The Philadelphia Flyers wouldn’t be the same without Lou Nolan. The team’s legendary P.A. announcer joined the franchise during its inaugural 1967-1968 season as a press box assistant. Five years later, and just in time for the team’s historic Stanley Cup win, he moved to the microphone and never left. He’s announced two Stanley Cup championships, six Stanley Cup final appearances, and two NHL All-Star Games.

In 2017, he announced his 2,000th Flyers game. Now, he’s closing in on 2,500.

“It’ll probably be early next year,” he said. But who’s counting? (Nolan is.)

Equal parts announcer and historian, Nolan can tell you everything about the Flyers, especially the Broad Street Bullies era. He can still picture the crucial moment in game six of the 1974 Stanley Cup championships when Bobby Orr, the star defenseman of the Boston Bruins, picked up a penalty in the final two minutes.

“He was cursing the refs as he came over to the bench,” Nolan recalled. That’s when Nolan realized the Flyers could win, and sure enough they did.

It was such an incredible game that of course Nolan would want to recreate it for his perfect day in Philly.

“An ideal Philly day for me would be a crisp morning and hockey day,” Nolan said. The rest falls neatly into place from there: breakfast in South Philly, something sweet from Termini’s, an early arrival at the arena, and a win against the Bruins.

If it’s a weekend, I might start by watching a little Premier League at home. I like English soccer. I’m pretty quiet during games because I have to pay attention to what happens for my job. I don’t like watching with five or six other people because they’re all making noise.

Or if I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll go to the Barnes Foundation. I like going to the Philadelphia Museum of Art too.

I’ll head to Penrose, a diner in South Philly, for lunch, but I’ll eat breakfast. I love breakfast food. I’d get scrapple, eggs, home fries, and coffee. A lot of coffee. The scrapple has to be crispy. Not mushy. I’d put some ketchup and pepper on it and have sunny-side-up eggs with it. I’ll get organized for the day while I eat, just get my head together.

After that, I’d stop at Termini’s. It’s one of the oldest bakeries around. I’d probably grab some cannolis and a few other Italian treats to bring down to the arena. That’s for my coworkers, not the team. The players wouldn’t touch it. They’re way more conscious of their nutrition now than the Broad Street Bullies were. They’re more conscious of a lot of things.

I like to get to the arena early so I have lots of time to do what I need to do. I don’t have to find parking because I’ve got a spot. It’s not technically mine, but I get there so early, it’s always open. I like to park in the same spot every game. It’s a good luck thing. After that, I’ll go through the magnetometer, put my coat away, head down to the event level, and get set for the game. I’ll start going over the stats, pronunciations, and script for the day. I like having a little time before everything starts. To get everything ready to go, it’s usually a two-hour deal.

On a perfect day, the Flyers are playing the Bruins for the Stanley Cup, and it’s game six. I like the way the game used to be. It’s a little less tough now, so to speak. They still fight, but not as often. They don’t have brawls anymore and those were a lot of fun to announce the results of. Lots of penalties. So on my perfect day, the Bruins get the penalty and we win 1-0 just like we did in ‘74.

Time to celebrate! I’ll go to the locker room to say hello to the boys and take a swig out of the Stanley Cup. Then I’ll head upstairs to the Primepoint lounge for a cocktail. I like Crown Royal with water and a twist.

If I’m in the mood for dinner, I’ll go to Osteria, which is a great Italian restaurant on North Broad. Or I might do Cicala, another Italian spot that Joe Cicala runs. He’s a hockey player, by the way. He’s from Washington so he doesn’t root for the Flyers, but he’s a good guy and a great chef. Cicala is in the Divine Lorraine which is a great hotel. If I was in South Philly, I’d go to Scannicchio’s.

Every now and then, I will stop by the local pub in Narberth. It’s the Pub of Penn Valley. Great food. Good, straightforward people. It’s packed all the time.

Then the days ends with a kiss goodnight to my wife, Ellen. Actually, a perfect day is a hug to Ellen in the morning and a kiss goodnight.