Respondents to an annual Michigan college survey of overused and misused words and phrases say 6-7 is cooked and should come to a massive full-stop heading into the new year.
Those are among the top 10 words on the 50th annual “Banished Words List,” released Thursday by Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The tongue-in-cheek roundup of overused slang started in 1976 as a New Year’s Eve party idea and is affectionately called the list of “Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”
Around 1,400 submissions came from all 50 states and a number of countries outside the U.S., including Uzbekistan, Brazil, and Japan, according to Lake Superior State.
Also in the top 10 are demure, incentivize, perfect, gift/gifted, my bad, and reach out. My bad and reach out also made the list decades ago — in 1998 and 1994, respectively.
“The list definitely represents the fad and vernacular trends of the younger generation,” said David Travis, Lake Superior State University president.
“Social media allows a greater opportunity to misunderstand or misuse words,” Travis said. “We’re using terms that are shared through texting, primarily, or through posting with no body language or tone context. It’s very easy to misunderstand these words.”
Few phrases in 2025 befuddled parents, teachers and others over the age of, say 40, more than 6-7. Dictionary.com even picked it as its 2025 word of the year. Merriam Webster chose slop, and Oxford University Press pickedrage bait.
But what does 6-7 actually mean? It exploded over the summer, especially among Gen Z, and is considered by many to be nonsensical in meaning — an inside joke driven by social media.
“Don’t worry, because we’re all still trying to figure out exactly what it means,” the dictionary’s editors wrote.
Each number can be spoken aloud as “six, seven.” They even can be combined as the number 67; at college basketball games, some fans explode when a team reaches that point total.
The placement of 6-7 at the top of the banished list puts it in good company. In 2019, the centuries-old Latin phrase quid pro quo was the top requested phrase to ban from popular use. In 2017, fake news got the most votes.
Alana Bobbitt, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is unapologetic about using 6-7.
“I find joy in it,” Bobbitt said. “It’s a little bit silly, and even though I don’t understand what it means, it’s fun to use.”
Jalen Brezzell says that a small group of his friends use 6-7 and that it comes up a couple of times each week. But he won’t utter it.
“Never. I don’t really get the joke,” said Brezzell, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. “I don’t see what’s funny about it.”
But banning it, even in jest, might be a bit of a stretch, he said, adding that he does use other words and phrases on the list.
“I’ve always used the word cooked,” Brezzell said. ”I just think it got popular on the internet over this past year. It’s saying, like, ‘give it up, it’s over.’”
Some of the phrases do have longevity, Travis said.
“I don’t think they’ll ever go away, like ‘at the end of the day,’” he said. “I used ‘my bad’ today. I feel comfortable using it. I started using it when I was young. A lot of us older people are still using it.”
Travis said that while some terms on the list “will stick around in perpetuity,” others will be fleeting.
NEW YORK — Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani took his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a mayor of New York City used Islam’s holy text to be sworn in and underscoring a series of historic firsts for the city.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democrat, became mayor in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born person to hold that position.
These milestones — as well as the historical Quran — reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim residents of the nation’s most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, select one of the books.
Most of Mamdani’s predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state, and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.
And while he has focused heavily on the issue of affordability during his campaign, Mamdani was outspoken about his Muslim faith. He frequently appeared at mosques across the five boroughs as he built a base of support that included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters.
This photo provided by the New York Public Library shows the Schomburg Quran.
A look at the three Qurans that Mamdani used
Two Qurans were to be used during the subway ceremony: his grandfather’s Quran and a pocket-sized version that dates to the late 18th or early 19th century. It is part of the collection at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
That copy of the Quran symbolizes the diversity and reach of the city’s Muslims, said Hiba Abid, the library’s curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.
“It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,” Abid said.
For a subsequent swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on the first day of the year, Mamdani used both his grandfather’s and grandmother’s Qurans. The campaign hasn’t offered more details on those heirlooms.
One Quran’s long journey to Mamdani’s hand
The manuscript was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian whose collection documented the global contributions of people of African descent. While it is unclear how Schomburg came into possession of the Quran, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa.
Unlike ornate religious manuscripts associated with royalty or elites, this copy of the Quran is modest in design. It has a deep red binding with a simple floral medallion and is written in black and red ink. The script is plain and readable, suggesting it was created for everyday use rather than ceremonial display.
Those features indicate the manuscript was intended for ordinary readers, Abid said, a quality she described as central to its meaning.
