Oh, Ilya Bryzgalov, how much do we love you.
Bryzgalov's fear of bears — similar to that of education secretary nominee Betsy DeVos — was one of many quips we so fondly remember of his days donning the orange and black in Philadelphia, because his play on the wasn't great. On Sunday at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game, "Bryz" conquered his fear of bears with photographic evidence on his Twitter.
The former Flyers netminder posed with Boston Bruins mascot "Blades the Bruin" during his time in Los Angeles covering the NHL All-Star Game for The Players' Tribune. Let's take a quick trip in the way-back machine for a quick refresher as to why this is Twitter gold.
Before the Flyers' 2012 playoff series with Pittsburgh began, Bryzgalov proclaimed he did not fear the Penguins and he only feared bears. His reasoning is quite sobering. A while ago, Bryzgalov saw photos of someone he knew being killed by a bear during a hunting trip. Still, Bryzgalov's answer became another soundbite that went viral.
"I’m not afraid of anything," Bryzgalov said. "I’m afraid of bears, but bears in the forest."
As a result, Penguins fans taunted Bryzgalov during Games 1 and 2 in Pittsburgh, dressing up as polar and brown bears. In a series that saw a total of 56 goals in six games between the two teams, it was Bryzgalov's Flyers who advanced, winning the series, 4-2.
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But on Sunday night, Bryzgalov showed exactly why despite his play on the ice, he's still beloved by Flyers fans and the hockey world. He's a great personality who creates buzz with every tweet. Twitter is a better place with Bryzgalov.