Temple men’s basketball coach Adam Fisher received a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2030 season, CBS Sports and ESPN reported Friday.
Fisher was hired on March 29, 2023, after spending three seasons as the associate head coach at Penn State. In his third season as coach, Fisher has led Temple to a 36-36 record and a 14-22 record in the American Conference.
He led the Owls to a 16-20 record in his first season and an appearance in the American Conference Tournament championship game. Temple won four games in four days before losing to UAB in the championship.
Fisher’s team saw improvement in his second season, going 17-15, but lost in the first conference tournament game against Tulsa. The Owls are 3-1 to start this season.
During Temple’s season opener against Delaware State on Nov. 5, a new face got the action going instantly — Gavin Griffiths.
The 6-foot-7 former Nebraska guard soared to the hoop from a lob by forward Babatunde Durodola, slamming it home for Temple’s first points. He ended his Owls debut with 16 points and had another dunk, earning him the nickname “LeBron Frames” on social media.
“We ran through that play a lot of times in practice,” Griffiths said. “So yeah, it was something we worked on at shootaround today. I knew it was coming.”
Griffiths, a junior, is having a career resurgence after injuries spoiled his single season with the Huskers. This is his third program — he spent the 2023-24 season at Rutgers — and he has become one of Temple’s best players, averaging 13.2 points per contest.
“He’s rebounded at a high rate right now and we can throw some lobs, which is fun,” said coach Adam Fisher. “His personality is great. I just told him, ‘Don’t get caught up in all the memes.’ He’s been a great addition. He’s so coachable. He’s come from amazing coaches.”
Griffiths joined Temple after spending one season at Nebraska, but his college career began at fellow Big 10 school Rutgers. He played one season under coach Steve Pikiell and scored a career-high 25 points in his second collegiate game against Boston University.
The additions of future NBA lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey prompted the four-star recruit — and top 50 high school prospect out of Kingswood Oxford School in Connecticut — to enter his name into the transfer portal. He played in 16 games for the Cornhuskers before entering the transfer portal again.
Fisher, who was an assistant coach at Penn State when Griffiths was coming out of high school, tried recruiting him to the Nittany Lions. Penn State assistant coach Mike Farrelly was Griffiths’ lead recruiter, but Fisher remembers meeting the guard’s family, and the two formed a relationship from there.
Gavin Griffiths works out during practice at the Liacouras Center on Oct. 27.
“Gavin’s a young man that I’ve known for a long time,” Fisher said. “Mike Farrelly was the point person on the recruitment there and then coach Shrewsbury and I went and saw him and visited with his family. So we had a relationship and had seen him for three years prior. Great athlete, can make shots, comes from an amazing family. His mom and dad are just great people.”
Griffiths had a better sense of what he was looking for since it was his second time in the transfer portal. He already had a relationship with Fisher, so most of his time was spent watching the Owls’ film. He then visited Temple’s campus, which led to his commitment on April 25.
While he has given Temple a boost from three-point range, he worked to improve his game during the offseason. He developed to become a complete player and earned a spot in the Owls’ rotation. He’s started all four Temple games.
“I’ve just been trying to work on my game in the offseason to make sure my shot feels good,” Griffiths said. “Play my role in terms of, if that’s knocking down a three, being able to do that and step in and shoot it confidently.”
He’s reached double digits in each of the Owls’ four games, and when his shots are falling, it has put Temple in an offensive groove. He also knocked down three consecutive three-pointers in the last three minutes against Boston College on Nov. 15, which gave Temple a fighting chance — despite falling 76-71.
He did the same thing against Hofstra on Wednesday. Griffiths finished with 11 points, including nine second-half points, all of which came in three-pointers to help the Owls escape the Pride.
“I like that we scored,” Griffiths said. “And I like that [I] helped us get a little bit of energy, and I think that let us get some stops. So yeah, I think it was a good play.”
For Fisher, Griffiths’ impact has reminded the coach of the player he recruited in high school.
“I think it’s something that you just got to build with your players,” Fisher said. “We’re going to give you the freedom and you’re going to make mistakes. We all do. … Every team in the country is going to have practice. What are you doing besides that to separate yourself? And he does all that extra work.”
You’ve heard this all before: Another slow start. Another early deficit. Another comeback.
The Flyers trailed 2-0 and tied things up before Travis Sanheim scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Flyers a 3-2 win. It is the Flyers’ second win in five games.
Travis Konecny, who missed his shot on an open net in the last minute of regulation, chipped the puck to Sanheim in the Flyers’ end. The defenseman, in front of several members of Hockey Canada’s Olympic staff, skated the puck down the ice and ripped it past Blues goalie Joel Hofer. It was Sanheim’s third goal of the season and fourth career overtime winner.