“The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility,” she said.
Because the manuscript is undated and unsigned, scholars relied on its binding and script to estimate when it was produced, placing it sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman period in a region that includes what is now Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
Abid said the manuscript’s journey to New York mirrors Mamdani’s own layered background. Mamdani is a South Asian New Yorker who was born in Uganda, and Duwaji is American-Syrian.
Identity and controversy
The meteoric rise of a Muslim democratic socialist also brought a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric, amplified by national attention on the race.
In an emotional speech days before the election, Mamdani said the hostility had only strengthened his resolve to be visible about his faith.
“I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” he said. “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”
The decision to use a Quran has drawn fresh criticism from some conservatives. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a Republican, wrote on social media, “The enemy is inside the gates,” in response to a news article about Mamdani’s inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil-rights group, has designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past statements.
Such backlash is not new. In 2006, Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota who was the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after he chose to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.
Following the inauguration, the Quran will go on public display at the New York Public Library. Abid said she hopes attention surrounding the ceremony — whether supportive or critical — will prompt more people to explore the library’s collections documenting Islamic life in New York, ranging from early 20th century Armenian and Arabic music recorded in the city to firsthand accounts of Islamophobia after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“This manuscript was meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced,” Abid said. “Today it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it.”
DALLAS — Being relegated to a supportive teammate is tough for Kelly Oubre Jr.
The 76ers small forward was having a great season before spraining the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 14. Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks marked the 20th game he has missed since.
“Just not being able to play basketball,” Oubre said of the most frustrating part of his injury. “Not being able to be with the guys on the court in battle. I’m with them every day, off the court. And I can help and say things that I see.
“But just being in that motion with the guys is everything that I want. And, you know, just kind of losing that groove a little bit.”
The 6-foot-8, 200-pounder is expected to give the Sixers a lift once he returns. Before his injury, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 12 games. In addition to excelling when the ball was moving, he did a solid job of guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
“I think Kelly’s playing arguably his best basketball of his career this year,” coach Nick Nurse said, “so getting that back, the energy, and leadership defensively that he always shows — always plays hard, man. I think that’s definitely needed. He’s got a little bit more size, too.”
Oubre participated in a live four-on-four scrimmage on Wednesday in Texas. That comes after he partook in a live three-on-three scrimmage on Monday in Memphis.
“I’m doing a lot of running,” Oubre said. “But I’m also doing a lot of playing now and individual skill work. But, obviously, getting to that five-on-five and that actual live bump where I’m moving around and constantly guarding full court, that’s the next step for me.
“But other than that, I’m just going off pain management. No pain, you know, but, obviously, I have to get stronger in certain areas and get my wind up again.”
Sixers Kelly Oubre Jr. has averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in his 12 games played this season.
Nurse said Tuesday that the Sixers hoped Oubre would play during this road trip. His only chance to do that would be Saturday, when the Sixers conclude the five-game trip against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But his availability might depend on whether Oubre can get in a five-on-five scrimmage on Friday and how his body responds.
“I’m getting there,” Oubre said of getting closer to returning. “Every day, we have to take advantage of, I’m getting there.”
But how close does Oubre think he is to returning?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just going off what the trainers and the docs say. So for me, I don’t feel any pain, any shortness after workouts, and things like that, which is a good sign. So I take that as a positive and just continue to build from there and get stronger.
“But I’m leaving it to the docs and the trainers.”
When he does return, Oubre doesn’t think he’ll have a problem with reintegrating.
He has yet to play in a game this season with Paul George, who was sidelined for the first 12 games because of left knee injury management. Oubre has only played six games with Joel Embiid.
But Oubre has played with Embiid the past two seasons and with George last season.
“I played with everybody already,” he said. “They know what I bring, and they know how I play. So, it’s just about finding that footing and that rhythm together again. But I don’t think it’s going to be difficult at all. I try to adapt to whatever my situation is on the court. And everybody, we flow off of each other, and I’m just going to be another piece to the puzzle.”
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar’s New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said.
Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the deceased.
The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue, and overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies.
Valais Canton police commander Frédéric Gisler said during a news conference that work is underway to identify the victims and inform their families, adding that the community is “devastated.”
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Canton attorney general, said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire. Experts have not yet been able to go inside the wreckage.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said.
She later said the number of people who were in the bar is “currently totally unknown,” adding that its maximum capacity will be part of the investigation.
