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  • The puck club 🏒| Sports Daily Newsletter

    The puck club 🏒| Sports Daily Newsletter

    It may have been a myth you heard before: The Flyers once inducted fans into a secret club if they got hit by a puck. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s true.

    In the early 1970s, pucks flew into the stands at the Spectrum. So the Flyers created an exclusive club, the “Loyal Order of the Unducked Puck,” partly as a way to dissuade fans from suing them if they were hit by a puck.

    Though, this club wasn’t for everyone. You could not purchase a membership. You had to earn it.

    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 initiation. The Flyers later created plaques for members. They also sent a letter signed by a player.

    In 2002, the NHL mandated teams to install protective netting, which has since stopped most pucks from entering the stands. It also eliminated the need for a Loyal Order.

    But it meant so much to fans that some had the honor in their obituaries. Matt Breen spoke with those families about how the club made them “feel special.”

    — Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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    ❓Let’s hear your Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions. Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

    Brown says offense is close

    Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown warms up before playing the Detroit Lions in Week 11.

    There is a thought process out there in the ether that A.J. Brown is not the same player he was just last year or the season prior. What would he say to those who believe that? “I guess Saquon [Barkley] ain’t the same player either then.” Brown expressed optimism in the offense’s progress and made it clear that what he cares about is winning.

    After the defense carried the Eagles to wins over the Packers and Lions, how do our writers feel about the possibility of an Eagles sweep in Dallas? Here’s their Week 12 predictions.

    What we’re …

    🏀 Learning: In Villanova’s victory over La Salle, the Wildcats showed the allure of Kevin Willard’s small-ball lineup.

    🤔 Wondering: What are the Cowboys saying about the Eagles ahead of their matchup this Sunday?

    📖 Following: The status of Cam Jurgens, who returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s with a concussion.

    🏈 Reading: How Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton is playing the long game to “get better.”

    Third-quarter problems

    Sixers head coach Nick Nurse knows his team is pretty good in the fourth. They’re trying to figure out why they’re last in the third.

    Nick Nurse jokingly proclaimed that maybe the Sixers would play better in the third quarter if they spent halftime regrouping on the bench, instead of the locker room. However, the ongoing problem doomed the Sixers in a 121-112 loss to the Raptors on Wednesday night, where the Sixers were outscored 44-26 in the third quarter. Nurse attempted to make a lineup tweak, but it didn’t solve this issue. How do they plan to address this?

    And Joel Embiid missed his sixth straight game with a knee injury on Thursday against the Bucks, meanwhile Paul George played his second game of the season.

    Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 54 points lift the Sixers to an overtime win in Milwaukee. George scored 21 points in his second game of the season.

    Fights Cancer night

    Several of the Flyers players worked with local kids who are cancer survivors to design custom equipment for Hockey Fights Cancer night.

    The Flyers held their annual Hockey Fights Cancer night against the Blues on Thursday night. Prior to puck drop, the celebration featured tributes, special guests, lavender jerseys, and some custom equipment collaborations between players and local survivors. Coach Rick Tocchet shared, “You’re in the day-to-day [as a] hockey coach, and you forget about what’s really more important in life.”

    Travis Sanheim scored the game-winning goal to give the Flyers their ninth comeback victory of the season in a 3-2 overtime win vs. the Blues.

    An ‘emotional’ postseason

    Brett Gordon and his late father, Drew, talk on the sidelines.

    Brett Gordon‘s memories of his dad have become more vivid, especially these last couple of weeks. His late father Drew, a Hall of Fame football coach at La Salle College High who died in 2023, led the program to its first state title in 2009 with his son on staff. Now, with Brett at the helm, the two could become the first father-son duo to win a PIAA crown as head coaches. The Explorers face District 11 champion Easton on Friday in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals.

    Speaking of playoffs, Belmont Charter is the smallest Public League school with a football team, and it is one of only 10 teams from the city or suburbs among 48 teams still alive for six state championships. Despite lack of players and facilities, Belmont has a chance to make school history in the 1A quarterfinals.

    Sports snapshot

    In his first season as head coach, DeSean Jackson has led Delaware State to an 8-3 record, its most wins in a season since 2007.
    • College notebook: DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State could make history, plus an outlook of Villanova’s playoff projections.
    • ‘Good start’: Drew Allar underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured ankle and hopes to be a present member on the team.
    • Second-half surge: Temple men’s basketball secured a win over Hofstra, thanks to its defense and second-half offense.
    • Long journey: Kajiya Hollawayne was part of three college programs before joining Temple. Now, he’s the Owls’ top receiver.

    David Murphy’s take

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (center) shown with wide receiver A.J. Brown during the team’s win over the Lions on Sunday.

    Debating Jalen Hurts is like locking yourself in a clothes dryer. You spin around in circles a bunch of times and then walk away hot. But what are we arguing about? It’s a question everybody should be asking themselves. Any time an offense plays the way the Eagles offense has for most of this season, the quarterback will help matters by playing better — so yes, Hurts deserves criticism. Beyond that, there is little to say, writes columnist David Murphy.

    Join us!

    Gameday Central: Eagles at Cowboys

    Tune in with reporters Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner on Sunday at 2:55 p.m., as they discuss insider insights before the Eagles take on the Cowboys.

    What you’re saying about sports scandals

    We asked: Is there a sports scandal you won’t soon forget? Among your responses:

    Being a lover of the game of baseball, the use of steroids is a scandal that I will never forget. It has forever changed how people like myself study and follow the game in many aspects including comparing individual player stats. No longer can one have a serious discussion on players careers based on stats as we always did in the past. No longer can we compare the overall abilities of players from the past with those of the steroid era and later without the cloud of steroids being part of the discussion. Barry Bonds vs. Hank Aaron? No-one can really be sure due to the steroids. It’s a terrible terrible thing for a stats/box score reading fan such as myself. — Bob A.

    The Houston Astros sign stealing scandal was number one for me. That entire team should have been suspended without pay and the Astros should have had to bring their AAA team up to fill in, but of course MLB will deal out punishments, but only up until the punishments would hurt the bottom line. And then Covid prevented them from being strongly rejected by the fans in visiting ballparks. Once loved Altuve but for me he is unforgiven along with the rest of the team and management. — Everett S.

