Philadelphia Flyers broadcaster Jason Myrtetus will receive the Most Courageous Award for his efforts to defeat cancer and for refusing to let it affect his work.
Jason Myrtetus, a member of the Philadelphia Flyers' broadcast team for 18 years, has bravely shared the ups and downs of his colon-cancer journey, mixing brute honesty with comedy and his fears in numerous social-media posts.
All for the sake of helping others who are in a similar predicament.
"Just to create awareness about the entire thing," he said in an interview with TheHockeyNews.com on Thursday afternoon. "In the beginning, I wasn't sure how transparent I would be as I went along. But when I started doing it, a lot of people really gravitated toward it. I could have said that I have cancer and just left it at that.
"But I wanted to kind of let them know the physical struggles, the mental struggles, the emotional struggles."
Myrtetus, 54, was recognized for his bravery Thursday when the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association announced he will receive the organization's Most Courageous Award at its 122nd annual banquet on Jan. 11 at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
A member of the Flyers' broadcast crew since 2008, Myrtetus hosts the team's pre-game, intermission, and post-game radio coverage and also hosts the Flyers Daily podcast.
Throughout his nearly two-year cancer battle, Myrtetus has been a fierce advocate of getting early checkups and not minimizing warning signs. He has done so with the same energy and unbridled passion he brings to his broadcasts.
He doesn't let his Flyers duties suffer because of his medical obligations. On Thursday, two days after he started another round of chemo, he did his radio show until 1 p.m. while medicine was being pumped into his body. A few minutes later, a nurse who had come to his home removed a chemo pump. After that, he did a phone interview.
In other words, he is a hard-working, dedicated person to the nth degree, and someone who candidly explains his challenges in his numerous social media posts.
"Jason's courage extends far beyond the microphone," said Mike Shute, president of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association. "By openly sharing his journey and continuing to face every challenge with strength, honesty and determination, he has inspired so many people."
Myrtetus was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in December of 2024. Since then, he has been in an all-out fight.
"My gloves are off," he said.
Myrtetus said Thursday that when he was first diagnosed, he downplayed his struggles.
"People were like, 'Take care of yourself mentally.' And I was like, 'I’ll feel sick, but I’ll be able to handle it mentally.' But (it turned out that) mentally, it’s even worse than it is physically. So a person in my position, I was able to show them that it’s OK to not be OK mentally while you’re dealing with this. That’s a strong message."
He said he gets supportive messages like, 'Cancer f**ked with the wrong person. You got this.'
"I'm here to let you know there are days where it doesn't feel like that. There are days where I could be curled up in a fetal position on the floor of my house, wanting to quit. That’s just the way it goes. It beats you up, especially when you’re in treatment. It’s like having the flu really bad and then when you start feeling better … you get it again."
A few months ago, he gave a sobering medical update on social media.
"I wish I had better news to share," he said, giving details about his cancer returning and that he would have to undergo more chemo.
He explained he had the heart of a lion.
"I am not a statistic," he said.
He added that his body and his cancer have responded well to chemo. Genetically, he said, his cancer is prone to two things: "recurrence (bad) and slow growing (good)."
Two days ago, he went back to start Round 3 of his chemo treatments.
"Time to kick some cancer ass!!!" he proclaimed on X.
This treatment round is "different" than the last one, he said. "This one is not as violent."
Work-wise, the former goalie said nothing has changed. He loves what he does, loves his colleagues, and loves hockey.
"I am not letting any of this take that away,” he said, adding that he plans to be at the Flyers’ opener Sept. 30 against visiting Pittsburgh “with my pump and all because I get chemo the day before.
“I’m grinding. I’m doing everything I can.”
Tickets to the Jan. 11 banquet, which will honor Myrtetus and many Philadelphia athletes – and salute the 100th anniversary of the famed Palestra – are available at www.phillysportswriters.com.
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