Despite having 28 chances in the first period, with six coming from high-danger spots, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers trailed after 20 minutes. It is the sixth straight game Philly allowed the opposition to get on the board and the 13th time this season. They also tied the New York Islanders with their ninth comeback win.
The comeback started late in the second period.
Rodrigo Ābols scored his first goal of the season to cut into the Blues’ 2-0 lead.
Trevor Zegras pulled up at the half-wall in the Blues’ end and carried the puck deep, chipping it to Owen Tippett. Despite being pinned by Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel along the end boards, Tippett sent a backhand pass to Ābols, who hopped in after Christian Dvorak went for the change, following the play for the goal.
It was Ābols’ third of his career. He spent the night centering the fourth line between Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway. Ābols and coach Rick Tocchet said postgame the line focused on being more predictable, and it worked. Natural Stat Trick had the line down for 13 chances to two for St. Louis at five-on-five; they had seven scoring chances to zero for the Blues.
Everyone thought the Flyers tied the game at 2-2 with 11 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation. On a power play, Bobby Brink sent a cross-crease pass through the legs of Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker to Zegras near the right post. Zegras sent the one-timer off the bottom of the glove of Hofer and then saw the puck bounce off the ice and the right post.
And then they did tie it up on Tyson Foerster’s fifth goal of the season.
Blues forward Robert Thomas tried to clear the puck, but Emil Andrae tracked down the puck inside St. Louis’ blueline. Moved up to the second pairing with Jamie Drysdale, the puck-moving defenseman fed Foerster for the one-timer from the top of the left face-off circle.
Andrae saved a sure goal with three minutes left in regulation when he blocked a shot by Dalibor Dvorský after Pavel Buchnevich got robbed on the doorstep by Dan Vladař.
It was the Justin Faulk show in the first period. The St. Louis defenseman, who also scored last Friday in the Flyers’ 6-5 shootout win in Missouri, notched two goals in a 6:37 span to put the Flyers in an early hole.
His first goal of the night was a seeing-eye one-timer from the point that found the top left corner. Vladař, who stands 6-foot-5, could be seen popping his head over the 5-9 Nathan Walker of the Blues in front and Flyers teammate Dvorak, who is 6-1. Andrae was tying up St. Louis’ Alexey Toropchenko in front, too, and the puck squeaked through everyone.
Faulk’s second of the night was a power-play goal. Standing at the goal line, Jake Neighbours fed Faulk across the ice in the left face-off circle for the one-timer. The Flyers entered the game with the third-best penalty kill in the NHL (87.5%), but allowed a tally for the second straight game.
The Flyers held their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Jason Myrtetus, a Flyers broadcaster and host of the “Flyers Daily” podcast, dropped the ceremonial puck alongside his Penn care team, which included his oncologist, Dr. Daniel Altman, Heather Levinsky, CRNP, and his surgeon, Dr. Erica Pettke. The players also wore special SkateSkins in warmups, with seven skaters wearing ones they designed with children ages 8-19 who are battling cancer. The goalies also wore masks designed with children, too.
Flyers center Sean Couturier wears his Hockey Fights Cancer skates designed with children ages 8-19 who are battling cancer.
Up next
The Flyers practice on Friday at noon in Voorhees before honoring Bernie Parent with a public celebration of life at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 6 p.m. They then host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (7 p.m., NBCSP). New Jersey is without Jack Hughes, who underwent surgery on his finger a week ago after a “freak accident” when he got cut by glass at a team dinner.
After a strong defensive showing over the Detroit Lions — limiting the team to just nine points — the Eagles now turn their attention toward the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
The Eagles (8-2) are 3.5-point favorites ahead of the Week 12 matchup against the division rival Cowboys (4-5-1), and beat them, 24-20, in the season opener at Lincoln Financial Field. Here’s how experts in the local and national media are predicting Sunday’s game …
Inquirer predictions
We start with our own Eagles writers. Here’s an excerpt from Jeff Neiburg’s prediction …
To read more of Neiburg’s take, plus how our other beat writers are predicting this one, check out our full predictions here.
News item: The NBA asked several teams to hand over cellphones, documents and other property as part of its investigation into illegal sports gambling.
The latest investigation into sports gambling is not the first and won’t be the last. Nor is it a shock since the heedless race into legalized sports gambling is ruining the games — and some lives — all in the name of money.
Betting on sports has become so pervasive that the integrity of the games can no longer be trusted.
Just last month, 34 people — including an NBA Hall of Famer, a current star, and a former player — were indicted as part of an elaborate betting scheme that included one player who pleaded guilty in July to faking injuries to leave games early so gamblers could win prop bets on his performances.