    The 2007 NBA referee “the fix was in” scandal. They weren’t actually fixing the out come games, they were controlling the spread. I’ve never had much confidence in any of the sports that the games were on a level playing field. Especially with some of the egregious calls in the NFL. I stopped betting a couple years ago when that phantom holding call against the Eagles in the 2023 Super Bowl with Kansas City happened. There were only about two minutes to play and the call led to Kansas City winning the game on a field goal. I distinctly remember me yelling at the TV that Vegas made a call. My wife agreed. That was the end of my fun and games. Never again! — Ronald R.

    There are many but the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal is top on my list. They won the World Series in 2017 with help from a camera and a trash can. How low can you get? The worst thing about it is very few were held accountable with all the players basically getting off scott free. That team will always be a disgrace to me. — Kathy T.

    We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, David Murphy, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Jackie Spiegel, Devin Jackson, Kerith Gabriel, Ariel Simpson, Joseph Santoliquito, Dave Caldwell, Greg Finberg, and Ryan Mack.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    Thanks for finishing the week with me. Have a wonderful weekend, and Jim will be back in your inbox on Monday. — Bella

  • Eagles QB Jalen Hurts deserves criticism, but what are we arguing about?

    Eagles QB Jalen Hurts deserves criticism, but what are we arguing about?

    The arguments that go nowhere are usually the ones that have nowhere else to go. That’s especially true whenever the argument revolves around Jalen Hurts … which is pretty much every Sunday right now. Debating Hurts is like locking yourself in a clothes dryer. You spin around in circles a bunch of times and then walk away hot. It has always been that way with him, even when he was in college.

    A good question to ask yourself in these sorts of situations:

    What, specifically, are we arguing about?

    It’s a question everybody should be asking themselves now that we again find ourselves snowballing down the slippery slopes on Aggregation Mountain. We’ve apparently reached the point in the news — take — news cycle where everybody needs to register their opinion about Hurts. But, like, to what end?

    Frustrations with Jalen Hurts? Quarterback says he holds himself accountable.

    At plenty of points in time, a robust debate about Hurts has been warranted. Should Alabama bench him? Can Oklahoma contend for a title with him? Should the Eagles have drafted him in the second round? Should they start him over Carson Wentz? Can he win a Super Bowl? Should they give him a franchise-level extension?

    It’s worth noting that the answer to all of these questions has turned out to be an unqualified yes. Few athletes in history have as lengthy and unblemished a track record of exceeding the measuring sticks placed before him. Wherever his career goes from here, he will retire as one of the most unprecedented performers in football history.

    And yet …

    There Hurts was, on Wednesday afternoon, the quarterback of an 8-2 team, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, the leader of the NFL’s current betting favorite, the pitchman for one of sports’ most iconic brands, fielding another one of those questions that suggests something about him is still up for debate. Hurts was clearly aware of the tempest that had been whirling around his name in the wake of a couple of media reports that suggested a certain level of frustration with Hurts among some coaches and players.

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said Wednesday that work to fix the offense begins with him.

    “I’m not surprised by anything,” Hurts said, wearing a black compression shirt with the Jumpman logo on his right breast. “This is kind of the nature of the position.”

    The original reports themselves are rather oblique in nature. Longtime Philly insider Derrick Gunn reported that people in the Eagles organization feel like Hurts has been hurting the offense by playing “his game” rather than the one the game plan calls for. Meanwhile, The Athletic reported a frustration from players about Hurts’ reluctance to throw into tight windows against zone coverage.

    None of this news qualifies as earth-shaking. In fact, it barely qualifies as news. We know the Eagles are frustrated with their offense. Left tackle Jordan Mailata recently labeled it “stuck-in-the-mud.” Wide receiver A.J. Brown has made it very clear he is frustrated that he isn’t getting the football. Likewise, Hurts has very clearly struggled. When he struggles, he does so in a specific way. He is hesitant, indecisive, overly focused on the safest option, too willing to buy time with his feet and shifts the offense to scramble mode.

    A.J. Brown was right. The Eagles offense is still a bleep show. They need to fix it soon.

    That’s not a slight against the reports themselves. The notable thing isn’t the news. It’s that the news is being reported.

    My real focus here is everything that comes after the news. The TV segments, the sports radio calls, newspaper columns like this one, the hour-to-hour churn of the Sports Take Industrial Complex. Everybody has decided it is time to have an honest discussion about Hurts.

    The thing that most of these opinions ignore is that there is nothing much to discuss. Any time an offense plays the way the Eagles offense has for most of this season, the quarterback will help matters by playing better. Beyond that, there is little to say. There is no existential question. Hurts has already answered all of them.

    What’s missing is context. In the last 23 years, Jalen Hurts is one of 12 people on the face of the earth to win a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback. He was named the MVP of that Super Bowl, and he very easily could have taken home the award in the other Super Bowl he started in. He is signed to a contract worth a quarter of a billion dollars. The Eagles have been the best team in the NFC for nearly two full seasons now. You can argue that they would already be a dynasty if they had their current defense for the last four years.

    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts shown after the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs.

    Can Hurts play better? Sure. It isn’t heresy to suggest it. We’ve seen him do it, most definitively in that Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs. But he is never going to be Patrick Mahomes, or Joe Burrow. The Eagles’ offense might be higher functioning if they had Joe Burrow or Drake Maye. But all of those arguments are roads to nowhere. The only thing that matters is that Hurts has been good enough that the Eagles no longer need to acquire one of those other guys. Coaches and players are more than justified if they are frustrated with some aspects of Hurts’ approach and performance. But they also surely know that they are more fortunate than most.

    There’s the context that’s often missing from the Hurts debates: how bad so many other teams have it. Watch the Cam Wards, the J.J. McCarthys, the Tua Tagovailoas, any of a number of other quarterbacks who were drafted higher than Hurts with the hope they would become what he is. There is a lot of bad quarterback play out there. There are a lot of teams that have no hope. The divide between the tier of passers who can and can’t is stark. Even at his worst, Hurts is one of the few.

    There will be no trade, no competition, no readjustment of sights to the Tanner McKee era. That should be obvious to even Hurts’ most ardent of critics. Which brings us back to the original question. What are we arguing about?

  • Philly’s Mo’ne Davis selected 10th overall by Los Angeles in first Women’s Pro Baseball League draft

    Philly’s Mo’ne Davis selected 10th overall by Los Angeles in first Women’s Pro Baseball League draft

    Pitcher and outfielder Kelsie Whitmore is returning to familiar surroundings after being selected by San Francisco with the first pick in the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League draft on Thursday night.

