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How Jim Harbaugh has the Flyers bringing back the high five

The Flyers have enjoyed giving high fives after seeing a video of the Chargers' head coach

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VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers like a good, lengthy standing ovation for a teammate.

Oh, and they love some high fives. Forget fist bumps. Sorry, handshakes. The high five is back in with the Flyers.

Thanks to Jim Harbaugh.

The Chargers' head coach inspired the Flyers with his endearing affinity for the throwback celebration.

"After one of their wins, he was like, 'Everyone give somebody a high five!'" Joel Farabee said Friday. "We thought it was hilarious, so we wanted to bring high fives back. Everyone gives knucks now; we want to bring high fives back."

The Flyers have been able to high five more often. They're 10-4-3 in their last 17 games and have put together two of their best performances in a row. After beating the Blue Jackets, 5-3, Tuesday night, the Flyers followed it up with a 4-1 win Thursday night over the Red Wings.

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Scott Laughton delivered a memorable performance at the Wells Fargo Center against Detroit. He scored all four of the team's goals, becoming the first Flyer to bury that many in a game since John LeClair in October 2002.

A handful of Flyers extended the postgame high fives with multiple turns through the order.

"I go back in the line like six times," Morgan Frost said.

The more, the better, huh?

"We've been really into high fiving this year and clapping for guys," Farabee said.

The Flyers clapped plenty for Laughton, a beloved guy in the locker room who has been in the organization since 2012. A standing ovation for the team-picked player of the game has become a growing tradition after Flyers wins, something that has been captured on the club's social media accounts.

The point of the ovation seems to be making it long enough where the player feels awkward ... in a good way.

How did that start?

"Just organically, I think, which is the most beautiful thing about it," Ryan Poehling said. "It's funny and we all enjoy doing it, so it's great."

Got to roll with it.

"It was just natural," Frost said. "That's the kind of stuff that goes on in here — high fives, clapping. It always just takes one thing and then we have to do it always. I think we're always looking for new ways to make each other laugh. It's a pretty fun locker room."

A locker room that was overjoyed for Laughton, who has dealt with trade rumors since 2021.

"For Laughts, too, with kind of everything that has gone on with him, all the fans saying, 'Trade him, get rid of him,' all this," Farabee said. "He kind of just shoved it all back in your faces. We're really happy for him, he played great.

"Our team, every night, someone different is stepping up. I think when you do that, you build a really close team and you end up having a lot of success because of it."

Laughton is typically at the center of locker room camaraderie.

"He's the main attraction for that kind of thing," Frost said. "To do the standing ovation for him, I think we probably went a little extra with the huddle, probably just because it was him."

Four goals in one night was just as special for Laughton's teammates.

"Super happy for him, that was unreal to watch," Frost said. "It's well-documented — such a good teammate, good leader, great friend."

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