The Philadelphia Flyers have faced four consecutive seasons without making it to the playoffs, with the 2023-24 season ending in disappointment. However, Tim Brownstone, founder and CEO of sports apparel company Kymira, believes the team’s fortunes might be changing. Kymira partnered with the Flyers in March, providing them with infrared recovery apparel. By the time the Flyers adopted Kymira’s products, they were in a close playoff race, though they ultimately fell short on the final day of the regular season. “I’m pretty sure they won the games after they started using Kymira, but it was a little too late for last season sadly,” Brownstone said with a smile. While his claim is a bit optimistic – the Flyers posted a 7-11-4 record from March 1 onward – the focus is now on this season, with an emphasis on “new ways to work, new ways to train, and new ways to win,” as the club stated in May 2023.
In line with this approach, the Flyers have teamed up with Kymira, an England-based company, to incorporate their infrared apparel into the team’s “travel and recovery settings.” This means the apparel won’t necessarily be worn during games or practices but will play a significant role in recovery. Kymira came to the Flyers’ attention after being selected by the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator in February 2024, a program that picks 10 startup companies annually. Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Flyers, is part of the broader media and entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal. “One of the key benefits of Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech is being able to introduce our founders to our prestigious roster of partners and their networks to explore business opportunities,” said Jenna Kurath, head of Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech, in a statement to The Hockey News. “We were excited to introduce Kymira to the Flyers’ players, coaches, and staff during our 2024 program, and we look forward to hearing feedback from the team during the upcoming season.”
So, what’s the buzz about infrared apparel? Kymira’s clothing is made with minerals, the exact composition of which is proprietary, woven into the fibers. These minerals are designed to absorb energy from the wearer and surrounding light, converting it into infrared light that penetrates the wearer’s muscle fibers. For NHL players, who endure an 82-game season with frequent travel across North America, the appeal of enhanced recovery is evident. Injuries often determine the success of a season, especially as the playoffs approach. According to NHLInjuryViz on X (formerly Twitter), the Flyers had the 11th-lowest man-games lost to injury in 2023-24, but only four players managed to play all 82 games.
Brownstone, who holds an animal science degree from the University of Reading, explained that Kymira’s products are designed to benefit athletes wherever they are, rather than being limited to fixed locations like saunas or pools. “They can get on with their life, and it’s not just the post-exercise phase, the first hour or two after practice or a game, that we can have an effect,” Brownstone said. “We can be used up to 24/7.” Kymira’s products are already in use by NHL and NFL players, and most recently by Olympians in Paris. The Flyers are the first major North American pro sports team to collaborate with Kymira. Brownstone noted that Ian McKeown, the Flyers’ newly appointed vice president of athlete performance and wellness, was looking for an organizational approach that went beyond just the players. Now, everyone in the organization, from players to coaches, scouts, and even front-office and back-office staff, are outfitted with Kymira apparel. “They’ve really embraced this technology throughout the entire organization, believing that it can uplift everybody and ultimately translate to results on the ice,” Brownstone said.
The Flyers finished the 2023-24 season with 87 points, and their focus remains on building a stronger team for the future. With minimal roster changes over the summer, Philadelphia is betting on the continued development of young talent like Cam York and their two towering goalies, Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov. If these pieces fall into place, infrared apparel might just play a role in this “New Era of Orange.
Leave a Reply