200 Members of Tony DeAngelo’s Italian ‘Family’ at Flyers’ Opener

Tony DeAngelo, a puck-moving defenseman who was born in South Jersey and grew up in South Philadelphia, felt right at home Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Philadelphia Flyers opened their season against New Jersey, and DeAngelo played for the Orange and Black for the first time since he was acquired from Carolina in July.

DeAngelo said 200 of his friends and relatives attended. Some were on his “pass” list. Some even paid their own way.

“Fortunately,” DeAngelo said with a smile before the game, before he helped steer the Flyers past the New Jersey Devils, 5-2.

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The Flyers sent second-, third- and fourth-round draft picks to Carolina to bring DeAngelo home. He had 51 points and a plus-30 rating with the powerful Hurricanes last season.

“As soon as I got traded here, a lot of people bought season tickets,” he said before collecting two assists and a plus-3 rating in Thursday’s victory, “and (others) bought opening-night (tickets).”

Out of the 200, how many were relatives?

“Well, you have to remember, Italians call everybody a relative in a sense,” said DeAngelo, who turns 27 on Oct. 24. “I’d say 50. And a lot (of others) are friends of ours and friends of my parents. And all the kids I train at Hollydell” (in Sewell, N.J.,) are coming with their parents.”

DeAngelo was on the top pairing with Ivan Provorov. He also quarterbacked the power play.

He said he wasn’t nervous to make his Philly debut.

“I don’t get nervous anymore, really,” he said. “I mean, you get some jitters and the excitement of playing again, but the nerves are gone. It’s hard to describe. … I can’t wait to get the game going. I’m ready to go.”

Same for 200 of his “relatives.”