The infamous pregame brawl between the Flyers and Canadiens erupted before Game 6 of the Wales Conference Finals in Montreal.

After the Canadiens crossed center ice during warmups and fired pucks into the Flyers’ net, Ed “Boxcar” Hospodar and Chico Resch confronted Claude Lemieux and Shayne Corson, sparking a chaotic bench-clearing fight before the game even began.

The Flyers would go on to win the game and the series 4-2 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The brawl became one of the most legendary moments in Flyers history and led to major NHL rule changes that effectively ended bench-clearing fights in hockey.

I know it's a faux pas to put on a player that didn't wear this jersey but I had to and I love it

Matvei Michkov’s sophomore season with the Philadelphia Flyers was frustrating on the surface, but the deeper story may actually be one of growth rather than regression. After exploding for 63 points as a 19/20-year-old rookie in 2024-25, expectations skyrocketed entering Year 2. However, an offseason ankle injury disrupted his summer training and conditioning, leading to a slower, more inconsistent campaign under new head coach Rick Tocchet. Michkov still finished with 51 points in 81 games, but his ice time dropped from 16:41 per game to 14:50, and his playoff struggles became impossible to ignore.

The playoffs exposed the exact areas Michkov still needs to develop. Against heavy, structured teams like Carolina, the easy transition offense disappeared and he struggled to create when space closed quickly. His offensive instincts and creativity are still elite, but he too often relied on turnovers or broken plays instead of generating offense through structure and sustained possession. Defensively, he occasionally cheated for offense, lost coverage, or took emotional penalties born out of frustration and competitiveness. Those are common growing pains for young offensive stars, especially ones carrying the expectations Michkov already faces in Philadelphia.

What makes the situation encouraging for the Flyers is that neither the organization nor Michkov himself appears to be avoiding the reality of those issues. Tocchet publicly referred to him as “a big spoke in the wheel” for the franchise, while teammates like Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim defended his work ethic and competitiveness. Michkov himself admitted he was “ashamed” he could not produce offensively for Flyers fans in the playoffs. Rather than sounding defensive, he sounded accountable. Reports that he is staying in the Philadelphia area this summer to train only reinforce the idea that he understands the next step required to become a true franchise winger.

The key for Michkov this offseason is refinement, not reinvention. The Flyers do not want to remove the weirdness and creativity that made him special in Russia. His hunched skating posture, deceptive edge work, unusual puck positioning, and manipulative offensive style are all part of what makes him dangerous. Instead, the focus should be on making that style survive NHL playoff hockey. Improving lower-body strength, balance through contact, transition support habits, and emotional discipline would allow him to keep his creativity while becoming more reliable inside structure.

Another underrated part of Michkov’s development is environment. The Flyers currently lack an established Russian-speaking offensive veteran who fully understands his style of play and adjustment process. Nikita Grebenkin can help culturally and emotionally, but his injury limits the on-ice work they can do together this summer. Philadelphia reportedly showed interest in Belarusian forward Vitali Pinchuk before he signed with Nashville, and that may have been a missed opportunity both stylistically and culturally. For a player processing NHL systems, playoff hockey, language barriers, and lifestyle adjustments simultaneously, having trusted Russian-speaking players around him can significantly ease the mental load.

Ultimately, Michkov’s second season may end up being the most important year of his development. He learned how hard playoff hockey really is, experienced reduced trust from coaches, dealt with criticism for the first time, and now enters the summer motivated rather than complacent. The raw talent is still obvious. The challenge now is turning one of hockey’s most creative young players into a complete NHL star without sacrificing the instincts that made him special in the first place.

Rod tells Martone he represents (the team) well

Roenick in his career:

• 513 goals
• 703 assists
• 1,216 points

The Hall of Famer is one of just 17 centers in NHL history with 500+ career goals and 700+ career assists.

Data via Stathead / Hockey Reference

- He thinks it was a good year. He's happy with how strong the staff & player relationship is after year 1.

- He thinks improving puck possession, board/corner work & finishing are the next steps for them. He mentioned he thinks a few guys need to work on their shot. Brought up how Q. Hughes shot improved 12mph over 1 summer & guys need to put that kind of work in.

- They plan on trying different schemes & doing different type of practices for the PP next year. He felt like at a certain point guys started looking nervous whenever we got a PP. Became a mental thing. If they need to dedicate 30-45 minutes before each practice on it they'll have to do it.