“For the time being, we don’t have any suspect,” she added, when asked if anyone had been arrested over the fire. “An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to illuminate the circumstances of this dramatic fire.”
Gisler said the priority until further notice would be identifying the victims, and added that “this work will have to take several days.”
An evening of celebration turns tragic
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the blaze, described “total chaos” inside the bar. One of his friends died and “two or three” were missing, he told The Associated Press.
He said he hadn’t seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers, he said.
Clavier said he felt like he was suffocating and initially hid behind a table, then ran upstairs and tried to use a table to break a Plexiglas window. It fell out of its casing, allowing him to escape.
He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but “I am still alive and it’s just stuff.”
“I’m still in shock,” he added.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.
Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside. The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Officials described how the blaze likely triggered the release of combustible gases that ignited violently and caused what English-speaking firefighters call a flashover or backdraft.
“This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare,” said Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton.
The injured were so numerous that the intensive care unit and operating theater at the regional hospital quickly hit full capacity, Reynard said.
Crans-Montana is less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Sierre, where 28 people, including many children, were killed when a bus from Belgium crashed inside a Swiss tunnel in 2012.
Resort town sits in the heart of the Alps
In a region busy with tourists skiing on the slopes, the authorities have called on the local population to show caution in the coming days to avoid any accidents that could require medical resources that are already overwhelmed.
With high-altitude ski runs rising around 3,000 meters (nearly 9,850 feet) in the heart of the Valais region’s snowy peaks and pine forests, Crans-Montana is one of the top venues on the World Cup circuit. The resort will host the best men’s and women’s downhill racers, including Lindsey Vonn, for their final events before the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. The town’s Crans-sur-Sierre golf club stages the European Masters each August on a picturesque course.
The Swiss blaze on Thursday came 25 years after an inferno in the Dutch fishing town of Volendam on New Year’s Eve, which killed 14 people and injured more than 200 as they celebrated in a cafe.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in office, said many emergency staff had been “confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress.”
“This Thursday must be the time of prayer, unity and dignity,” he said. “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help.”
Weather concerns have snarled Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day plans.
The string band competition has been “suspended until further notice,” the Philadelphia Mummers Parade and Philadelphia String Band Association announced Thursday morning.
High winds, “wind damage during unloading and setup and safety concerns” prompted the call, officials said in a statement.
“In the spirit of celebrating New Year’s Day and this important milestone for our city and nation, the String Bands will all still march in full costume and makeup and perform for TV, internet, and live audiences on Broad Street and City Hall,” the statement said. “They will march without props. Times and order will remain the same. Safety of performers is of utmost importance when making this decision.”
This year marks the 125th anniversary of the iconic parade.
Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association, at the Mummers headquarters hotel Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, after the string band competition was suspended because of high winds that destroyed props and caused injuries to club members during morning setup.
Sam Regalbuto, president of the String Band Association, said that the clubs were caught off-guard by “the squalls that came through, the wind changes that happened without us knowing.”
Several club members were sent to hospitals with minor injuries sustained during attempted setup this morning, Regalbuto said. All have been treated and released.
“We’ve lost sets, we’ve lost props that we’ve worked 365 days to put together to bring you the best possible string band spectacular that we do every year,” he said. “It was very hard for all of us, as a unit, to make this decision.”
The call came after String Band Association delegates voted on whether to postpone, Regalbuto said.
Ultimately, “we just think, safety, safety, safety, first,” he said.
It was important to clubs to still put on a show for those fans who are crowding Philadelphia streets expecting to see Mummers, said Regalbuto. Though there will be no props, the string bands will “still come in full costume, full makeup, and entertain you, the viewers, at home, and our fans here on the parade route. So please, if you’re thinking of not coming, we’re here. We are performing for you, and we will give you the best show that we can possibly give you.”
An early morning snow squall left a dusting in LOVE Park before the start of the Mummers Parade near City Hall Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Philly’s iconic New Year’s Day celebration.
A 5 a.m. shocker
Nick Guzzo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, said snow squalls and wind “did not come out of nowhere.”
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a warning for snow squalls between 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday.
“Snow squalls can produce intense bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds, resulting in rapidly reduced visibility and poor road conditions, making travel difficult and potentially dangerous. Extra care should be taken as a result with any travel early on New Year’s Day,” officials wrote on Wednesday.
