Ron Hextall says he “jumped off my couch” when the Flyers unexpectedly landed No. 2 pick Nolan Patrick in the NHL lottery.
Mike Vecchione’s reaction was similar.
For a completely different reason.
Courted by a handful of NHL teams during his senior season at Union College, Vecchione and his agent went through a painstaking process to decide the best fit. The Flyers too, who had invited Vecchione to a couple development camps, were in full wooing mode, well aware of Vecchione’s evolvement during college into a dependable, mature two-way forward, his knack for winning faceoffs and what was then perceived to be a need for immediate and future depth at the center position.