It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is, unbelievably, in its 16th season. Even more unbelievable is the time I’ve wasted keeping up with it.
Last week I plowed through the early episodes of the new season. There are some highlights, but the one thing that stuck with me was “Frank vs. Russia,” a Rocky IV bit that neither went far enough to reach its patented absurdist humor nor was subtle enough to be clever.
As the seasons pile up, the show feels further from Philadelphia and, likely as a result, further from its prime. Does Rob McElhenney or anyone responsible for this show have any idea what Philadelphia is like now, like almost 20 years after they got rich and famous? This isn’t the same Philadelphia that identified itself with Rocky for decades after the movie was released. These references don’t resonate the way they used to. Hell, Mighty Mick’s Gym, the epicenter of the downtrodden Rocky’s universe when we first met him, is now across the street from a coffee shop that sells yuppies breakfast sandwiches on soft pretzels.
We’re no longer the city still glowing because our hometown super hero took down the Soviet Union and the local hockey team beat the Red Army. Even the Flyers, a team notorious for living in its past, finally seem ready for change. When it comes to Frank vs. Russia, maybe Russia’s the choice. After all, Frank’s an asshole.
And, you know, change can be good. After all, Rowhomes makes a damn good sandwich and Matvei Michkov was a damn good pick.
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It’s an old adage to say that professional sports teams can sell wins or hope. For years, the Flyers couldn’t sell either, with a middling or worse team and a prospect pool that didn’t feature anyone with superstar upside to propel it into contention. Even when the Flyers won the second pick in the lottery, Nolan Patrick required some projection after an underwhelming draft season we hoped was due to an abdominal injury.
With Michkov, it’s easy to sell hope. The three years that it will take for him to arrive in Philadelphia pale in comparison to the decade of wandering the desert of mediocrity. Many of us are frustrated 76ers fans, but even in this moment of intense disappointment, waiting two years for Joel Embiid was undoubtedly better than watching Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, another lacking No. 2 overall pick, guide a fringe playoff team.
More than anything, Michkov represents purpose to this. All of this. I won’t feel like a fool watching a rudderless ship. We may be trusting a process, but maybe there’s a payoff to following the arc of this team with Michkov’s potential.
I’m sure we all know a number of friends or passerby in our lives who really cared about the Flyers but stopped following in recent years because, well, what was the point? They weren’t good. They weren’t fun. They didn’t seem to be building toward anything. It almost makes you question if hockey is actually fun, or if this is just some hobby you picked up years ago and never broke the routine. Then the playoffs come around, you’re reminded how great the sport can be, and you fall back into the same rut the following fall.
When was the last time we thought we had the guy good enough to build around to carry this team to the Promised Land? Young Claude Giroux might have qualified, but the Flyers were so lacking in his prime we’ll never know for sure.
After I wasted my time with It’s Always Sunny, I made my way to YouTube and watched probably every Michkov highlight compilation I could find. We all know about the shot and the historic production in the KHL at his age, but watching his game, even while bombarded with a soundtrack straight out of Voyeur, is so much more impressive than the snipes or Michigan moves.
He’s not just beating overmatched teenaged goalies with blasts from the perimeter. He’s not just skating past kids who will never play in a league with him again. Despite his size, he incessantly attacks the middle of the offensive zone, using his quick hands and fire-hydrant build to protect the puck until an opening develops. And yeah, he has a rocket of a shot from anywhere, the kind of heavy shot with a quick release that produces real “umph.” Seeing him release a blast in traffic from the bumper area is an easy example of how his skills will translate to the NHL, where he won’t be blessed with time and space to shoot in rhythm. He wins battles along the wall to keep plays alive, finds passing lanes through tight spaces while bouncing off contact, and produces offense out of the cycle in one of the best leagues in the world. Part of what makes Sidney Crosby so good is that he plays a grinder’s style with a superstar’s skill and vision. On the offensive end, Michkov is the type of player with elite skill, the ability to move with purpose around the offensive zone, and a nose for the dirty areas that will easily translate to the NHL.
I’m sure we’ll have some concerns about two-way play and, while he said he’s grown from his listed weight of 145 lbs. to almost 180, we will need to see this reflected in the explosiveness of his skating. He led his KHL team in both goals and points per game as a 17-year-old in a league full of men, while earning a plus-one on a team that was outscored by 112 goals en route to losing 57 of 68 games last year. Michkov might be the Flyers’ best offensive player if he was playing in October. When he comes over in three years, there is reason to hope he could be one of the league’s most dangerous scorers.
We know the Flyers needed an elite talent, but this pick is so much more than getting an exciting prospect. Briere proved he’s more than talk with regard to the rebuild. With the broadcast even talking about how Ryan Leonard felt like a Flyer as team management approached the podium, Briere broke the Flyers’ tendency and took a European, offensive-first winger over a gritty, hard-nosed North American. With the geopolitical concerns that cast a shadow over the Michkov pick, Briere’s front office took the biggest swing the team has in years, potentially catapulting the Flyers into the modern NHL. And Michkov, by snubbing the owner of the No. 6 pick, the Arizona Coyotes, made it clear he wanted to be here. For a night, it felt like the Flyers were fucking back. Or at least could be after Michkov’s KHL deal expires. He will be the most anticipated debut in orange and black since Eric Lindros and represents the kind of talent that can bring hockey back to relevance in this city. He’s the guy who could recapture the imagination of your lapsed friends and bringing them back into the fold. He’s the guy I imagine my infant son fixated on while he falls in love with hockey.
With one pick, the Flyers distanced themselves from the organization that couldn’t imagine viewing a season as a stepping stone, or couldn’t imagine building around players that don’t fit the reputation of grit and toughness that has defined the franchise since the advent of the Broad Street Bullies. And while the team continues to sell hard-nosed play, the empty seats might suggest that the people really just want a winner.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, to paraphrase a wise man from Kensington, is that if I can change, and you can change, the Flyers can turn this around.
