The Philadelphia Flyers unveiled the Jay Greenberg Press Row earlier in November to commemorate a Hockey Hall of Fame reporter who loved and respected the sport.
The family of Jay Greenberg observes the Philadelphia Flyers' new Jay Greenberg Press Row on Nov. 2.The Philadelphia Flyers recently honored the late great Jay Greenberg, who covered the team for many seasons and also spent many years writing for publications across North America, including The Hockey News.
In his memory, the Flyers created Jay Greenberg Press Row at the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 2.
Mona Greenberg, Jay’s wife, was touched by the ceremony honoring her husband.
“We can only hope that the recognition inspires other journalists to be as dedicated, thorough, honest, trustworthy and creatively brilliant in their writings,” she said.
Greenberg, an ace reporter for five decades, was focused on building a trust and building relationships with his sources, whose information allowed him to have the correct tone, context and perspective in his stories.
He was a “database of the Flyers,” Paul Holmgren, a one-time player, coach, GM and president of the Philadelphia team, once said.
Greenberg was a sensational reporter, someone who cultivated sources – whether they were players, coaches, front-office execs or an equipment manager – better than almost anyone.
He was someone who truly loved hockey and respected the sport to the nth degree.
The Ultimate ‘Insider’
He loved writing about the never-dull Flyers – and he did it with dignity, lots of humor and unparalleled insight.
Greenberg, who died in 2021 at age 71 of complications from the West Nile virus, also wrote what some might call “history books” about the Flyers. They were much more than that. They were filled with anecdotes and head-spinning inside information that was uncovered by his close relationships with those connected to the sport.
The ultimate “insider,” Greenberg was a journalistic genius, but he never flaunted it. He took young writers under his wing and mentored them – and was excited to read their stories. He saw some of him in them. And he was always down-to-earth and never “big-timed” anyone.
Randy Miller, a veteran reporter, said he learned more from Greenberg than any writer or journalism professor he ever met. He was talking about the type of questions Jay would ask, his uncanny editing skills and the way he could humanize a story and make it fun to read.
While Greenberg was a very classy writer, all of us who knew him would lovingly say he was also a very messy eater. At least in the press box. He would eat popcorn, lots of popcorn, and leave a mess on press row. Some say you could follow the trail of popcorn from his seat to the press elevator.
Jay loved his popcorn, loved the movie Slap Shot, which was filmed in his hometown of Johnstown, Pa., loved covering sports at Princeton, the school his daughters attended. And he especially loved the Pittsburgh Pirates, the baseball team he followed intensely as a young boy and never lost his passion for the Bucs, even going to their minor-league games late in his life.
Jay Greenberg loved and respected the sport to the nth degree, says Sam Carchidi.Unique Routine
Most of all, he loved to write – and he did it with authority. That’s why after he covered a game, he would go home and watch a replay of the entire contest before starting to write. He wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything with his naked eye, and he wanted to make his story sing.
In addition to covering the Flyers for the Daily News, Greenberg also wrote for The Hockey News, Kanas City Star, Philadelphia Bulletin, Sports Illustrated, Toronto Sun, hockeybuzz.com and princetontigersfootball.com.
His writing put him in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. When his selection was announced, Greenberg received calls, emails and texts of congratulations from all over the globe. He was especially honored by a text he received from a former player, who told him he was now where he rightfully belonged – in the Hall of Fame.
The players signed the text, simply….99.
That, of course, was Wayne Gretzky.
Gretzky was arguably the greatest player of all-time.
You can also argue that Jay Greenberg was the best hockey writer in North America. Ever.
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