As my family has spent a great deal of time together at home the last few months, I found myself repeating the same thing (as parents often do) to my children, ages 9 and 11: Help out when you can, be a good teammate.
That led me down the path to ask a handful of former Flyers players this question: Who was your favorite teammate when you played in the NHL?
Chris Therien (Flyers defenseman, 1994-04, 2005-06)
"That's a good question and there was a lot of great ones. I roomed with John LeClair and played with a lot of really, really high-caliber guys that were high-caliber people, as well.
"I'm going to say, at the end of the day, Luke Richardson was the best teammate on the ice and probably the best teammate off the ice, as well. He had great leadership qualities. He knew team bonding. You understood the long season that guys deal with. He helped me keep the room light a lot of the time. Just an absolutely sensational human being.
"Easily a person I will never forget until the day I die because of those great qualities that he possessed as a friend, a teammate and a leader."
Rick Tocchet (Flyers right winger, 1984-92, 2000-02)
NHL
"Craig Berube is definitely one for me. Whether he played two minutes or 15 minutes, he always thought of the team. A very unselfish player and was an excellent leader even though sometimes he didn’t play a lot in some games. Kept the room loose and serious at the same time."
Brian Boucher (Flyers goalie, 1999-02, 2009-11, 2013)
Phantoms, 1997-98:
Neil Little
"The greatest guy I played with! This guy was always willing to lend a hand, advice, share a story and laugh. He was my first goalie partner in pro hockey and he set the bar incredibly high. To this day, he’s still helping me. He was responsible for getting me back to Philly from San Jose and also helped land a spot for my son Tyler to live in Plymouth, Michigan, by setting him up with his childhood buddy Chris Osgood while he’s playing for the U.S. national team development program. He’s the best!"
Flyers, 1999-00 :
Mark Recchi
"As a rookie that year, Rex always made me feel welcome to dinners, golf and whatever else was going on. He always was generous too!"
Rick Tocchet
"Late addition to the team but had instant respect the minute we got him. He too like Rex always included me and made me feel like I had been a teammate for years. Extreme work ethic and showed me as a young guy how hard you have to work to be a pro."
Keith Jones
"Same as the other two guys. He was great to me. He always had a line for me the minute Beezer (former Flyers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck) gave up a goal. He’d say, 'Start stretching, kid!' He’s always been there for me. Even up to this day! Love Jonesy!"
Later years:
Jody Shelley
"Played with Jody in Columbus, San Jose and Philly. Team guy! Great friend. Spent lots of time with him doing extra practice because we weren’t playing much."
Joe Thornton
"Never met a guy who loves being at the rink and being with the guys as much as Jumbo. He rarely had a bad day. Played with him in San Jose. "
Bill Clement (Flyers center, 1971-75)
"Bernie Parent: He was never in a bad mood. All he did was smile and laugh and keep us loose. No matter how difficult certain situations seemed, he was the messenger that let me know life would go on and be better than it was yesterday. Maybe it was because he knew he could single-handedly control outcomes on the ice."
Keith Jones (Flyers right winger, 1998-00)
“Craig Berube. Protected my [butt] on a game-to-game basis!”
Anything else made him a great teammate?
“Nothing!”
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