Flyers in Raleigh for Rod Brind’Amour Night

My first year as a hockey fan was 1995, the first year our of the first lockout. Rod Brind’Amour became my first favorite hockey player. The first Flyers jersey I had was a white Rod Brind’Amour jersey – with the “A” on the front. His namesake was part of my second AOL screen name. Brind’Amour had been drafted by the Blues 9th overall in 1988, and played for Michigan State and the Canadian World Junior’s Team before joining the Blues for the 1989 playofofs. He was dealt after a sophomore season which the Blues saw as a regression. Brind’Amour became the face of the rebuilding Flyers, who were digging out of the down years of the early 1990s, before GM Russ Farwell traded for Eric Lindros. As a 21-year old, Brind’Amour came to the Flyers already with some playoff experience. He played 30 playoff games for the Blues, scoring 22 points over three post-seasons. Each of those Blues teams lost in the second round of the playoffs, so he...