Prosecutors on Thursday withdrew all charges against a Philadelphia Family Court judge accused of assaulting his wife and daughter earlier this year, saying that the women did not wish to proceed with the case and that the judge had shown proof of “extensive mitigation” in the months since the incident.
Michael Fanning was charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, and related crimes in March after prosecutors said he repeatedly punched his wife in the face, choked her, and dragged his 30-year-old daughter to the ground by her hair, causing her to cut her face, during a fight at their East Torresdale home.
But Assistant District Attorney Brian Collins said Wednesday that the two women were evaluated by medics and did not suffer injuries. They did not want to move forward with prosecuting Fanning, he said.
Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Fanning.Courtesy of Philadelphia Courts
That, combined with the “extensive mitigation” records Fanning provided to prosecutors and the court, led the district attorney’s office to withdraw the charges, he said.
Collins did not detail the forms of mitigation Fanning presented, and Berks County Court Judge Jeffrey Sprecher, who presided over the case to avoid any conflict of interest with Fanning’s peers, did not ask during the brief hearing.
But at a hearing in March, Fanning’s wife said he had voluntarily entered a 30-day inpatient recovery program to treat his alcoholism, an issue the family had worked to address in the past.
Fanning did not testify during Wednesday’s hearing. He thanked Sprecher for his time before leaving the courtroom.
He declined to comment through his attorney, Fortunato Perri Jr.
Within days of his arrest, the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline, which adjudicates complaints against judges, suspended him without pay.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday how that judicial discipline case would proceed after the outcome of the case, or whether Fanning would be allowed to return to the bench.
Brad Keller returned from the injured list and threw 14 pitches in a scoreless inning last Wednesday night. He didn’t pitch again before the All-Star break.
And now, his season is over.
Keller, the Phillies’ highest-paid reliever and a primary bridge to closer Jhoan Duran, tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team disclosed Thursday. The 30-year-old righty will get a second opinion before likely having Tommy John elbow surgery, which typically involves a 12- to 14-month recovery.
“It’s tough, tough news,” Keller said. “Obviously with the team and the position that we’re in, you want to come in the second half and fight with the boys. Just tough to swallow this pill right now.”
Keller’s injury may alter the Phillies’ approach to the trade deadline, set for 6 p.m. on Aug. 3. A leverage reliever already ranked among their needs. But it may now move ahead of a right-handed bat and back-end starting pitcher.
Orion Kerkering, already filling a late-inning role, took a 2.43 ERA into Thursday night’s game against the Mets. Fellow righty Jonathan Bowlan, who didn’t allow a run in seven innings before the break, has gained more of interim manager Don Mattingly’s trust.
But even before losing Keller, the Phillies were looking for another reliever. Hard-throwing lefty José Alvarado had a 6.82 ERA entering Thursday, although Mattingly noted his underlying metrics forecast better results. Alvarado’s expected ERA, for instance, is only 3.74.
“Obviously,” Mattingly said, “we’re going to need Alvy to be Alvy.”
Jonathan Bowlan will step into a bigger role in the Phillies’ bullpen now that Brad Keller has been lost for the season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
And, even then, the Phillies will need to find relief help in a trade market that favors sellers over buyers.
Interestingly, the Mets, with a 40-57 record at the break, are likely to move a few relievers, including walk-year lefties A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley. Luke Weaver, who has one year at an $11 million salary left on his contract, also could be available.
“I know we’re always going to try to get better — everyone’s going to try to get better at the deadline if they can,” Mattingly said. “For me, I’m comfortable with where we’re at. If you’d say this is our club the rest of the way and whoever’s in the minor leagues is going to help us and we go forward, we’re good enough to win.”
The Phillies recalled righty Seth Johnson from triple A to take Keller’s roster spot. Another name to watch: Alex McFarlane. The 25-year-old is on the 40-man roster and has a 2.12 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 34 innings in double A, although his 13% walk rate is a concern.
The Phillies signed Keller to a two-year, $22 million contract in the offseason after a breakout year with the Cubs, a rare instance in which president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski committed more than one year to a free-agent reliever.
Keller overcame a rough start to the season before giving up three runs in the eighth inning June 13 in Milwaukee. He went on the injured list a few days later with what the Phillies classified as forearm tendinitis.
An MRI last month “showed no tear or anything,” Keller said. And the discomfort he had felt, including being unable to straighten his arm after pitching, subsided to the point that he described it as a “night-and-day difference.”