    Mo’ne Davis, meantime, had to wait until the 10th pick before being selected by Los Angeles. The 24-year-old Davis, who’s from Philadelphia, competed at the 2014 Little League World Series at age 13 and became the first girl to win a game and pitch a shutout.

    Whitmore is from San Diego and made her professional debut in the Bay Area with a coed team, the Sonoma Stompers, in 2016. The 27-year-old has won two silver medals representing the United States at the Women’s Baseball World Cup and won gold at the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto.

    Mo’ne Davis will make her return to baseball in a tryout for a women’s pro league launching in 2026: ‘I’m just not done playing at all’

    “You ask a 6-year-old version of me about this opportunity happening right now, she would, one, probably not believe you, but, two, just be so, so, so, so excited for it,” said Whitmore, who in 2022 signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks, becoming the first woman to compete in pro baseball’s Atlantic League. She played for the Savannah Bananas this season.

    Whitmore was among 120 players selected in the six-round draft that also included teams representing New York and Boston.

    Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred opened the draft by congratulating the WPBL for its launch. The league is scheduled to begin play on Aug. 1.

    Each team made five picks per round, with the order of selection determined by a random draw. Teams will cut their 30-player rosters to 15 for the start of the season.

    Mo’ne Davis slides to third base during the first day of tryouts for the Women’s Professional Baseball League on Aug. 25.

    Japan’s Ayami Sato went No. 2 to Los Angeles. The 35-year-old right-hander is a five-time World Cup winner and the only player to earn three tournament MVP honors.

    New York selected U.S. infielder Kylee Lahners with the third pick. Boston chose South Korean catcher Hyeonah Kim at No. 4.

    The startup league had a four-day tryout camp in Washington this summer with more than 600 hopefuls on hand.

    The league is scheduled to play all of its games at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springville, Illinois. Teams will be based there over a seven-week season, split up into a four-week regular season, a week for all-star activities and a two-week playoff.

    The WPBL was co-founded by Justine Siegal, who became the first woman to coach for an MLB team with the Oakland Athletics in 2015. It will be the first pro baseball league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — immortalized in the film “A League of Their Own” — dissolved in 1954.

  • Sixers takeaways: Tyrese Maxey makes history, Paul George brings stability and more from win over Bucks

    Sixers takeaways: Tyrese Maxey makes history, Paul George brings stability and more from win over Bucks

    MILWAUKEE — Tyrese Maxey showed how elite he is when he plays aggressively.

    Paul George is a stabilizing force for the 76ers.

    Justin Edwards will get increased playing time if he continues to play solid defense.

    And the ramifications of the NBA’s condensed, 82-game schedule and increased pace were felt inside Fiserv Forum.

    Those things stood out in the Sixers’ 123-114 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

    Aggressive Maxey

    Maxey showed why he’s a legitimate candidate for MVP, scoring a career-high 54 points on 18-for-30 shooting to go with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. His 54 points tied Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for the ninth-most points scored in a regular-season game in team history. Iverson did it twice, in December 2004 and January 2001.

    Maxey joins Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (March 18, 1968) as the only two players in franchise history to produce at least 50 points and nine assists in a single game.

    “Great. We won. That’s what matters most,” Maxey said of tying Chamberlain.

    But how does he feel about being in that company?

    “Blessed,” Maxey said. “I thank God for it. Anytime you are in a conversation with Wilt, who scored 100 points, you can’t complain.”

    Maxey didn’t have a repeat of Wednesday night when he attempted one fourth-quarter shot attempt — a miss — in a 121-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors. On Wednesday, he passed out of double teams and made what would typically be the correct play in the fourth quarter. In the game, Maxey attempted only 14 shots, which is 9.4 shots below his average of 23.4.

    However, the Sixers aren’t good enough for him to serve as a decoy or a secondary player at this moment.

    Sixers’ Joel Embiid will miss his sixth straight game with knee injury

    Against the Bucks, with the Sixers down 85-82 with 10 minutes, 10 seconds remaining, Maxey came up with three clutch plays in a short span.

    He drained a 20-foot jumper to pull the Sixers within one point. After grabbing the defensive rebound on the ensuing possession, Maxey drained a three-pointer to put the Sixers up, 87-85, with 9:26 to play.

    He scored 22 in the fourth quarter and overtime session on 6-for-9 shooting. He made four clutch foul shots in overtime.

    The Sixers need Maxey to remain aggressive throughout games to win.

    Coach Nick Nurse said after Wednesday’s loss that Maxey needed to shoot the ball more.

    “It was a different game last night,” Maxey said of Wednesday. “I definitely was not as aggressive as I should have been. I got hit in the head, and I also got hit in the quad. So it was a little tough for me. Kind of like pop up and get the ball and be extremely aggressive, as I probably need to be. And we were making some shots. I made some plays and got guys open. So I was trying to feel the game out.

    “But [Nurse is] definitely right. I got to be aggressive. Joel [Embiid] definitely got on me as soon as I got in the locker room. He pulled out the stat sheet, showed me the 14 shots, and said, ‘This ain’t going to cut it.’ And Joel is normally right.”

    The Sixers’ Paul George played a major role on both sides of the ball.

    George’s presence

    George’s presence has been noticeable in the two games he’s played in this season. The 35-year-old, who made his season debut on Monday, provided early offense and made a defensive impact in Monday’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers and in Thursday’s win against the Bucks.

    He finished with 21 points, five rebounds, and two steals while playing 24 minutes, 42 seconds against Milwaukee. This comes after George had nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks vs. the Clippers.

    George had an excellent start for the second consecutive game.

    After scoring the game’s first five points in Monday’s debut, he scored the Sixers’ first 11 points while making his first four shots.

    How good is Tyrese Maxey? He’s now in a class with Sixers great Allen Iverson and other NBA elites.

    He scored the game’s first basket by driving through the lane and muscling his way to a basket. Then he added three-pointers on the Sixers’ next three possessions.

    “That was kind of the mindset,” George said of attacking Thursday’s game from the start after sitting out Wednesday’s loss. “I know these guys played last night.. So I’m fresh. I tried to come in, get the boost, just morale on both ends. I tried to impose my will on the defense, and then come out with a burst offensively.”

