A Newtown man caught the stick from Cam York’s OT winner. On Friday, he returned it to the Flyers defenseman
Brod, 64, has been a fan since the Flyers' inception, but said, “It’s way more important to [York] than it could ever be to me.” York gifted him a signed stick, jersey, and playoff tickets in return.
Jack Brod had three thoughts after Cam York scored the Flyers’ series-clinching overtime winner in Game 6 on Wednesday.
One, euphoria.
Two, shock and mild panic seeing York toss his stick in the air — “you don’t see that every day.”
Three, “I’m getting that stick.”
As the stick hurtled toward where he sat in section 113, it ultimately ended up hitting a few different people in the row. Lehigh Valley resident Cameron Resnick and his friend Mitch were among the people who got whacked, but graciously allowed Brod to take the stick.
» READ MORE: Cam York launches his stick, Philly blares Mac Miller, and more celebrations from Flyers’ series win vs. Penguins
“It was incredible, because we were so elated, from the win and from [York’s] goal and then for this to be happening at the same time, it just made a moment that I’ll never have again in my life,” the Newtown native said.
Brod, 64, has been a Flyers fan his whole life, since the Flyers first came to Philadelphia as an expansion franchise in 1967. He grew up playing ball hockey on Nester Street in Northeast Philadelphia and watching the famous Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s.
Brod has attended numerous games over the years, but his wife had never attended a Flyers game before. He said the series against the Penguins was the “best series he’d watched” in a long time, and knew as soon as the Flyers lost Game 5 that they wanted to be in the building to support the team for Game 6.
He initially intended to gift the stick to family friend Jack Weiner, an 18-year-old high school hockey player at Council Rock South. But after Brod heard that York wanted to get the stick back, he was happy to oblige.
“It’s way more important to [York] than it could ever be to me,” Brod said.
He attended practice in Voorhees on Friday to return the stick to York, who plans to frame it. In return, York gifted Brod a set of playoff tickets for this round (which begins Saturday night at Carolina), a signed game-used stick, and a signed “No. 8″ jersey.
York doesn’t consider himself a superstitious person. But after he “blacked out” throwing the stick into the crowd, York realized that late in his career, he’d probably regret not having the stick as memorabilia.
» READ MORE: The Flyers needed a hero in Game 6. Unsung defenseman Cam York obliged in OT.
“I’m not going to reuse it,” York said. “I’m just going to frame it. I feel like it’d be a crime to reuse this one, to be honest.”
After Wednesday’s game, York joked that he hoped everyone was OK and that there wouldn’t be a lawsuit from a stick-related injury. Brod joked upon meeting York that he had nothing to worry about on his part, and asked if anyone had tried to give him a talking to about the celebration. York joked that he “hadn’t been fined yet,” and told Brod why the stick ended up moving so quickly.
“When I threw it, I wanted it to be like a 60-degree trajectory, but it caught on my glove and made it like a 5-iron,” York said afterward. “It was unfortunate that it came at him so fast, but glad he’s all right, and I mean, if that was going to happen to any fan, Philly fans are as tough as they get. I figured even if it did hit him that he was going to still enjoy the moment and be happy.”
