The Flyers Lose Their Ribs, And, By Extension, Jam
After Sunday’s ruckus in Pittsburgh, Peter Laviolette told reporters that the secret to the Flyers' recent success in the shit city (5-0 since the start of last season) was Dee Jay’s Ribs, the West Virginia rib joint whose owner, Dewey Guida, delivered treats to the team plane following each of those victories.
Looks like that won’t be the case anymore. Guida, an unfortunate Penguins fan, caught wind of Lavs’ comments and the ensuing blowback from Penguins fans – his core customers – and says he will no longer be serving the Flyers.
Some quotes from Guida via the Herald Star by way of Frank Seravalli:
"It started out so innocent. Peter Laviolette and I have been friends for years. It goes back to when he was actually coaching the Nailers in Wheeling. We became friends, and we've kept the relationship up over the years, as I have with other coaches, like Scotty Bowman and Eddie Johnston."
"So many Penguins are my friends, I've had so many Stanley cups at my place," Guida said. "So for sure, let everyone know – I am a Penguin fan, not a Flyer fan. What happened was sometime last year, Peter wanted to treat his guys to some ribs, so I said sure. They were playing the Penguins and I brought the ribs up to the plane. Since the Pens moved to the Consol Center they haven't beaten the Flyers and on each occasion, I took ribs up to their plane.
"The last time, actually, was Sunday. He called me Saturday and said they wanted ribs, but to bring more 'cause his guys all want to eat them now. So, my wife and I drove up to the airport, dropped them off and left. After the game, little did I know he would go into the press conference and say the reason they won was our ribs."
"No more ribs for them," Guida said.
Only a West Virginia restauranteur would be dumb enough to refuse service to a few dozen starving athletes who blow into town 5-10 times per year. In fact, it kind of sounds like a baseball executive who would deny service to thousands of Pennsylvanians trying to buy tickets to his park…
H/T to reader Nick