Welcome again to another edition of Between the Pipes, a look at Flyers and hockey news through linkage. Players are starting to arrive in town which can only mean one thing – hockey is close! Let's take a look at a few recent headlines worth discussing.
Flyers fans start GoFundMe campaign in attempt to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins – [Jack Cassidy – Philadelphia Sun Times]
The popular blog, Orange and Black Pack, has started a GoFundMe page with the aim of purchasing the Penguins for the mere asking price of $750 million. If successful, they list making improvements to Consol Energy Center such as hanging a banner of Flyers captain Claude Giroux on the side of the building facing the highway and re-painting the parking lot with orange lines and Flyers logos. While the initial formation of the fund was done as a ruse in what is arguably the NHL's fiercest rivalry, there is a positive light at the end of the tunnel should they fail to raise the necessary riches. All proceeds will be donated to the Flyers Wives Charities.
Flyers prospect Samuel Morin muscles up for 2015-16 season – [Bill Meltzer – Hockeybuzz]
Morin has trimmed his body fat down to a lean 8.8 percent while adding muscle mass in preparation for rookie and training camp. At 6'7" and 228 pounds, the hulking defenseman is a force to be reckoned with on the ice and figures to have a place on the Flyers blue line for the considerable future. The Rimouski alum was one of the final cuts last season as the club decided to send him back to his junior hockey club for more seasoning as compared to a nine-game trial in the NHL. With a logjam of defensive one-way contracts, Morin will have to outplay the likes of Luke Schenn, Andrew MacDonald, Radko Gudas, Brandon Manning and potentially 2015 first-rounder Ivan Provorov in order to secure a spot in the top-six. The more likely scenario would see Morin beginning his professional career in Lehigh Valley with the Phantoms. Either way, Morin knows he has work to do and is doing his part to prove to the Flyers that he will do what it takes to help the club in their attempt at becoming a perennial contender.
Jake Voracek will donate $1,000 per point scored to fight MS – [Jared Clinton – The Hockey News]
Jake Voracek was in the thick of last season's Art Ross race before Stars captain Jamie Benn ultimately came out on top. This season, Voracek is already becoming a fan-favorite selection to lead the league in scoring as he has pledged to donate $1,000 per point scored to help fight MS, a disease his sister was recently diagnosed with. Voracek assumed more of a leadership role with the Flyers this past season and his efforts to donate to a worthwhile cause further show his integrity and character as he acknowledged how simple it is for professional athletes to help make a difference. With the right-winger's ceiling still rising, it's beyond feasible that he could end up cutting a six-figure check at season's end — a win-win scenario for the Flyers and those fighting MS.
Zach Hopkins is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @healedbyhockey.
