Flyers share ice with 26 military members, including one who chose the Coast Guard over a hockey career

The Flyers locker room was buzzing on Friday following practice.

Was it about the team winning two straight and three of four? No. Maybe about how they’ve refound their structure and are playing more cohesively at five-on-five? Nope, not that.

Could it have been about a rematch with the Boston Bruins, who they beat, 2-0, on Tuesday, slated for Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center (1 p.m., NBCSP)? No.

The chatter centered around one of the 26 currently serving military personnel who joined the team on the ice after practice.

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“Speaking with one of them, he said he played in a semiprofessional league,” forward Sean Couturier said.

Jamie Drysdale added he heard something similar.

Meet Derek Klein, a boatswain’s mate in the U.S. Coast Guard based in Philly. A physical defenseman, Klein played junior hockey in the United States Premier Hockey League and could have played low-level minor league hockey when he was offered a professional tryout agreement by the Columbus River Dragons a few years ago — he wanted to serve his country instead.

“Still deciding what I want to do when I get out of the Coast Guard, I might try to go back and continue my dreams,” said Klein, who recently played semipro hockey for the San Diego Super Hornets and Sin City Kings. “But it was definitely cool to be out there and receive some passes from Couturier and Drysdale. Drysdale couldn’t get past me one-on-one, so it kind of boosted my confidence.”

The Flyers and Toyota partnered with the United Service Organizations to host members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and U.S. Marine Corps. They toured the locker room and were gifted tickets to the Flyers‘ military appreciation game on Nov. 11 against the San Jose Sharks (7 p.m., NBCSP). Each member was given a black Flyers jersey with camouflage trim, the number 24, and “excellence,” “brave,” “respect,” “integrity,” “sacrifice,” “determination,” “serve,” or “protect” written on the nameplate.

“What an honor to have them on the ice and be able to share the ice with them,” forward Garnet Hathaway said. “The men and women that I talked to out there were excited about just sharing the ice with us, and I think it’s so mutual. … The greatest part about sports, I think, is bringing people together. And we’re entertainers, that’s our job, so we’re enjoying that out there, to be able to share what we do and be able to share with the men and women who serve and protect us.”

The military members felt like the lucky ones. Staff Sgt. Keith Schuch, a military police officer, grew up in Northeast Philly playing ball hockey and met his favorite player, Couturier.

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“It was unreal. I couldn’t even fathom, like, the excitement,” said Schuch, who chatted with the captain and had him sign his jersey as his 8-year-old son took a picture and his 3-year-old daughter looked on. “There’s not a word to describe it. I’m a lifelong fan. Just being out there on the ice with the players and just seeing them, it was exhilarating.”

Although a few service members needed a hand getting onto the ice from players like alternate captain Scott Laughton, several, like Klein, were zipping around. A few showed off wicked wristers and several, like the service member who asked Hathaway how to lift a puck when shooting, brought questions.

Master Sgt. John Hood, a 15-year Air Force firefighter, made a beeline for Sam Ersson. Hood, a goalie for the Camden County Warriors Public Safety Ice Hockey Club, a team of first responders who focus on raising funds for various charities through hockey, recently played against the New Jersey State Police Ice Hockey Club in an exhibition game to benefit the Michael R. McCausland Foundation, a nonprofit charity focused on mental health.

“It was awesome [today]. I was watching them last night, so I got to talk to Sam Ersson and just get some pointers and stuff like that. Just watch him and then actually be able to talk to him, it was an awesome once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Hood, who added that he got some pointers on hip flexibility from the Flyers netminder.

While some of Ersson’s teammates spent time passing and shooting with the military members, the goalie was pulling off his best Dikembe Mutombo impression and denying them from scoring against an NHLer. It’s not a shocker, since the Swedish netminder has allowed one goal in the past two games.

“He is super good,” Schuch said. “Obviously, I’m not going to score on him, but I tried.”

The moment was meaningful for Ersson, too.

“It’s really fun, just special too to be on [the ice] with these people. They do so much for everyone and sacrifice so much,” he said. “So it’s great to spend a lot of time with them and take some shots.”

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And he definitely picked up that there were a few shooters out there and had to focus. As for Klein, Drysdale said he told him his goal was to score a goal on Ersson.

“He kept asking me, ’Can I take a real shot on a goalie? I‘ve always wanted to score on an NHL goalie.’ And so I was like, ‘Yeah, go for it, give Erss a good run.’

“It was fun and I can confirm that Erss did deny him,” Drysdale said about Klein, who also confirmed he went 0-for-3 but is planning on practicing to work his way back up.

And what about Ersson? “Based on how he’s been playing, does not surprise me,” said Drysdale with a smile.

Defensemen Nick Seeler and Travis Sanheim did not participate in practice on Friday. Associate coach Brad Shaw said both players had maintenance days. Seeler did block a puck with his hand in the first period of the win against the St. Louis Blues but played the rest of the game. Sanheim leads the team in time on ice, averaging 23 minutes, 47 seconds, and skated almost 26 minutes against the Blues.