McCaffery: Lindblom gives inspiration in any crisis
Jake Voracek was gone from the Flyers for exactly one in-house scrimmage, for 24 hours at the most, out Saturday, back Sunday.
“You guys made it sound like I’m dying or something,” the longtime Flyers’ scorer said. “Everything’s fine.”
There was over-reaction to Voracek’s absence, which was not because a virus test was failed, but because one had been inconclusive. Once there was clarity, he was back, a day more rested for the inconvenience. There were headlines hinting at the worst and some chatter that he was too contagious to be trusted around teammates. The alarmists were even moving toward full shut-itall-down mode.
There was also over-reaction because of the way the Flyers and the NHL cover for even the most minor of injuries, playing the upper-body, lower-body game and, this season, being even more secretive.
“If you want to know what happened, ask me,” Voracek said. “I will tell you.”
He wasn’t available to be asked. So there were no answers. And that combination is the NHL’s risk for being so secretive in the first place.
Anyway, the good news for the Flyers was that Voracek was not, as he’d overreacted himself, dying.
As for Wednesday, there was better news: The same thing was never more true about Oskar Lindblom. Just over seven months after leaving the Flyers to deal with a rare and often lifethreatening cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma, Lindblom was awarded a three-year contract for an annual value of $3 million.
That’s a $9 million commitment to a potential AllStar who, not that long ago, had no assurances that he would ever play hockey again.
“Oskar showed tremendous courage and tremendous strength during his battle,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “He was always so selfless. I’m sure it had to be difficult on him physically, psychologically, emotionally, yet he never showed any signs of fear or weakness with his teammates. He was positive. He just took the battle head-on. I’ve never been through that so I can’t imagine what he went through. The way he handled it was unbelievable, very inspirational.”
The Flyers went for $9 million because Lindblom can squeeze a puck into a net, having scored 11 goals before his diagnosis, tied for a team high. There was another value, too: The inspiration he can provide to a team with the skill to hang around for a while in the NHL’s 24-team postseason extravaganza. Even if he doesn’t play another shift this year, and the possibility remains that he might, Lindblom will be a real-time reminder that whatever happens with tests passed, failed or found inconclusive, the Flyers already will have defeated something much worse.
“It was nice to see him,” said Robert Hagg, a fellow Swede, after practice Saturday at the Skate Zone. “I went home there in March and came back three months later. He was in good spirits the whole time. I talked to him on the phone when I was back home in Sweden. To be able to see him when I got back was really good. There were only a couple days left on his chemo treatments. It was fun to be around him during that time when he had his last chemo.
“We had a good time afterwards.”
Through the battle, Lindblom was impressive, never willing to surrender, often determined to remain close to the team. That worked to his benefit. It worked even more for his teammates.
“You had a young man dealing with that type of news,” Fletcher said. “His teammates just rallied around him. In terms of the contract, I think Oskar had proven to us even before his illness that he was a highcharacter, talented player that we wanted to be part of our future. He’s a foundation piece for us. He’s a topsix forward and a very good player.
“Obviously, he has character. If anyone didn’t realize how much character he had, I think the last six, seven months have shown the depth of this toughness, his courage and his character.”
The Flyers, who have had more than a reasonable share of catastrophe in their relatively brief existence, have always had character, too. That family commitment sprouting for decades from Ed Snider, Fletcher and Dave Scott showed that it will continue with the good-faith investment in an organizational pillar just recently having completed chemotherapy.
There is a value to that spirit, one the Flyers should have been rewarded for with more than one Stanley Cup. But they fight the fights they can fight, as Oskar Lindblom fought the fight he would win.
“I am very excited to be a part of the Flyers for the next three seasons,” Lindblom said. “The support that the organization, the fans, and the entire NHL has given me has been quite overwhelming. I can’t wait to get back skating with the boys and being the professional hockey player I know
I can be. I want to thank the Flyers for giving me this opportunity and I look forward to the day I’m back and contributing to the team’s success.”
It didn’t always look bright for the Flyers or for Lindblom since December in this, the strangest hockey season in the modern era. But no one ever gave up, not on the player, not on the sport itself.
The Flyers will move on to Toronto Sunday, remaining in a virtual virus-free bubble until they are either Stanley Cup champions or eliminated from the tournament. Their crisis this week is that Carter Hart skated off the ice Tuesday and was unavailable Wednesday. They are offering no explanations. So if there is resulting speculation, they can blame themselves.
“We’re not allowed to comment,” Alain Vigneault said. “But I would say to you that I’m not concerned.”
There are times when over-concern is appropriate. Because of that, there are times when it’s not.