The same gambling ring was also tied to suspicious wagers on college basketball, including games played by Temple University. A gambling watchdog flagged suspicious betting activity in a game last year between Temple and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where UAB went from a two-point favorite to an eight-point favorite in a matter of hours. UAB ended up winning 100-72.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was indicted in a federal sports betting investigation, leaves a federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., after an appearance last month.
Separately, three college basketball players from Fresno State were banned last month for betting on their own games and “manipulating” their performances to alter outcomes, according to the NCAA.
Gambling is not just undermining basketball games.
The NFL suspended 10 players in 2023 for violating its league gambling policy. The same year, the NHL suspended Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto for 41 games, making him the first modern-day hockey player banned for sports gambling.
Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were indicted last week for rigging pitches in certain situations to benefit tipped-off bettors.
For the uninitiated, bettors can wager on just about anything during games, including whether the batter will make an out or hit a home run, or whether the next shot in a basketball game will be for two points or three. These micro-bets create opportunities for players to do what is called “spot fixing.” The in-game betting also explains why sports announcers give updated odds during games.
The Guardians pitchers are not the first to raise concerns about betting on baseball. Last year, San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned for life, and four others received one-year suspensions for gambling, including Phillies minor league infielder José Rodríguez.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was indicted earlier this month on charges that he tipped off bettors to some of his pitches.
Baseball has battled past betting scandals, from the 1919 World Series to Pete Rose betting on games he managed. Last week, a Senate committee sent a letter to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred raising concern over a “new integrity crisis” in American sports.
Fans are losing trust. Six in 10 now worry about games being fixed.
Many celebrities and former athletes, including former Sixers greats Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley, appear in commercials that make gambling seem cool. All the incessant advertising helps normalize something that is addictive. One study found that during broadcasts of the Stanley Cup finals, hockey fans were exposed to gambling logos and ads an average of 3.5 times per minute.
The upshot: Many young men and boys are getting addicted to sports gambling, upending their lives and their families.
At a Phillies game last year, my son and I listened to three young guys behind us talk nonstop about in-game bets while they tried to complete a challenge of drinking nine beers in nine innings.
An ad for the sports betting site Draft Kings appears courtside at an NBA game at the TD Garden in Boston in November 2022. One study found that hockey fans were exposed to gambling logos and ads an average of 3.5 times per minute during broadcasts of the Stanley Cup finals.
For some, the addiction comes quickly. Rob Minnick started betting on Philadelphia sports teams at age 18. Within days, he was placing bets on the West Coast games using a pair of online sports betting sites, FanDuel and DraftKings.
Then Minnick got hooked on playing slots on his phone. Eventually, the South Jersey native told me he was gambling for up to eight hours a day, running up credit card debt and borrowing money from friends and family to maintain his habit.
Minnick went in and out of debt over six years. After a gambling binge that ended at a casino, he decided to seek treatment. He now helps others recover from gambling addiction.
“It was all fueled by seeing the commercials for FanDuel and other sports betting apps,” Minnick said.
Minnick is not alone. There has been a surge in people seeking help for gambling addiction, especially in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where sports betting is legal.
Gambling results in other social ills. Gambling addiction has long been associated with increased risk of depression and suicide. Some early research has found an increase in debt and bankruptcy in states with legalized sports betting.
An undated photo of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, of the Chicago White Sox, who admitted accepting $5,000 to throw the 1919 World Series in one of baseball’s past betting scandals.
Illegal sports gambling has long operated in the shadows. Yes, it was unregulated and untaxed, but it was not ubiquitous.
Then, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie challenged the federal ban on sports betting in most states in an effort to help the still-struggling casinos in Atlantic City. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ban, opening the floodgates to betting on sports.
States rushed to open sportsbooks, including Pennsylvania and Delaware. Online gambling apps made it easy for anyone with a mobile phone to gamble anytime and anywhere.
Last year, Americans bet nearly $150 billion on sports, according to the American Gaming Association.
Today, more than one in five Americans bet on sports. More alarmingly, nearly half of men between the ages of 18 and 49 have an active online sports betting account.
More gambling has translated into more debt. One quarter of sports gamblers said they have been unable to pay a bill — including their rent — because of debts from wagers. And 15% said they have taken out a loan to fund their sports gambling habit.
Most elected officials ignore the social costs of problem gambling because of the easy tax revenues that roll in.
Harrisburg lawmakers may be the worst gambling addicts.
Since 2004, Pennsylvania has legalized slots, table games, sports gambling, and online betting, while adding pricier lottery games with little concern for the economic harm and increased addiction. The influential gambling lobby successfully blocked efforts in Harrisburg this year to increase the tax on sports betting.
The sports leagues once opposed legalized gambling. But now, the leagues are partners with the major online betting sites.
