Former Flyer Don Saleski thrilled to see his grandson play with Media in the Little League World Series

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — If something could come close to the excitement of winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, it would be watching your grandson and his friends compete in the Little League World Series.

At least that’s what former Flyers right winger Don Saleski says. “This is as big as [winning those Cups] 50 years later,” Saleski told The Inquirer over the phone on Thursday.

When asked how quick of a decision it was to make the three-hour trek to South Williamsport from Delaware County to watch his grandson, Nate, and Media compete, Saleski said it was an easy one.

“I canceled everything that I had going on and said, ‘I’m coming up and I’m watching the rest of this,” said Saleski, 73.

Saleski, a sixth-round pick by the Flyers in the 1969 draft, is best known for his time as a member of the Broad Street Bullies alongside Dave Schultz, Bernie Parent, and Bobby Clarke.

He remembers his eight seasons with the Orange and Black like it was yesterday. He also vividly recalls the first time he stepped onto the ice with Nate, a catcher on the Media team.

“I started out with him when he was 5 years old with a learn-to-skate program,” Saleski recalls. “I give him a lot more tips in hockey than I do in baseball.”

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The grandfather-grandson bond over hockey continued to build as Nate grew, with the two attending Flyers games together. “It was really fun to watch them with him,” Nate said. “He would notice everything that was going on.”

He also learned to find the same love for the sport as his grandfather, mentioning that he likes hockey more than baseball.

“I feel like if you make a mistake [in hockey], there’s not a bunch of waiting around, so you can make up for it right away,” Nate said. “With baseball, if you make a mistake, you have to sit there for a while and stay focused.”

Getting to the Little League World Series is no easy feat, as teams that make up the 20-team field have been practicing or competing in games for several months now.

“Looking at our Media team, these kids have been playing and practicing since early June. They’ve missed [only] one day,” Don Saleski said. “What these kids have accomplished is significant. ...

“I reflect back on it and everyone in Philadelphia recalls Freddy Shero saying, ‘Win today, we’ll walk together forever.’ Well, I could tell you I watch these kids and they’re already going to walk together forever. They’ve had some great success and just to get to this Little League World Series is a significant accomplishment.”

For Nate, competing in the Little League World Series is one item off the bucket list. “Ever since I was young, I dreamed about coming here,” he said. “It took me a little bit to process that I was actually here.”

Nate said he learned how to take a step back in tense moments from his grandfather, who picked up on it from his grandson’s favorite baseball player, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

» READ MORE: Media’s game in Little League World Series a dream come true for Austin Crowley

“It was like the first game of districts back when I was 10 and my parents were out of town for a trip and he told me I just have to just take a deep breath between every swing because he saw Mike Trout do it and he knows that I’m always real tense,” Nate said.

It didn’t take long for him to make an immediate impact in the Little League World Series for Media.

In Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Needville [TX], Nate kept the Southwest Regional champion off the board early when he tagged out Jakolby White at home plate after a passed ball to the backstop.

“At first I thought the kid swung so it would be a dropped third [strike],” Nate said. “But then I realized after my coaches were screaming, ‘He’s going,’ or something, that I had to tag him out at home.”

Plays like that are why Nate said he likes playing catcher. “You’re involved a lot, kind of like hockey,” Nate said. “You get the play right after, you get [another] chance.”

When all is said and done, regardless of when Media’s season comes to an end, the Saleskis will remember their time together in South Williamsport forever.

“I’ve got memories of winning Stanley Cups, but as a grandfather and to experience this at 73 years old, these memories equal all of my past memories,” Don Saleski said.

If Saleski and his teammates win their game Saturday at 2 p.m. against Gray, Maine, Media will play again Sunday (11 a.m., ESPN) at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. If Media falls to Maine, it will be eliminated.