THUNDER BAY – Nearly two decades after starting his professional hockey journey with the team, Patrick Sharp is once again part of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 42-year-old is in his second season as the assistant to the general manager with the National Hockey League club, where he works under president of hockey operations Keith Jones and general manager Daniel Briere.
Sharp was originally with the Flyers from 2002 until 2005, when he was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks and went on to win three Stanley Cups in the Windy City.
“It feels good to be back at the same practice rink in Vorhees, New Jersey and see a lot of the same faces that I first met nearly 25 years ago,” Sharp said while taking part in the Easter Seals Celebrity Hockey Classic on Friday at the Thunder Bay Tournament Centre.
“I’m learning a lot and trying to help as much as I can and hopefully help the Flyers be a good team for years to come.”
After hanging up his skates in 2018, Sharp moved into the world of television as an analyst for NBC Sports’ national broadcast and with the Blackhawks regional telecasts.
However, the Thunder Bay product admitted that he missed being on the ice with his fellow players and being in that competitive atmosphere.
“I’m able to do that again as I’m skating with the Flyers, the (American Hockey League’s Lehigh Valley) Phantoms and all of our prospects,” Sharp said.
“It’s a great role that I’m excited about and it also allows me to be at home more with my family in Connecticut.”
Sharp said those competitive feelings started to come back to him in 2021, when he served as an advisor to the Vermont Catamounts coaching staff.
“Going back to where I played college hockey and being on the bench for a handful of games got those juices flowing quite a bit,” Sharp added.
“It was something that I really missed and it was something that I was used to, which was competing and being part of a team.”
Sharp’s main job is to work with the young players in the Flyers system who are currently playing in the minor and junior leagues, along with the collegiate ranks.
“I had a unique journey to the NHL,” Sharp said. “I spent a lot of time in the American Hockey League and broke in as a bottom six forward before being named an all-star.
“I like to relay my journey on to these kids and help them with whatever struggles they’re having and just trying to make them the best players and people that they can be.”
Sharp’s schedule is different from week to week.
Following the Easter Seals event in Thunder Bay, he was headed to watch the Phantoms take on the Grand Rapids Griffins in a pair of games this weekend.
He spends a lot of his time close to home in New England, but will occasionally head to Chicago and other locales in the Midwest.
“I’ll go and check in on a prospect and have lunch or dinner with them, watch the kids play and try to encourage him as much as I can,” Sharp said.
“Wherever the team is sending me, I’m ready to go.”