Regalbuto said the string bands were closely monitoring hourly weather updates and city messages overnight, but were expecting lesser winds, and gusts, not the sustained wind blasts that ultimately came “shooting from City Hall, straight up Market, and straight up JFK.”
Because the string bands are essentially “a mobile Broadway show,” with heavy, elaborate pieces that require significant work to install, that setup began in the predawn hours, at about 5 a.m., Regalbuto said.
It became apparent quickly that a Thursday string band competition would be dangerous.
Winds “destroyed multiple sets for different organizations,” he said. “We did everything precaution wise — sandbags, and all of that. But as they were trying to assemble, things were just being ripped out of our hands.”
It was then that Regalbuto convened his delegation. The vote was clear.
“We knew that there was already an unfair advantage, because some clubs had already lost their sets,” he said.
Weather reports called for gusts of up to 30 miles per hour well into the afternoon.
“We just had to batten down the hatches,” Regalbuto said.
A rescheduled competition, Regalbuto said, will be held “very soon” at a to-be-determined venue once logistics and financials are worked out. Planning meetings will begin Friday.
A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed an overnight report that the Union are preparing to transfer longtime defender Kai Wagner to English Championship side Birmingham City.
News of the deal was first reported by soccer reporter Jose R. Nunez via X, late Wednesday. The Inquirer learned that while both parties are ironing out the terms of the deal, the transaction could be announced before the week’s end, ending Wagner’s seven-year run in Philadelphia.
While the terms of the deal have not been announced, Sky Sports reported a transfer fee of €2.3 million for Wagner, or roughly $2.7 million. Upon completion, Wagner will join a Birmingham City side that’s currently 16th in the EFL Championship standings and winless in its last five games.
NFL great Tom Brady became a minority owner of the club in 2023 and has since been on a publicized push to return it to the top of the EFL Championship standings and even compete for promotion to the English Premier League.
Kai Wagner (27), who is said to be heading to English side Birmingham City, appeared in 251 games in all competitions for the Union.
Wagner, 28, coming off an All-Star season with the Union, is considered one of the best defenders in Major League Soccer. He has made 204 league appearances and 251 in all competitions since the Union acquired his rights from German side FC Schalke on Feb. 6, 2019.
During that span, Wagner is credited with eight goals and 58 assists (11 assists in 2025). In addition to being a staunch defender, Wagner was effective in attack, delivering pinpoint crosses into the penalty area. Over his years in Philadelphia, Wagner was the subject of several trade rumors within and outside MLS, with the latest before the Birmingham news suggesting that current MLS champion Inter Miami could’ve been his next stop.
Wagner is set to be the club’s latest in a trio of blockbuster trades this offseason. Last month, the team traded forward Tai Baribo to D.C. United. Baribo, named an MLS All-Star, was the team’s top scorer in 2025 and was sent for a reported $4 million transfer fee.
Additionally, the Union parted ways with longtime defender Jakob Glesnes, now with the Los Angeles Galaxy, for a reported $2.2 million in allocation money. Glesnes ended the 2025 campaign on MLS’s Best XI.
Wagner (left) stands will fellow 2025 MLS All-Stars Tai Baribo (center) and Jakob Glesnes in July. The latter two left the Union this offseason, with Wagner said to be up next.
Wagner’s playmaking ability was undeniable during his time on the Chester waterfront. Concerns about his character, however, arose after he was suspended in 2023 for violating MLS’s on-field discrimination policy, following allegations that he used a racist slur toward former New England forward and U.S. men’s national team forward Bobby Wood.
The incident resulted in Wagner being hit with a three-game suspension during the heart of the MLS playoffs and needing to undergo the league’s restorative practices program established in 2024. That suspension would have run into the start of the 2024 season, but MLS confirmed that Wagner had completed the required training and lifted his ban.
The Union will kick off their 2026 preseason campaign on Jan. 17 in Marbella, Spain. The season will begin in the Concacaf Champions Cup with a game against Trinidadian side Defence Force on Feb. 18 in Port of Spain, followed by a return leg at Subaru Park on Feb. 26.
The club’s MLS opener will be on the road against D.C. United on Feb. 21 (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).
Villanova capped 2025 with a 71-66 comeback win over DePaul on New Year’s Eve at Finneran Pavilion.
Villanova (11-2, 2-0 Big East) trailed DePaul (8-6, 0-3) by as many as 10 points in the second half but rallied for its fourth straight win. It was the Wildcats’ first victory of the season after trailing at halftime.