    The Sixers’ following points came when he assisted on an alley-oop dunk by VJ Edgecombe to make the Sixers’ lead 13-4 with 7:11 left in the quarter. George came out with 6:16 left in the quarter before returning at the start of the second.

    While he missed his lone shot and committed a turnover, George made a pair of foul shots and had an assist to go with a steal in his short stint.

    George did a solid job running the Sixers’ offense in the half-court and provided solid defense. One of his highlights was stealing the ball on Kyle Kuzma’s layup attempt at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter.

    “Listen, whatever it is, to make the game easy for No. 0,” George said of running the offense. “I’ve been saying he’s been doing a lot for us. He might not want to say it, but I know he’s tired. He’s got to be tired. So, you know, I’m just trying to make the game easy for him within the offense, play my game.

    “But also, you know, I do feel like I can see plays ahead and kind of see where guys should be and balancing the floor and just trying to give us the best possibility of getting a good shot each possession.”

    If there was a negative to his performance, it was that he appeared to run out of gas. He missed five of his next six shots after starting the game 4-for-4. He even missed a third-quarter layup.

    Edwards’ defense

    With Kelly Oubre Jr. out (sprained left knee), Edwards made his second consecutive start at small forward. There was no drop-off defensively with him in the lineup. While Maxey and George provided the offensive scoring, the former Imhotep Charter standout provided stiff defense. Edwards finished with a season-high two steals, both coming in the opening quarter. The most he had in a game before Thursday was one. And he did that three times in his first 12 games.

    “I take pride in it,” Edwards said of his defense. “You know that’s what the coaches expect from me every game. So, you know, I go out there and try to guard everybody’s best ballhandler and put them to the test, honestly.”

    While he struggled shooting (seven points, 3-for-10 shooting), Edwards kept making the right plays on the offensive end. On one occasion, he drove the lane and wrapped a pass around a defender and into the arms of Andre Drummond, who scored an easy layup. Edwards had three assists and four rebounds.

    But Edwards made two huge baskets in overtime. He opened the extra session with a three-pointer to give the Sixers a 109-106 advantage. Then, with 2:23 left, his 14-foot pull-up jumper gave them a five-point cushion.

    He mentioned what the three-pointer meant to him after struggling from the field most of the game.

    “It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “But it does bother me. I ain’t even going to lie. I was about to try to do my media-training stuff, but it does bother me. I just got to have short-term memory, because I feel like I’ve made a lot of growth. Last year, maybe college, I probably would not have shot that. I probably would have driven it. But that just shows the confidence in myself. I put the work in. I shot that shot a million times.”

    Sixers forward Justin Edwards was one of the players charged with guarding breakout star Ryan Rollins.

    Battered teams

    The Sixers were without Embiid (right knee injury management), Oubre, and Adem Bona (sprained right ankle). Maxey (right quadriceps contusion) was cleared to play right before the game.

    Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (left adductor strain) could be out for up to two weeks. The Bucks were also missing Taurean Prince (neck surgery) and Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee meniscus surgery).

    But long injury lists aren’t isolated only to the Sixers and Bucks. Injuries have been up around the league this season.

    Sacramento Kings standout center Domantas Sabonis (partially torn meniscus in left knee) will miss three to four weeks. Los Angeles Clippers guard Bradley Beal (fractured hip) is expected to have season-ending surgery. And the Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis, Portland Trail Blazers’ Jrue Holiday, San Antonio Spurs’ Dylan Harper, and Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and Ty Jerome are out with calf strains.

    Full speed ahead? Young and fast guards give Sixers a chance to leave last season in the dust.

    So why the leaguewide uptick in injuries?

    “Anybody can speculate about what they think it is, right?” Nurse said. “I think nutrition plays a big part of it. I think that the preseason plays a part of it, too. I think we are not getting a lot of gamelike reps [in the preseason], and then all of a sudden we’re going 100 miles an hour [in the regular season.]

    “And like I said … on our way over here, this is our third road back-to-back, and it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet. The games early in the season have been coming out of the chute. It’s a heavy, heavy load.”

    It was the Sixers’ fourth back-to-back overall through their 17 games. And the Sixers have been dealing with injuries all season, as George (left knee injury management), Jared McCain (right thumb surgery), and Trendon Watford (hamstring) have also missed time.

    Embiid has missed the last six games. Thursday was the fifth straight game he missed due to his right knee.

  • Tyrese Maxey scores career-high 54 points as Sixers outlast Bucks 123-114 in overtime

    Tyrese Maxey scores career-high 54 points as Sixers outlast Bucks 123-114 in overtime

    MILWAUKEE — Tyrese Maxey scored a career-high 54 points and tied the game by hitting two free throws with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter of the 76ers’ 123-114 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.

    Maxey’s previous career high was a 52-point performance in a 133-126, double-overtime victory over San Antonio on April 7, 2024. He also had nine assists and played over 46½ minutes.

    Maxey, who entered Thursday averaging a league-high 40.3 minutes, had played 39 minutes one night earlier in a 121-112 home loss to the Toronto Raptors.

    Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins scored 32 points to match a career high and also had a career-best 14 assists. The Bucks have lost four of their last five games.

    Neither team had its former league MVP available.

    Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, the MVP in 2019 and 2020, got hurt Monday at Cleveland and is expected to miss about two weeks. The Bucks labeled it a left groin strain Monday but have since specified that it’s a left adductor strain.

    Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, who won the award in 2023, missed a sixth straight game due to an issue with his right knee.

    Sixers head coach Nick Nurse watches his team during the first half of their win against the Bucks.

    The Sixers (9-6) scored the first five points in overtime on a three-pointer from Justin Edwards — who scored just two points in regulation — and a basket from Maxey.

    Milwaukee (8-8) got the margin down to 113-112 on a driving layup from Rollins with 1 minute, 43 seconds remaining, but Quentin Grimes hit a three-pointer 20 seconds later and Philadelphia stayed ahead by at least two the rest of the way.

    Milwaukee trailed 94-87 midway through the fourth quarter but rallied to take the lead on Myles Turner’s three-pointer with 14.8 seconds remaining.

    The Sixers tied the game with seven seconds left when Maxey drove into the lane, drew a foul, and hit his free throws. Rollins missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

    Paul George added 21 points for Philadelphia. Bobby Portis had 19 and Kyle Kuzma 17 for Milwaukee.

