The Flyers have their fair share of exciting prospects in the farm system, and, by the looks of it, the first one had his number with the big club assigned on Friday afternoon.
Justin Bieber, an undrafted free agent out of Canada, will wear No. 16, according to this tweet (which is now deleted), from the Wells Fargo Center’s official account:
We have a gift ready for Saturday for one of the FLYest Canadians we know #PurposeTourPhilly pic.twitter.com/yzDdLzRSXf — Wells Fargo Center (@WellsFargoCtr) May 6, 2016
OK, so that’s clearly a promotional sweater the folks at the arena had made up for the Biebs, who’s in town starting this evening for a pair of shows that your girlfriend or kids suckered you into paying an exorbitant amount of dough to go to. No shame, it happens to the best of us.
The Biebs, who, I’m not gonna lie, I wouldn’t mind hanging out with for a night (I mean, he has a pet monkey, or did before customs took it), is Canadian and naturally a big hockey fan, so the sweater is a little welcoming gift with the No 16 on the back to mark his 2016 visit.
One problem: No. 16 is retired by the Flyers in honor of Bobby Clarke.
You know, seven-time All-Star, three-time league MVP, two-time Stanley Cup Champion and greatest player in Flyers history Bobby Clarke.
The panicked social media response of Flyers fans was akin to that of fictional Japanese natives running for their lives when Godzilla rises from the ocean or wherever he lives.
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Angry fans sounded off on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. So much so that the posts were later deleted.
Remember, gang, it’s just a promotion and a way to welcome a guest to our city. Take a deep breath or two or five.
One question remains: Is it too late now to say sorry?
I don’t think it is. But I think that if you’re still holding on, you should go and love yourself.
