Tony Vohs, the fun-loving Philadelphia native who won championships with his hometown Phantoms, died suddenly on Monday. He was 43 years old.
The cause of death has not been made public.
Voce played three seasons with the Flyers' AHL affiliate based in Philadelphia, recording 58 goals and 57 assists in 181 games. The left winger was the third-leading scorer for the 2004-05 Calder Cup-winning Phantoms.
“He was a Philadelphian through and through,” former Flyers and Phantoms athletic trainer Sal Raffa told NBC Sports Philadelphia, “from his passion for Philadelphia sports to his larger-than-life personality. His handling and skill with the hockey puck on the ice shaped who he was.”
“He had a quintessential Philadelphia accent and it always made me smile every time I met him or when he called to say hello.”
Voce was the father of three daughters, Mia, Raya and Gianna.
“Tony was a great guy, an easy-going guy, always in a good mood, smiling, having fun,” former Flyers and Phantoms forward Riley Cote told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “He was a fun guy to be around. What I remember is Tony smiling, kind of goofy, having fun, taking it easy.”
Court just met up with her old teammates two weeks ago at the Flyers Alumni Golf Invitational.
“He showed up late, got in his cart and was looking for the foursome,” Court said. “Typical Tony, he just took it lightly and had fun. He was like, 'I don't know where my foursome is.' He didn't care.”
A Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame member, Voce won a national championship with the Eagles in 2001. He finished his four-year college career with 167 points (90 goals, 77 assists) in 159 games and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a senior.
“As I got to know Tony and gained experience in the hockey world, I realized he was obviously a great player. I played with him and we were on Calder Cup teams together. But I started hearing stories from other people in the area about Tony Vohs, who was the Philadelphia hockey icon at the time,” Cote said. “He was well-respected.”
“Maybe to a certain extent I was envious that he was able to keep it all light. Of course there's always pressure, you always put pressure on yourself, but he never felt that way. He was an easy-going guy.”
Voce played for the Phantoms and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL before stints in Finland, Germany and Austria before finishing his career in the ECHL in the 2009-10 season.
The Flyers released the following statement on Monday:
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Tony Voce. Tony spent three seasons with the Flyers organization, including one Calder Cup-winning season with the Philadelphia Phantoms, including a magical title run in 2005. However, Tony was more than just a member of our organization; he was a Philadelphia native, born and raised. He played the sport he loved in our city, succeeded in college, won a national championship and was named a First Team All-American at Boston College before signing with his hometown team, the Flyers. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this extremely difficult time.”
Voce coached at the youth level at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, New Jersey, where he assisted with the Flyers Warriors, a team for U.S. military veterans with disabilities who have a passion for sports.
“He was obviously a great player and he's from the town so people perceive him as that,” Cote said. “Then he had a professional career and retired and stayed here and continues to be involved in the hockey world. From what I understand, he was great with the kids when he was coaching at Hollydell and people loved him. I haven't heard anything bad about Tony.”
He had a huge impact on Philadelphia and the local hockey community.
“He was a very caring and kind person. I trusted him and introduced him to many young hockey players, even my nephew,” Rafa said. “When you meet Tony, you immediately become a lifelong friend. His personality was larger than life and he had an amazing way of making you feel very important and special.”