    The Sixers return home Sunday to host the Miami Heat (1 p.m., NBCSP) at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

  • A.J. Brown thinks the Eagles are ‘close’ on offense, laughs off talk about his declining skills

    A.J. Brown thinks the Eagles are ‘close’ on offense, laughs off talk about his declining skills

    There is a thought process out there in the ether that A.J. Brown at 28 is not the same player he was just last year or the season prior, when he had 106 catches and 1,456 yards.

    What would he say to those who believe that?

    “I guess Saquon ain’t the same player either then,” Brown responded Thursday with a laugh. “All right. But I don’t got no comment about that. I don’t care about that.”

    The Eagles’ star receiver has made it clear in recent weeks — and recent seasons — what he cares about. He wants to win, and the Eagles have done a lot of winning, but he wants to be a bigger part of the victories.

    He’s on pace to come up shy of his 2024 numbers in both catches and yards, and he played just 13 games last season.

    Eagles vs. Cowboys in Week 12: Here are the numbers that matter

    After the latest chapter in his saga with the Eagles last week, when he aired his frustrations playfully on a live stream, Brown saw 11 targets Sunday night against Detroit, his most action of 2025.

    He caught seven passes for 49 yards. He has been held under 50 yards six times this season. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined, he had just seven such games.

    The 8-2 Eagles have continued to find ways to win even as their offense has sputtered. Getting the passing game back on track should be a little bit easier Sunday in Dallas against a team that is one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

    But the Cowboys have improved, and they play a lot of zone coverage — the seventh-highest zone rate in the NFL — which has given the Eagles fits.

    “It’s something we’re continuing to work at each and every day, trying to be on the same page and be where we need to be at the right time,” Brown said Thursday when asked if the Eagles were closer to finding answers against the zone.

    Brown attempts to catch the football against Detroit Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin last Sunday.

    Could more crossing routes, which Brown is running fewer of this season, be an answer to zone? And why isn’t he running more of them?

    “Yes, I think so,” Brown said. “I think it’s really a time and spacing thing. I think the second half of that question is a question” for offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

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    Overall, as an offense, Brown said the Eagles were “close” to finding their footing.

    “I think we are,” he said. “I think that’s the mindset to have. I think it’s really just cleaning up those mistakes. It’s not about being close; it’s really just finishing drives.”

    The latest drama surrounding the Eagles emerged when the Athletic reported over the weekend that “multiple offensive players have grown frustrated with Jalen Hurts’ approach this season.”

    Asked about that report Thursday, Brown replied: “Ask me about Dallas. Thank you.”

    Brown catches a pass short of the first down on Sunday against the Lions.

    Brown was later asked if he watches what other receivers are doing. Dallas’ passing game has flourished, and George Pickens is second in the NFL with 908 yards. CeeDee Lamb has played in just seven games to Brown’s nine, but Lamb has 557 yards to Brown’s 457.

    Brown said he doesn’t pay attention.

    Why?

    “It gets me upset,” he said. “So I stay away from it.”

    It was clarified to him that the question was more from a skill set perspective, as in what makes Lamb, for example, so good?

    “No, the only person I’m really watching is Julio Jones,” Brown said.

    Brown has long talked about Jones being his favorite receiver, and the two played together in Tennessee and with the Eagles. The two still talk often, Brown said, though he declined to share what those conversations have been about recently.

    You can probably guess.

  • The Union’s Danley Jean Jacques celebrates helping Haiti reach its first men’s World Cup since 1974

    The Union’s Danley Jean Jacques celebrates helping Haiti reach its first men’s World Cup since 1974

    In soccer as in life, sometimes more than one thing happens at once. Right now, the Union have so many things happening that your head could end up on a swivel.

    There’s the ongoing investigation into sporting director Ernst Tanner’s alleged misconduct, for which there were no new updates by the close of business Thursday.

    There’s the rest of the team’s preparations to resume the playoffs on Sunday vs. New York City FC at Subaru Park (7:55 p.m., FS1, Fox Deportes, Apple TV) after three weeks without a game.

    There’s the fact that next year’s schedule was announced Thursday with three rounds of this year’s playoffs still to go. (Early schedule releases are good, but this one took almost everyone by surprise.)

    And on top of all of that, there are the epic swings of emotions that two of the Union’s stalwart players experienced while playing for their national teams.

    Andre Blake’s Jamaica came up painfully short of qualifying for next year’s World Cup, with ties at Trinidad and home vs. Curaçao. The first made the second game a must-win, but the Reggae Boyz could only manage a scoreless tie while hitting the post three times.

    Those results sentenced Jamaica to March’s inter-continental playoffs in Mexico that will clinch two of the six remaining World Cup tickets. Blake and company will play Oceania runner-up New Caledonia, and the winner will play Africa’s Democratic Republic of the Congo for a Cup berth.

    Andre Blake stars again for the Union while keeping hurricane-hit Jamaica in mind

    At the same time, Danley Jean Jacques’ Haiti reached the world game’s biggest stage for the first time since 1974. Despite not being able to play a true home game for years because of domestic unrest, Les Grenadiers beat Costa Rica 1-0 and Nicaragua 2-0. When tradition-rich Costa Rica and Honduras played a scoreless tie on Tuesday, Les Grenadiers clinched first place in their group.

    Even better, Tuesday was Haiti’s national holiday, celebrating its centuries of independence from France.

    “I’m very proud to have qualified my country for a World Cup,” Jean Jacques said at Thursday’s Union practice, speaking in his native French. “It feels good, and I think it makes all Haitian people in general feel good.”

    Unfortunately, the 25-year-old midfielder was suspended from the finale because of yellow card accumulation, so watched from the stands of Haiti’s neutral-ground “home” in Curaçao. But he was able to take part in the celebrations.

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    “It was a bit stressful, because I wanted to play, I wanted to give everything for my country,” Jean Jacques said. “But I was confident in my teammates. I knew they would do the rest of the work. I had done the most I could, and I was very confident that my teammates would get it done.”

    Because Haiti’s game finished before Costa Rica-Honduras, the team didn’t know at its final whistle whether it had qualified. So they all waited on the field, following the other game on mobile phones. TV cameras were still rolling and captured the joy when the news came across.

    “Representing Haiti means many things,” Jean Jacques said. “You have to give your heart. Every time I represent Haiti, I try to give my maximum, I try to give everything for my country. I don’t want to come up short for my country — I try to give my maximum, and I feel very, very good to represent Haiti.”

