PHILADELPHIA _ The Flyers were the NHL's hottest team, winners of nine of their last 10 games, and on pace for 106 points. They have topped that total just once in the last 33 seasons.
They have come together as a true team, displaying a relentless style at both ends of the ice and great chemistry.
They have a young goaltender, Carter Hart, poised to make his first appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have all four lines clicking, a nice blend of youth and veterans, and, thanks to several moves made by general manager Chuck Fletcher, a legitimate chance to win their first Cup since 1975.
Well, it was fun while it lasted. More fun, in fact, than any other Flyers team since 2009-10, the season Danny Briere and his teammates made an unforgettable run to the Finals.
As you know, this season came to a screeching halt Thursday because of the coronavirus outbreak. The NHL said the season had taken a "pause," and it tried to make everyone feel comfortable that games will, indeed, restart in the near future.
There are no guarantees, and one has to wonder if the season does resume, would the Flyers' momentum be stunted?
The games, of course, are secondary to keeping people healthy. Credit the league for suspending the season, closing arenas, and trying to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. It was the correct thing to do, without question.
No one knows, however, if the league will be back in two weeks, two months, or in October, when the 2020-21 season is scheduled to start.
No one knows if fans will be allowed in arenas if the league does decide to return.
No one knows if someone connected to the NHL _ players, front-office personnel, arena workers, or media members _ will come down with the coronavirus and cause the league's "pause" to be extended.
Eventually, that might mean there will be no Stanley Cup champion crowned for the just the third time since 1893.
The first time was in 1919 because of the Spanish flu outbreak, which caused an estimated 50 million deaths worldwide and 675,000 in the United States, and the second time was when the season was called off in 2005 because of a lockout.
In 1919, the Stanley Cup Final was tied after five games (2-2-1) between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans. Officials then canceled the Final after numerous players and coaches were stricken with the flu. Montreal defenseman Joe Hall, who later was named to the Hall of Fame, died from complications from the illness.
