Flyers fans have faith as run at playoff spot follows family's jersey gift to Pope Leo XIV

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trying for any kind of divine intervention to reverse the fortunes of his favorite hockey team, Philadelphia Flyers fan Mike Culin skipped traditional good-luck gimmicks for a more heavenly approach: Gift Pope Leo XIV his own customized Flyers jersey on a family trip to Italy.

“I was like, what are you doing? This costs a lot of money,” said Culin's wife, Christine. “Do you really think you’re going to be able to reach the Pope to give him this? And he believed.”

Only Job suffered more than Flyers fans have for most of the last five decades, yet Mike Culin always kept the faith, both on ice and on high.

When the time came, Culin was ready for the ultimate one-timer — a shot at somehow getting the Flyers jersey with “ Pope Leo ” on the back and 14 for a uniform number (with apologies to the current No. 14, Sean Couturier) from Essington, Pennsylvania, to the Vatican and into the hands of the first U.S.-born pope, Chicago born and an avowed sports fan.

The Culins and their son, Jesse Gennett, and his wife and her parents made a family trip to Italy that included staking out a spot for the papal audience in St. Peter’s Square. The families lined up on March 18 with jersey in hand, hoping to catch Leo's attention as he wheeled by in the popemobile.

“That was the goal, just to get him to see it,” Gennett said. “We're like, alright, we need to be close to the side because that's where your best chances are that he'll see it. And he saw it. He pointed at it and kind of gave it like a thumbs up. It happened so fast.”

Christine Culin held the jersey high by each shoulder so the pope would spot it and her daughter-in-law asked for the jersey for a better chance to hand it off as the popemobile approached.

“For you! For you! For you! For you!” Gennett's wife, Valerie Giacobbe, yelled toward the entourage.

Sure enough, a member of the security team snagged the jersey, and it was passed off to a man who admired the jersey sitting in the ride behind Leo. The families hollered in celebration and got an extra moment for photos once the popemobile stopped so Leo could bless a couple of babies.

“He could have turned to the right and not even seen it,” Mike Culin said. “But he turned to the left and saw the jersey.”

Culin's wish was as much about getting the Flyers a little extra help down the stretch from a higher power as much as it was sending Leo a jersey.

“He thought the Flyers needed that,” Gennett said. “And they definitely did.”

With the ultimate man advantage, the Flyers won that night against Anaheim to start a three-game winning streak, part of a 9-4 record over that span to move into the Eastern Conference playoff field. The white smoke to signal a playoff berth hasn’t quite billowed out of the home arena just yet: The Flyers are clinging to a one-point lead for the final spot with three games left to play.

Some Flyers fans credit papal power for the streak while more secular fans believe it was indeed an arrival from above that sparked the turnaround: Canadian teen Porter Martone, who has a goal and four points in his first five NHL games.

The papal video made the social media rounds when Chris Gennett, a musician and Jesse's brother, posted the 60-second home video on TikTok.

The pope, the former Robert Prevost, is a known sports fan, especially of the Chicago White Sox. He attended the 2005 World Series opener against Houston in Chicago and watched as his beloved team beat the Astros 5-3 on the way to a four-game sweep and its first title since 1917.

But why would he point out a Flyers jersey? He did attend Villanova University near Philadelphia, where he received a Bachelor of Science in 1977. Maybe he attended a game or two at the old Spectrum and rooted on those ready-to-rumble Broad Street Bullies.

Culin said he would have worn the jersey — a family friend handstitched the name — as a kitschy keepsake had Leo not spotted the souvenir.

Perhaps in his quiet time, Leo has slipped on the size 52 jersey, just for fun.

“He had to see if it fits, right?” Culin said with a laugh.

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