    Some players documented their celebrations on Instagram, and fans flooded their comments to celebrate. There were also great scenes in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and throughout the Haitian diaspora across North America.

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    “It had been a long time since Haiti qualified for a [men’s] World Cup, and now we’ve done it,” Jean Jacques said. “I think they [at home] are proud, and I hope they will stay behind us and push us and give us strength. They will help us in the future, because I think we have more to give.”

    Coincidentally, Jean Jacques isn’t the only player on Haiti’s team with ties to Philadelphia. Outside back Duke Lacroix, 32, is an Ocean County, N.J., native who played his college soccer at Penn from 2011-14.

    Lacroix has played professionally ever since in the U.S. second-division USL Championship, for a range of teams. At his current home, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, he has many teammates with Union ties, including Matt Real and Anthony Fontana.

    “He told me that he spent some time here, and about the city,” Jean Jacques said of Lacroix. “He said it’s a nice city and I’m in a good club. … I can say he’s a good player who plays strong, is very serious, and works hard.”

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    It’s also a coincidence that Jean Jacques’ closest friend on the Union, Olivier Mbaizo, was the first player to make a World Cup squad while with the club. Jean Jacques could be the second, with lots of people in Chester and beyond hoping Blake ties him on that mark.

    “It means many things for me. I think it would mean many things for the club, too,” Jean Jacques said. “The team deserves this, because it’s a good club, with a good setup. I hope there will be other players, too, who will be able to be part of the World Cup, because it’s a good thing for the club.”

    Danley Jean Jacques (center) in action with the Union during their playoff series against Chicago last month.

    He also took a moment to praise the club’s young Americans who have played in youth World Cups lately: Frankie Westfield at the under-20 level and Cavan Sullivan at the under-17 level.

    “I think they will keep growing,” he said.

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    There’s a long way to go until next summer for Jean Jacques, Haiti, and the Union. But he has allowed himself a moment to dream of what it will be like if he steps onto the field in a World Cup game — perhaps even at Lincoln Financial Field if Haiti is drawn to play here.

    “It has always been a dream to play in a World Cup, to qualify my country, so I’m very happy,” he said. “I’m waiting for the moment when it arrives, and I’ll see how it goes. But no matter what, whether I’m on the field or off it, I’ll support my teammates and give everything for the country.”

    2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs

    All games will be played in March as single-elimination rounds. The inter-continental playoffs will be played in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico, while the European playoffs will be played on home fields.

    Inter-continental playoffs

    Bracket 1: New Caledonia (Oceania) vs. Jamaica (Concacaf); winner plays Democratic Republic of the Congo (Africa)

    Bracket 2: Bolivia (South America) vs. Suriname (Concacaf); winner plays Iraq

    European playoffs

    In all the brackets listed below, the first game’s winner will host the second-round contest.

    Bracket 1: Wales vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy vs. Northern Ireland

    Bracket 2: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania

    Bracket 3: Slovakia vs. Kosovo, Turkey vs. Romania

    Bracket 4: Czech Republic vs. Republic of Ireland, Denmark vs. North Macedonia

  • As Cowboys prepare for ‘dangerous’ Eagles, their newest star is excited to finally face ‘cool’ Tush Push

    As Cowboys prepare for ‘dangerous’ Eagles, their newest star is excited to finally face ‘cool’ Tush Push

    On Sunday, the Eagles will travel to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to face the Dallas Cowboys in a Week 12 rematch of the season opener, which the Birds won, 24-20, at home.

    The Eagles (8-2) enter Sunday’s game as 3.5-point favorites as they try to move a step closer to clinching the NFC East. Meanwhile, the Cowboys (4-5-1) are coming off a 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

    Will the Birds sweep their rival for the second consecutive season? Or will the drama surrounding the Eagles push their on-field performance toward the brink of dysfunction? As both teams prepare, here’s what the Cowboys are saying about the Eagles:

    ‘These guys are dangerous’

    The Eagles’ first-place record didn’t come without obstacles. They’ve struggled to find an identity on offense through 10 games, A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley haven’t been as productive as last season, and drama suddenly is surrounding Jalen Hurts in the locker room.

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    However, that doesn’t give Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer any reason to doubt his opponents heading into their rematch.

    “Jalen is an incredible player,” Schottenheimer told reporters. “I think you can put their two receivers up there, with DeVonta [Smith] and A.J. [Brown], against anybody in the league. They’re very, very talented. So at any moment, they can strike. They’re explosive.

    “Then you mix in the runner — who is arguably the best, if not, one of the best in the league — in Saquon [Barkley]. You got tight ends, and then you got the offensive line. Everybody finds their flow at different times and this is a tough league. At the end of the day, I’m not looking at the film and saying, ‘These guys are struggling.’ I’m looking at this film and saying, ‘Man, these guys are dangerous.’”

    The Eagles ran the Tush Push against the Cowboys in Week 1 but didn’t have to face Quinnen Williams.

    ‘It all gels together’

    As the Cowboys prepare to play three games in 12 days, their first focus is on the Eagles. New Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is prepared to stop the Birds’ signature play, the Tush Push.

    “It’s a cool play that they do on second-and-short, on third-and-short, and fourth-and-short,” Williams, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Jets, told reporters. “I’ve never been against it. … I’m excited to see the game plan. Excited to go against it. Excited to be able to try and stop it.”

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    Williams, a former teammate of Hurts at Alabama, says the Super Bowl MVP is one of the reasons the team has had so much success with the play.

    “I think they got a great technique and a great game plan, like everybody around the boards, to be able to make that play efficient,” Williams said. “You got a quarterback — I played with him at ’Bama, probably one of the strongest quarterbacks in the NFL. So you got a great offensive line that can be efficient in that play. So I think it all gels together.”

    Schottenheimer didn’t give away all his plans on how to stop the play, but he did mention bringing in “reinforcements” for Sunday.

    “They still do a very good job at it,” the first-year head coach said. “But, we’ve got some reinforcements in there and guys that have seen it. It’s a game of leverage, it really is. And I do think that, you know, the league is trying to make sure that it’s a legal play in terms of everyone getting off on the snap. But, they’re still really good at it. We’ll still see it. But we definitely have some reinforcements in there to give you a chance to win the leverage game.”

    NFL officials stand between Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (left) and Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) after Carter spit at Prescott. Carter was ejected.

