A hero in Canada, Halladay had fans in the Flyers, too
VOORHEES, N.J. » Before captivating Phillies fans with his Hall of Fame pitching, the late Roy Halladay had a grip on the baseball fans of Canada.
Claude Giroux qualified as both. That’s what made Tuesday difficult for him and some Flyers teammates, who’d learned that Halladay had died in a plane crash.
“I was a pretty big Blue Jays fan,” the Flyers’ captain was saying Wednesday, after practice at the Skate Zone. “And he did great things for Toronto. Then when he came here and played for the Phillies, he was a great ambassador for the sport.
“I talked to him a couple of times. Not much. But I never heard anybody say a bad thing about him. Whenever it was game day, he was a very focused guy. And he did a lot of good things for baseball.”
Wayne Simmonds had similar feelings.
“I grew up watching him play,” the Ontario native said. “You never heard too much from him. He’d just go out and pitch a nine-inning shutout or something. It was nice getting a chance to watch him pitch all I could. It’s a real tragic loss.”
The Flyers were particularly saddened that Halladay was killed doing what he loved: Flying. It was a hobby he picked up from his father, Harry, who was a pilot.
“Obviously, he got that from his dad,” Simmonds said. “It’s sad, standing here, talking about the loss. He was a 40-year-old man. He had so much more to go.”
Scott Laughton was a Jays fan. His favorite player: Roy Halladay.
“I remember going to a Jays game with my dad, and I kind of talked with him,” Laughton said. “It was really, really tough to see that. You don’t want to see that happen to anyone. I just remember going to Blue Jays games and watching him and guys like Carlos Delgado. He was just the best pitcher. I remember having his jersey when I was growing up. He was unbelievable.”
*** With an invitation from Giroux, Dick Vermeil addressed the Flyers after a Tuesday practice.
“He’s an unbelievably motivating type of figure, and it was enjoyable having him here for a little while,” Dave Hakstol said. “He was real impressive. The amount of energy he has and brings to the table was fun to be a part of.”
Vermeil, 81, coached until he was 65 years old. Does Hakstol have such plans? “Oh,” he said, laughing, “I’m not touching that.”
*** Though the usual formal secrecy is in place, every usual hockey-practice hint Wednesday was that Michal Neuvirth will be in goal for the Flyers at 7 Thursday night when they play the Chicago Blackhawks.
That would be his third consecutive start.
Beats an inconsistent schedule, he figures.
“Obviously, it’s tough,” Neuvirth said. “So I have to treat every practice like a game. That’s what I am doing.”
Neuvirth said he practice Wednesday.
“I have been in this league a long time,” he said, “and I know when I have a good practice and when I don’t.” had a work good