Joe Watson’s Last Game At The Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game

Over the weekend, I had the chance to attend the 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game at the Wells Fargo Center, and I have so much to say about it! I had such a blast! There were so many Flyers legends in the building ranging from multiple generations, including guys like Eric Lindros and John LeClair. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gCsZjoZ_QXs[/embed]   It honestly felt like it was 1975 and I was back at the iconic Spectrum catching a classic Flyers game, and watching the Broad Street Bullies! Well, as close to it as you can possibly get nearly 50 years later in 2024! Before the 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game started, the team honored the 1974-1975 team with a great ceremony on the ice. It was awesome to see some of the legends that brought great joy to the city being honored! Even better, the ceremony was emceed by Lou Nolan, the legendary public address announcer for the Flyers. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujOCVy0y0us[/embed]   Although they honored the 1974-1975 team before the game, only one player from that team played in the actual 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game, and that was my good buddy — Joe Watson! Believe it or not, Joe is actually 80 years old and in between Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Games, Joe has actually skated for the team in seven different decades. All good things must come to an end at some point though, and the 2024 Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game was Joe Watson’s last official game. When Joe came out onto the ice midway through the first period, the building erupted with cheers! [embed]https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nCJosRStb20[/embed]   Not only that, Joe even earned one of the three stars of the game! Impressive work, Joe! Also, while this may have been Joe’s last game, it also marked a first in his career. As I mentioned earlier, Joe has suited up for the Flyers in seven different decades, but in all of this time, he never wore a helmet — until Friday night! It was strange to see him in a helmet for the first time ever, I have to admit! [embed]https://twitter.com/billmeltzer/status/1751590294670266540[/embed] Ultimately, the Flyers alumni team defeated the Boston Bruins alumni team by a score of 6-2, thanks to the efforts of Joe and many others. I was so impressed by Joe’s performance, I decided to go home and read Joe’s book again, and it is full of great stuff. Check it out for yourself, it is called Thundermouth! Although we won’t see Joe Watson play next year, I am sure he will still be involved somehow! I can’t wait for next year’s Philadelphia Flyers Alumni Game! Photos from the event... [gallery size="full" ids="947000,947003,946997,946994,947006,946985,946982,947009,946991,946988,947012"] More From Matt Cord... [select-listicle listicle_id="946214" syndication_name="the-inside-look-at-joel-embiids-historic-70-point-game" description="yes"]