The Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals have been playing a head-to-head scrimmage against each other during rookie camp since 2007, but this year the game won’t happen.
According to Phantoms radio broadcaster Bob Rotruck, via Bill Meltzer, the Capitals are participating in a rookie camp tournament in South Florida, and thus the tradition ends here.
Washington likely would have hosted the rookie game in 2015, if it were to happen. No word on if the Flyers will find another opponent to hold a rookie scrimmage against this fall.
Here’s the full history of the Flyers-Caps rookie game:
- 2007: Claude Giroux played, scored a goal, and the Flyers won 5-3. Game was played at the Skate Zone.
- 2008: The Flyers lost 7-0. Whatever. Game played at the Capitals practice facility, Kettler Iceplex, in Arlington, Va.
- 2009: James van Riemsdyk had four goals in a big 7-3 Flyers win at Skate Zone. Our recap.
- 2010: The Flyers lost, 4-3. Zac Rinaldo got in a fight. Game was in Arlington and our recap is here with video of that Rinaldo fight.
- 2011: The Flyers hosted the game at the WFC, not in Voorhees. 11,000 people were there to watch the Flyers win, 3-2. Here’s our recap of it.
- 2012: No game. Lockouts suck.
- 2013: The Flyers won a pretty exciting 1-0 contest down in DC. Our recap. Lots of the guys who played in that contest will play in this year’s game, including Anthony Stolarz, Samuel Morin and Taylor Leier.
- 2014: The Flyers win again, this time 3-0 behind an impressive young defense including Morin, Travis Sanheim and Shayne Gostisbehere. The game was played in Voorhees. Here’s our recap.
