Hockey Fights Cancer night hits home for many connected to the Flyers: 'They've battled much harder than any of us'

PHILADELPHIA — About two weeks ago, Jason Myrtetus received a phone call from the Flyers.

The team was figuring out its plans for the annual Hockey Fights Cancer night and wanted to know if the Flyers broadcaster and host of the “Flyers Daily” podcast would be interested in dropping the ceremonial puck.

“I said, ‘Let me think about it. Yes,’ ” said Myrtetus without much pause. “So, yeah, my reaction was pretty humbling.

“As somebody who grew up here, and the love of the game and the love of the team, and what it’s meant in my life, and to be asked to do that is a huge honor. I think of my dad when I hear that, if he were still here, what would his reaction be?” added Myrtetus, whose father died of lung cancer in 2016.

“My dad had season tickets at the Spectrum in Section R, Row 7, back in the day, and what would his reaction be to me dropping the ceremonial puck. All the early morning car rides to rinks all over the Northeast, going to games with me, that hits you a little bit.”

The call from the Flyers came around the same time the 53-year-old Myrtetus, who grew up in West Chester, learned his recent scans and tests showed no evidence of the Stage 3 colorectal cancer he was diagnosed with just before Christmas 2024.

Working with Penn Medicine and his oncologist, Dr. Daniel Altman, Heather Levinsky, CRNP, and his surgeon, Dr. Erica Pettke, Myrtetus underwent an aggressive treatment plan that included eight chemotherapy infusions over 16 weeks, followed by 28 oral chemo and radiation treatments. The members of his care team will drop the puck alongside him before the Flyers host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

Founded in 1998 by the NHL and the NHLPA, Hockey Fights Cancer has raised more than $44 million since its inception and more than $12 million in the past two seasons.

Before the game, Layton Kovol will read the starting lineup. The 15-year-old goalie was the top fundraiser in Pennsylvania for the 2025 October Saves campaign, raising over $6,000 for cancer research. Alongside him will be his mother, Jamie, who has faced a long-term battle with brain cancer.

“My brother went through a form of cancer, he beat it, so it means a lot,” said coach Rick Tocchet, about his brother Dan, when asked what Thursday means to him. “You forget about that, right? You’re in the day-to-day [as a] hockey coach, and you forget about what’s really more important in life, and the awareness and all that stuff really kind of clues you in a little bit.”

Players will wear lavender jerseys into Xfinity Mobile Arena and will sign them for an auction that runs through Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.

Several of the Flyers will also wear custom SkateSkins and goalie helmets in warmups. The items were designed by players in partnership with children, ages 8-19, battling cancer. The rest of the team will wear generic Hockey Fights Cancer SkateSkins, which allow them to write who they fight for.

“It’s honestly just awesome to always meet those kids. They’re always the happiest guys and girls in the room, so, just taking it from their perspective, they always have the best attitudes you’ll ever see, and just enjoying every moment,” said defenseman Jamie Drysdale, one of nine players who worked with the children.

“I had a blast. I know all the guys had a blast. Some pretty cool skins we made, and one of the kids gave me this bracelet, and I’ve been wearing it since. Really cool experience for us to be a part of it. We’re the lucky ones to be able to design with them, so it was awesome.”

The orange bracelet Drysdale sports on his right wrist says “Aiden Strong” and “Leukemia Awareness.” Aiden, 8, was first diagnosed with leukemia at age 5 and rang the bell to finish his treatments in March. He started playing hockey last year and is now a Junior Blue Hen.

Aiden worked with Dan Vladař, who will start on Thursday, to design the mask the Czech goalie will wear during warmups. Sam Ersson will also wear a mask he created with 11-year-old Brayden, a two-time cancer survivor who plays for Team Philadelphia 12U in West Chester. Langhorne’s Franny Drummond of Paint Zoo Studios, who is the artist behind Vladař’s game mask, brought their designs to life.

Noah Cates, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Trevor Zegras, Garnet Hathaway and captain Sean Couturier will each wear the specialty skins they helped create.

“He did a nice job,” said Couturier of 14-year-old Emile, who was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma and hails from Quebec. “He drew a lot of stuff about the Flyers, hockey, and stuff like that. But I told him to draw something about himself, and he likes nature, likes climbing, fishing. So he put a fishing [rod and reel].”

Konecny said there was a bouncing around of ideas on what to put on the skates but 11-year-old Frankie, who was diagnosed at 10 with Ewing sarcoma, “was the one doing it all.” Drysdale is a fan of how the design came out and is looking forward to sporting the skates as all the kids who designed the skins watch warmups from the bench.

“We’re fortunate that we get to do things like this and be around those kids because they’re troopers. They’re awesome. Their attitudes. Perspective is the biggest thing,” said Drysdale, who worked with 10-year-old Chase.

“Obviously, they’ve battled much harder than any of us. So, yeah, just puts things in perspective. It’s really cool that we get the opportunity to work with them.”