Marge Robben slipped on the Philadelphia Flyers jersey and snapped the selfie to indicate her help for her grandson, NHL veteran and Greenwich native Cam Atkinson.
Atkinson, traded to the Flyers this summer season after 10 years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, cherished the picture. When Robben tweeted her selfie, Atikinson did what any proud grandson would do.
He shared the image together with his greater than 55,000 Twitter followers.
And away it went.
Robben, who resides on the Edgehill retirement group in Stamford, rapidly grew to become a social media star amongst Philadelphia’s passionate sports activities fan base.
Grandma Marge, as she’s referred to as, was the inspiration for a line of t-shirts. She shall be on the Wells Fargo Middle for the Flyers Oct. 15 season opener, a part of a ceremony involving the staff’s iconic mascot Gritty.
“I’m all in,” mentioned Marge, 87.
How did the grandmother of an NHL star flip into an Web sensation?
Robben suspects it’s as a result of she wore the Flyers shirt backwards in her selfie, selecting the title “Atkinson” for the entrance as an alternative of the Flyers’ emblem.
“That created a wild response,” she mentioned.
As of Tuesday, Atkinson’s Aug. 2 quote tweet had over 2,500 likes. Followers have responded to each Atkinson’s tweet and his grandmother’s unique tweet.
Marge mentioned she stopped making an attempt to maintain up. Now she’s simply having fun with her new fame as her grandson prepares for his first season in Philadelphia.
“I do not know if it was the truth that I’m a grandmother or I used to be on the Web or what it was, however one thing hit the heartstrings of the followers,” she mentioned. “And from what I heard, it is likely to be that the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t have the best popularity for a very long time, and now Cam was coming and had a really blissful disposition.
“And now his Grandmother was coming, too. This was a brand new strategy to current the Philadelphia Flyers. I believe that’s what it was.”
Atkinson, raised in Greenwich, grew up in an athletic household. Marge mentioned she is pleased with all 14 grandchildren and her household supported all the children of their athletic endeavors.
Cam was a standout hockey participant in Fairfield County and at Avon Outdated Farms earlier than attending Boston School. Undersized at 5-foot-8, he made an inconceivable rise to the NHL and emerged as an All-Star — to not point out a well-liked determine — in Columbus.
However he was traded in July (“He nearly fell over when he discovered!” Marge mentioned) and he gave his grandmother a present at a household gathering in early August. A Flyers jersey with Atkinson’s title on the again, autographed by Cam.
Marge cherished it and shared the selfie. She took her afternoon nap, as she does every day.
“My cellphone saved beeping, that means there was a message coming in … beep, beep, beep all throughout my nap,” Marge mentioned. “I mentioned, ‘What the heck is happening? Did anyone die?’
“So I received up and I noticed a few messages and mentioned oh, one thing’s taking place. The Philadelphia Flyers are onto this. After which it was happening for 2 days, all of the beeping … and they’re inviting me to a parade, they are going to take me out for drinks and they are going to pay for everyone, they’ll. It was simply so cute.”
Sure, Marge and her household will take the prepare to Philadelphia for Cam’s first common season recreation. Atkinson’s mother and father, Tom and Ellen, have seen him play in Columbus, however Marge by no means made the journey to Ohio.
Seeing her grandson together with his new staff shall be a deal with. However she can be relishing her personal celeb.
The t-shirt that includes a cartoon picture of Grandma Marge?
“That is taken off however it’s the ugliest factor you’ve got ever seen,” she mentioned. “It doesn’t appear like me!”
Marge mentioned she just isn’t certain precisely what’s deliberate for her Oct. 15 go to. Perhaps a gathering with Gritty on the ice, possibly a Zamboni trip. She’ll probably get some face time on the Jumbotron.
Regardless of the plan, the Flyers have a keen participant.
“As I mentioned, I’m all in,” Marge mentioned. “What I used to do, up till like I used to be 60, I might placed on my curler skates each morning at my home on Sound Seashore Avenue and curler skate round Greenwich Level. I do not know after I stopped, it might have been nearly 70 and I’m 87 now.
“However I mentioned I might wish to borrow somebody’s brown skates or black skates … and I am going to skate on the market and meet Gritty on the ice. I’m all in! However they wouldn’t let me try this. My household mentioned, no means!”
paul.doyle@hearstmediact.com