Flyers honor Ed Snider with banner raising at home opener (Video)

The Philadelphia Flyers had their home opener on Thursday night, and it was bittersweet. While it officially kicked off the team’s 50th anniversary celebration – complete with gold accented jerseys – it was the first home opener without Ed Snider owning the team.

Snider passed away at 88 years old in April from bladder cancer. He founded the Flyers as an expansion team. He was the chairman of Comcast Spectacor, which owned the Flyers, the Wells Fargo Center, Comcast SportsNet and facility management company Global Spectrum. He also owned the Philadelphia 76ers from 1996-2011.

On Thursday, the Flyers honored Snider by raising a banner to the rafters.

Snider was the last image during an in-memoriam segment, drawing an extended standing ovation from the crowd. His grandchildren were in attendance, and his children walked out to the ice where they raised his banner to the rafters, reading: ED SNIDER, 1967-2016.

Cameras focused on Snider’s empty seat in the owner’s box as the banner fit appropriately between Bobby Clark’s retired No. 16 and the team’s first Stanley Cup banner in 1973-74 — in some small way, ensuring he’ll always be looking down upon his team.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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