It wasn't quite the homecoming they had imagined.
Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost had spent years donning the logo of the Philadelphia Flyers, carving out their places in the Flyers' hockey lore with skill, determination, and an endlessly endearing camaraderie with their Flyers teammates.
But now, their return to the Wells Fargo Center came not in orange and black but as visitors, wearing the red and gold of the Calgary Flames.
"It was weird," Frost admitted, standing in the still-unfamilair territory of the away team's locker room. "I think probably once the game starts, it'll feel like a normal game, but maybe in the pregame and seeing some of the guys in warmups might be a little weird, for sure."
It's always an adjustment, coming back to the city where you grew into the player you are. The Flyers were a team that drafted both Farabee and Frost—the team where they experienced triumphs and struggles in equal measure. Being traded away—abruptly, at that—meant their departures didn't come with a proper goodbye. This game, in many ways, could serve as just that.
A Chance to Reconnect
For all the emotional weight attached to returning, there was still time to enjoy the city that had once been home. Frost and Farabee made sure to soak in their short stay, catching up with old teammates and revisiting familiar spots.
“Yeah, especially with how we kind of left like that, just abruptly,” Frost said. “It was good; we had the day yesterday to go do some stuff. I went back to my place, picked up some more stuff. When I left, I kind of just threw two bags together. We saw some of the guys, so it’s been fun.”
Farabee echoed the sentiment, highlighting the bond he still shares with many of his former teammates.
“Yeah, it’s been good,” he said. “I saw a bunch of the guys yesterday when we went out for dinner. It’s always nice seeing them. I think the group I played with in Philly was just a really special team, and a lot of good friends, so good to see them.”
That’s the thing about hockey—teams change, rosters shift, and players move on, but the relationships built in locker rooms, over countless road trips and postgame dinners, tend to last. Especially with the Flyers, there’s a brotherhood that remains, even when the jersey changes.
Business as Usual…Sort Of
For all the nostalgia, there is still a game to be played. And once the puck drops, all sentimentality had to be put on hold.
Farabee and Frost made it clear that, as much as they cherished their time in Philadelphia, they are here to compete. The Flames, fighting for position in a tight playoff race, need points, and their focus has to be on the task at hand.
“Just coming to the rink today is definitely weird,” Farabee said. “Obviously never done it as the away team, so coming in is a little strange, but I think it’ll be good. Before the game will be a little weird, but I think once the game starts, it’ll just be hockey as normal.”
Still, there was at least one Flyer he isn't eager to meet on open ice.
“[I’ll] probably try to stay away from [Nick Seeler],” Farabee joked. “I don’t want him hitting me tonight!”
It’s one of those unique quirks in hockey—one day, a guy is your teammate, the next, he’s on the other side trying to shut you down. That’s the nature of the business, and both Farabee and Frost are no doubt prepared to handle it as professionals.
A Lasting Connection
While the trades that sent Farabee and Frost to Calgary might have been part of the business, it didn’t erase the memories of their time in Philadelphia. Farabee’s gritty, two-way game endeared him to fans who value work ethic as much as skill, while Frost’s creativity and playmaking ability always left a lasting impression.
While the building that they once considered home is now just a stop during a stretch of away games, and teammates they could call at any time of the day to hang out must be seen for a few hours over dinner, it's clear that both Frost and Farabee still hold a lot of love for Philadelphia.
And maybe, just maybe, in the quieter moments—during a stoppage in play, between shifts, or as they took a glance around the arena—they'll allow themselves to take it all in from a new perspective. The heart might ache with pangs of familiarity at the songs on the Flyers' warmup playlist, or Gritty's chaotic mid-game antics, or even the sound of John Tortorella yelling directions from the bench.
Because—how does that one TikTok-viral song go? You take the man out of the city, not the city out of the man.
