Philadelphia Flyers Winter/Spring 25 Under 25: No. 1

Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom was diagnosed back in December with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. In the months since then Lindblom has been fighting the disease, and the Flyers and really the entire NHL has come together to show their support for him.

When we first began this exercise, our staff came to agree on a couple of things. One, it does none of us any good — nor would it be in the slightest enjoyable — to try and guess how Lindblom’s fight with cancer will affect his hockey-playing career and how the obvious uncertainties he faces stack up against those of, say, whether Travis Sanheim or Phil Myers will grow into a top-pair defenseman. And two, we wanted to show our support for Oskar in his fight, even in ways as little as this.

Enjoy.

1. Oskar Lindblom

Primary Team/League: Philadelphia, NHL
2019-20 Stats: 11 G, 7 A in 30 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 7
Age: 23

Mike (ranked him #1): I have no idea what to say here other than how much we all love and support Oskar in his fight. Since the day he was diagnosed the Flyers have rallied around him on their way to an improbably successful season. Not lost in that is Oskar’s smile, one that lights up any room he steps in, and no doubt has lifted team spirits on numerous occasions as they played on without their talented Swedish winger. Shirts supporting him have been worn by players all over the league, from strangers to bitter rivals and everyone in between. The season is paused, but Oskar’s fight continues and we’re all pulling for him as he kicks cancer’s ass. #OskarStrong

Kurt (ranked him #1): I mean ... it’s just heartbreaking. We could talk about how Oskar Lindblom was on a 30-goal pace when the game was taken away from him. Or how he was maybe the second- or third-best forward on the team in the first month or two of the season as most of the rest of the team was finding its way. Or how the dude is just always in the right place at the right time when he’s out there. There’s so much you could say about the kind of promising young hockey player Oskar Lindblom is.

And yet there’s so much more that you can say about the kind of person he is, because it’s clear how much this team, this organization, this city, and this entire league have rallied around his fight. Every time he showed up in the building ever since his diagnosis, it was obvious how happy his presence made all of the guys in the room. This season has been for Oskar Lindblom, and he is the heart of this Flyers team we’ve come to love. We are rooting for you as hard as we’ve rooted for anyone or anything before, Oskar.

Ryan G. (ranked him #1): Oskar Strong. Two words sum up so much. It’s been a heartbreaking few months for Oskar, Flyers fans, and hockey fans everywhere.

Lindblom had a very bright start to the season as one of the best young forwards on the Flyers, if not in the entire league. But it’s been his even brighter smile through an incredibly tough situation that has caused the hockey world to rally around him. It’s amazing to see him fight through something like this, and it’s showing that as good of a hockey player that he is, he is an even better and stronger person. He’ll battle through anything, and we’ll battle right alongside him.

Kyle (ranked him #1): When the news hit back in December, I don’t think any of us knew what to do. The entire fanbase was in a state of shock, and not a lot of us were quite sure how to react. As Kurt mentioned, there’s the hockey element where it really sucks that a valuable member of the team is out for the season, and then the human being element where you don’t even want to think about hockey and just the well-being of the person.

The support from all NHL teams and players has been amazing to see and there’s no doubt it’s helped Oskar’s spirits along the way. We’re all with you, Oskar, kick cancer’s ass. #OskarStrong

Kelly (ranked him #1): Everything about this sucks. It sucks as a fan of this hockey team. It sucks as an empathetic human being. And it sucks for Oskar. But every glimpse we get of him during his fight shows someone who is in high spirits, who is strong, and who is going to beat this thing.

Steph (ranked him #1): Our sweetest sunshine boy. I hate this whole thing, all of it. Finally free from the clutches of Dave Hakstol, Oskar was FLYING. He was able to show us that what he was able to do and he was used as an example of late draft picks having success in the NHL. And then the worst possible thing to happen to a person happened to this man. And he’s fighting with his signature smile. The way Alain Vigneault speaks about Oskar is the way I speak about Oskar, and I think that speaks so highly for his character. Kick cancer’s ass, Oskar. Stay home and stay safe and stay smiling. We’re all on your side.

Previously in Flyers Winter/Spring 2020 25 Under 25:

• Intro / 25 to 23: Twarynski, O’Brien, Bunnaman
• 22 to 20: Ersson, Vorobyev, Kase
• 19 to 17: Cates, Laczynski, Allison
• 16 to 14: Friedman, Ratcliffe, Brink
• Intermission Report
• 13 to 11: Zamula, Rubtsov, York
• 10 to 8: Aube-Kubel, Patrick, Frost
• 7 to 5: Myers, Farabee, Sanheim
• 4 to 2: Konecny, Provorov, Hart