To fill Brad Keller’s spot, Phillies recalled righty Seth Johnson from triple A.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
The tightness returned after his scoreless inning last week in Cincinnati and didn’t subside. He got another MRI on Monday, which revealed the tear.
“I don’t really recall a pitch or anything like that I felt a pop or anything, so it’s kind of really strange,” Keller said. “It’s pretty surprising news, for sure.”
Keller said he has a second opinion scheduled with Keith Meister, a Texas-based orthopedic surgeon and the Rangers’ longtime team physician.
In 32 appearances, Keller had a 4.02 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 31⅓ innings.
Set a calendar reminder for March 25, when the Phillies are expected to open the 2027 season in Washington, according to the schedule released Thursday by MLB.
That assumes, of course, that next season starts on time.
Baseball is facing a work stoppage after the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, at which point the owners likely will lock out the players. If a new agreement can’t be reached by mid-March, it’s possible games will be lost.
Holiday games on May 9 (Mother’s Day) vs. the Braves, June 20 (Father’s Day) vs. the Giants, July 4 vs. the Mariners, and Sept. 6 (Labor Day) vs. the Marlins.
Sept. 26: Season finale at home vs. the Nationals
Cristopher Sánchez will make his next start against the Dodgers on Monday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Extra bases
Mattingly said Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler are lined up to start Monday and Tuesday, respectively, against the Dodgers. Sánchez started the All-Star Game for the National League and threw 34 pitches in the first inning. Wheeler will wind up with seven days’ rest. “He’s our oldest guy [36 years old], so we want to keep him strong, give him the best chance to have success through the whole second half,“ Mattingly said. … The Phillies and Mets will be off Friday before resuming their series Saturday night. Jesús Luzardo (8-4, 3.51 ERA) is scheduled to face Mets lefty Sean Manaea (2-4, 4.56).
Even more farmland in Burlington County could be preserved for years to come after the Burlington County Board of Commissioners took the first steps to protect more than 500 acres from future development late last month.
The board voted on June 24 to grant preliminary approval for seven Burlington County farms totaling 529 acres to enter the county’s Farmland Preservation Program.
Farms can voluntarily join the program where the state and county pay farmers for the development rights to their land and enact a permanent deed restriction, ensuring the land is forever protected for agricultural uses even if the farm is sold. The farmers would retain ownership of the land.
The seven farms will now be appraised before the county can make offers to purchase the development rights.
Burlington County leads the state in farmland preservation with more than 67,000 acres of farmland protected, Commissioner Randy Brolo said, which accounts for nearly 72% of all active farmland within the county.
“Farming and agriculture have always been a major part of life in Burlington County, and our board has made it our mission to do everything possible to keep the industry strong and viable for the present and the future,” Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson said in a statement. “The Burlington County Farmland Preservation Program is essential to that goal, and we’re pleased to take this step to protect more acres of farmland.”
The farms that could be preserved are:
Bruch Farm in Chesterfield, 59 acres
Kirby Farm in Pemberton, 50 acres
Lounsberry Farm in Springfield, 169 acres
Russo Farm in Tabernacle, 37 acres
Seward Farm in Southampton, 22 acres
Specca Farm in Springfield, 82 acres
Varano Farm in Tabernacle, 110 acres
State funding could cover up to 80% of the preservation costs while the remainder is paid for out of the county’s Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.
The county is also poised to preserve another seven farms totaling 1,070 acres.
“Every acre of farmland Burlington County preserves guards against overdevelopment that can impact our environment and quality of life, so we continue to target more farms and open space for protection,” Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel said in a statement. “It’s good policy for Burlington County farmers and a win for residents who value living in a county with a green landscape and freshly grown food.”
Gerry O’Reilly, 61, of Chester Springs, Hall of Fame middle distance track star at Villanova University, 1988 Irish Olympian in the 1,500-meter run, longtime executive at the Vanguard Group Inc., mentor, and role model, died Thursday, June 11, at Phoenixville Hospital after an earlier sudden cardiac event.
Born and reared in Dunboyne, County Meath, Ireland, Mr. O’Reilly earned a track scholarship to Villanova in 1983 and joined a dozen other Irish athletes in what became known as the school’s Irish Pipeline to the Main Line. He went on to run cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, win seven Big East Conference championships, and hold the Big East outdoor record in the 1,500 for 37 years.
