PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Michael Leighton was almost back where he belonged.
He wore the orange-and-black uniform, crouched in goal under the Philadelphia Flyers’ 2009-10 Eastern Conference championship banner and heard 18,000 fans cheering for him in the NHL arena.
It could have been a happy homecoming for Leighton in his first regular-season game in Philadelphia since he started Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals last June. But he was playing for the Adirondack Phantoms, the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on Friday night.
His environment was familiar, but the circumstances were different for the playoff hero.
Because of back surgery and a goaltender glut, Leighton is back in the minor leagues after a stellar run in the postseason.
