Flyers

Here’s All the Best Stuff the Porter Martone Players’ Tribune Article

By Matt Schultz

Published: Sep 30th, 2026 · 9:23 AM EDT

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Porter Martone seems destined to be a pretty beloved Flyer, and the Players’ Tribune article with his name on it is only helping his case. The second-year winger’s letter to Philly fans ran on Tuesday morning, and it had a good amount of standout moments in there. Here’s what popped to me:

PHILLY!! HELLO!!

Good title. All caps, two exclamation points after each word. That’s a good start. Good energy here. I should do this with blog titles more. Gonna think on this.

Philly is a city of winners

“I get that same kind of energy from everybody in Philly. I felt it as soon as I got here. You guys are the kind of people who hang stuff up on your walls, right? The game room or the basement or wherever. Trophies everywhere. Newspapers framed everywhere. This is just a city of winners. I love it. People who hate to lose, who feel sick to their stomach when they lose. Those are my people. I felt all of that when I joined the team last spring before the playoffs started.”

Now this is some grade-A pandering. That’s not a knock. I enjoy a little pandering now and then. I think what makes this pandering so well-executed is that it’s not over the top. He’s not going full 2019 Bryce here. He’s complimenting the city, yes, but he’s not lingering on the praise too long. He hits it once and then keeps it moving.

Also, the specificity is nice. “People who hate to lose, who feel sick to their stomach when they lose.” Well said. The stomach thing feels original, whereas Bryce’s pandering can feel kind of canned. Good stuff here, Porter.

Porter grew up a Flyers fan

“Remember how I said I feel at home in a Flyers jersey? That’s because I was a Flyers fan growing up!!!“

We knew this. He’s said this before:

"I've been a Flyers fan ever since I was a little kid."

Porter Martone is ready to rock the Orange & Black.#LetsGoFlyers | @KendallSkalicky pic.twitter.com/qS1fhToUGq

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 30, 2026

But still a cool reminder. He can say it as much as he wants. Plus the three exclamation points adds some good juice to it. Go Flyers.

But he’s also a Sidney Crosby fan

“I do have to admit something, though…. I loved Sid. I mean, c’mon. Can you blame me? As a Canadian … you gotta love Sid. Not being from Philly, and being a kid I didn’t quite understand the Battle of Pennsylvania. I’d be cheering when the Flyers scored, and then Sid would score, and I’d give a little secret fist pump, you know?”

Now this I did not know. I also don’t care. I don’t mind this. As much as we can’t stand the guy here in Philly, especially after being reminded how annoying he is in last year’s playoffs —

Garnet Hathaway gets 2 for a high stick on Crosby… then Sid gets called for embellishment and joins him in the box.

Thoughts on the call? pic.twitter.com/o8SW0k06df

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 22, 2026

— this feels par for the course. Crosby is one of the best to ever play. I understand a Canadian, hockey-obsessed kid growing up idolizing him. Makes sense to me. I’ll allow it.

He praised Sean Couturier as a leader

“For me, man, Coots is just an incredible leader. I remember he got up to speak during the series against Pittsburgh, and I noticed how everyone in the room was completely locked in and just hanging on every word. And then he goes out there and he just plays the game the way it’s meant to be played. He’s a team-first guy who is just a master of the little things. When you see that out there, and you see the way he’s respected in our room … there’s just nobody better to be wearing our C. When I came down to see the Flyers play when I was eight, Giroux had the C. He was my guy, too. Him and Wayne Simmonds. They were so cool to me. Giroux always seemed so connected to the fans, to the city. People still talk about him here. I think that’s the same thing with Coots.“

This rules. It’s cool to hear what Coots’ leadership actually looks like from the perspective of a rookie. I never thought of Coots as a speech-to-the-locker-room guy. I didn’t know he did that sort of thing. Thought he was a quiet, lead-by-example type of captain. Pretty interesting to hear he’s both. I have learned something.

Porter sounds locked-in as hell this year

“I can’t wait to get to know this whole city, to go to battle for you all. Because I want to make something clear: Last year, yeah, it was awesome. Everything that happened was awesome. But the season ending the way it did? I’m not about that. Not one bit. One of the things that my dad would tell me on our car rides back and forth from rinks all over Ontario, was never to get complacent. Never take your foot off the gas. Yeah, things are pretty good. But we’ve got so much more to give, to become. I promise you that.“

Perfect ending here. More excellent pandering. I’ve read it a few times now, and it still has me hyped. “I’m not about that. Not one bit.” Put it on a shirt! “We’ve got so much more to give, to become. I promise you that.” Put that on another shirt! Two shirts! A two-shirt Players’ Tribune article! Pretty good.