Raudabaugh among select group of fans welcoming a return

PHILADELPHIA » It had been almost a year since the Flyers played in front of fans at Wells Fargo Center due to coronavirus restrictions.

Longtime season ticket holder Tim Raudabaugh of Ridley Township attended the game. The man is such a diehard Flyers fan he took his day-old bride Kathy to a game at the old Spectrum, followed by a nightcap at the adjacent Ovations club, where on a good night you would be lucky to run into as many Flyers icons past and present as he did.

Flyers games just bring out the best in Raudabaugh, who along with 3,099 other fans, attended the grand reopening of Wells Fargo Center to watch the Flyboys take on the Washington Capitals Sunday. The Caps prevailed, 3-1.

Television didn’t offer Raudabaugh what he has missed more than anything but his wife in this age of COVID – being part of it.

“This is our first real time out since the coronavirus,” Raudabaugh said on the way to getting back in his seats. “This is really all we did before the coronavirus. It’s good to be back.”

Just then, an usher walked by and greeted Raudabaugh and his wife with a “Welcome back.” They knew each other from game days. It was like a family reunion that Raudabaugh hoped would include some of the season ticket holders who sat around him before the NHL shut down and shut out fans.

“Just to be able to see all the guards and the people you used to see all the time, we’re all friends,” Raudabaugh said. “It’s going to be good to get together again. I’m yapping the whole game at home just like I do here. But this is the place I wanted to be. My seats are right behind the bench. I just had to be here.”

In another area of Wells Fargo Cen

MEDIANEWS GROUP PHOTO The Flyers welcomed a limited number of fans back to Wells Fargo Center Sunday, the first time spectators were allowed in the arena in almost a year due to state, city and league coronavirus restrictions.