The Players' Tribune editorial newsletter

PHILLY!! HELLO!!   by PORTER MARTONE In my bedroom back home in Peterborough, I’ve got these sticks up on my wall. They have little pegs attached to them. Every time I won a medal at a junior hockey tournament I’d hang them from there, and I’d fall asleep looking at them. Since I was four, all I’ve ever wanted was to keep filling up those pegs. When one of my teams would win something I’d think, Yeah, that’ll look just right on my wall. I get that same kind of energy from everybody in Philly. I felt it as soon as I got here. You guys are the kind of people who hang stuff up on your walls, right? The game room or the basement or wherever. Trophies everywhere. Newspapers framed everywhere. This is just a city of winners. I love it. People who hate to lose, who feel sick to their stomach when they lose. Those are my people. I felt all of that when I joined the team last spring before the playoffs started. It was crazy because like 12 hours after my season ended with Michigan State, everything happened. All of a sudden I’m talking to my agent. Then I’m signing my contract. Then I’m on a flight. Then I’m pulling on a Flyers jersey and I’m catching myself staring at Ovi during warmups. Then I’m flipping a puck over the glass, in like my third shift ever. Then I’m sitting in the penalty box. What just happened….? It felt like yesterday I was watching Hockey Night in Canada with my dad in our living room. My dad is my hero. He was drafted in ’96 by the Sabres but never quite made it to the NHL. He was a great player. But I mostly remember him as the architect of our beautiful rink out on the pond behind our house. That was the place. The place. Man, I think, if I have an ODR and a puck, I can be happy for a long, long time. Our pond was like a gathering spot for everyone in the neighbourhood. Boxing Day was a special time on our street. A bunch of families would come over to our place. Mom and her friends would cook meatballs and pastas and the Crock-Pots would be running all day. The smell…. Legendary. And we’d get a big, like, 20 vs 20 going out on the pond. We’d pop back in the house to watch World Juniors, then we’d be back out there. READ MORE “This is just a city of winners.” Recommended by Sportority Inc. 625 Broadway, 10th Floor New York, NY 10012 Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions We may receive compensation for some links to products and services included in this email. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.