He ran the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs, the mile, and the distance medley relay at Villanova, and was named All-America four times. He won six national collegiate championships, was named outstanding performer at the 1986 Big East Indoor Championships, and was inducted into the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2007 and the Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2009.
“Without exaggeration, those were four of the best years of my life,” Mr. O’Reilly told Dave Thomas on the Belmont Plateau Hall of Fame podcast. Villanova “kind of set me up both athletically and academically for the rest of my life.”
Marcus O’Sullivan, former Villanova teammate and countryman, now director of track and field and cross-country at Villanova, said Mr. O’Reilly “had a steadfast moral compass that guided him in his life, and in doing so it had an intoxicating influence on others. … We all need a person like Gerry O’Reilly in our lives.”
After college, Mr. O’Reilly competed in the international Millrose Games in New York, the 1987 World Championships, the 1989 World Indoor Championships, and for Ireland in what is now the World Athletics Championships. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he made it to the semifinals of the 1,500.
Irish Olympic team officials called him “an exceptional athlete” and praised his “genuine commitment to helping the next generation.” They said: “Once an Olympian, always an Olympian.”
Irish marathon Olympian John Treacy told the Irish Times: “Gerry was a smashing runner and just the nicest guy, great for staying in contact and communicating with other Irish runners over the years.”
Mr. O’Reilly ran miles at night after school in the rural Irish fields and lanes, and joined the Dunboyne Athletic Club when he was 9. Villanova University
Mr. O’Reilly was also inducted into the Belmont Plateau Hall of Fame in 2025 and recently honored by his hometown Dunboyne Athletic Club.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1987, joined Vanguard in 1992 and the trading desk in 1994, and worked as an investment leader and portfolio manager. He was a mentor, colleagues said in a tribute, “who made immeasurable contributions to several of Vanguard’s flagship index funds.”
He served on corporate panels and lectured at leadership development events. Colleagues called him “riveting and influential” and “a giant in every sense except ego.” One said: “You could tell he truly cared about the markets and about doing things right.”
This photo and a story about Mr. O’Reilly (left) appeared in The Inquirer in 1987.Newspapers.com
Gerard Christopher O’Reilly was born July 1, 1964. He was the oldest of six children and excelled at cross-country, track, soccer, and other sports.
He ran miles at night after school in the rural Irish fields and lanes, joined the Dunboyne Athletic Club when he was 9, and was inspired, he said later, by Irishman Eamonn Coghlan’s fourth-place finish in the 1,500 at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Mr. O’Reilly went on to win the 1983 Irish Junior 1,500 championship.
He met fellow track star Melody Sye, and they married in 1992 and had a daughter, Meghan, and sons Keelan, Jack, and Conor. They divorced later.
“Despite all his trophies and merits,” Mr. O’Reilly’s family said in a tribute, “he always remained humble and would say being a dad to his four kids was his proudest accomplishment.”
Villanova honored Mr. O’Reilly online.Villanova University
Mr. O’Reilly was an avid bicyclist, and he spent many weekends on long rides and at Eagles games on Sundays. He liked poker, hikes with his dog, Bear, and watching sports with his family.
“Most of all,” his family said, “he simply enjoyed cracking jokes, sharing stories, and spending time with his friends and family.”
In addition to his children and former wife, Mr. O’Reilly is survived by three sisters, two brothers, and other relatives. “His final gift,” his family said, “was saving multiple lives through organ donation.”
The Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill on Thursday that can lower cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, the cheap cholesterol-reducing pills.
The drug, enlicitide, whose brand name is Lipfendra, is made by the pharmaceutical company Merck. Clinical trials have shown that it can bring levels of LDL — the dangerous type of cholesterol — down to 50 or 60 or even lower. Adults not taking cholesterol-lowering drugs usually have levels above 100. It works by inhibiting a protein known as PCSK9.
New cholesterol guidelines issued by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology say that people who have an above-average risk of heart attacks or strokes should get their LDL levels below 70. Those at high risk because, for example, they have had a heart attack, should get their LDL below 55.
Lipfendra’s list price will be $315 for a 30-day supply, and it will be available in a few weeks, said a Merck spokesperson, Julia Cunningham.
There are currently injectable drugs that work in the same way, but they are more expensive, with list prices of $500 to $600 a month or more. Insurers sometimes balk at paying, and some patients do not want injections. Only 1% of the 6 million eligible patients use the injected drugs. Yet a PCSK9 inhibitor can reduce the risk of heart attacks by 20% in high-risk patients.
