With the Flyers playing the Blues on Thursday night, there’s bound to be plenty of costumes at Wells Fargo Center in addition to Gritty. Some teams have already dressed up in different outfits including four members of the Los Angeles Kings dressing up as members of legendary rap group NWA. But what would each Flyer player dress up as according to how they’ve played thus far this season? Well fear not Flyers faithful, we have all the answers for you below. Enjoy.
Matvei Michkov — Superman
The Mad Russian has been everything Flyers fans could’ve expected and more so far into his young career. Leading the Flyers into the fight more times than you’d expect, Michkov is racking up a healthy amount of points while refusing to back down from anyone. Although he has yet to wear a cape or leap from tall buildings, the 19-year-old rookie has scored, made plays and is an offensive threat every shift.
Fortunately, Kal-El, I mean Matvei, hasn’t done anything to be in the crosshairs of General Zod, that is coach John Tortorella. Hopefully Michkov can end up saving the Flyers and carry a Stanley Cup or two around Broad Street during his tenure here.
Erik Johnson — Yoda
With age comes wisdom, and as the oldest Flyer on the team, Johnson is slow but knows his place. It’s doubtful he’ll be able to teach the younger blueliners like Jamie Drysdale and Emil Andrae the ways of “The Force” in what might be his final season in the NHL. Knowing he will be nearing 1000 games shortly, the blueliner should be a veteran presence and a seventh defenseman the rest of the way. To paraphrase the immortal Star Wars character, retiring soon he will be.
Ivan Fedotov — Tube Man
When Ivan Fedotov made his debut against the Islanders in the second period of a late season game in 2023-24, he was dazzling, holding the Flyers in the game despite being grossly outshot and outplayed. This season he was deemed to be the backup but, with a style of goaltending that isn’t textbook, Fedotov seems to be “flippity floppity” to quote someone in the BSH family.
So what better costume than that of a tube man. If you’re not familiar they’re they large skinny inflatable structures that bob and weave in the wind at car dealerships or other outdoor areas. The spastic-like movements seem to mirror Fedotov’s rarely set frame in goal. Now with Aleksei Kolosov in the mix, he might settle down and keep his job or become even more the epitome of the air dancer.
Egor Zamula — Bob Harris (Lost In Translation)
We’re not sure if Zamula has a passion for Suntory whiskey but the blueliner’s play thus far resembles the 2003 movie starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. As Michkov’s translator between the Mad Russian, Tortorella and the assistant coaches, Zamula’s play deteriorated to where he was a healthy scratch so Emil Andrae could get a kick at the can.
After Tortorella mentioned how Zamula’s play was being affected by his side duties as a translator, we’re hopeful that Zamula’s translation days are behind him. And that he’ll look far less lost then he has. We also predict he ends up with a smile much like Bob Harris (Murray’s character) did at the conclusion of the great flick.
Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee — The Wet Bandits (Home Alone)
In the games where they’re both in the lineup, Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee look like they can’t do anything correctly. So what better characters than The Wet Bandits from Home Alone. This writer thinks Farabee looks more like Marv Murchins (Daniel Stern’s character) which would make Brink more like Harry Lyme (Joe Pesci’s character). In short, everything they’ve done on the ice at times looks like they’ve been hit with BB pellets in their nether regions, fallen down frozen steps or nailed with swinging paint cans.
With three goals combined in 17 games going into the Boston game Tuesday night, and Brink a healthy scratch for a few contests, it appears that everything they are doing until late ended up a disaster. But like the Wet Bandits, they will keep trying to achieve their goal, so at least you have to give them credit for that.
Nic Deslauriers — Mr. Blonde (Reservoir Dogs)
Nic Deslauriers knows his role and his reputation. Although he was a healthy scratch for several games to start 2024-25, Deslauriers’ initial fight against Dylan McIlrath was proof he can still give (and unfortunately take) punishment. He also had that rather crazed look in his eye last season in the fight of the year against Matt Rempe (currently in the American Hockey League developing his, er, skill set).