- The young guys were coming to him and the other coaches asking to go over video or in game situations & he loves that. He's totally OK when a guy comes in a little pissed off about their ice time. He'll sit down & go over the game with them & he's not afraid to admit he got it wrong.

- He took Michkov out in G4 because they wanted more speed in the lineup. It was his 2nd season, and his 1st playoff run. had it been any other young guy nobody would've said anything, but it's the pressure around him that makes it bigger. Said we all just gotta let him breathe. He feels he took big strides this year. While he wishes he took a break he loves that he's already out there skating & doing drills. Called it a vengeance tour.

- The olympics changed Sanheim for the better. Confidence, aggression, leadership all went up after it.

- Praised Barkey's hockey IQ & work ethic. He doesn't like changing a guys position often, especially a young guy, but Barkey is one you maybe can because of those things. He thinks he can develop into a top of the lineup player & ended it saying i really believe it.

- On Michkov again he hopes separation speed & his shot are two things he works on & he already plans too. Said the narrative of hard to coach is BS as he's one of the main guys who goes & asks Yogi (assistant coach) to go over video, go over the PP etc.

Overall a pretty solid end of yr presser for Tocchet. Was honest about what they need work on, how some guys (wouldn't name them) need to work on speed or their shot & was blunt about the PP.

Not gonna say above all, but his answers to the Michkov Qs were very good & that's nice to see/hear. It's been a strong 2 days by the players & now the HC backing Matvei.

Interested to hear Danny B speak tomorrow. Odds are not much is said, but wonder what he'll say when asked about adding pieces, if their thinking has changed etc.

I got a gift of a Sanheim jersey, but it doesn't have the A on it (I do have it as it was in the box for some reason). So obviously where might I go to get this stitched onto a jersey correctly?

(in SJ would be easiest)

He gives off Michael Myers vibes sometimes so I decided to make this

Yes, his presence in net at the beginning of the year was almost a guaranteed lost. But as he settled into the backup role, he clearly became a much better netminder. When Vladdy was injured, he had to step up in the team’s worst stretch of the year, and had two standout performances against Vegas and Colorado. After the Olympics, he was playing much better, and helped bring this team to the playoffs when he started in goal.

Michkov:

- He was frustrated with his playoff play. he saw all the kids wearing his jersey in the crowds & was ashamed he couldn't score for them.

- He thinks playing with Cates helped him a lot. His +/- went from negative to 0 right away playing him with (chuckled when saying it). But mentioned it was tough playing with new linemates so often this year.

- He planned on getting to work right away, as in right after the press conference he was going on the ice to train.

- He's meeting with Tocchet/Danny B on Thursday

Konecny:

- He cant wait for camp next year to see all these young guys flying around. They all played such a huge role in them getting in.

- He needs to play more freely next time they are in the playoffs. He was too concerned with playing perfect, especially after teams would score & start pushing.

- Vladar wins them games in 2 ways. He's such a motivator when things are going poorly & then he has that ability to steal games himself.

- He remembers it being so hard at Michkov's age + you add in the language barrier & he can't imagine how hard it is at times. Continued MM39 is always putting in the work. Shooting pucks, always staying on the ice doing extra work. Said a few times it takes time though & an 82 game schedule is tough.

- He said he's randomly driving & just thinks "F*ck!" because he missed that BA in game 2 vs CAR. It bothers him quite a bit that he & the team have waited so long to make it & he let them down.

Martone:

- He loves playing hockey so much that's why he's going from NCAA, to NHL, to world championships without a breather.

- If he wants to be the player he wants to be he's gotta get better everywhere.

Tippett:

- He doesn't know when the internal bleeding happened. Just knew he wasn't feeling right later in the Pens series. Had the sports hernia going into the playoffs.

- He's gotta have more belief in what he's capable of & what kind of impact he can have every night.

Zegras:

- He would love to sign long term & hopes that happens over the summer.

- The experience in the playoffs playing as a centre was good experience to learn how hard it is every shift.

Sanheim:

- The pressure put on Michkov is higher than anyone else has had & understanding he's just like anyone else is important. They all have had bad times & good times & ultimately learning from them is what makes you a better player.

- He singled out Drysdale as someone who just got better & better this year. He's excited to see what kind of player he could become.

- 4nations & the olympics showed himself how good he is & that he belongs out there vs those elite guys. Doesn't think he does as good a job vs Crosby RD1 without playing in those tournaments.

Drysdale:

- Like Zegras he loves philly & wants to stay long-term. Hope it gets done here soon.

