Sanheim-Konecny relationship as Flyers teammates like 'old married couple'

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Erik Johnson has been with the Philadelphia Flyers for less than a year, but he already has a good handle on the relationship between defenseman Travis Sanheim and forward Travis Konecny.

"They're like an old married couple," Johnson said. "They both are constantly yapping at each other about God knows what on a daily basis, and it's very entertaining to listen to. You won't see the other one far behind the other. They're pretty much joined at the hip."

That togetherness fuels the Flyers (14-13-4). Konecny leads them in goals (15), assists (21) and points (36) in 31 games. Sanheim has 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 31 games and is fourth in the NHL in average time on ice per game (25:12) among defensemen with at least 20 games. He's played at least 30:00 three times, most in the NHL entering Philadelphia's game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT).

It also helped them earn spots with Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"It's really exciting," Konecny said. "There's been a few times where me and him have kind of sat back and just been having a conversation and we kind of have a moment where it's like, this is pretty cool. When you look at the list of the guys that they could have brought, it's just an honor that they recognized us to be two of the guys they want on the team."

And of course, there was a bit of trash talking when it happened.

"He found out first," Konecny said of Sanheim. "He called me, and because he knew I didn't know yet, he was kind of beating around the bush, have you got a call or anything today? Because we knew the day it was supposed to come out. I was like, no, not yet. And I think he knew at the time, so he said just stick by your phone, that kind of thing, just in case."

That's relatively light on the scale of what their battles are like on and off the ice.

"I wouldn't say they fight on the ice, but off the ice they like to go at it," Flyers captain Sean Couturier said. "I feel 'Sanny' is always the one who thinks he's smarter than 'TK' and TK tries to nag him like a little brother does. It's kind of a funny relationship."

Oh, they do fight on the ice, including a skirmish during training camp that saw a few punches thrown.

Not that either of them took it seriously, then or now.

"It's funny, because we go into camp knowing it's going to happen, talking about it," Konecny said. "It's the same way when we golf. It's the same way when we play cards on the plane. There's times where we have dinner plans and he's five minutes into the flight saying, 'I'm not going to dinner. You're being a loser.' We're just messing around with each other, like brothers."

Those battles happen more frequently than people might realize.

"That's just the nature of it," Sanheim said. "Even in practice, if we get on opposite teams in a drill, opposite colors, it usually doesn't go well. We tend to battle with each other. Nobody wants to let the other guy win or score, and that's just their competitiveness. ... I think that's part of the reason why we've kind of bonded, is that competitiveness that we have and battling with each other. It makes it pretty easy to come to the rink when you kind of have that."

They have made life easy for each other along the way, first as road roommates when Sanheim joined Konecny in Philadelphia during the 2017-18 season, and then later as neighbors.

"We drove in [to practice and games] together," Konecny said. "We could go for dinners on the road. ... We lived together in the same building [in Philadelphia], and then we moved out to Haddonfield [New Jersey] at the same time."

How close were their homes?

"I could hit like a knock-down 60 degree [wedge] and hit his front door," Konecny said. "A funny story that I tell people to give you an idea of how close we were: At the end of the last season, I had a couple Coronas in my fridge, and I didn't have any limes for it. I had brought limes to his house the week before, so I text him and asked him for one, and he stepped out on his porch and threw me one into my backyard. So we were very close distance wise."

He added that it was a poor throw once Sanheim was close enough to hear him.

"The Travii," as they are affectionately known, have their locker stalls next to each other at Flyers Training Center. Couturier is two stalls down and hears their chirping back and forth daily.

"I got 'Seels' [defenseman Nick Seeler] in between, so it's good," he said. "It is [needed] at times, yeah.

"It's pretty unique actually, two guys being so close. It's just two good guys. They love each other, and I guess they have fun."

That fun also has helped them survive the ups and downs of life in the NHL the past eight seasons.

"We've been through it together," Sanheim said. "We've had conversations. I think just having a guy there, another voice, someone you can lean on, trust for their opinions. What are they thinking in that situation? What would they do in that situation? How do they see things? Because sometimes you've got to see the bigger picture. A lot of times when something happens to you, you obviously take offense to it and are down, and confidence is at an all-time low, so sometimes you need somebody there to pick you up and remind you that you're a good player, and just get you through some of those tough times."

Today there aren't as many tough times. Unfortunately, there are fewer drives together. Konecny's home was destroyed in a fire in August, forcing him, his wife, Karly, and their two sons to relocate a few miles away.

"I joked with him yesterday or the day before, when we got home from the road trip," Konecny said. "I said these drives to the airport are a little lonelier now because we haven't been driving together."

Said Sanheim: "I'm not sure what goes on in his car, because he doesn't have music. He's probably just in his thoughts. Probably not good for him."

It has been good for the Flyers and could be good for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"We've had a lot of success together and it's been a lot of fun," Sanheim said. "We fight a lot. We fight pretty well every day. Lot of joking, but yeah, we just enjoy our time together. And it's been a lot of fun."