Not long ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell opposed legalized gambling before going all in. In 2017, he said, “The integrity of our game is No. 1.”
Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best Philly sports images from the last seven days. This week, we’ll take another look at the latest big night from the Eagles defense, the return of Paul George against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s friendly in Chester. We’ve even got one of Philly’s three new Michelin star chefs, Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club, ringing the bell before a Sixers game …
Sixers forward Paul George made his season debut Monday against the Clippers. He played 21 minutes, but finished with just 9 points (on 2-of-9 shooting), 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, in 21 minutes. After the game, George admitted he was “rusty.”
Sixers center Andre Drummond, seen here getting fouled on a rebound against the Clippers, has been starting in place of Joel Embiid, who missed his sixth straight game Thursday night as he deals with a knee injury.Her Place Supper Club chef-owner Amanda Shulman rings the ceremony bell at the Sixers game on Wednesday. A night earlier, her restaurant became one of three in Philly to earn the city’s first Michelin stars.
Members of the Penn Quakers — Ethan Roberts (23), Cam Thrower (5), AJ Levine (0), and Augustus Gerhart (25) — react in the final minutes of their 83-74 win over the Saint Joseph’s Hawks at The Palestra on Monday.
USA midfielder Tanner Tessmann (center) beats Paraguay’s Julio Enciso (left) and Alex Arce (right) to the ball during the United States’ 2-1 win over Paraguay at Chester’s Subaru Park on Saturday.Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham waits to be introduced before the team’s game against the Detroit Lions. Graham came out of retirement earlier this year to rejoin the team he helped win a pair of Super Bowls.
Eagles fans celebrate after the defense stops the Lions on fourth-and-goal in the third quarter of Sunday’s win. The defense has allowed just 16 points in its last two games.
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean hits Lions quarterback Jared Goff, causing him to fumble. Vic Fangio’s defense has allowed just 14.5 points per game during the Eagles’ current four-game win streak.While the Eagles defense has soared, the offense has soured. They’ve scored just 26 points in their two games since the bye, and earlier this week a report said there was internal frustration with Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles and Cowboys met to open the NFL season back on Sept. 4 in a game the Eagles won, 24-20.
They meet again Sunday in Dallas, and although the Eagles are running away with the NFC East, this game presents a challenging potential roadblock for the Eagles in their pursuit of the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Here’s how our writers see it …
Jeff Neiburg
This isn’t your 2-month-old’s Cowboys.
The team that practically gave Micah Parsons away before the season added Quinnen Williams to its defensive front at the trade deadline, and he immediately provided a spark. The Raiders doubled him on half of his 28 pass rushes on Monday and he still put up a season-high five pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, while being credited for 1½ sacks.
Even if center Cam Jurgens clears concussion protocol and plays, the Eagles will have their hands full up front.
If the Eagles are finally going to fix their scuffling offense, it will be a challenge, though Dallas has been very beatable in the air. The Cowboys play a ton of zone, using man coverage just 14.8% of the time, the fourth-lowest rate in the NFL.
If the Eagles are going to figure out their inability to beat zones through the air, Sunday will be a big test, but one they should be able to ace with the right plan.
Dallas’ offense, meanwhile, is one of the best in the league. The game sets up as a great offense and a bad defense (Dallas) against a great defense and a bad offense (Eagles). The game will probably be decided by who wins the matchup between Dallas’ offense and the Eagles’ defense.
Who has the upper hand? It’s hard to pick against the Eagles right now.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Cowboys 16
Olivia Reiner
On paper, Eagles-Cowboys is set to be a strength-on-strength, weakness-on-weakness matchup.
Vic Fangio declared the Cowboys offense one of the best in the NFL, and the numbers back that up, especially in the passing game. The Dak Prescott-led offense leads the league in passing yards (2,587), ranks second in passing touchdowns (22), and places third in passing attempts.
George Pickens leads the way with 908 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on the season, above CeeDee Lamb (557 yards and two touchdowns in just seven games) and tight end Jake Ferguson (400 yards and seven touchdowns).
But the Eagles defense is playing like one of the best in the league lately, too. The last two games, against playoff contenders the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, were defensive masterclasses, with the Eagles limiting those opponents to a combined 16 points.
Vic Fangio expects to have his hands full with the Cowboys offense.
While the Eagles defense ought to be up for the challenge, can the same be said for the offense? The Cowboys defense has been one of the worst groups in the league overall, but they boast a formidable interior defensive line that recently added Williams to the mix.
The offensive line has been solid at pass blocking this year, even when Lane Johnson goes down, but the run blocking has seen a serious drop-off from last season. Though I’m not so sure this will be the get-well game on the ground the Eagles are looking for, they could have a chance to get going in the passing game, given that the Cowboys are conceding 6.9 net yards per passing attempt — No. 29 of 30 teams in the league.