Cardiologists not associated with Merck applauded the FDA approval and the drug’s price. The hope is that a pill that costs less than an injectable and is easier to take will allow many more patients to get their cholesterol levels under control.
“I’m thrilled,” said Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who consults for several drug companies, but not Merck.
“This would make a big difference compared with the cost of injectable PCSK9 inhibitors,” said David Maron, a preventive cardiologist at Stanford.
Last November, Merck reported results from a 24-week clinical trial of Lipfendra, which involved 2,912 people. The drug lowered LDL levels by up to 60%. And there was no difference in side effects between the drug and a placebo.
Those results are the same as what has been seen with the injectable drugs.
In studies of the injectable drugs, blocking PCSK9 reduced the incidence of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths 20% in high-risk people. Merck is conducting a study now to see if Lipfendra has the same effect. Dean Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories, said he is confident that it will.
Li said the company wants to make lowering cholesterol with Lipfendra as easy and convenient as it is with a statin. Primary care doctors can prescribe it — it does not have to be limited to cardiologists. And, he said, patients are used to taking daily pills. Most who are at risk for a heart attack already take at least a blood pressure pill, a statin and an aspirin.
It’s not clear yet whether companies making injectable PCSK9 inhibitors will lower their prices to compete.
It’s been two weeks since the seismic Jaylen Brown trade to the 76ers, and his former teammate and co-star, Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum, finally has a response.
“If I’m being transparent, it’s weird,” Tatum said in an ESPN interview at the ESPY Awards. “I’ve been on the Celtics for nine years, and he was my teammate every single one of those.”
Tatum joined Brown in Boston as the No. 3 draft pick in 2017, one year after Brown himself was selected third. Since then, the duo has played more than 600 games together and won a championship in 2024. Despite that bond, Tatum said he understands that “the NBA is a business” and is ready to turn his focus to next season.
“There’s still a human element of it that you feel those emotions. The city feels those emotions,” Tatum said. “But there’s also a side of like, we have to welcome our new teammates in with open arms, and we still have to attack the new season.
“So there’s like a balance,” he added. “But it’s weird.”
The reaction to Tatum’s response has been largely one of frustration among Celtics fans. Many of the top comments on X under a video of the interview call Tatum “fake” and say he “was asking for it.” The trade, which sent 36-year-old Paul George to Boston, has the team reshaping its roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. Tatum agreed in the interview that the team has a lot of work to do.
Jaylen Brown (left) and Jayson Tatum (right) spent nine seasons together with the Boston Celtics.Michael Dwyer
For Brown, the emotions about leaving Boston are complicated also. He expressed his thoughts in a statement on social media.
“I’m still processing how this all went down,” Brown said. “I’m excited and disappointed at the same time. I earned my respect from this city. I never asked for shortcuts or special treatment. I simply showed up every day, put my head down, and accepted every challenge.”
He added in a Twitch stream that he is “excited for what comes next” despite the “lack of respect” from his former team.
Philadelphia, however, is prepared to welcome him with open arms. New 76ers president Mike Gansey expressed his gratitude, “We’re just super lucky to get him, and I know he’s motivated,” he said. Brown will be eligible to sign an extension with the Sixers on July 26.
For now, both players and fans seem to agree on one thing: after nine years together, there’s no clean way to say goodbye.
Only one House Democrat from Pennsylvania voted against an amendment on Wednesday that would have ended aid to Israel.
The rest backed the measure, along with a plurality of Democrats in the chamber, highlighting shifts and factions within the party. The vote also inches closer to crossing a line that Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says could cause him to abandon the party.
The amendment, which would have cut $3.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Israel, was offered by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has clashed with President Donald Trump and was the only member of his party to support the measure.
Massie’s amendment failed in a 104-314 vote, but it showed shifting sentiment around Israel in the Democratic Party.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle,who represents parts of Philadelphia, was the only Pennsylvania Democrat who voted against the amendment.
Boyle said that the U.S. should push back against the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, but that the amendment was too broad to present a viable solution.
“This amendment would have forced the closure of the U.S. Embassy in Israel, ended refugee resettlement programs, cut off vital humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, and weakened our ability to combat terrorist organizations,” Boyle wrote in a statement to The Inquirer. “The United States must change course in response to the far-right Netanyahu government’s conduct, the settler violence, and the devastating suffering of Palestinian civilians. But this sweeping amendment was not the answer.”
