Former Phantoms winger Tony Voce dies at 43
Voce, who attended Archbishop Ryan High, was the first Philadelphia native to sign with the Flyers organization.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/6EKAVK5FLNC35NWYHHES2QC3TM.jfif)
Tony Voce, the first Philadelphia native to sign with the Flyers organization, died Monday at age 43, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms said.
Voce was born in Philadelphia and attended Archbishop Ryan High School. He later played hockey at Boston College, winning an NCAA title as a freshman and becoming a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a senior before he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Flyers in 2004.
In parts of three seasons with the Phantoms, then based in Philadelphia, Voce played 181 games and compiled 58 goals and 57 assists from 2004-07. Voce was the first Pennsylvania-born player to win the Calder Cup, alongside teammate R.J. Umberger (from Pittsburgh), when the Phantoms won the AHL title in 2005.
Voce is the only player in Phantoms history to score four goals in a game. His “hat trick plus one” came on Feb. 11, 2006, against the Chicago Wolves during a season when he led the Phantoms with 28 goals. Voce was dismissed from the team in 2007 after a fight with coach Kjell Samuelsson, but he became more involved with the organization in recent years after his playing career ended.
He was also involved in the Philadelphia hockey community in other ways, working with the Philadelphia Flyers Warriors, a program that provides injured and disabled veterans opportunities to play hockey.
“It is with deep sadness that we have learned of the sudden passing of Tony Voce,” the Flyers said in a statement. “Tony was a member of the Flyers organization for three seasons, one of which included a Calder Cup championship with the Philadelphia Phantoms and their magical run to the title in 2005. However, Tony was more than just a member of our organization, he was a born and raised native of Philadelphia. He learned to play the game he loved in our city and built a successful collegiate career that saw him win a national championship and become a first-team All-American with Boston College before signing with his hometown Flyers. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this incredibly difficult time.”