Prediction: Eagles 21, Cowboys 17
Matt Breen
Will the Eagles fix their offensive problems on Sunday? It feels like we’ve been asking the same question for three months. So maybe this is just their offense. And that might be OK thanks to a defense that is suddenly the best in the NFC.
The defensive line is overwhelming, and Quinyon Mitchell is playing like an All-Pro in the secondary. The Cowboys looked good last week, but they won’t be playing the Raiders on Sunday.
Teams have picked apart the Dallas defense through the air this season, but I’ll wait and see if the Eagles can do the same. It’s hard to see the Eagles offense, especially with a banged-up line, suddenly flipping a switch. By now, it’s fair to have a read on who a team is.
But the defense is elite and they’ll carry them again on Sunday. We’ll find out how far that unit can carry them the rest of the way.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It has been a struggle-filled season for Nicholas Singleton, Penn State’s speedy senior running back.
But it was not always like this.
In eight starts as a freshman, the Shillington, Pa., native rushed for 1,061 yards on 156 carries and added 13 total touchdowns. His breakaway speed flashed with an 87-yard rushing touchdown in the 2023 Rose Bowl, which placed an exclamation point on an impressive rookie campaign.
Over the next two seasons, Singleton added 2,534 all-purpose yards and 27 touchdowns. Some draft experts projected that he would go as high as the second round if he declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
But Singleton stayed in Happy Valley. He wanted another chance at a national title, another opportunity to prove his worth on the national stage. But in a 2025 season filled with shocking revelations for Penn State, Singleton’s struggles have ranked near the top.
Nicholas Singleton (10) runs during the fourth quarter against the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium.
Through the Nittany Lions’ first eight games, the senior running back rushed 82 times for 292 yards. It marked a career-worst 3.5 yards per carry, a stark dropoff from last season’s 6.4. Singleton peaked at 39 rushing yards across Penn State’s first five Big Ten contests and scored just twice during that span.
Andy Kotelnicki, the Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator, blamed himself for not giving Singleton enough opportunities to showcase his speed. Kotelnicki said Singleton’s “superpower” is quickly bursting through holes when they open, rushing lanes that had not often presented themselves to that point in the season.
“It’s about continued opportunities and making sure that those opportunities are ones where [Singleton] is going to have a chance to do what he does well, and that’s utilize his speed,” Kotelnicki said during a recent press conference.
"I hope they break every single one of [my records]."
Singleton’s struggles in those eight games were exacerbated because Kaytron Allen, his roommate and counterpart in Penn State’s backfield, was enjoying a career season. Allen routinely found open rushing lanes when Singleton could not, halting the potential “poor offensive line play” excuse.
Bottom line: Singleton didn’t look like himself. His typical explosive runs were nonexistent, and his impact on Penn State’s offense seemingly lessened with each carry.
But team officials inside the Lasch Building, the site of the team’s training facility, never wavered. They believed Singleton’s spark would return. And they have made sure he knew that
“The people who kept me going are the coaches, my teammates,” Singleton said. “They have always been there every step of the way throughout the whole season. I know it’s been long and a rough start, but they’ve been sticking together, coming out here and [helping me] get better every day.”
Singleton kept his head down and his legs churning. He knew his breakthrough moment was near. And against No. 2 Indiana, his preparation met opportunity.
Inside a packed Beaver Stadium on Nov. 8, Singleton capped a 10-play, 67-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to even the score. His rushes, mainly outside the numbers, were generating more yards than they had in recent weeks. On several occasions, he was one broken tackle away from a big gain.
Then came his breakthrough moment.
With Penn State trailing 20-10 at the start of the fourth quarter, Singleton burst through a hole and outraced the Hoosiers’ trailing secondary until a shoestring tackle brought him down at the 1-yard line.
“I told [Singleton] after that long run, ‘This is who you are,’” said Ethan Grunkemeyer, Penn State’s starting quarterback. “When he broke that long run, you could just feel the energy.”
The Beaver Stadium fans rose to their feet as the 21-year-old capped the drive with a 1-yard score. It was his second rushing TD of the game and 41st of his career, which placed him second on the program’s all-time rushing touchdowns list behind only Saquon Barkley (43).
Khalil Dinkins, Penn State’s starting tight end, said Singleton simply “flipped a switch.” Singleton’s teammates knew he had his usual burst buried somewhere. He just had to find it.
Against Indiana, he did.
Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton (10) celebrates his fourth-quarter touchdown against Indiana on Nov. 8, one of three on the afternoon.
“Nick is an amazing football player and an amazing person,” wide receiver Devonte Ross said. “He’s always had [skill], so I think the last couple of weeks he’s been just showing what he can do.”
