Broad Street Bully: Clothes make the fan with these Flyers die-hards

I'M BROAD Street Bully, feeling a parade coming our way, and I was happy to meet two Philly families, linked by their love of the Flyers, enjoying the "Game on!" vibes at yesterday's Wachovia Center pep rally.

Mike Ackerman, 34, wife Lisa and son Mikey, 6, from Port Richmond, got Flyered up with Heath Suarez, 36, his wife Shannon, son Michael, 4, and daughter Kendall, 7 months, from Fishtown.

On Flyers game days, the Ackermans go to the Suarez house, where everyone sits in the same seats for every game and is not allowed to move.

"If they win," Suarez said, "I won't wash my clothes."

Bully asked, "What about winning streaks?"

"I'll use extra deodorant," Suarez said.

"And extra Febreze," Shannon added helpfully.

"But I won't wash my clothes until they lose," Suarez said. "Then, I wash them right away."

On the morning of Monday's conference finals game, Lisa Ackerman was driving her husband Mike home from the hospital, where he'd had a procedure to relieve his heartburn, when they were broadsided by a speeding motorist.

Released from the hospital that afternoon, the Ackermans headed straight to the Suarez house to watch the Flyers clinch a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

"My mom always teases me that my Flyers are not as good as her Flyers - the Broad Street Bullies," Lisa said. "Well, we're about to find out!"

ORANGE LIVING ROOM

Three generations of Flyers fans from Broomall - Jason Charlton, 14, his mother Dawn, and his grandmother Monica - at the rally said they are so Flyered up, they painted their living room orange and put a flashing-red goal light on top of the TV.

"Whenever the Flyers score, we turn on the goal light," Dawn said. "The neighbors must think there's a lot of police activity at our house."

GAME ON!

West Chester die-hards Jeff Nagorny, 52, and his son Jason, who turns 12 today and will get a surprise Gagne jersey (No. 12), brought their sticks to the pep rally, took a photo with the Prince of Wales [conference championship] Trophy, then played father-and-son street hockey in the parking lot.

MAYOR'S FREE TIX

Which former Flyer holds the NHL record for most power-play goals in a single season? E-mail your answer in the subject line to: mayorsbox@phila.gov

Deadline is 5 p.m. at Monday. Include name, address and phone in your e-mail. Mayor Nutter will give randomly picked winners free tickets to Games 3, 4, and (if necessary) 6.

BULLY WANTS YOU!

Bully invites all die-hards to e-mail your Flyered-up family stories/photos to bully@phillynews.com