“I mean, I thought we did a good job battling and still playing hard while not playing well,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said. “And when you have a young team, sometimes it could be a little frustrating when you’re not playing well offensively, it kind of affects your defense. I thought we hung in there as close as we could while not playing overly well offensively.”
The Wildcats were limited to 27.3% from the field in the first half.
Redshirt sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay continued his sharpshooting, scoring a team-high-tying 19 points that included back-to-back three-pointers in a second-half scoring run to help complete Villanova’s comeback.
Lindsay is averaging a team-leading 16.8 points, which is second in the Big East. He also is shooting a conference-best 44.8% from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Tyler Perkins also scored 19 points, his fifth game of the season in double digits and second in the last three games.
DePaul, which entered the game ranked 187th offensively by KenPom.com, shot 46.2% from the field to help itself to a halftime lead.
Leaning on defense
At the beginning of the season, Willard didn’t like how Villanova was executing defensively. He thought there was “nothing” good with it when asked about it in November. However, in the win over DePaul, the defense allowed Villanova to stay close.
“I think we have had a really good pick-and-roll defense,” Willard said. “I think sometimes coming back after Christmas break, you’re just not as sharp. And you got to give Chris [Holtmann] and [DePaul’s] staff credit. They just kept running the same play, and it was just a matter of we had to take that away and just make sure they were not getting too many easy layups. So we switched into a zone and just had the guards take the pick and rolls and scramble.”
Villanova is now ranked higher defensively (35th) than offensively (40th) on KenPom.
Willard was happy with how the team played physically and defensively despite not playing well on offense.
In their previous game, a 64-56 win over Seton Hall on Dec. 23, the Wildcats held the Pirates to their lowest-scoring output of the season.
Second-half magic
After trailing at the five-minute mark of the first half, Villanova found itself down by 10 points midway through the second half. It was DePaul’s largest lead of the game.
Then, graduate guard Devin Askew knocked down a pair of free throws to cut DePaul’s lead to eight points. Villanova regained possession, and Lindsay sank three-pointers on consecutive possessions to cap an 8-0 scoring run.
Just over three minutes later, Perkins knocked down two three-pointers, the second of which tied the game at 56. Villanova’s scoring run reached 21-8 with under five minutes left to play.
Free-throw struggles
Villanova, which led the nation in free-throw shooting in three of the previous four seasons, struggled at the line against DePaul, hitting just 21 of 31 (67.7%). This season, the Wildcats are shooting just 68.8% from the line, which is 269th out of 365 Division I teams.
“No, I mean, [Matt Hodge, 6-for-9 from the line] just had a tough night,” Willard said. “I think in the first half we still had Christmas cookies in our stomach, it seemed like. Duke [Brennan, 3-for-7] is going to be Duke. We’re working with Duke every day, and Duke’s working hard on it. Duke’s the only one that we’re really working with [on free throws]. Everybody else, they’re good shooters. It’s just sometimes you eat too many Christmas cookies, your free throws go to [expletive].”
Up next
Villanova travels to Indianapolis to face Butler (10-4, 1-2) on Saturday (noon, TNT/truTV). Butler is coming off an 89-85 loss at Creighton on Tuesday. Villanova leads the all-time series, 19-7, and has won the last three meetings.
CALGARY, Alberta ― And with that, 2025 comes to an end.
The Flyers wrapped up the calendar year with a 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on the second night of a back-to-back. It moved them to a 20-12-7 record this season and a 36-34-13 record since Jan. 1.
Here are seven things we’ve learned this year about the Flyers.
Trevor Zegras is still good
It’s time to put the last two years for Trevor Zegras fully in the rear-view mirror.
In 39 games with the Flyers, the 24-year-old New York native is not only putting up big numbers (15 goals, 24 assists), but he’s also controlling play, showing off the flash and creativity that made him a star — we all saw that between-the-legs pass attempt to Travis Sanheim on the rush and him playing the puck off the boards to himself before setting up Christian Dvorak in Tuesday night’s win — and bringing a big personality to the locker room.
He is on pace to demolish his career high of 65 points and is just eight goals shy of tying his career high, with 43 games to go.
As recently stated, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and, clearly, neither was the Flyers’ power play. Although it’s not last in the NHL anymore — progress! — entering Wednesday, it was ranked 25th with 17 goals in 105 opportunities (16.2%).