The 224-pound rusher was not done yet. On the ensuing drive, he took a screen pass 19 yards for the go-ahead score. It marked the third three-touchdown game of his career.
Singleton finished with a season-best 93 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. The next week against Michigan State, he rushed 15 times for 56 yards, the first time he had broken 50 rushing yards in consecutive games since Weeks 2 and 3.
“Just getting back to the drawing board. Taking it one day at a time,” Singleton said. “Just [trying to] get better every day.”
Peter Fineberg sat in his Spectrum seats for more than 20 years, certain his perch was safe from the pucks that often flew into the stands. It would be years until protective netting was installed at every NHL arena, but Fineberg’s season tickets were behind the glass. He was good.
“The puck came in lots of times,” Fineberg said. “But always above me.”
But here it came — an errant slap shot in 1989 from a Flyers defenseman that redirected after tipping the top of the glass — falling straight onto Row 11 of Section L.
“We all see it coming,” Fineberg said. “I bail out of the way.”
He escaped, got back to his feet, and saw his mother grabbing her chin.
“I said, ‘Mom, what happened?’ She said, ‘The puck hit me,’” Fineberg said. “I go ‘What?’ She takes her hand off her chin and she just spurts blood.”
An usher walked Nancy Fineberg to a first-aid station where they helped slow the bleeding and offered the 64-year-old an ambulance ride to the hospital. But this was a playoff game and Nancy Fineberg, a mother of three who graduated from Penn in the 1940s, loved the Flyers. The stitches could wait.
“She said ‘I’ll go to the hospital after the game,” her son said. “She toughed it out.”
Another fan gave Nancy Fineberg a handkerchief to hold against her chin for the rest of the third period as the Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A package was shortly after delivered to her home in Bala Cynwyd. Fineberg was officially a member of the “Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck,” an exclusive club created by the Flyers in the 1970s partly as a way to dissuade fans from suing them if they were hit by a puck. You could not purchase a membership. You had to earn it.
“It was screaming,” her son said of the puck. “I’m amazed it didn’t break her jaw.”
A Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck plaque. The club was created by the Flyers in the 1970s partly as a way to dissuade fans from suing them if they were hit by a puck. You could not purchase a membership. You had to earn it.
A negative to a positive
A fan wrote to the Flyers in the early 1970s, letting them know that she was hit by a puck at the Spectrum and her outfit was ruined. Lou Scheinfeld, then the team’s vice president, told the fan the team would replace the bloodied clothes and get her tickets to a game. But he wanted to do more.
Ronnie Rutenberg, the team’s lawyer, envisioned more fans complaining about being hit by pucks and feared that lawsuits would be filed. The Flyers, he said, needed to turn being hit by a puck into a positive.
“He figured that if we made people feel special, they wouldn’t sue us,” said Andy Abramson, who started working at the Spectrum in the 1970s and became a Flyers executive in the 1980s. “Ronnie was brilliant.”
So the Flyers created the Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck and made fans feel brave for having been hit by an errant shot. Scheinfeld advised security members to immediately attend to any fan who was struck, bring them to a first-aid station, and gather their information.
The team then sent them a letter signed by a player and a puck with an inscription written by Scheinfeld printed on the back.
“To you brave fan who courageously stopped a puck without leaving the stands,” the inscription read. “The Philadelphia Flyers award full membership in the Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereunto.”
The pucks were sent to fans for years, easing the pain of being hit by a frozen piece of rubber and making a bruise feel like an initiation. In 2002, the NHL mandated teams to install protective netting behind each goal after a 13-year-old girl was killed by a puck that was deflected into the stands. The netting has stopped most pucks from entering the stands, all but eliminating the need for a Loyal Order.
“You couldn’t buy your way in,” Abramson said. “You had to live through the experience in order to qualify. And you had to be willing to give up your personal information to a representative of the Spectrum in order to be enrolled.
“Let’s say you got hit and shook it off. We never knew, and you didn’t get in. It’s one of these unique things that made the Flyers who we were. It wasn’t just a hockey team.”
The first Flyers game played at the Spectrum against the Penguins on Oct. 19, 1967.
The perfect arena
The rows of seats inside the Spectrum were steep, because the arena was built on just 4½ acres, forcing developers to build up instead of out. It was perfect for hockey.
“Every seat was close to the ice, and you were on top of the action no matter where you were,” Scheinfeld said. “The sound was deafening. You could hear the click of the stick when the puck hit it. When a guy pulled up in front of the goalie and his skate sent an ice spray, you could hear that.
“It was like a Super Bowl every game. You couldn’t get a ticket. People didn’t give away their tickets to a friend or company. They came.”
And the pucks came in hot.
“We were right in the shooting gallery,” said Toni-Jean Friedman, whose parents had season tickets behind the net. “Thinking about that now, that was really crazy.”
