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Flyers Will, in Fact, have Oskar Lindblom as Part of their Hockey Fights Cancer Festivities
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The Flyers announced today that they will honor cancer survivor Oskar Lindblom on Hockey Fights Cancer Night, which is this coming Sunday, April 18.
I am going to outline what is on tap for the festivities surrounding the game below, but the important thing to consider here is that they didn’t just throw this together after my story that was posted earlier in which I criticized the organization for using a photo of Gritty rather than Lindblom in an advertisement to get people to buy tickets to this game.
It actually takes time to put together events like this, so this stuff had been in the works for some time and wasn’t a reaction to what I wrote (although, as expected, I did hear from the team within the first hour of the story being posted).
And while everything you see below is really cool and well-done by the Flyers to make happen, it still doesn’t justify the first deliverable used for marketing this night to not include Lindblom in some way.
In other words, it shows that the people hard at work putting this together are not unlike the team on the ice has been for much of the season – they’re trying, even if they don’t make the right decisions all the time.
Lets get to the events as outlined in the press release, and then we’ll tackle this a little bit more.
First, the Flyers are going to wear special edition Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys for warm-ups. They say there is an “extra special touch” to them. I know what it is, and it’s pretty awesome, but they want to keep it a secret until game-time, so I won’t let the cat out of the bag.
These special jerseys will then be auctioned off by MeiGray to support local cancer organizations, and I’m pretty certain fans are going to want to get their hands on one, even if they are really frustrated with the team’s play on the ice right now.
Other items from the game will also be auctioned off, including warm-up sticks from select players that are outfitted with lavender Hockey Fights Cancer tape as well as the game ties worn by the Flyers coaching staff.
Next, all fans who attend the game will receive a lavender “I fight for…” Hockey Fights Cancer rally towel. Fans will be asked to use those towels for an in-game moment to honor those who we have lost to cancer.
The Flyers hope they will not be thrown on the ice after the game if the team loses 6-1 to the Islanders, though.
Maybe the coolest part of the night will come for Tony Campisi. Campisi is a 17-year-old hockey player who is battling cancer for a second time. If the name sounds familiar, you might remember him from when he was 11 and was signed to a one-day contract with the team back in 2015 as part of an arrangement set up by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. At that time, he participated in practice with the team and spent a night out at Dave & Buster’s with Jake Voracek.
This time, Campisi will be an “honorary coach” and will be given the opportunity to read the players in the locker room the starting lineup (via Zoom, to ensure COVID-19 protocols remain in place).
Flyers Charities will also announce that the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia region and Bringing Hope Home have each been chosen to receive a $25,000 cancer grant. Both organizations will be recognized in-game.
Toyota, who is sponsoring the Hockey Fights Cancer night, will also provide a special donation to CANCER WHO, another local organization that will also be recognized in-game.
Tickets are available at PhiladelphiaFlyers.com and those unable to attend the game in person can participate in the cause from home by purchasing a commemorative Hockey Fights Cancer ticket. The commemorative tickets feature a blank space to fill in the name of a loved one affected by cancer. All proceeds will benefit Flyers Charities cancer initiatives.
Like I said, this is all great. It’s well put together by the Flyers. It should all be successful and memorable for all involved.
And it would have been perfect, had they just realized that a picture of Lindblom, or an #OskarStrong image or hell, if you want to include Gritty, put him in there with Oskar, or holding an #OskarStrong sign. Anything that would tug at the heart strings of their fans.
And in case you are wondering, the notion of exploiting Lindblom as a poster boy, so to speak, for Hockey Fights Cancer is ridiculous. They are honoring Oskar at the game with some things. He’s going to be part of the event. He is going to help raise money for charity. He’s part of this whole equation. So, there is no real concern for exploitation.
Anyway, Philadelphia fans are passionate. They care about their players. Especially those who work so hard to overcome obstacles like Lindblom did. Oskar will be beloved in this town forever, even if he never scores another goal.
Keep in mind that there is an award that the Flyers present named after a player who played all of 35 games for them and scored just two goals before passing away after a battle with leukemia in 1997.
Flyers fans know that guy – Yanick Dupre. It’s been passed down through generations as to why the Class Guy Award is named after him. It’s part of the rich tradition and aura of this franchise.
Oskar Lindblom will always and forever be that kind of player, whether he has a long, fruitful career or he ends up becoming just a fringe player. It doesn’t matter. He’s made his impact on this city already with his heroic battle. These fans care about Oskar.
You want to fill the capacity of the Wells Fargo Center as allowable by COVID restrictions, you put out an ad saying that you are going to honor Oskar one more time because it’s Hockey Fights Cancer night and there’s going to be some special things tied to it.
The fans would come. They would be there. As they always are for one of their own.
Put Gritty’s picture on it, and it’s ho-hum. Firstly, because he’s everywhere. And secondly, when fans think of Hockey Fights Cancer, they think of Oskar Lindblom, not the mascot. Plain and simple.
I’m not trying to conduct a Ted Talk on marketing pro sports for the Flyers. Hopefully they see this and the response it got on social media today and realize that they could have done things differently.
And even if they don’t understand why there was such backlash over a stupid little social media advertisement, they need to understand it’s because of where you are. Philadelphia is different than every sports city in North America. It’s hard to explain or comprehend sometimes.
But, if you’re from here, you get it.
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Anthony SanFilippo writes about the Phillies and Flyers for Crossing Broad and hosts a pair of related podcasts (Crossed Up and Snow the Goalie). A part of the Philadelphia sports media for a quarter century, Anthony also dabbles in acting, directing, teaching, and strategic marketing, which is why he has no time to do anything, but does it anyway. Follow him on Twitter @AntSanPhilly.