The six other Pennsylvania Democrats supported the measure, while all Republicans present from the state voted no; U.S. Reps. Scott Perry of York County and Ryan Mackenzie of Lehigh County missed the vote.
The share of Democrats voting for the amendment showed a striking difference from two years ago, when a similar amendment from U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, a progressive from Pittsburgh, garnered only 37 Democratic votes and 21 GOP votes.
“Thousands and thousands of Palestinians have been killed using our tax dollars,” Lee wrote on X. “This shift in the party is a testament to the movement but it’s still unconscionable for any member of Congress to justify sending any aid to fuel Israel’s genocide.”
The Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023 after a Hamas-led attack killed 1,200 Israelis. Since then, the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 73,000, the Associated Pressreported.
Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Israel, said that though he has no current plans to leave the Democratic Party, ending support for Israel is a line that could push him out of the party.
“If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me,” Fetterman said to the Hill on Wednesday.
Fetterman has been insistent that he is still a Democrat, publishing an opinion piece in the Washington Post in May emphasizing he is still “pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor and even pro-rib-eye over bio slop.”
But recently, more and more of Fetterman’s support has been coming from across the aisle.
The poll also found that more than half of registered Pennsylvania voters want Fetterman to leave the Democratic Party altogether — a number that reflected majorities of voters from both parties.
Philadelphia is on pins and needles waiting for LeBron James’ decision. Meanwhile, he seems to be living his best life.
Almost two weeks ago, James’ agent and Klutch Sports head Rich Paul first confirmed the 76ers were a possible landing spot for the four-time MVP. Since Paul’s confirmation, the buzz around James signing with the Sixers has only grown. Soon after, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president Bob Myers joined Paul’s Game Over podcast to indirectly pitch the Sixers to James. During his appearance, Myers argued Philadelphia would give James the “best chance to win.”
Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, who Myers hired, made his position known on Tuesday.
“We’d love to have [James] in Philly,” Gansey told The Inquirer. “I think he’d really, really help us and add to our group. But he’s making a big decision here. It’s wild [that] at his age [41], he’s playing at such a high level. But it’s not surprising.”
On Monday, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Sixers stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown have all communicated directly with James. Maxey, who is also signed to Klutch Sports, “lead the charge.”
With the entire NBA being sent into a frenzy over James’ impending decision, one person has stayed suspiciously quiet through it all — James himself. That could change with James appearing on a live-edition of the “Mind the Game” podcast during Fanatics Fest on Thursday. He will appear alongside Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who hyped up James’ upcoming appearance on X.
So what is taking so long? Well, it appears James has been a bit preoccupied. Here’s what the all-time great has been up to:
Golfing with Kevin Hart
On Tuesday, James spent a day on the links with comedian Kevin Hart — a Philadelphia native.
The two played in North Jersey and were joined by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Notably, James has also been linked to Golden State as a possible landing spot. Green previously said he made a “crazy” pitch to James to join the Warriors while on a different golfing trip in Puerto Rico.
During Tuesday’s trip, clips were posted to social media of the trio golfing and razzing each other. From the videos available, it appears that Hart had the worst day on the course:
“You stink, you’re here because you’re Kevin Hart,” Green joked, adding “you’re here to provide jokes.”
Contrary to Green’s assertion, Hart’s ”jokes” might not have been the only reason the comedian made time to golf. Could he have been trying to sell the Sixers to James? Hart has made his Philadelphia fandom known in the past and did help entice Paul George to sign with the franchise in 2024.
Kevin Hart reveals how he pitched the 76ers to Paul George 😂
“It’s just fan energy. I have no alliance to that office,” Hart previously told Taylor Rooks on her podcast. “I’m not in the business. I’m just a diehard Sixers fan. Once I heard it could possibly be, or we could possibly have, that’s just me being a fan, and having a relationship.”
Attending three Jay-Z concerts
A few days before golfing in Jersey, James spent the weekend across the Hudson.
There, James attended all three days of rapper Jay-Z’s consecutive sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium. The two have known each other since James was a sophomore at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. James was spotted dancing to Jay-Z’s 2003 hit “Public Service Announcement” — which was released just over two weeks after James’ first NBA game.
