Flyers' First Win of the Season Comes with a Gift: Coach Gives Game Puck to Radio Voice Battling Cancer
Philadelphia is a city in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (a consolidated city-county). The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 at home at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday, Oct. 17, for their first win of the season. But the night's most moving moment came afterward, when head coach Rick Tocchet gave the game puck to Jason Myrtetus, the team's radio broadcaster.
Myrtetus is battling stage-four cancer. Diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024, he learned this summer that the disease had spread to his lungs and liver, and doctors gave him a prognosis of 6 to 24 months. On the morning of the game, at Tocchet's invitation, Myrtetus addressed the whole team before the game. At the postgame news conference, Tocchet said: "First off, this game puck goes to Jason. His talk today was tremendous." In the locker room, players also presented Myrtetus with a pair of "Rocky" boxing gloves as the team cheered for him.
Tocchet said Myrtetus's talk gave the team a different perspective on the game: "What he's going through, we can't imagine." The win spared the Flyers an opening losing streak and gave the evening a deeper meaning.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：费城飞人队在主场的比赛画面（资料图）。照片：Nfeld／Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。The Philadelphia Flyers in action at home (file photo). Photo: Nfeld / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
