Jason Kelce Has Some Surprising Flyers Connections
Jason Kelce might be a football legend, but he has his connections with Philadelphia's hockey team as well.
Jennifer Corbett-USA TODAY NETWORK - Jason Kelce Has Some Surprising Flyers ConnectionsPhiladelphia sports fans were left heartbroken on Jan. 16 after it was announced that Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce told his teammates that he was retiring from football. It was anything but a fairytale ending—with the Eagles losing 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—but it gave the city a chance to reminisce on their favorite Jason Kelce moments, of which there are many to choose from. In his 13-year career, Kelce became the unofficial "mayor of Philadelphia," largely due to his relatability and genuine love and appreciation for the city's other sports teams and community.
Kelce has shown out to the games of every major Philadelphia sports team, and the Flyers were certainly no exception. More than just being a spectator, Kelce has some deep connections to the Flyers that fans might not have expected.
For starters, Kelce himself played hockey in his younger years before turning to football full-time.
In an episode of his and brother Travis' podcast New Heights, Travis made fun of Jason wearing a Flyers jersey, saying he wasn't a real fan of the team. Jason then revealed that he was actually friends with Flyers greats Scott Hartnell and Claude Giroux, even recounting the time Giroux beat former Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin in an arm-wrestling match. (And, yes, Jason did beat Giroux in an arm-wrestling contest once he "had a few beers in him.")
Kelce also got to hang out with the Stanley Cup during the podcast. He was told that he was allowed to hug it and/or kiss it if he so desired (he ended up doing both), but he couldn't lift it unless he won it.
He even got to have his youngest daughter Bennett sit inside the Cup.
Kelce has shown the Flyers love during their 2018 playoff run, and has been spotted at multiple Flyers games, including the Stadium Series matchup between the Flyers and Penguins held at Lincoln Financial Field in 2019.
Wishing Jason Kelce a happy retirement, and hoping this new free time will make him available to catch a couple Flyers games this season. We hear they're doing pretty well!
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