Lindblom touched by ovation from fans, ‘can't wait to have a full house' at WFC

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Back in January, when the Flyers played their first game at the Wells Fargo Center in over 10 months, Alain Vigneault had one disappointment.

"Oskar played his first game at Wells Fargo since December 2019 and he didn't get a chance to play it in front of Flyers fans giving him the great cheer and love that he deserves for coming back after battling cancer," the Flyers' head coach said Jan. 13. "I thought of that going in, I talked to Oskar about it a little bit after the game. It would have been phenomenal to play this game tonight, Oskar back with this place full of fans and first time he stepped on the ice, he was in the starting lineup, I’m sure he would have gotten the cheer that he deserves."

Last Sunday, Lindblom got that cheer he sure deserved. The 24-year-old played his first game in front of Flyers fans since December 2019, when his life and career were rocked by a diagnosis with Ewing's sarcoma. Lindblom, who missed the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season, completed his radiation treatments last July at Pennsylvania Hospital.

Sunday's standing ovation wasn't from 19,000-plus fans, but the 3,023 permitted back at the Wells Fargo Center made the applause loud, long and memorable.

"It's unreal," Lindblom said Saturday morning. "The fans have been so good to me and everyone around in the city has been great to me, too. Just to have them back and play for them, and they can cheer for us, that's an unbelievable feeling. I can't wait to have a full house in there."

Lindblom, a humble native of Sweden, has been touched by the support. Meanwhile, his story has supported and inspired others.

"I get texts, DMs and talk to people pretty much every day," Lindblom said. "It's cool to have people around me that feel like I'm something to look up to and that I can help them. I'm just happy about that and they make me feel better, too, and give me a lot of energy just with them being that strong and how they are."

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