Friedman’s mother was introduced to hockey in the 1970s, falling for the foreign sport at the same time nearly everyone else did in the region. Fran Lisa and husband Frank met a couple of friends at Rexy’s, the haunt on the Black Horse Pike where the Broad Street Bullies were regulars.
The Lisas met the players, got Bobby Clarke’s autograph on the back of a Rexy’s coaster, and bought season tickets at the Spectrum. A few years later, a puck was headed their way.
“She was trying to catch it, but then survival instincts took over,” Friedman said. “We saw people taken out in stretchers.”
The puck hit Lisa’s wrist and ushers rushed to her seat. She shrugged it off and watched the game. They jotted down her address in Marlton Lakes, and a puck was soon on its way. She was a member of the Loyal Order.
“She was proud of it. She showed it to everyone,” her daughter said. “So it worked because she would’ve never thought twice about suing, not that that’s who she was anyway.”
Fran Lisa was hit on the wrist by an errant puck. “She was trying to catch it, but then survival instincts took over,” her daughter said. “We saw people taken out in stretchers.”
The Flyers had Clarkie, Bernie, The Hound, and The Hammer, but the Spectrum was more than just the Bullies. Sign Man was prepared for anything, Kate Smith brought good luck, and a loyal order of fans sold out every game. Hockey in South Philly — a foreign concept years earlier — became an event.
“There was always action. There was always something going on,” Fineberg said. “And you never thought the Flyers were going to lose. I remember going into the third period and they’re down, and Bobby Clarke … it gives me chills … Bobby Clarke just took over and would score and bring them back. It gives me chills thinking about it. It was unbelievable.”
Fineberg bought season tickets in the late 1960s for $4.50 a seat as a teenager attending the Haverford School. His mom started going with him a few years later, knitting in the stands and wearing sandals no matter how cold it was outside.
“I can still see her crossing Pattison Avenue in the snow with sandals and no socks,” said her daughter, Betsy Hershberg.
The faces in the crowd became almost like family as they invited each other to weddings and kept up with more than just hockey. A couple from Delaware sat next to the Finebergs, a UPS driver was in front, a teenager from Northeast Philly was down the row, the Flyers’ wives were nearby, and Charlie was in Seat 1.
“Charlie had one of those comb overs. He was an older guy,” Fineberg said. “I remember one time, the Flyers scored and everybody jumped up. A guy in the back spilled his beer on Charlie’s head and his hair was hanging down to his back.
“You go to all these games with these people and share all these experiences. You can’t help but have a bond with them.”
Unducked Puck member Nancy Fineberg (left). “She said ‘I’ll go to the hospital after the game,” said her son. “She toughed it out.”
A lasting legacy
Nancy Fineberg is 99 years old and watches sports on TV. Her 100th birthday is in March. She went to Methodist Hospital after the Flyers won that game and left with 25 stitches. A faint scar is still visible on her chin. Her grandson Dan Hershberg has the puck the Flyers sent to her house, clinging to the symbol of his grandmother’s induction into the Loyal Order like it’s a family heirloom.
“My grandmom is kind of like an old-school badass,” Hershberg said. “Yeah, I was at the hockey game and things happen and you move on.”
The original Loyal Order puck was a cube of Lucite with a Styrofoam puck inside — “Seriously?,” Friedman said — because a real puck would be too heavy. The Flyers later created plaques for members. They also sent a letter signed by a player. Friedman’s mother heard from Bernie Parent.
Bernie Parent, the former Flyers goalie, would sign letters sent to Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck inductees.
Dear Fran,
Unfortunately, you are now a full-fledged member of the Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck. I know your initiation was tough, but now that you have passed it with flying colors, Pete Peeters, Rick St. Croix, and myself (all honorary members) would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the club. Everyone in the Flyers organization hopes you are now feeling fine and we hope you’ll accept this little memento of your unpleasant experience with a smile.
Best regards,
Bernie Parent
Fran Lisa died in March. There was always a game on TV, her daughter said, and Lisa knew all the stats. When the family wrote her obituary, they mentioned how she “showered people with love and food” and invited everyone to her Shore house. Lisa, they said, was the axis of her family.
And they also made sure the obituary included that she was a member of the Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck. Lisa was 85 years old and being hit with a puck at the Spectrum was worth a mention. The family wanted all to know that their mother earned her place in the Loyal Order.
“It was her,” Friedman said. “To her, she felt like she was a Flyer because of this whole thing. She was in the club. I can’t describe it any other way but she was proud. It was a great idea.”
If there was anything to learn about Matt Freese, it’s that he’s a really serious individual.