Lebron James vibing to “PSA” at Hov’s extra innings show at Yankee stadium. 🔥🏆 pic.twitter.com/7v0ihL5xOv
James also was seen hanging with Celtics star Jayson Tatum at the concert. Unlike Philadelphia, Boston has not been floated publicly by James’ camp as a potential landing location. Maybe James asked Tatum about his former co-star Brown, who is now in Philadelphia.
Watching the World Cup
Maybe James — like the rest of us — is just preoccupied with the World Cup?
A vocal soccer fan, James showed love for US Men’s National Team striker Folarin Balogun after his Round of 32 goal against Bosnia. After scoring, Balogun performed the “silencer” celebration — made famous by James during his time with the Miami Heat.
LFG!!!!!! THE 🤫 HAS 🛬 at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young 🤴🏾! 🫡. GO 🇺🇸 https://t.co/8wb2t2F6oq
Let the countdown to the 2026-27 season officially begin.
In 76 days, Flyers hockey is back with the season and home opener on Sept. 30 against their cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The NHL begins the campaign the day prior, with five games including the Carolina Hurricanes raising their banner before hosting the Florida Panthers. It marks the league’s earliest start in North America.
On Wednesday, we also learned that the Flyers will play the following night against the New Jersey Devils in their home opener at the Prudential Center, in addition to also helping former Flyers goalie Sam Ersson and the Ottawa Senators open their home schedule on Oct. 8.
On Thursday, the NHL released the complete 84-game schedule — yes, there are two extra Metropolitan Division games this season for the Flyers. It is the first time the NHL season will play 84 games since the 1993-94 season.
Here’s everything we know about the Flyers’ 2026-27 schedule.
Noel Acciari (55), now wearing a Flyers uniform, will face his former team right off the bat in 2026-27.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
When is the Flyers’ first game of the 2026-27 season?
As mentioned above, the Flyers will host the Penguins on Sept. 30 at Xfinity Mobile Arena (7:30 p.m., TNT). The rest of the games scheduled for TNT, ABC, and ESPN, along with the NBCSP schedule, will be announced at a later time.
There will be some new faces on each team, with former Flyers forward Andrei Kuzmenko now on the Penguins and ex-Pens forward Noel Acciari facing his old buddies after inking a two-year deal with the Flyers on July 1.
“I’m glad to have them on my side now because they are very passionate, and they’re all up in your face,” Acciari said about the Philly faithful.
Of course, the Penguins will still have Evgeni Malkin, who re-signed after the Flyers eliminated Pittsburgh in six games in the opening round of the 2026 playoffs; Kris Letang, Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson, and Sidney Crosby, who has 139 points in 93 regular-season games against the Flyers.
It will be the eighth time the Flyers host the Penguins in the season opener (5-2-0) and the ninth time they will open the season against Pittsburgh (4-3-1-0). The Flyers are 33-18-5-2 in home openers and 29-20-7-2 in season lid-lifters.
The Flyers will get their first chance for some revenge on the Hurricanes, who swept them in the second round of the playoffs, in North Carolina on Oct. 3.
Could Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL game come against the Flyers?Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
When does the Flyers’ 2026-27 season end?
The NHL will wrap up the season on April 10 when all 32 teams suit up.
Philly will face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in the first game of the day, at 12 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It could be the regular-season finale of Ovechkin’s storied career.
Signed to a one-year deal, the NHL’s all-time goals leader (929) will turn 41 in mid-September. This season will be his 22nd in the NHL, but he recently told Match TV, a Russian sports channel, that he wouldn’t mind hitting 1,000 NHL goals. He has scored 54 goals against the Flyers in 82 regular-season games.
Old pal Cutter Gauthier will show his face in Philly a week before Halloween. Kyusung Gong
When do the Flyers face Cutter Gauthier and the Anaheim Ducks?
The Flyers faithful won’t have to wait too long to give Gauthier another warm welcome in Philly. The Ducks close out a four-game road trip with a matinee game at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Oct. 24.
Of course, there is a new wrinkle this year after Flyers general manager Danny Brière and the organization tendered an offer sheet with a five-year contract, worth an average annual value of $18 million, to center Leo Carlsson. The Ducks eventually matched, making the Swede the highest-paid player in terms of AAV in the NHL.
The Flyers will be in Anaheim on Jan. 3.
When are the Flyers playing during the day in 2026-27?
The Flyers play 15 games during the day, with eight in South Philly.
Sam Ersson will be back in Philly as a member of the Ottawa Senators in October. Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
When does _____ return to Philly?