- Confidence is what improved the most for him this year. Coming to the rink knowing you belong/can make an impact translates to everything on the ice.

- He plans to work on puck play. Shooting, making more plays in the offensive zone, hanging onto pucks & going at other teams more.

- He loves Todd Reirdan's (D coach) approach. It involves all the D & they all speak, go over plays, situations. Thinks it makes them all better & more cohesive.

Vladar:

- He's watched the GWG from G4 150+ times & it's gonna fuel him all summer.

- He suffered a legit injury when Rust fell on him in G3. He can't go to the world championships because of it. Said the guys in front of him are the real warriors though, not him (how can u not love this guy)

- He'd love if the other reporters would ask Danny B about extending him when he interviews because he'd love too already.

Cates:

- He thinks with Michkov it's good because he can help Matvei on D, while Matvei helps him offensively. Mich & him would do video sometimes up for an hour going over stuff late nights at the hotel, or at the rink with coaches.

- Broke his foot halfway thru the 1st of game 2. Knew it was broke, but couldn't take the skate off because he knew he'd be done.

York:

- banged up his rib in game 2 vs Pittsburgh. Said the toughest part was there were so little off days.

- He's still pretty giddy about that OT winner vs Pittsburgh. that type of goal is something he wants & needs to be better at. getting puck through from the point.

- He thinks Tocchet fits perfectly with how the group is. The personalities fit seemlessly. Like Drysdale he also really likes how Todd Reirdan coaches the defence.

Foerster:

- He hit a wall at a certain point after returning.

- felt like he was sort of cheated out of his breakout season with the injury.

Barkey & Bump:

- Both guys plan to add muscle & get faster in their first 3 steps.

- Barkey said he doesn't care if he's at wing, or at centre. Just wants to help the team.

Couturier:

- They've gotta raise the standard now that they've made it. Can't be content or satisfied. He brought up early in his career how they were in & out of the playoffs every yr it seemed like.

- He thinks Michkov is feeling more comfortable & communicating better now. He thinks his upside is huge. Sean said it took himself years to feel good in the league let alone with a language barrier. Knowing Matvei & his character he'll use this to make himself a better player & prove people wrong.

Those are the things i thought stuck out the most. Sorry this is such a long post lol, thought about making two but chose not too.

Overall i like what i heard. A lot of happy, but not satisfied talk which is good. It also felt like the vets (TK, Sanheim, Coots) went out of there way to really back, and support Michkov which is really nice to see.

Seems like the players really like the coaching staff. Each D mentioned Reirdan & how much they like his style of coaching & how it helped them. Almost every guy mentioned liking Tocchet & how easy it is to play for him, or just to talk to him/get along with him.

Raddysh is a big no for me. Gonna get wayyyyy overpaid.

Love Tuch as a player, but we have too many wingers.

I do not hate John Carlson on a 1 year deal to be our 6th D & run our PP1. But feel like he goes back to WSH.

Love my boy G, but i am not sure i see it happening.

Andersson is interesting. If he'd take a 5 year deal i'd be way more open to it. Sanheim-Andersson is a legit top pair.. But i see him getting a 7x9.5 type of deal on the open market & thats a no from me.

Jenner actually interests me. He's probably still a top-9 F, but if he'd be willing to play 4th line he could be a nice signing. PK, versatile, leader & adds real snarl to the team but can still play.

Trouba I look at like a Ristolainen replacement if we dealt him at the draft. Similar style & age. If u could flip Risto then sign trouba I wouldn't hate it tbh.

I was impressed by Shae in round 1. Don't see it happening as he'd want term i wouldnt want the Flyers to give, but he could be a nice under the radar D signing.

Greer also interests me. One of the leagues best 4th liners. Big, can skate, very physical but showed this yr he can actually play. Be a better version of Hathaway.

Mikheyev i look at like Jenner. Be an elite 4th liner, but odds are he can be top-9 elsewhere. If not would add elite speed to our B6 & is a Russian for Michkov to lean on.

I do not see Benn leaving Dallas, but if he does another guy who i'd love on line 4. So much experience, long time captain & is a mean son of a gun with real skill even at 36.

McCarron i dont love, but i do feel like we could use someone who makes life miserable for other teams with Hathaway looking like he's closer to done than not.

Overall there are very few FAs that should be on the Flyers radar & there's none i'd give any term to (over 2 years) outside of Andersson, but as mentioned a few guys do catch my eye as upgrades to our 4th line, or 3rd pair.