ticket for $200.00 and it
was supposedly next to his seat.  I was debating whether or not to trust this guy and I started to sweat, all the while thinking about
the extra Christmas money that I was saving for a special occasion.  I knew I probably shouldn’t, but how could I pass up on this
once in a lifetime chance?  I reluctantly paid him his asking price but at the same time worried that I may have just been robbed. 
But I passed through the gate with no trouble and let out a big WHEW!!  Finally, things were starting to go my way!  When I arrived
at my seat, I found the guy and his wife sitting next to me.  They were enjoying a “Fenway Frank” and a beer as they introduced
themselves.  The friendly beginning quickly switched to a debate on the good old days of Flyers-Bruins hockey. 
No worries, we were really enjoying the whole thing.

We had to stand up to see the game due to everyone else standing.  It was very difficult to follow the puck, but the atmosphere totally
made up for the venue not being conducive to hockey.  Shouts of “Let’s Go Bruins” were followed by our familiar “Let’s Go Flyers”. 
I’d say the ratio of fans was 60% Bruins fans, 40% Flyers fans but we held our own.  It was all done in good fun and I had no problem
with the Bruins fans.  They made it so much fun with some of their rousting.  The game ended with Boston winning 2-1 in overtime. 
To me, the loss wasn’t that hard to take because of the camaraderie shared with the opposing fans.  Sure, I wanted the Flyers to win,
but I met people who I will try to stay in touch with.  Fans that weren’t hateful, just people out to enjoy the Winter Classic Experience.
 Sometimes it’s not all about winning or losing.  Thank you, Dan and Heather!  You made the day well worth it!

I arrived home Saturday night and as I undressed, my sweatpants practically threw themselves into the hamper.  I looked over on my
bed and saw my jeans sitting right where I’d left them.  I laughed to myself but at that point I really didn’t care. 
I’d survived the weekend and have lots of great memories to show for it.

Was that a Dream?
by Lois Witulski

What began as a glimmer of hope way back in July became a reality on New Year’s Eve 2009. Approximately 130 PFFC members
from Philadelphia and beyond made their way to Boston, by bus, car, train & plane to see the Flyers vs. Bruins in the NHL Annual
Winter Classic.  And I was lucky enough to be one of them!! 

I can talk about all of the fun things we did:  a delicious New Year’s Eve dinner, watching the ball drop at midnight & toasting the
New Year and an evening out after the game in which approximately 50 members got together for dinner.  But the real focus should
be on the experience of the game so here goes... 

Mother Nature was kind and after many forecasts of rain & snow, we woke up on game day to dry skies and relatively mild temperatures.
I bundled up anyway (better to be safe than sorry) with at least five layers on most of my body, not to mention blankets, extra gloves,
hat & ear muffs, etc.  Next, we hopped a cab to the game - I’m really starting to get excited now…

It is hard to explain the feeling upon arriving at Fenway, the closest I could compare it to would be Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals
in 1997.  Flyers fans, Bruins fans, everyone was pumped up and raring to go.  We entered Fenway around noon, a pretty cool
experience in itself - the old ballpark gives you the feeling of stepping back in time.  Our seats were in section 41 in right field,
certainly not the best, but at least we were there… 

After the warm up, pregame festivities began highlighted with the singing of the Canadian & United States National Anthems,
Bobby Clarke & Bobby Orr taking part in the ceremonial puck drop and a Stealth Bomber flyover that literally shook the building. 
As for the game, I must admit I really couldn’t see much of the play on the ice but it really didn’t matter, just being there was
enough for me.  Fans were on their feet from beginning to the end, “Let’s Go Flyers” chants alternating with “Let’s Go Bruins”
chants throughout.  There was the occasional “E-A-G-L-E-S” chant, several “Yankees Suck” chants (something that fans from
both teams agreed on) and the singing of “Sweet Caroline” (a Red Sox tradition, I’m told).  It was one big party in the stands, an
electric atmosphere - everyone having an all-out great time.  I watched, listened and cheered for my Flyers, just taking the whole
scene in.  As I’m sure you know, the Flyers played tough and held a 1-0 lead for most of the game but caught a few bad breaks
at the end of the third, paving the way to a Boston victory in overtime.  Despite the loss, at least they grabbed a much needed point. 
It was an unbelievable day, a great weekend and a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. 
I guess I wasn’t dreaming after all - I was there!!

Milano Mug Returns to its Origins by Palma Maglio

Depending on who you talk to, the 13th PFFC bowling league was either lucky or a disaster.     After two years of coming “this close” to being champion, PFFC President Joe Fisher & teammate Shawn Frizzle from the “Tattooed Bowlers”, finally avoided the last week choke by clinching 1st place with three weeks to go The roster also included Joe Perez & for a short time, Ashley Concilio.   Second place went to the “Annihilators” - Maureen Fisher, Greg Regan and Harry Regan.  Since the big money was already gone, this was the only contested prize.  I believe it came down to the wire, but don’t quote me.         The “Meerkats” - Alan Ellis, Logan Moore, Barb Regan and Mary Rose Pangburn took the final prize.  Well, at least third place money is better than nada.     On the flip side, after two years of finishing “in the money”, PFFC VP Lou Milano’s team “clinched” the Milano Mug, also with three weeks to go.  That left the rest of us near the bottom of the standings celebrating three weeks of being “mug proof”, a definite relief for my Captain-O-Captain Stacey Squilla, a four time mug “winner”   This was kind of a lost year, with a lot of injuries and drop outs, but all in all most had a good time.  The summer league is a great way to keep in touch with fellow PFFC-ers during the summer and new blood is ALWAYS welcome… Think about it next year…Hopefully after a parade down Broad Street.

