Flyers owner Ed Snider says he's cancer-free

VOORHEES, N.J. – You have to give it to Ed Snider. The Philadelphia Flyers chairman certainly wants to be patient. He knows that's what it's going to take to see results from general manager Ron Hextall's plan.

"He's the boss," Snider said. "We've got a lot of great, young players, and you don't want to rush them along too quickly."

Nothing's really changed, though. Snider still wants to win a third Stanley Cup as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow, even though the season doesn't begin until the second week of October.

"No, I'm not more patient than I used to be," he clarified. "Hextall is.''

The team's founder doesn't usually show up until midway through training camp and Saturday he was at the team's practice facility in a bright orange windbreaker with a Flyers emblem on the left side of his chest ready for the first day of rookie camp.

Snider, 81, found out earlier this year that he had cancer, but after radiation and chemotherapy, he was told on Aug. 13 that he's cancer-free.

"I'm done," Snider said. "I have no cancer. It's all gone. Well, you never want that 'Big C,' but luckily it's all gone. I'm totally healthy. It's gone."

He feels full of life and ready to start another campaign hoping to re-create the magic of 39 years ago, the last time the Flyers won a Stanley Cup.

"I have probably been a little too anxious to win another Cup," Snider conceded. "I was very patient when I was young, when we built the winners. We let the other five teams trade away their draft picks and some of their top kids and we didn't do that. We were not successful for the first, four or five years and then all of a sudden we were the best."

Snider says he's constantly reminded the Flyers haven't won a Cup since 1975. The almosts and close calls over the years have haunted him.

"The bottom line is that's success," Snider said. "To get to the finals and then something always (expletive) happens to us in the finals."

He remembers vividly the 1980 series against the New York Islanders when Leon Stickle didn't call Duane Sutter for being offside. He also remembers Denis Potvin hitting a puck in with a high stick.

Don't mention the Stanley Cup Final in 1976 when the Montreal Canadiens won the first of four consecutive Cups and swept the Flyers, although the first three games were won by one goal.

"They barely beat us!" an animated Snider said. "That team would have won four or so in a row. I just feel like somehow we're snake bit and somebody's putting pins in a doll."

Michael Leighton in 2010 against the Chicago Blackhawks? Sami Kapanen crawling back to the bench after getting crunched by Darcy Tucker in 2004? Concussions galore against Tampa in the next round?

"Seriously, it drives me crazy," Snider said. "It drives me nuts. Like we're chopped liver. You know how many times I hear they haven't won a Cup since 1975? It's like we are chopped liver."

Snider points to the Flyers' success that has fallen short of the Stanley Cup. They've been to the finals eight times, won 16 division titles and have the highest regular-season win percentage since the last time the Bullies paraded down Broad Street.

"I go back to the fact that we've been in the finals more or as much as anybody since '74," Snider said. "And that's success. That's nothing to be ashamed about. We've been in the hunt so many times."

How about this year? This is the first in Hextall's grand plan and he didn't have a lot of money to work with for free agent improvements. Some early predictions have the Flyers on the bubble of making the playoffs.

Is Snider offended?

"No, I don't think so," Snider said. "They're looking at it objectively. We've got to prove ourselves and we were on the bubble last year. There's no reason for them to believe that without making big changes we won't be on the bubble or even miss the playoffs this year.

"The so-called experts don't know more than any of us know. You guys are the so-called experts and what the (expletive) do you know?"

Snider cracked a smile when serving that line up to reporters. Well, at least his passion is still at an all-time high.

Dave Isaac writes for the (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post