Garnet Hathaway: Traded in late June, Hathaway and the Florida Panthers make their first appearance at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Dec. 14 and return on Jan. 26. The Flyers also visit Sunrise, Fla., on March 27.
Bobby Brink: Sent home to Minnesota at the trade deadline in the deal that brought David Jiříček to the Flyers, Brink and the Wild visit South Philly on Nov. 3. The Flyers are in Minnesota on Dec. 5.
Emil Andrae: After being traded in June, the Maple Leafs defenseman gets a chance to take on his former team at XMA on Jan. 7, with two games in Toronto on Nov. 30 and Jan. 9.
Sam Ersson: While the Flyers will help the goalie and the Senators — he was originally sent to Toronto with Andrae — open their home schedule on Oct. 8, the Swede returns to XMA on Oct. 17. The Flyers are also in Ottawa on Nov. 19.
Noah Juulsen: Signing with the Colorado Avalanche in free agency, the defenseman will return Oct. 19, and the Flyers will kick-start the dreaded “Death Valley Trip” in Denver on March 9 before heading to Las Vegas and Utah.
Flyers goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoît will return to Toronto for the first time on Nov. 30. Acciari will be in Pittsburgh for the first time on Jan. 31.
Do the Flyers play on Black Friday in 2026?
Yes. The Flyers return to their rightful place of playing the day after Thanksgiving after being booted last season because of an Eagles home game. The Birds lost 24-15 to the Chicago Bears.
This year, the Flyers will host coach Rick Tocchet’s old team, the Vancouver Canucks, on Nov. 27 at 3 p.m. Since 2006, the Orange and Black have not hosted a game on Black Friday only three times — the 2020-21 COVID-19-shortened season and the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, with each starting in January, and last year.
The Flyers have an impressive record of 26-9-1-4 in games played after getting their fill of turkey and cranberry sauce (only from the can is acceptable).
Where is the Flyers’ road trip going during Disney On Ice in 2026-27?
Every year, following the NHL’s holiday break, the Flyers head out of town for an extended road trip as Disney On Ice descends on Philly.
Last year, the Flyers headed to Western Canada and Seattle. This year, the Flyers begin with a pit stop in Chicago, which Connor Bedard (shoulder surgery) is expected to be back for, before heading to the West Coast for matchups against the Kraken, Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks, the Ducks, and Scott Laughton and the Los Angeles Kings.
Although it is a nine-day trip, it is not the longest for the Flyers this season. Assuming they head straight from a Nov. 5 game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden to Calgary, Alberta, the Flyers will be on a five-game, 10-day road trip. One nugget for this trip: This is the final year that the Flames are playing in the Scotiabank Saddledome before opening a new arena next season.
The Flyers have a four-game road trip that begins locally on Long Island (March 20) and continues to New Jersey (March 23) before rounding out in Florida, March 25 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and March 27 at the Panthers.
They also have a few three-game road trips: Oct. 5-10: Tampa Bay, Ottawa, Boston; Nov. 19-25: Ottawa, Montreal, Washington; March 3-13: Colorado, Vegas, Utah; April 3-8: Pittsburgh, Carolina, Columbus
Sean Couturier should reach the 1,000-games pinnacle with the Flyers this season. Karl B DeBlaker
News and notes about the Flyers’ schedule
With two games added to the schedule, the Flyers will play each of their Metropolitan Division opponents four times.
They have 12 back-to-backs, including a tough stretch Jan. 9-16 with five games in eight days.
The Flyers will play 16 weekend games at home, with 11 on Saturdays and five on Sundays.
On Monday, Feb. 22, the Flyers will play at 1 p.m. in Philly against the Montreal Canadiens. The game is early, not because it’s Presidents’ Day, which is the week prior, but because the game is being coined an “International Primetime Game.” According to the Flyers press release, the game is “specifically designed to reach a global audience through a European primetime broadcast window.” Goalie Dan Vladař is the headliner for the Flyers as it will be 7 p.m. in Czechia. The matchup at the Hurricanes on April 5, a 2 p.m. start, is another of the International Primetime Games.
If he plays in every game, captain Sean Couturier will skate in his 1,000th NHL game on Jan. 12 in Nashville. He will join Bobby Clarke (1,144) and Claude Giroux (1,000) as the only players to play in 1,000 NHL games solely with the Flyers. Forward Travis Konecny (723), and defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen (820), and Travis Sanheim (660) could also hit big milestones. Konecny would become the fifth player to hit 800 games as a Flyer, joining Clarke, Giroux, Couturier, and Bill Barber (903), and Sanheim would become the fourth defenseman to reach 700 behind Éric Desjardins (738), who he could surpass, Joe Watson (746), and Chris Therien (753).