PFFC Members Sharing their stories . . .

Nicole Thomas

Mike Knuble was MIA. We were all anxiously looking around and couldn’t find him anywhere. Theresa and Caroline went to Ben Eager's
table since his table was kinda light, while Bunny and I waited to see if Mike would come. I spotted Mike and went to retrieve the others.
They moved back but, still no Mike. We went to get food and Mike got in line behind us. We all introduced ourselves as his table and
what great timing.

After dinner, we all got up and went to get autographs. Mike was well entertained with his own autograph seekers. Then all of us from
the table seemed to be in one spot at the same time. Mike told us to stay while he went back to the table to get the tickets to pick the
winner. Then he came back, stuck the tickets in his pocket and drew out the winners for the table centerpieces. We then got our
pictures taken with him and said our good byes.

Mike signed each of our pucks as “Thanks for Dinner”. It was probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.


Evelyn Gross

First of all, I'd like to say that our evening with the Flyers was a huge success. I was leery of having players sign autographs but almost
everyone was well behaved and waited until after they had eaten. I have long since stopped collecting autographs but I decided to have
the player at my table, Robert Esche, sign my rubber puck. When I got home, I thought “what should I do with this”. So I put it in the
mail to my great nephew, Matthew (12 years old) who is a very big sports fan and loves the Flyers. Well, several days later I got a phone
call from Matthew and nothing could match the excitement (almost tears) in his voice. He said he couldn't figure it out at first but saw the
42 and knew it was Robert Esche, one of his favorites. It was such a good feeling to know how much this small act was appreciated.
Sorta makes me sorry I didn't make an effort to get that program signed by the others.


Helena Haig (submitted pics below the story)

Warren was having a conversation with Simon Gagne and I came over to say hello. Simon congratulated me on our engagement. Simon
took me so off guard I got so tongue tied I couldn't say a word. Yeah that is right I could not say a word. Once I realized what he was
talking about in his Canadian accent I showed him my ring and thanked him for coming to the dinner to spend some time with us.

Warren's 7-year old grandson Brandon drew a picture of Peter Forsberg for me. We took it with us to the dinner to see if Peter Forsberg
would autograph it for Brandon. When Peter got a look at it he asked Warren if he drew it for him. Warren told Peter it took him four
months to draw it until he finally got it right. We now have the autographed picture in a frame to give to Brandon when he gets older.



Lois Witulski

Sami Kapanen counted our autographs and told us that we didn’t have enough - we had to go get more. Funny, he actually put his name
on a ticket for the centerpiece. He said if he was the winner, he’d get to pick whoever he wanted to win. We signed a blank program with
our autographs” and gave it to him to take home, along with one of the rubber pucks for his son.


Maureen Fisher

Joe and I had the pleasure of having dinner with the Captain Peter Forsberg. He walked around the table and greeted everyone personally.
He was very down to earth, funny and answered all our questions. Peter told us he likes living in Philly. The most exciting stories for me
was Peter describing the welcoming home that team Sweden received after winning the Olympic gold medal and his life in Sweden. I was
especially honored to be able to have my picture taken just with him. Peter was very touched by the standing ovation the team received at
the party. We wished him well the rest of the season and told him we hoped to see him in a Flyer uniform next year. It was truly a
wonderful night.


John Sereda

An entire night dedicated to the members of the Flyers Fan Club with all the Flyers players in attendance was something that I have
dreamed of my entire life. Never in my wildest dreams, would I ever expect that I’d be in the same room with each player from the
Flyers at one time. From superstar Peter “The Great” Forsberg to NHL sophomore phenom Jeff Carter, my dream came to reality on
January 15, 2007 when my Dad and I were invited as guests to the Flyers Fan Club Night with the Flyers.

The dream became a reality when we arrived at the Flyers Skatezone practice facility in Voorhees on that night. Prior to arriving and
without knowing what to expect, I was not aware of the breadth of our night until the ride to the event. My Dad, who is also a new Fan
Club member brought to my attention that each table would have 8 people and include one or two of the players seated with us.
I responded in utter excitement and shock as I could not believe this to be true. However, upon arriving to the event, I noticed that
each table had a cardboard cutout Flyers jersey along with the name of the respective player on the back of it, corresponding to their
assigned table. At this point, I had realized that what my Dad had told me was entirely true.

The night that had started out as a dream turned reality, became a dream once again when Flyers Head Coach John Stevens and
General Manager Paul Holmgren came over to sit down right next to us. The night seemed surreal. We ate alongside two highly
respected former players turned personnel and conversed for the next couple of hours with them as if they were regular people that
we’d just met at a backyard barbecue party. In addition, we had the privilege to visit the other tables to talk, get autographs and take
pictures with all of the players. Each player was very personable to say the least and accommodating. One of the most excellent verbal
exchanges came when I got Simon Gagne to chuckle a bit when I told him that I might get Mike Knuble’s signature after his and
Forsberg’s. Of course, I did get Knuble’s signature as it was my intention the whole time. The food was great and the opportunity
was unforgettable. That night with the Flyers was one of the most memorable experiences that I have ever had in my entire life. More importantly, I was able to share it with my Dad.

Copyright 2007 by [PFFC]. All Flyers logos and insignias were used with explicit consent from the Philadelphia Flyers Organization.
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