It was a reception befitting Philadelphia sports fans.
Anaheim Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier, who forced a trade from the Flyers one years ago, was met with boos and derisive chants in his first game back in Philadelphia on Saturday.
One fan's sign read "Cutter is ultra soft" next to a drawing of toilet paper. Another said "puck you," while chants from fans eventually turned the P into an F.
Gauthier was selected fifth overall by Philadelphia in the 2022 NHL Draft before a divide between the two sides set the course that led to the trade.
Anaheim ultimately sent defenceman Jamie Drysdale and a 2025 second-round pick to the Flyers in exchange for Gauthier's rights. The Ducks then signed the Boston College alum to an entry-level contract in April.
"Obviously with all that happened, it's definitely been a game circled on my calendar, and I'm super excited to play," Gauthier told reporters Friday. "It's been a lot of anticipation leading up to the game, so I'm ready to go out there and play my game."
Another rallying call among fans at the Wells Fargo Center was "Jamie's better" — and Drysdale came through with his second goal of the season, which gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead late in the first period.
It was a messy exit from Philadelphia for Gauthier, who reportedly refused to train or negotiate a deal to start his career with the Flyers.
"He didn't want to be a Flyer," Flyers president Keith Jones confirmed in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia following the trade. "So we had to come up with a plan and, fortunately, we were able to execute on that plan."
After Saturday's game, which Philadelphia won 6-0, Flyers head coach John Tortorella didn't seem too happy when he was asked about the Gauthier drama in the crowd.
"All I told our team is let's worry about ourselves and play a hockey game," Tortorella said. "The bull*** is for you guys. All the drama, that's for you guys, whatever you need to do with it.
You know what I hope? I hope we can play in front of a crowd like that about something meaningful."
Drysdale, 22, has now recorded eight points (two goals, six assists) and a minus-16 rating in 30 games this season for the Flyers.
Gauthier, 20, can counter with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 41 games for Anaheim.
But for this season anyway, the trade hasn't worked out for either club, both of whom were sitting on 39 points entering Saturday's contest. The Flyers are last in the Metropolitan Division, while the Ducks sit sixth in the Pacific.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.