The NHL’s All-Star Weekend will be held at UBS Arena on Long Island on Feb. 5-6. On the first night, 10 young stars, ages 25 or younger, will compete across eight events. The following day will be the All-Star Game, with five teams of 11 players representing Canada, Finland, Sweden, the United States, and a “World” team competing in a three-on-three, round-robin exhibition tournament. The Flyers will be off Feb. 4-12
Speeding in your car to work, to pick up your children from school, or go from one errand to the next not only wastes money in gas and sends harmful emissions into the air, it barely saves you time, new research says.
It is something to think about as gas prices stay elevated throughout the summer months and add pain to day-to-day driving and seasonal road tripping.
Instead, abiding by posted speed limits can save U.S. drivers millions of dollars at the gas pump and eliminate millions of gallons of fuel each day, according to a study published Thursday in the Nature journal Communications Sustainability. That is fuel that, when burned, emits planet-warming gases into the atmosphere. To top it all off, changing driving habits wouldn’t even add a full minute to a driver’s commute.
University of Minnesota researchers analyzed 120 million vehicle trips across the United States from four Wednesdays in 2021 using driving data on national road networks, speed limits and U.S. Geological Survey elevation data. The analysis included roads with speed limits of 45 mph and higher.
More than 43% of the studied trips included at least one instance of speeding, and drivers spent nearly 12% of their driving time going faster than the speed limit.
They found that if drivers of light-duty, conventional internal combustion engine vehicles actually drove at posted speed limits, it could save an average of $22 million, based on fuel costs at the time, 6.7 million gallons of fuel, and 57,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide every day. The researchers said that is comparable to taking about 5.5 million passenger vehicles off the road.
And while drivers say that speeding saves them precious time, researchers found that is not really the case. With an average daily driving distance of 28.6 miles, driving at or below the posted limit corresponds only to about 54 seconds longer per day.
“If your goal is to shave one minute off your time, then you’ve got to drive fast. If your objective is to get to your destination safely and to save fuel, then you might drive slower than the speed limit,” said William Northrop, mechanical engineering professor at the University of Minnesota and study co-author.
The research considered battery-electric vehicle efficiency only in California given the level of EV adoption in the U.S. at that time. Based on the California modeling, “We find that driving slower is beneficial for EVs as well,” he said.
Interestingly, the study found differences among states. Nevada saw elevated speeding prevalence as well as high speed excess. There was high speeding prevalence in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, though those states did not necessarily exhibit high speed excess. Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and South Dakota showed both low speeding prevalence and speed excess.
The cost of faster driving today
Driving faster increases a vehicle’s energy use and the emissions from its engine, as well as reduces efficiency. Vehicle engines have become increasingly more efficient over the past several decades even as vehicles have gotten bigger and more powerful. But speed limits have also climbed since the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was implemented, which mandated 55 mph national speed limits amid the 1970s energy crisis.
Accounting for the average cost of gas today and more vehicle miles traveled, that increases to roughly $26 million and 7.2 million gallons of fuel that Americans collectively could save each day this year just by not putting the pedal to the metal.
One limitation of the research is that slower driving could impact traffic patterns, which could play a role in efficiency.
However, it is especially timely as U.S. drivers remain price-sensitive to volatile gas prices as the war in Iran has sent the cost for a gallon of fuel above $4 this year. Experts have said there are a number of ways to improve one’s gas mileage, including something as simple as slowing down. Less fuel needing to be purchased because of better efficiency could influence oil market demand, which in turn could impact pricing.
Rob Middleton, associate research scientist of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan who was not involved in the research, said the study was well-done. But he also noted that the fuel saved from driving more slowly still only represents a fraction of daily gasoline consumption in the U.S., which is about 375 million gallons daily.
“It’s a big number, but it’s a small fraction,” Middleton said. “This is a ‘freebie’ in that it doesn’t really cost anyone anything to do.”
“The market penetration of selling EVs is still small, so we still need fuel, we still need ICE [internal combustion engine] vehicles, we’re still going to have them for a very long time,” he added. “Things that we can do to either make the new ones better or to improve our fuel supply, we need to do.”
