Nolan Patrick, Cursed Flyers Phenom, Subject of Retirement Reports

The Flyers drafted Nolan Patrick second overall in 2017. / Photograph by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that while there have been reports in several major outlets that Nolan Patrick has retired, he has not announced his retirement. Rather, his new employer, a hockey mentorship program, recently listed him as a “retired pro.” Patrick, who has not played a game since March of 2022, this afternoon clarified to reporter Elliotte Friedman that he has not officially retired, and his employer changed the language on its web site.

Alternate Universe Flyers Legend Nolan Patrick Retires

In the back of every Flyers fan’s mind is a list of injuries that ruined everything at the exact moment we got our hopes up. Forsberg’s foot. Lindros’s brain, and Primeau’s brain. They’re not all we think about, these injuries; we don’t dwell on them, but we remember.

Pronger’s eye. Ian Laperrière’s entire fuckin’ face. What would’ve happened if Tim Kerr had been healthy for the ’85 and ’87 Cup runs? Or Jeff Carter and any goalie in 2010? Don’t even talk to us about Ryan Ellis. It’s too soon. We boo because God does not know about Philadelphia. [citation needed]

Somewhere near the top of the coulda-shoulda list is Nolan Patrick, who has been the subject of reports that he has retired at the young age 25.

He was the second overall draft pick for the Flyers in 2017 — it’s crazy-rare a franchise that wins this much gets to pick so high — and so much of our dreams suddenly seemed to hinge on his becoming the elite scorer he was predicted to become. Instead, through no fault of his own, the young player suffered one long-term injury after another: concussions, hernia, debilitating migraines, and other “upper body injuries.”

The Flyers moved on, trading him to Vegas in in 2021, but his bad luck persisted. The final injury came from this gutless Nate McKinnon headshot. Seven more games and Patrick was done. (His retirement became pretty much official yesterday.) All told, he played in 222 games, which is more than most hockey players get but fewer than he should’ve.

I was gonna say we’ll never know what could have been, but don’t we? Deep down, we know. Nolan Patrick would’ve been a top-20 scorer six times and helped G, Coots, Voracek, Ghost, etc., lead the Flyers to Cup wins in 2021 and ’24. Best-laid plans, etc.

Sorry, kid. We are cursed. [citation not needed]

By the Numbers

$7.25: That’s still the minimum wage in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, New Jersey and Delaware will raise theirs to $15.13 and $13.75, respectively in 2024.

8th: Where the Philly region ranks in a list of “markets with the most pent-up housing demand,” according to NAR, the National Association of Realtors. Hope you guys can sell big gray rectangles that make our sidewalks feel like high-end hallways.

30: Germantown Academy graduate/actor Bradley Cooper recently attended his 30th high-school reunion at Chestnut Hill Brewing Company. But nobody recognized him because he wore The Nose. JK. Here he is talking about it on the Tonight Show. (CW: Jimmy Fallon’s laugh.)

70 years: That’s how long it’s been since a brand-new school has opened in North Philly — a streak that will come to an end when the $44 million, 77,000-square-foot T.M. Peirce Elementary debuts in January. Everybody, take off your shoes before you come in.

280: Number of charges a Delaware scammer is facing for defrauding grieving families in the area by accepting money to design headstones and then claiming his company went out of business.

$8 billion: How much Philadelphia says it needs to fix its schools, but it will have to settle for $30 million, apparently. So close.

Left: The Kimmel Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Inset: Denise Richards went to Kindy’s and said “one of each.”

Philly Makes Surprise Appearance In Hulu Holiday Movie

A Christmas Frequency — a pop-up seasonal romance flick now streaming on Hulu — is set in relatively small Ann Arbor, Michigan. So why does every establishing shot show a bustling metropolis exterior? Shrug. They bought some drone footage and slipped it in there because, hey, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia? Close enough.

Philly isn’t listed as a shooting location by people who list such things, but we know the Kimmel Center and Eakins Oval when we see them.

Very little about the movie feels like it’s set in on our Earth anyway, with all of its major participants — be they stylish listicle writers (?!), quirky assistants, etc. — sipping from giant Santa mugs and decking out their desks with string lights, garlands and little wintry cottages. Grumpy relationship-radio personality Denise Richards has a full-on Christmas tree in her office. Whole movie is appropriately bonkers.

And now here’s Sandy with (non-hockey) sports.

And From the Back-on-Track Sports Desk …

The Timberwolves came calling on the Sixers last night. They happened to be leading the Western Conference, with a 20-5 record against the Sixers’ 18-8. The arena put on a nice tribute to former Sixer/current ’Wolf Shake Milton, always a fan fave.

https://twitter.com/sixers/status/1737634339267936386

Both teams were cold to start; the Sixers didn’t score on their first seven possessions before Embiid finally sank a foul shot. Kelly Oubre Jr. started instead of Nic Batum, who’s out with a hamstring strain, and he at long last hit a three at the seven-minute mark. A trey by Tyrese gave us our first lead, 14-12, at five minutes; at the end of the first quarter, their bigs, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, were sitting with foul woes, and we were up 28-24.

That’s about where it stayed through the second quarter. Toward the end, De’Anthony Melton crashed knees with Jaden McDaniels and took a long time getting up and being helped off the court. Halftime!

76ers lead Timberwolves 64-60 at half

Joel Embiid
(20 PTS / 5 REB / 10-10 FT)

Tyrese Maxey
(20 PTS / 6-12 FG / 3-6 3P) pic.twitter.com/QjvemT740n

— Jacob Moreno (@Jacobmorenonba) December 21, 2023

We were cold again in the third; Melton stayed out for the rest of the game with a thigh contusion. (RoCo was out sick, too.) The Wolves took a 73-66 lead early on, but Embiid did put down this thunderous, wondrous jam:

Joel Embiid is DOMINATING the 3rd quarter pic.twitter.com/inUbRadanW

— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) December 21, 2023

The Sixers took the lead back late in the quarter, so they were up 89-87 headed down the stretch. Joel sat for a bit, and there were nuggets for all courtesy of McDaniels. Paul Reed, in to spell Embiid, had a great fourth quarter offensively and defensively before Joel came back in halfway through. Maxey had himself a night, especially in the fourth; he had 35 points and 12 rebounds overall. Joel? A season-high 51 points. Not too shabby, and a much-needed 127-113 win. They’re at home again vs. the Raptors on Friday, 7 p.m. start.

Any College Hoops News?

There is indeed. Villanova, still missing Justin Moore and his strained knee, went up against number 12 Creighton in Omaha last night and hung tight before the Bluejays ran off their biggest lead right at the half, 34-24. But the Wildcats mounted a mighty comeback and had it tied at 58-58 with a minute to go, then took it into overtime. And damn, they pulled it out, for a thrilling 68-66 Big East opener win. Eric Dixon had a way-game-high 32 points, including the game-sealing three. Go ’Cats!

Four local teams tip off today: Penn is at Rider at 1 p.m.; Rosemont comes to town against La Salle at 2:30; Temple heads to Nevada at 3; and St. Joe’s is in Charleston at 7.

The Flyers also play.

All Philly Today sports coverage provided by Sandy Hingston.