And it’s cost the Flyers games, like Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Kraken, where they faced the league’s worst penalty kill and couldn’t score despite three man advantages.
There have been several iterations, with the newest tweak moving Christian Dvorak to the net front with the unit led by Zegras getting an 18-second audition on Tuesday before Jamie Drysdale was called for interference.
On Wednesday against the Flames, that unit had the majority of the time across two power plays. They had six shot attempts on the first man advantage, with Cam York swapping with Drysdale at one point.
In the final advantage, which saw Drysdale go out with the other unit, York moved to the unit with Zegras, Travis Konecny, Dvorak, and Denver Barkey. They had four shot attempts, with the other unit, which started the power play, getting two, including Drysdale hitting the crossbar.
Overall, the movement has been good, but they can’t find the back of the net.
Flyers center Denver Barkey has played in just five games but he’s shown he belongs in the NHL.
Denver Barkey is an NHLer
In the first period against the Canucks on Tuesday, Denver Barkey lost his stick in the Flyers’ end. Did that stop the 5-foot-9 rookie, who was skating in his fifth NHL game? Not at all. There he was, throwing his body around and making plays to stop the pressure from Vancouver.
Called up to the big club to provide a boost to the top nine, Barkey has shown he has the skill and the smarts to stay. He’s come close to scoring his first NHL tally and already has two assists — each coming in his debut at Madison Square Garden.
Across six games with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett, Natural Stat Trick has the Flyers with 60.16% of the shot attempts and 69.39% of the scoring chances when they’re out there.
“Barks is an energy guy. He’s really helped,” Tocchet said. “I think he’s helped Tipp a lot. I think Tipp, our last couple of games, has been one of our best forwards, and I think that Barkey’s really helped.”
Added Couturier: “I like his game. I like the way he thinks; he’s a smart player, offensively and defensively. He does a lot of the little plays that create time and space for us, me, and Tipp. Yeah, he’s got a good vision out there.”
Barkey is just one of several players, like Alex Bump and defenseman Ty Murchison, who made his NHL debut in December, too, waiting in the wings.
Porter Martone’s ascent in the World Juniors and at Michigan State has the Flyers excited about his future in Philadelphia.
The Flyers’ prospect pool has gotten deep
Danny Brière hasn’t been on the Western Canada swing. Instead, the Flyers general manager has been in Minnesota watching not just the next draft class but six of the organization’s prospects playing at the 2026 World Juniors.
While a half-dozen is a solid number, it says more about the prospect pool that three are wearing letters with two — Jack Berglund for Sweden and Porter Martone for Canada — sporting the “C.” Heikki Ruohnen is an alternate captain for Finland.
Martone, who was selected this past June, has created a lot of buzz as he stars for Michigan State. His addition, along with players like Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, Bump, Jack Nesbitt, and Yegor Zavragin, has pushed the Flyers’ prospect pool up the rankings. Elite Prospects and The Athletic each rank the Flyers at No. 7.
“It’s pretty good,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr recently told The Inquirer when asked about the prospect pool. “Obviously, we had a lot of picks last year. We’ve had some guys emerging from previous drafts that have played well and are trending in the right direction. So, yeah, overall, pretty excited.”
When the Flyers signed Dan Vladař on July 1, a lot of people scratched their heads. They’re not scratching anymore. Vladař, who came to get a chance as a No. 1, has brought his A game to the Flyers.
Among goalies who have played at least 18 games, he’s tied for seventh with a .910 save percentage. Who is he tied with? The upper echelon of NHL goalies like Igor Shesterkin, Spencer Knight, Ilya Sorokin, and Jake Oettinger. His 14 wins in 23 starts rank tied for 11th with Linus Ullmark and his old goalie partner in Calgary, Dustin Wolf.
“I think he worked on his game this summer because he went with a skating coach, and I think he wanted to work on some stuff like the next play, the rebound,” Tocchet said recently. “And I noticed him this year he’s in position for the second rebound. … I think Vladdy’s worked on that, and I think he’s really done a great job when it comes to that second save, being in position and not being out of position.”
Travis Sanheim has arrived
In June 2023, Sanheim was almost sent packing to St. Louis. On Wednesday, he was named to Canada’s 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics squad.
“With the game last night [in Vancouver], we flew to Calgary and got in, I think it was just after 2 o’clock, and then my phone went off just before 8 local time,” Sanheim said via Zoom. “I was up pretty early, not a lot of sleep, and I usually have trouble after games anyway, and I was aware of that potential phone call coming.