So who better than Mr. Blonde, the Reservoir Dogs character who took no prisoners….well, there was the one prisoner and a razor blade used but we’ll move along. All I know is that I would not want to be stuck in the middle with Nic Deslauriers as an opponent. And neither would you.
Nick Seeler — Wyatt Earp
Nick Seeler doesn’t do much chirping and rarely gets under the skin of other opponents. But there’s a line in the sand that, if crossed, Seeler will morph into the legendary lawman from the Old West quite quickly. If the entire Sean Couturier and Arber Xhekaj situation on Sunday night was any indication, it was clear Nick Seeler was going to step in and nip such nefarious activities in the bud.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to see Seeler not wearing a C or an A on his Flyers sweater but a sheriff’s badge, ensuring the peace is kept and if not they’ll have him to deal with. And he can handle heavyweights also, as he did fight Deslauriers in 2022 when Deslauriers was with the Minnesota Wild.
Owen Tippett — Sam Wheat (Ghost)
You can sense he’s here. You miss him dearly. Hell you might have even sat at a pottery wheel, making a clay figure of him and getting misty-eyed in the process while desperately hoping he emerges. Owen Tippett remains an enigma trapped in a riddle trapped inside a Flyers uniform. Going into Tuesday night’s game against Boston he was with one lone goal and plenty of shots in the direction of the other goaltender. How many of them missed isn’t up for debate. What is apparent is he’s gotten off to a slow start regarding goals.
Hopefully it’s just a matter of time and he’ll show himself to be the player he demonstrated often last year. That same effort was rewarded by a good chunk of change as part of a lengthy contract. It’s something the Flyers desperately need if they’re to crawl out of the darkness and see the light.
Garnet Hathaway — Dwight Schrute (The Office)
Garnet Hathaway is a pain in the ass to play against. He’s annoying at times, gets under your skin and you just want to throttle him if you’re the opponent. This writer loathed him as a member of the Capitals for much the same reason. But now in the Orange and Black one can see why he’s an asset when not taking foolish minor penalties.
We doubt Hathaway has lit a fire inside the Flyers locker room and then proceeded to block all the exits. But we could see him in the same locker room saying he’s the assistant to the assistant captains constantly. Maybe he spends his summers on a beet farm. Regardless, Hathaway has a way of just being irksome, so The Office‘s Dwight Schrute seems like it would be the perfect persona.
Ryan Poehling — Rasputin
Ryan Poehling has blocked a lot of shots this season, on par with a lot of the blueliners with 16 going into the Boston tilt. He has fallen, he has thrown himself in front of hard, heavy slappers that have knocked him down, had him limping around but never down for the count. You cannot hurt Ryan Poehling enough for him to quit. He just keeps getting back up.
The Russian historical figure Rasputin comes to mind when Poehling’s season is discussed. Nothing he has done has been particularly good this year. But he is going to be there each and every game no matter how much bruising, bumps or bloodletting comes from being a goaltender minus the goalie equipment. He can’t be stopped, much like the notorious Russian.
Rasmus Ristolainen — Big Bird (Sesame Street)
The Flyers defenseman remains a work in progress now 32 years young and deep into his five-year contract with the Flyers (thanks again Mr. Fletcher!). At times in Flyers stint Ristolainen mirrored the Sesame Street character: big but peaceful, not really using his size, rarely getting his feathers ruffled and not exactly speedy. But just like Big Bird there are also assets to Ristolainen: for one he is still big. He also plays well with others. He tries to do the right thing all the time.
If there’s another plus to the idea of Ristolainen trick-or-treating on Halloween dressed as Big Bird, he’d probably have a slower and older partner beside him in Mr. Snuffleupagus (Erik Johnson).
Noah Cates — A Minion (Despicable Me)
God love Noah Cates. He does everything he asked to do, rarely causes a ruckus but you know at any point in the season, unless he turns into a pure goal scorer, he’s replaceable. As praiseworthy as Tortorella was in Cates’ play last season, that leash has gotten a lot shorter this season. So much so he’s been in the lineup just a hair more than he hasn’t.
