It’s hard to think about the Flyers without thinking of Oskar Lindblom these past few days. And you probably shouldn’t. As news today that Lindblom joined his teammates at the Wells Fargo Center to say hello. Lindblom is in our thoughts and prayers. As the Flyers took on the Ducks this evening, the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign hit home.
It was in the first television timeout that the tribute to Lindblom had everyone’s eyes watering. Here is just a piece of the Flyers’ tribute to #23:
Lindblom stopped by the Wells Fargo Center during the morning skate to visit with his teammates. He was at the game with his father as well. It was also reported that he was in the dressing room congratulating his teammates after the win. Alain Vigneault spoke of Lindblom:
“You know, it was probably a bigger relief for us to be able to see Oskar and talk to him and he had a great demeanor about him. I just met his dad and he’s a beautiful person also. So I knew it was going to be hard..”
He Continued about Oskar being around:
“We all knew he was here tonight. And one of the things when he went through his teammates this morning, he said to everybody: “Got to win tonight guys, got to win tonight guys”. So, it was for the team. It was Oskar, it was for all the people that are supporting. And like I mentioned this morning that hockey communities a strong one and it’s one that’s united and there’s no doubt that Oskar is a strong individual and one of the good guys in this hockey community.”
The Player Response
Claude Giroux spoke of seeing Lindblom at the WFC: “Yeah, this morning, Oskar was around. Spent time with him. It was the first time we really spent time with him since we heard what was going on. His attitude is unbelievable. It was great to see him again with the guys. We wanted to get this win for him, and every win for the rest of the season will be for him.”
Travis Konecny and Lindblom are very close. According to Vigneault, when you see one the other is close by. TK was back after missing three games due to a concussion. He stated that following when asked about the tribute to Lindblom:
“Yeah, it was touching the tribute they did for him. There was definitely a lot of energy in here tonight for him. It’s tough. He’s a great kid and no one deserves it. It is tough when you know him pretty closely. We just have to support him.”
Carter Hart played one of the best games of the season. He too weighed on on Lindblom:
“It was awesome to see Oskar this morning. We missed him on the road trip. It was good to see him and the positive attitude he had. It kind of uplifted our group. He is something to play for, someone to play for and we are alongside him in this fight and every step of the way.”
It says a lot about a person who is more about others than he is himself. By all accounts, Oskar was more support for his teammates than was there for himself. AV stated previously that with everything going on with him, Lindblom called TK to see if how he was feeling. What a remarkable young man.
It was a wonderful tribute to a beautiful man in Oskar Lindblom. Oskar, not only is Flyers Nation with you but so is the entire hockey world. You will beat this. We are all #OskarStrong.
Mandatory Credit – © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