“So just the excitement level and receiving that, and it means to represent your country and be a part of something like the Olympics, and I’ll take the sleepless night to take a phone call like that.”
The news comes less than a year after he made his mark on the international stage for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Originally, the American and Canadian media questioned whether he even belonged; then, he was a healthy scratch in the tournament opener. But in the end, he was manning the blue line on the opening shift of overtime in the championship game.
There is no quit in this team
Since 2025 started, the Flyers have trailed 1-0 46 times in 82 games. It is tied for the second-most in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. Their win over the Canucks was also their 19th after trailing 1-0, which ties the Dallas Stars for the most in the calendar year.
And this season, the Flyers have 14 comeback wins, which is also No. 1 in the NHL. They are tied with the Rangers, Nashville Predators, and Detroit Red Wings for the second-most third-period comeback wins (five).
“Yeah, just resilient. We just keep playing,” Konecny said. “We believe in ourselves and trust the process that you’re going to get your opportunities. And you know, sometimes there’s a great way, but if you keep sticking with it, I think over the course of a year, it bounced out.”
Port is one of the most unusual wines on earth, and one uniquely well-suited to the long nights and cold weather of this season. As a fully sweet and fortified red wine, everything about port is riddled with contradictions. But the best approach is not to try to make sense of it — it’s to simply pour yourself a small glass to enjoy with friends and family, whether with cheeses, with desserts, or as a liqueur-like dessert unto itself.
What’s so confounding about port wines? They have always had a reputation as an expensive indulgence of the elite, despite being one of the most affordable fine wines in existence, thanks to their small portion size. Each 750-milliliter bottle contains 10 servings instead of the usual five. Port is also typecast as an after-dinner drink, since it tastes so divine with everything from blue cheeses to crème brûlée to chocolate. Yet it makes a delicious apéritif as well, on the rocks or with a splash of seltzer or tonic.
Port also has a long and strong association with British culture, down to the family names of the major port wineries, like this one from W. & J. Graham’s. However, it is a Portuguese wine through and through. The grapes for port wines may be grown in the rugged and rural mountains of Portugal’s upper Douro Valley, near the Spanish border, but the critical stages of port winemaking always take place in the coastal city of Oporto, over an hour’s drive away.
This example is what’s known as a “reserve” port, in the red ruby style. The Six Grapes brand is among the most world’s most popular and recognizable ports, one that is designed to taste more fresh and youthful than most. Its flavors evoke ripe cherries, plums, and pomegranate, with a concentration and lusciousness of texture that eclipses dry red wines. Its sweetness and booziness is on a par with that of the dark amarena cherry found at the bottom of a good Manhattan, with all the warm fuzzy feelings they bring.
Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port
Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port
Portugal, 20% ABV
PLCB Item # 8173, on sale for $25.99 through Jan. 4 (regularly $26.99)
Also available at: Canal’s in Berlin, N.J. ($21.99; canalsofberlin.com), Wine Warehouse in Clementon, Voorhees, and Sicklerville, N.J. ($22.99; winewarehousenj.com), and Canal’s Liquors in Pennsauken, N.J. ($24.99; canalsliquors.com)
Seeing the Mummers’ New Year’s Day parade became something of a running joke to Avril Davidge and her family.
You see, they live in Wales and Davidge is now a 93-year-old grandmother who rarely leaves her flat. She didn’t have a passport, nor had she been on a plane in 30 years. She’d never been to the United Statesand she jokes she could die tomorrow.
But after going down a YouTube rabbit hole and becoming what can only be described as obsessed with the tradition two years ago, she would often say things like “when we go to Philadelphia” or “when I see my Mummers.”
“It’s done a lot for me,” Davidge said. She had her granddaughter set her Mummers YouTube videos on autoplay since she can’t figure out the search function.“Even having breakfast, I put it on. It starts the day right for me.”
While the Mummers Parade can draw drastically divergent opinions at home, where some see it as a beloved multigenerational tradition and others paint it as an excuse for people to get drunk on Two Street, Davidge sees it as a connection to her late husband. She doesn’t know anyone in Wales who has even heard of Mummery, but deep in her heart, she knows it’s something her husband of 70 years would have loved. He died two years ago and she discovered her first Mummers video weeks later.
