Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom took warmups before Game 4 against the New York Islanders but will not play in the game. Despite being scratched, it is one more positive step as he continues to work his way back to playing after being diagnosed with a rare bone cancer last December.
Even though he might not be playing tonight, seeing Oskar Lindblom take warmups with his teammates tonight was a really awesome moment. pic.twitter.com/1tps2aB76H
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 30, 2020
The 24-year-old was in the middle of a breakout season before his diagnosis, scoring 11 goals in 30 games. But in December he was shut down for the season while he underwent chemotherapy, which he completed in July.
“I can’t even explain how I feel,” Lindblom said after ringing the bell signifying that his treatments were complete. “It feels like having my birthday, Christmas and all those holidays at the same time. It feels awesome to be done. I can’t wait to get back to normal life again and feel like I’m living.”
Shortly after completing his treatments, Lindblom signed a three-year, $9-million contract extension with the Flyers and general manager Chuck Fletcher indicated Lindblom would travel with the team to Toronto and could return during the playoffs.
“I wouldn’t certainly put any limits on Oskar,” Fletcher said. “We’ll obviously do everything we can to protect him, but he’s looking forward to restarting his life and his career. Whatever that means, we’ll find out.”
Lindblom was named a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to a player “who best embodies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game of hockey.” His next chance to potentially play in a game will come in Game 5, which will be on Tuesday night.
In other roster news, with Game 4 coming one day after Game 3, both goalies will be starting their backups Sunday: Brian Elliott for the Flyers and Thomas Greiss for the Islanders.
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