Sam Hinkie appears to be a fan of Flyers' first round pick Matvei Michkov
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Flyers are ushering in a new era of hockey with Keith Jones and Danny Briere leading the way.
On Wednesday night, the Flyers made their first draft pick of the Jones and Briere era by Russian selecting forward Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft.
And it appears a former Philadelphia sports executive is a fan of the selection.
Sam Hinkie, the former general manager of the Sixers, tweeted a GIF of Flyers' mascot, Gritty, following the selection.
— Sam Hinkie (@samhinkie) June 29, 2023
The tweet caused quite the stir of social media with thousands of fans interacting with it.
"SAM HINKIE APPROVES. #Flyers," Flyers Nation wrote.
SAM HINKIE APPROVES. #Flyers https://t.co/scfX7TTll2
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) June 29, 2023
"Long live the king," Bryan Toporek wrote.
Long live the king. https://t.co/bOK8rwVoFR
— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) June 29, 2023
"Tank Commander?" Sixerdaily said in a tweet.
Tank Commander 👑 https://t.co/lGAwytBYCM
— Sixerdaily (@Sixerdaily) June 29, 2023
"Flyers are officially back," Twitter user Mike Mount wrote.
Flyers are officially back https://t.co/rDJCN3ikbK
— Mike Mount (@mikeymount) June 29, 2023
Even the Flyers reacted to Hinkie's tweet with a GIF of their own.
😎 https://t.co/lp9eB3O9RU pic.twitter.com/fpyXuuunlP
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 29, 2023
Hinkie, who was the Sixers general manager from 2013-16, was famously known for starting "The Process" for the Sixers -- where the team tanked to collect assets and rebuild the franchise.