So Cates would be wise to be go out dressed up as a minion from Despicable Me. Again he’s probably cooked in terms of how much he’s developed. So what you see is what you’re going to get. But as we’ve seen this season, he’s not a lock to be on the roster game in and game out.
Travis Sanheim — Secretariat
If you would’ve told me five years ago Ivan Provorov would be outclassed by Travis Sanheim I would’ve thought you were delusional. Well now we know how this turned out. Sanheim’s a workhorse, showing bursts of speed while eating up a ridiculous amount of ice time on the Flyers’ top pairing. It’s a long shot that Sanheim would win some semblance of a triple crown (not counting Flyers end-of-year honors) but he has been a lot more than anyone might have expected.
The other aspect of dressing up as Secretariat is that he could get near Tortorella and accidentally buck the Flyers coach in the head, recreating the incident a few years back involving a horse that caught Tortorella and left a mark. “That’s for the Calgary scratching!” Sanheim could say with a wink.
Aleksei Kolosov — Valery (The Sopranos)
If you’re familiar with The Sopanos, you might not recognize this character initially. If you’re familiar with the iconic Pine Barrens episode, it all becomes crystal clear. Both Pauly and Michael take a Russian foe named Valery into the Pine Barrens to finish him off. They think they shot him but then he runs away and escapes, leaving the pair literally out in the cold trying to locate him. They think he’s dead, but they’re not sure where he might be.
Which brings us to Aleksei Kolosov. Yes he’s here currently with the Flyers, one of their three goaltenders on the roster. He was in Lehigh Valley to start this year and had a stint last season. But this summer nobody, not even Danny Briere, had any clue where Kolosov could run off to. And it’s still very much the case. He could remain in Philly, he could be sent back or he could simply, like Valery, run off and never be seen or heard from again in terms of the Flyers’ future. Hopefully Briere and Keith Jones aren’t left out in the cold no matter how it may turn out.
Scott Laughton — Walter White (Breaking Bad)
Scott Laughton is a good guy, well liked by his teammates and is well respected in the community for his outreach with various groups, particularly being a strong ally for LGBTQ+. But beneath that gentlemanly exterior is a side that can turn into a mean streak if he’s riled up. He could also end up being a Flyer for life with another contract extension despite a lot of people expecting him to be trade bait. All this may mean he’s going to outlast a lot of his friends and enemies.
It seems like a good bet then that Laughton could knock on doors with his winning smile dressed as Walter White, aka Heisenberg, from Breaking Bad. He has the eyewear for it for starters and he has the quiet, unassuming demeanour to boot. He hasn’t done a lot yet this season, but he’s done enough to stay in the game and out of Tortorella’s doghouse.
Morgan Frost — Hell’s Kitchen Contestant
Morgan Frost could be in Tortorella’s penthouse or outhouse if his play improves or regresses. Thus far he hasn’t done much. Given how scarce centers are in Philadelphia he’s definitely one of the top two the Flyers have. But again there is still a lot more he could be doing to ensure he’s not the target of the coach’s venom. The offensive production needs to improve if he wants to avoid Tortorella’s wrath.
Frost could be perfect dressed up as a Hell’s Kitchen contestant — still on edge and never knowing when the boss (Tortorella) is going to throw a fit. In a lot of ways the coach is just like Gordon Ramsey when tossing raw scallops, undercooked chicken or Beef Wellingtons at his underlings. Tortorella isn’t chewing out Frost like the British food personality does with his cooks (at least not in front of the cameras), but he’s seemingly never far from knocking Frost down a peg or three.
Cam York — Groundskeeper Willie (The Simpsons)
Cam York has arguably been the Flyers best defenseman this season. Given those around it some critics might say that’s not a huge accomplishment. But he’s put in the effort and it’s apparent his absence the next little while (hopefully not a long time) is going to show how vital he is to the team’s success. So it’s safe to say the ginger-haired Flyer would be a great Groundskeeper Willie from The Simpsons.
Like Willie, York goes about his business day in and day out without much fanfare. And like a janitor he often cleans up the mess and mistakes his partners can make during a game. Finally, he’s also part of an elementary school of sorts being young himself and on one of the youngest teams in the league. It’s doubtful he’ll rip off his shirt to show his muscles anytime soon.
