Flyers defenseman Jaroslav Modry is a gentleman in every sense of the word.
I suppose that’s what made the news of his father’s passing all the more saddening. The 13-season veteran was all over the ice last night for Philly, just one day after his dad succumbed to cancer. He played with passion. He showed a tremendous amount of guts and he played a vital role in that 4-3 double overtime victory over the Caps that put the Flyers on the brink of winning their first playoff series in four seasons.
Modry saw 37 shifts last night and totaled 23:55 of playing time. He also notched his first point in the Stanley Cup playoffs (a first-period assist) since the 2000-01 season when he played for the Los Angeles Kings. Sure, there are many story lines to choose from in an overtime thriller, but my eyes were fixated on Jaroslav every time he stepped on the ice; how could they not. It took a very strong individual to do what Modry accomplished last night on the heals of family tragedy.
I can still remember speaking with Modry after he had been nominated for the Masterton Award last month. At the time, he didn’t even realize he was up for the honor and we had a good laugh over the fact he actually looks like the lead singer of his favorite group, Dire Straits.
``Hey Jaroslav, did anyone ever say you look like singer David Knopfler?,’’ I asked him.
``No, actually, no one has ever said that,’’ he jested.
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