Young NHL star van Riemsdyk’s tennis summer

Philadelphia Flyer left wing James van Riemsdyk made tennis a significant part of his summer this past off-season.

I was doing a Biofile with the 22-year-old on Tuesday at the Flyers Skate Zone facility in Voorhees, N.J. When asked what was the last book he read, JVR answered: “Open by Andre Agassi.” He added, “I loved it. I got to meet him a couple of weeks ago which was even better.”

It turns out, the A-Train made stopover last month at the Wachovia Center in Philly. “He was here for the Legends Tour in tennis. Before his match, him, Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Jim Courier were here.”

van Riemsdyk, a native of Middletown, NJ who scored 21 goals for the Flyers last season, his second in the NHL, said he got to talk more with Agassi’s arch-rival. “I talked to Sampras more so than Agassi. We only had a few minutes. They were there like you’re standing, so we only had a few minutes.”

JVR, the No. 2 overall draft pick by the Flyers in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, recalls some of the dialogue. “We were just saying how tough their stuff was and they were saying how demanding our’s was. And Pete was showing us his racquets and stuff which was pretty cool. It was like a meet and greet.”

JVR’s favorite players to watch today?

“Federer. And Roddick.”

And JVR’s favorite sport outside of hockey? (No, it couldn’t be, could it?)

“Tennis.”

And last, how is the six-foot/three-inch, 210-pound van Riemsdyk’s tennis game?

“Pretty good. I like to play quite a bit in the summer. So keep up on it a little bit.”

van Riemsdyk and the Flyers, with many star players like Chris Pronger, Daniel Briere, and Claude Giroux, are a contender for the Stanley Cup. They reached the Stanley Cup finals two years ago, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks. van Riemsdyk, ready to start his third NHL season, recently signed a six-year $25 million contract.

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