Joel Farabee says Flyers would welcome having games without fans because ‘we just want to play hockey’

If the NHL returns at some point this summer, it will probably have to play in arenas without spectators.

That’s the opinion of Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert. The NHL suspended its season March 12 because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Fauci made his comments about all live sports earlier this week, saying that games should be played without fans, and that he believes athletes should be placed in hotels and tested every week to “make sure they don’t wind up infecting others or their family, and just let them play the season out.”

Playing games in empty arenas, Flyers rookie winger Joel Farabee said, would be strange, but he added that the players just want to return to the ice.

“Obviously, it would be a little different, but at the end of the day , we just want to play hockey, so if we can play with no fans, we’ll do it,” he said in a conference call Thursday. “I think the biggest thing is just waiting until government officials say it’s safe for us to go back out and do what we love.”

» READ MORE: Philly’s best pro athletes of all-time

Asked if it would be difficult to get motivated to play without the fans’ reactions, Farabee said, "Maybe a little bit, but at the end of the day, we’re professional hockey players, so it’s our job to get up for games like that. And I think we know the games will be broadcast and a lot of people will be watching it, so I don’t think it would be too big of a problem to get up for games like that. But it would definitely be a change.”

The Flyers thrived on games at the lively Wells Fargo Center. At home, where goalie Carter Hart was dominating, they were 25-6-4, the most points in the NHL (54); they were 16-15-3 on the road.

“Playing in our own arena with our fans is so great. I think we probably have the most passionate fans in the whole NHL,” Farabee said. “Playing in front of them gives us a lot of energy and we obviously want to play well for them. The fans and just the comfortability of being home and having your own routine really helps guys out.”

But if the NHL does return for the regular season – the Flyers have 13 games left – or just the playoffs, it’s doubtful fans will be permitted inside buildings.

In a poll conducted by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business last week, 72% said they would not attend games until a coronavirus vaccine was developed. Medical experts predict that a vaccine will not be available until 2021.

Seton Hall polled 762 Americans; the poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.6%.

Farabee, 20, who this season became the first player to play for the Flyers who was born in 2000, had been used up and down the lineup. In 52 games, he had eight goals, 21 points, and a plus-6 rating while displaying solid defensive skills, a high hockey IQ, and good speed.

“When I look back on my career, I think my first year will probably be the most interesting,” Farabee said. “All in all, it was a really cool experience to be able to go to Europe. I had a lot of fun on that [season-opening] trip. And with the coronavirus going around, it’s kind of a crazy time.

"I was talking to my family the other day and I said one day we’re going to be in a history book about how the coronavirus stopped the whole world, basically. It’s definitely a strange time, and I know a lot of the guys are looking forward to getting back and playing hockey again.”

Playing in most of the Flyers’ games, Farabee said, has been a positive for him.

“If we finish this year, and even in the next year, I’d like to produce a little more,” he added. “I thought I had a lot of chances this year, but some of them just didn’t go in. Hopefully with a good summer, and getting a little stronger and bigger, I think some of those chances will get finished next year.”