Sean Couturier — Kyle Broflovski (South Park)
The leader, the captain and the player a lot of other Flyers look up to is Sean Couturier. If it wasn’t a given before, the whole healthy scratch controversy last year cemented that idea. The longest-serving Flyers player currently (and with a contract that could see him pass Bobby Clarke for all-time games leader) has a certain style that makes others appreciate his efforts, often quietly doing the things at both ends of the ice to be successful. That’s when he’s not assigned shutting down the top lines and top players in the league.
Kyle Broflovski from South Park would be a good choice for Couturier. You can envision the centerman saying, “You know, I learned something today….” after every game or practice with each Flyer waiting on every word of wisdom while Tortorella stews in the coach’s room. Kyle’s outfit is a bit plain and ordinary and seems to match the rather serious but unassuming Couturier who doesn’t draw too much needless or unwanted attention to himself.
Jamie Drysdale — Bambi
Someday we hope Jamie Drysdale will be the Great Prince of the Forest. On that fine day he’ll show the Flyers faithful see Philadelphia won the William trade and that William pales compared to Drysdale’s talent and skating acumen. Until then we have a newcomer who is adjusting to life in a different forest with new friends and being retaught how to be a defenseman.
Sure he might fall on the ice (as he did valiantly blocking a shot against Boston Tuesday night) and look lost and confused, but like Bambi we believe in Drysdale, that he’ll have a happy ending. He will obviously get help from Thumper (Seeler) on his way to becoming a decent to solid top four blueliner.
Sam Ersson — Charlie Brown
You have to feel for Sam Ersson. Coming into this year he was without question the Flyers go-to goaltender after a year that started good but faded down the finish. This season Ersson is hoping to kick that football just like Charlie Brown without having Lucy (Tortorella? Fedotov? Kolosov? Makiniemi?) move it at the last second.
It hasn’t been a sensational start to the year for any Flyers keeper, but with a stellar, steady effort against the Bruins for his first shutout of the year he might have turned the corner. Otherwise there will be a lot of “good griefs” uttered by himself, his coach and those hoping he’s the real deal. Besides, with an AAV of $2.75 million it’s not like he’s playing for peanuts. Thank you, good night.
Emil Andrae — Matvei Michkov
He’s only played a handful of games this season but has a point and looked quite good with the eye test against Boston and even against Montreal. Andrae’s jersey number is similar to Michkov’s from a distance so it would be an easy costume to pull off. Besides he’s only an inch shorter (yes, shorter) than Michkov at 5’9″ so it wouldn’t be a stretch to become the Mad Russian for a little bit. If he does become the equivalent to Michkov on the blueline than all in Flyerland will rejoice and sing his praises.
Tyson Foerster — Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Top Gun)
Tyson Foerster ideally turns into a top gun for the Flyers, equalling his 20-goal total in his rookie season and avoiding a sophomore slump. But so far this year he’s been having a hard time. A goal against Boston on Tuesday night should give him a huge boost of confidence while he begins to find his way to adding to his tallies. He might need to get into the danger zone a bit more however, enabling Foerster to get some dirty, greasy goals in front of the net like Couturier recently done.
As long as Tippett and Konecny are Flyers he will still look to play an important but possibly secondary role in the middle six. Let’s cross our fingers that he doesn’t go cold with a series of stretches (or a huge one) where he’s not scoring. When Foerster is flying, oftentimes so is Philadelphia.
Travis Konecny — Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story)
He’s not big in stature but Konency plays big, chirps big and appears to come up big in some clutch situations. The fact he’s the same player at even strength or on both sides of the special teams spectrum is a testament to being an all-around player and in the conversation for representing Canada at the upcoming Four Nations Cup.
Konecny, like Buzz Lightyear, believes there is nothing he cannot do and, for the most part, that is just the case. We think Konecny could easily be the Toy Story character because he’s quite a character himself. And with a new contract set to start next season we’re hoping he doesn’t end up on the shelf for a long time to come.