Quaker City String Band Captain Jimmy Good pushes the wheelchair of “Queen Mumm” Avril Davidge doing a Mummers strut. Davidge is a 93 year old Welsh grandma who came to the United States for the first time to see the Mummers.
Eventually, her family decided to give Davidge the trip of a lifetime to witness the 10,000-person spectacle that has ushered in the new year for Philadelphians for 125 years.Davidge will be among the many spectators watching the Mummers Parade take Broad Street on Thursday.
Using the power of social media and propelled by her family, Davidge landed Tuesday at Philadelphia International Airport, greeted by a Rocky statue — another bit of culture she loves. On Wednesday she was surprised with a trip to the Mummers Museum in South Philadelphia, where she delighted in a private tour: Yes, they’re real ostrich feathers on the costumes, and one of the more elaborate costumes can weigh 150 pounds.
Then she met Jimmy Good, captain of the Quaker City String Band, and a personal favorite of Davidge’s. Her family said Davidge often quiets them down with a “my Jimmy is on.”
“I’ll never forget this,” she told Good, complimenting what she called his beautiful smile and showing him her golden shoes, a nod to dem golden slippers. “Never.”
The two even strutted in the museum, Good pushing Davidge in her wheelchair as she lifted a gifted satin umbrella.
It was a scene Davidge’s family could hardly believe was playing out. Just a few weeks ago, they thought Davidge was at death’s door.
Divine intervention brings the Mummers to Wales
When Davidge’s husband died, she was “feeling low,” as she calls it.
Then the YouTube algorithm, programmed by her granddaughter to show her United Kingdom marching bands, showed her a clip of the Quaker City String Band performing “Make Believe,” a song Davidge and her husband loved. Her family felt it was almost a form of divine intervention.
Something about the string bands, the costumes, the performances offered a comfort Davidge needed. Soon, the Mummers were all she was watching and she quickly developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the longtime Philadelphian tradition.
The 1999 Quaker City String Band theme of “Reflections of Old Moscow” is a legendary performance, Davidge said, and then-captain Bob Shannon Jr. remains her all-time favorite.
She was in awe as she learned Shannon stood at 6-foot-10; the old YouTube clips are grainy and don’t do the performances justice.
Connecting Philly and Wales through social media
Davidge’s love for the Mummers has been contagious, family members say, not that they’ve had much of a choice.
Last year, Fiona Smillie-Hedges, Davidge’s granddaughter, asked a friend, American expat Wendy Ratcliffe, if she had heard of the Mummers.
Ratcliffe, whose maternal side of the family is scattered around Southeastern Pennsylvania, was floored.
“I said, vast swaths of the country would have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.
When Ratcliffe’s family visited her, they brought a Mummers mug and other Philly merch for the grandmother they had heard so much about. The mug is not for use and remains propped in front of Davidge’s television.
Last Christmas, Davidge even got a Mummers book, which she calls her bible.
By 2025, the joke of going to Philly felt more like an inevitability. Smillie-Hedges, 38, tried to figure out how to maximize the experience and took to TikTok and Instagram to get some advice. She needed to know how people kept warm, how to get a good view of the string bands, and where to stay.
Soon she was in touch with Jim Donio, host of the String Band Sessions podcast, a longtime Mummer who led the broadcasts from 1985 to 1987.
Donio arranged for the museum tour and asked Good to set some time aside to meet Davidge.
“I need[ed] to step in here and do what I can to make this dream happen and make this dream come true,” Donio said.
But as Donio — who calls Davidge “Queen Mumm” — worked stateside, Davidge caught some sort of virus a few weeks ago, which at her age can be deadly.
Davidge said she thought she wouldn’t make it.
But Smillie-Hedges said the family used the Philadelphia trip to motivate her into eating and staying positive.
“She’s worked very hard to be here, to be well enough,” Smillie-Hedges said. “Every time I was like, you must eat this, you must drink that. Come on, Rocky training for Philly.”
On Wednesday, Davidge was all smiles. Her hotel overlooks Broad Street should she get cold and need to duck in for warmth. Unbeknownst to her, Donio also arranged for a golf cart to get her, Ratcliffe, Smillie-Hedges, and Davidge’s daughter Kay Hedges to their VIP seats by the judges’ table.
The whole trip feels implausible to the family, yet the only natural outcome.
“[Davidge] didn’t find the Mummers until it was literally a couple of weeks after my granddad had passed,” Smillie-Hedges said. “I swear it was meant to be.”