    ‘[Jalen Carter] is a big difference’

    The Eagles scraped out a narrow win in their first meeting, despite an early exit for Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap. With Carter set to play on Sunday, Schottenheimer understands he’ll have a big impact in their second meeting.

    “It’s a big difference,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s a really good player. He’s packaged in there with some really good players. Jordan Davis is obviously a really good player as well. There’s Jaelan Phillips. It’s a hell of a defense. They’re the best in the league, I think. Again, it’s going to be really, really tough. But we love that challenge, and we think we’re pretty good, too.”

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    Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith agreed that Carter will make a difference once he steps onto the field at AT&T Stadium.

    “I think he’s a great player for them,” Smith told reporters. “I think the tape speaks for itself. Obviously, he’s a talented guy. A lot of the work that’s done for that team is on that D-line. So I think they’re a huge part of what they do there.”

    Cowboys running back Javonte Williams added: “Great player. Yeah, we didn’t play him the first game. But, I mean, no matter who is there, we just got to go out and play our game, execute, and do what we got to do.”

    Eagles cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean celebrate an interception during the season opener against the Cowboys.

    ‘He’s got a chance to be a star’

    Carter wasn’t the only defensive player the Cowboys praised ahead of Sunday’s game. Schottenheimer complimented Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean during his news conference on Wednesday.

    “[Mitchell is a] very good cover corner,” Schottenheimer said. “Physical, patient, he understands that there is a time clock the offense has to work with because they’re good at disrupting and affecting the quarterback.

    “But, I think the coverage skills, you’ve seen the growth. You’ve seen him improve and get better. I think he’s got a chance to be a star in this league and trending that way. And the versatility of Cooper DeJean is what they love about him. … The football instincts are off the charts. He’s got a knack for the ball. … They’ve done a great job with those two guys, for sure.”

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  • The Union’s 2026 MLS schedule is set. Here’s what to know about it.

    The Union’s 2026 MLS schedule is set. Here’s what to know about it.

    MLS usually makes its schedule announcement with lots of fanfare, but this time, it jumped straight in out of almost nowhere.

    The league announced its 2026 calendar on Thursday, confirming news everyone had been waiting for: a World Cup break from May 25-July 16.

    With five MLS stadiums hosting tournament games and many more serving as practice sites, the notion that there would be a lengthy stoppage felt ever-present.

    Now we know the details. May 25 is FIFA’s mandatory reporting date for players in the tournament, and the last league games before then will be on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24. The Union will play on the latter, and it will be a big one: at Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the Herons’ new stadium, currently under construction next to Miami’s airport.

    Inter Miami’s new stadium, Miami Freedom Park, will open next year.

    That will also be one of three Union regular-season games on network television, with a prime-time kickoff on Fox. The others are March 14 at Atlanta United (also on Fox) and Sept. 9 vs. FC Cincinnati on FS1.

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    The Union open the season on the road against D.C. United on Feb. 21, and will play their home opener on March 1 against New York City FC. The latter is one of four home games with afternoon kickoffs, two in March and two in October.

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    The MLS season will resume on the weekend of the World Cup final, with six games across Thursday and Friday between the semifinals and final. The Union won’t be in those games, though, as their campaign won’t resume until July 22 — the Wednesday after the tournament ends — against Red Bull New York (the slightly-rebranded New York Red Bulls) at Subaru Park.

    The Seattle Sounders will visit three days later on July 25, followed by another marquee home game against Atlanta United on Aug. 1.

    Cristian Roldan (right) might visit the Union with the Seattle Sounders soon after playing in the World Cup for the United States, if he makes the team.

    Messi’s visit here, at least in theory, is set for Aug. 19, a Wednesday. The Argentine superstar might also play close to town on March 7 when D.C. United hosts Miami at M&T Bank Stadium, the home of the Baltimore Ravens. That game is a 4:30 p.m. kickoff, and enterprising fans could catch it before the Union host the San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30 p.m. that night in Chester.

    The Union’s marquee road trip of the season is the team’s first matchup with San Diego FC, out west on Sept. 13. Though it will take place after the school year resumes, many fans will likely circle it.

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    They might also circle Aug. 16, when the Union visit New York City FC. Along with being a rivalry clash, it will be the last time the Union play at Yankee Stadium before the Pigeons open their own home in Queens (next door to the Mets’ Citi Field) in 2027.

    The worst game of the year weather-wise is likely the Aug. 22 visit to Austin FC, a scorching time of year in Texas. Toward the opposite end of the weather spectrum, the Union visit CF Montréal for the Canadian club’s home opener on April 11, when it will still be fairly chilly up north.

    Next year will bring the Union’s last game at Yankee Stadium before New York City opens its new stadium in Queens in 2027.

    The regular season concludes with the usual Decision Day of simultaneous kickoffs on Nov. 7, with the Union hosting Toronto. MLS will then pause for a week for November’s FIFA window (Nov. 9-17), then at long last get an uninterrupted run for its playoffs.

    Though the league said its postseason schedule will be announced later, it seems the final will be later in December than its recent home on the first weekend of the month.

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    The Leagues Cup will also be played at some point next year, and the Union are expected to be in it. That schedule will be set later.

    Also, 2026 will be the last year when MLS runs a summer-centric calendar. The league will flip to a winter-centric one in 2027, running a short season in the first half of that year before starting the new full calendar in July.

    Union fans will have to get used to watching more games in cold weather after next year.

    2026 Union schedule

    All games will be broadcast on Apple TV. MLS Season Pass is no longer, with the league’s games now included in the same package with baseball, Formula 1, and scripted shows like Ted Lasso and Severance.

    Union season ticket holders, and season ticket holders of all MLS teams, will be able to get Apple TV free of charge as part of their 2026 packages.

    MLS will move to a winter-centric schedule in 2027

    Saturday, Feb. 21: at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.

    Sunday, March 1: vs. New York City FC, 4:30 p.m.

    Saturday, March 7: vs. San Jose Earthquakes , 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, March 14: at Atlanta United, 3 p.m. (also on Fox29 and Fox Deportes)

    Saturday, March 21: vs. Chicago Fire, 4:30 p.m.

    Saturday, April 4: at Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, April 11: at CF Montréal, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, April 18: vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, April 22: at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, April 25: at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m

    Saturday, May 2: vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, May 9: at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.

    Wednesday May 13: at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, May 16: vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.