Last week, in his return to the Philly area with the U.S. men’s national soccer team, the former Union goalkeeper and Wayne native said he spent the bulk of the week inside the team hotel instead of visiting family and friends.
He wasn’t a complete recluse. He visited a few old friends from the Union, who were training on fields adjacent to the USMNT at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex in Chester. He even took time to speak to classes at YSC Academy, the school created specifically for soccer players aspiring to be in Freese’s shoes.
Other than that? Freese treated the homecoming as a business trip, which was clearly conveyed in refusing all requests for interviews the day before a game and the serious gaze on his face even after the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Paraguay last Saturday.
He returns on Sunday when the Union host New York City FC in MLS’ Eastern Conference semifinal (7:55 p.m., FS1, Apple TV, MLS Season Pass).
“I actually didn’t see my family. I didn’t do anything,” Freese said. “[This week], I just stayed in the hotel. [Chuckles], I’m a bit of a loser, but when I’m in camp, I’m locked in. I’ll see my family in the offseason at some point.”
Freese being locked in isn’t because he’s being standoffish. Instead, it’s his effort to prove to himself that he belongs. He has made sacrifices — particularly whenever he receives that call from the men’s national team.
See, it was roughly around this time last year that Freese was a bit of an afterthought. Incumbent goalkeeper Matt Turner was on a tear for club and country and looked to be a shoo-in for being first up on USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino’s roster.
But amid a lack of playing time with Crystal Palace, Turner’s club team, he fell down the depth chart, as Pochettino told reporters in May that “it’s open for another player maybe to challenge in between [the goalkeepers] and maybe to try to give the possibility to play [to] another player,” according to an ESPN report.
Enter Freese, who has had several call-ups since Pochettino’s remarks and has impressed, notably his performance in the U.S.’s shootout win over Costa Rica the Gold Cup quarterfinals in June. He made three saves in the penalty kick portion of the match, which helped the U.S. vault into the semifinal, and earned soccer’s version of the nickname “Matty Ice.”
From that moment, he’s been a mainstay with the national team. Now, with the last games of the November cycle wrapping up earlier this week, it’s a waiting game to see if he’ll be called into camp for Pochettino’s World Cup squad.
From being an unknown to being No. 1 — the opportunity arguably has never been bigger for Freese.
“What’s driving me is this chance to represent my country,” Freese said. “Having that opportunity is one that I dreamed about but didn’t know if I was ever going to get. So every time I’m called up, I want to make the most of training, and then every time I get to play in a game, I want to make the most of that as well.”
One thing that stood out in a conversation with Freese was his reply that when it came to visiting family, he’d do so “in the offseason at some point.”
Coincidentally, if the Union have their way, he might not have to commute too far. A week removed from being the hero against Paraguay, Freese returns to Subaru Park as the villain in his role as the starting goalkeeper for NYCFC.
Matt Freese (49) guided NYCFC past fourth-seed Charlotte FC to set up an Eastern Conference semifinal date against the Union.
The meeting is the fourth time the teams will battle in the postseason and the second time for Freese, who was released from the Union in 2022 following the team’s run to the MLS Cup final.
Instead of looking at his ouster from the Union as being on the outside looking in at a professional career, which started in the team’s youth academy, Freese locked in. Just a year after joining NYCFC was named the team’s MVP last season.
Now, he leads NYCFC as the fifth seed in the East looking up at the No. 1 team and Supporters’ Shield winner — on its home field.
Matt Freese (right) shown as a member of the Union against his current team, New York City FC during a game in 2021.
“It’s a really exciting time in my career right now,” Freese said. “It’s important however to stay humble and be thankful that I’m in this situation. I have a job to do, and our goal as a team is to be the last team standing. We have to beat the best. That’s what it comes down to.”
Fellow U.S. national team member Max Arfsten notes that mentality as the reason Freese has arrived at this moment. Arfsten, whose Columbus Crew side recently fell out of the Eastern Conference playoffs following a loss to rival club FC Cincinnati, gets a routine look at Freese firsthand over the course of the season and sees something special in the goalkeeper.
“He’s my guy,” Arfsten, a midfielder, said following last week’s USMNT win in Chester. “His ability to control our back line and his communication is big. It allows us to do our job because we know he’s got it covered back there. He’s locked in right now, and that’s really good as we continue to push forward toward the World Cup.”
U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Matt Freese dives for a save during a training session earlier this month at the WSFS Sportsplex in Chester.
On his way out of the Union’s locker room last Saturday, Freese briefly struck up a conversation with a security guard stationed just outside the main doors. What was said was muffled, but what was distinctly heard was the security guard ending the conversation in jest with “see you on Sunday.”
Given what’s at stake, and having an obvious familiarity with Philly banter, it might have been one of the few times Freese let his armor down and cracked a smile.
