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By now you have heard the news, Mr. Snider, the man that brought the NHL to Philadelphia has lost his battle with cancer. This sad news comes just days after the Flyers clinched a playoff berth with their victory over the Penguins. Before that game, Lauren Hart sang ‘God Bless America’ to a raucous crowd of Flyers faithful. But this was a final, bitter sweet rendition. Lauren broke out her trusty iPhone and FacedTimed someone at Mr. Snider’s home giving him one final performance.

The Flyers visited Mr. Snider at his home in California for New Years while he battled cancer. From that time, the team has been playing some inspired hockey while ascending the standings, ultimately claiming the final wildcard spot. And this is where the story begins.

The Flyers were 2-2 on the season against the President’s trophy winning Washington Capitals with both wins coming by way of overtime victories. They stood toe-to-toe with the best team in the NHL this season and only had one bad loss, a 5-2 beating in November with their second loss in February being a 3-2 game.

The Flyers weren’t really supposed to be in the playoffs this year, but here they are. They are an inspired team in a David vs Goliath, underdog situation. Ask anyone outside of Philly and they aren’t going to give the Flyers a fighting chance in this series, and they could be right. But maybe they are wrong. Maybe, like the Kings before them, this team catches fire at the right time. Maybe, what inspired them to collect 26 wins over the final 46 games and propel them into the playoffs will continue to inspire. Maybe, the loss of their team’s owner, someone who treated his players like family, will only inspire them more and ignite a fire that turns them into one of the most dangerous teams over the next two months.

I’m not sitting here saying “the Flyers are a shoe in to win the cup”. I’m a “homer”, but I’m not blind. What I’m saying is, the Flyers are not the team Washington wanted to see in their first round matchup. A team that lost an owner who was very much a part of the team, and is playing in his honor. I know the odds are stacked against this team in near insurmountable amounts, but.. what if?

What if the Flyers steal a game in Washington between Thursday and Saturday? If this team builds ANY momentum in Washington over the first two games, could they possibly feed off the crowd and take another at home? If the series comes down to the final three games, that’s more than most would expect of this team. But what if the team feeds off the home crowd, feeds off Kate Smith who undoubtedly will be played, and feeds off the pre-game video that the team will without question put together to honor the legacy of Mr. Snider, and takes BOTH home games?

Listen, the odds are long. REALLY long. And by this time you may be thinking you wasted time reading up to this point. But the will and determination of a man with a heavy heart can out-perform talent. The team that wants it more is the team that wins, not the team on paper who SHOULD win. If the Flyers were to come out of a first round matchup against the 1-seed in the East with a victory, are they possibly the most dangerous team in all of the playoffs? A team that no one else wants to play? Could the momentum gained from a first round victory take them to a Stanley Cup showdown with the best the West has to offer?

I’m not saying I expect it and I’m not saying they have a great shot. What I’m saying is they have more of a chance than they are going to be given by anyone else. If they get some momentum, this team could be dangerous. Hell, they weren’t supposed to be here just yet anyway. With all the pressure on Washington to not collapse again, this could be a first round spring board. So with all that said, I’m going to buy into this playoff run before it gets started. Say what you will, but if something magical happens, I want to know that I was all in from the start.

R.I.P Mr. Snider, this one’s for you!

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