    Sunday, May 24: at Inter Miami, 7 p.m. (also on Fox29 and Fox Deportes; last game before the World Cup break)

    Wednesday, July 22: vs. Red Bull New York, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, July 25: vs. Seattle Sounders, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Aug. 1: vs. Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m.

    Sunday, Aug. 16: at New York City FC, 6:30 p.m. (at Yankee Stadium)

    Wednesday, Aug. 19: vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Aug. 22: at Austin FC, 8:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Aug. 29: at Red Bull New York, 7:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Sept. 5: vs. CF Montréal, 7:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, Sept. 9: vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. (also on FS1 and Fox Deportes)

    Sunday, Sept. 13: at San Diego FC, 9 p.m.

    Saturday, Sept. 19: at Sporting Kansas City

    Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Orlando City SC

    Saturday, Oct. 10: vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, Oct. 14: at Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Oct. 17: vs. Charlotte FC, 2:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, Oct. 28: at Nashville SC, 8:30 p.m.

    Saturday, Oct. 31: at FC Cincinnati, time TBD

    Saturday, Nov. 7: vs. Toronto FC, 4 p.m.

  • Hockey Fights Cancer night hits home for many connected to the Flyers: ‘They’ve battled much harder than any of us’

    Hockey Fights Cancer night hits home for many connected to the Flyers: ‘They’ve battled much harder than any of us’

    About two weeks ago, Jason Myrtetus received a phone call from the Flyers.

    The team was figuring out its plans for the annual Hockey Fights Cancer night and wanted to know if the Flyers broadcaster and host of the “Flyers Daily” podcast would be interested in dropping the ceremonial puck.

    “I said, ‘Let me think about it. Yes,’” said Myrtetus without much pause. “So, yeah, my reaction was pretty humbling.

    “As somebody who grew up here, and the love of the game and the love of the team, and what it’s meant in my life, and to be asked to do that is a huge honor. I think of my dad when I hear that, if he were still here, what would his reaction be?” added Myrtetus, whose father died of lung cancer in 2016.

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    “My dad had season tickets at the Spectrum in Section R, Row 7, back in the day, and what would his reaction be to me dropping the ceremonial puck? All the early morning car rides to rinks all over the Northeast, going to games with me, that hits you a little bit.”

    The call from the Flyers came around the same time the 53-year-old Myrtetus, who grew up in West Chester, learned his recent scans and tests showed no evidence of the Stage 3 colorectal cancer he was diagnosed with just before Christmas 2024.

    Working with Penn Medicine and his oncologist, Dr. Daniel Altman, Heather Levinsky, CRNP; and his surgeon, Dr. Erica Pettke, Myrtetus underwent an aggressive treatment plan that included eight chemotherapy infusions over 16 weeks, followed by 28 oral chemo and radiation treatments. The members of his care team will drop the puck alongside him before the Flyers host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

    Founded in 1998 by the NHL and the NHLPA, Hockey Fights Cancer has raised more than $44 million since its inception and more than $12 million in the past two seasons.

    Before the game, Layton Kovol will read the starting lineup. The 15-year-old goalie was the top fundraiser in Pennsylvania for the 2025 October Saves campaign, raising over $6,000 for cancer research. Alongside him will be his mother, Jamie, who has faced a long-term battle with brain cancer.

    “My brother went through a form of cancer, he beat it, so it means a lot,” said coach Rick Tocchet of his brother Dan, when asked what tonight means to him. “You forget about that, right? You’re in the day-to-day [as a] hockey coach, and you forget about what’s really more important in life, and the awareness and all that stuff really kind of clues you in a little bit.”

    Several of the Flyers players worked with local kids who are cancer survivors to design custom equipment for Hockey Fights Cancer night.

    Players will wear lavender jerseys into Xfinity Mobile Arena and sign them for an auction that runs through Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.

    Several Flyers will also wear custom SkateSkins and goalie helmets in warmups. The items were designed by players in partnership with children, ages 8-19, battling cancer. The rest of the team will wear generic Hockey Fights Cancer SkateSkins, which allow them to write who they fight for.

    “It’s honestly just awesome to always meet those kids. They’re always the happiest guys and girls in the room, so, just taking it from their perspective, they always have the best attitudes you’ll ever see, and just enjoying every moment,” said defenseman Jamie Drysdale, one of nine players who worked with the children.

    “I had a blast. I know all the guys had a blast. Some pretty cool skins we made, and one of the kids gave me this bracelet, and I’ve been wearing it since. Really cool experience for us to be a part of it. We’re the lucky ones to be able to design with them, so it was awesome.”

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    The orange bracelet Drysdale sports on his right wrist says “Aiden Strong” and “Leukemia Awareness.” Aiden, 8, was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 5 and rang the bell to finish his treatments in March. He started playing hockey last year and is now a Junior Blue Hen.

    Aiden worked with Dan Vladař, who will start on Thursday, to design the mask the Czech goalie will wear during warmups. Sam Ersson will also wear a mask he created with 11-year-old Brayden, a two-time cancer survivor who plays for Team Philadelphia 12U in West Chester. Langhorne’s Franny Drummond of Paint Zoo Studios, who is the artist behind Vladař’s game mask, brought their designs to life.

    Noah Cates, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Trevor Zegras, Garnet Hathaway, and captain Sean Couturier will each wear the specialty skins they helped create.

    “He did a nice job,” said Couturier of 14-year-old Emile, who was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma and hails from Quebec. “He drew a lot of stuff about the Flyers, hockey, and stuff like that. But I told him to draw something about himself, and he likes nature, likes climbing, fishing. So he put a fishing [rod and reel].”

    Konecny said ideas bounced around on what to put on the skates but 11-year-old Frankie, who was diagnosed at 10 with Ewing sarcoma, “was the one doing it all.” Drysdale is a fan of how the design came out and is looking forward to sporting the skates as all the kids who designed the skins watch warmups from the bench.

    “We’re fortunate that we get to do things like this and be around those kids because they’re troopers. They’re awesome. Their attitudes. Perspective is the biggest thing,” said Drysdale, who worked with 10-year-old Chase.

    “Obviously, they’ve battled much harder than any of us. So, yeah, just puts things in perspective. It’s really cool that we get the opportunity to work with them.”

    Trevor Zegras and Juliette, 19, pose with their designs for Trevor’s Hockey Fights Cancer SkateSkins. Juliette is currently battling brain cancer.