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Flyers Fans in Denver Cause Avalanche Radio Announcer Meltdown
By Nick Piccone
Published:
You hear stories all the time about how Philly sports fans travel well, and it’s true. That was on display Friday night as Flyers fans filled up Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado to see what they hoped would at least be a competitive hockey game after the embarrassing collapse against the Utah Mammoth a few nights ago, in which I declared Philly sports a wasteland with nothing to look forward to (Philly teams are 2-0 since, by the way – the Sixers are currently playing the Knicks and it has not gone final yet).
Anyway, Flyers fans got that competitive game through two periods, at least on the scoreboard. With the Avalanche holding a 24-12 shots advantage as the third period began, the Flyers would score four unanswered goals (one empty-netter) to seal the win against the best team in the National Hockey League.
As you may know, I enjoy clipping the opposing feeds when good things happen for our Philly teams, so I checked out Avalanche TV and radio. While TV broadcasters Marc Moser and Mark Rycroft handled the embarrassing loss well, Conor McGahey on the Altitude Sports Radio Network didn’t come close.
"LET'S GO FLYERS!"
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) January 24, 2026
"You hear that? That's a bunch of people who have chosen to leave a city on purpose for a lot of reasons. But they continue their fandom. This is Denver, CO. This isn't Philadelphia, PA. You left for a reason! Leave your allegiance there, too!" pic.twitter.com/pzehdXD9Wn
Now, I haven’t listened to every game with every broadcaster in the history of sports. But I don’t remember ever hearing a sports broadcaster using those words to describe opposing sports fans. It almost was certainly tongue-in-cheek regarding the fan loyalty aspect, but “a bunch of people who have chosen to leave a city on purpose for a lot of reasons” certainly approaches the line of decency, if not crosses it.
Let’s also not act like some of those Flyers fans weren’t probably taking a weekend away in Denver. Business trips also exist. Vacations, too. Assuming every Flyers fans in that arena moved away from the city is nonsensical to say the least.
Back-to-back goals by Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov to start the third period started McGahey on the war path.
McGahey is known for his over-the-top homerism on Avs radio, so it really wasn’t a big surprise how aggravated he was on the air. It’s fine if the homerism is contained to sports fandom, but it certainly sounded like McGahey had more than just sports fandom on his mind Friday night.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 14 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice and Philly Influencer. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Wrestling Podcast. He's also a producer for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com