Meet the Philly grandmother who ‘won everybody over’ at a recent Flyers game
It happened completely by chance, but 84-year-old Marjorie Derieux became an unexpected star during the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 19.
Linda Richardson was in the bathroom at Xfinity Mobile Arena when she heard a roar from the crowd.
Richardson, who often attends Flyers games with her husband, hurried back to her seat, wondering what she had missed.
“Who scored? Did the Flyers score? Who scored?” Richardson asked.
The answer was something she never expected.
“They all pointed to my mom and said, ‘Your mom scored,’” Richardson said.
Her mother, 84-year-old Marjorie Derieux, hadn’t scored a goal. But she had become an unexpected star during the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 19.
Derieux captured the crowd’s attention after appearing on the arena’s video board during a stoppage in play. Every time the camera returned to her, thousands of fans erupted in cheers. When Gritty appeared instead, the crowd booed, demanding another glimpse of the woman who would become known online as “Good Luck Granny.”
A Philadelphia native whose love of sports dates back to childhood, Derieux said the experience was unforgettable.
“That night is one of the most memorable nights I’ve had in a long time,” Derieux said. “I’m going to take [it] to my grave when I die.”
She quickly added a joke about her longevity.
“I have an agreement [with] the man upstairs. I’m not going to be dead until I’m 150.”
An unexpected moment in the spotlight
Derieux’s recalled her father taking her to baseball and football games when she was approximately 6 years old. That passion carried into adulthood and eventually became something she shared with her family.
Richardson and her husband are half-season Flyers ticket holders. When her husband decides to stay home, Richardson brings her mother instead.
That was the arrangement when the Flyers hosted Colorado.
Derieux was watching the game when she happened to glance toward the video board and realized she was receiving some unexpected attention.
The crowd took notice.
Richardson, meanwhile, had stepped away from her seat and was unaware of what was happening. She was in the bathroom when she heard the cheering.
Once Richardson returned, other fans explained that her mother had become the center of attention.
“They kept on panning,” Richardson said. “They’d pan to other people and the people wouldn’t roar. Then they’d go back to her and they would roar.”
Even Gritty couldn’t compete.
“They even panned on Gritty, and they stopped roaring, and they went back to her and roared even harder,” Richardson said.
Jennifer Cannon, a Flyers partial season-ticket holder who witnessed the moment from seats near the ice, said she was struck by how quickly the entire arena embraced Derieux.
“Everybody had the same reaction,” Cannon said. “She won everybody over.”
Cannon said the spontaneous interaction provided a welcome escape from the stresses of everyday life.
“I think we’re all looking for these little joyful escapes and moments that just make you forget about everything else,” she said.
The attention didn’t stop when the game ended
For Derieux and Richardson, the excitement continued long after the video board switched back to hockey. Richardson estimated that it took approximately 45 minutes to an hour to leave the arena, followed by another 20 minutes to reach her truck in the parking lot.
Fans wanted pictures, conversations and opportunities to congratulate Derieux. As the pair made their way toward an elevator, spectators began recognizing her.
“Everybody walking through the walkway just started roaring,” Richardson said.
One couple even stopped to greet Derieux, with the husband asking whether he could give her a kiss. She agreed, and he kissed her on the lips — twice.
His wife’s response made Richardson laugh.
“He don’t even kiss me like that anymore,” Richardson recalled.
Although Derieux enjoyed the attention, Richardson said her mother was also visibly moved by the response. As fans approached for photos, Richardson said her mother clenched her fists with excitement, appearing close to tears.
“She was just so happy and smiling and laughing with everybody,” Richardson said.
The attention eventually extended beyond the arena as Richardson learned that videos of her mother were circulating online after a fellow fan who had recorded the scene offered to send her the footage.
Soon, Derieux was being celebrated on social media as “Good Luck Granny.”
A memory that will last
Despite the unexpected fame, Derieux hasn’t lost her sense of humor. Asked what it felt like to receive that kind of attention, she said: “I was a movie star.”
For Richardson, watching her mother receive such an outpouring of affection was equally special.
“The best thing in the world,” she said.
Derieux said she’ll remember the experience for the rest of her life. And although thousands of people cheered her name without knowing who she was, she had a simple message for those fans.
“Thank you very much. God bless you all.”
