Draft pick Brek Liske grew up a Flyers fan thanks to his dad: ‘I think he’s a little bit more in awe than I am right now.’
The defenseman, who was drafted in Round 2 by the Flyers on Saturday, grew up in Winnipeg rooting for Claude Giroux and the Orange and Black. His dad's a die-hard who loved the Broad Street Bullies.
Brek Liske was born to be a Flyer.
Meeting the media over Zoom for the first time after the Flyers called his name in the second round (No. 53), the defenseman was already decked out in a Flyers jersey, and so were at least six of his family members. He joked that the total number at his draft party might even be closer to 30.
Liske’s father is a die-hard Flyers fan and raised his son the same way, so they already had a stack of jerseys at home to celebrate.
» READ MORE: Flyers double down on defense, also add a goalie early on Day 2 of the NHL draft
“I’ve never heard him yell so loud,” Liske said. “He’s wearing his Flyers jersey, he’s very proud right now. I think he’s a little bit more in awe than I am right now.”
Liske is from Winnipeg, and so is his dad, but he became a Flyers fan in the 1980s watching the Broad Street Bullies, and passed that love on to his kids, even after the Jets returned to Winnipeg in 2011.
“I’ve asked him multiple times, he doesn’t know,” Liske joked when asked how his dad became a fan. “Just when he was younger, I think with the team in the ’80s, the Bullies, he just liked how they played, so no specific reason.”
Liske’s dad even drove an orange Flyers-themed Jeep with a Philly license plate and a Flyers logo tire cover.
Liske’s father may have fallen in love with the Broad Street Bullies, but Liske said his childhood favorite player was Claude Giroux, whose name was on the back of many of the jerseys at Liske’s cabin.
“I was a big Giroux fan, my number was 82, which I flipped around from 28,” Liske said.
His dad was such a huge fan of the Flyers that he made multiple unsuccessful attempts to name Liske after his favorite players.
» READ MORE: Flyers draft grades: Philly goes back to the size well with London Knights blueliner Maksim Sokolovskii
“If he was a girl, his name would have been Brin or Brindy after Rod Brind’Amour...” said Liske’s father, Lonnie, per the Everett Silvertips. “[Mom] would not agree to the likes of [Rick] Tocchet, [Chris] Pronger, [Bobby] Clarke, or [Peter] Zezel as a middle name. I fought for Brek Tocchet Liske.”
Now, his son will have the opportunity to achieve his lifelong dream of playing in the NHL, and potentially do so while suiting up for their shared favorite team.
