Sad news this morning for Flyers fans.

Peter Zezel, whose matinee idol looks made him a favorite, especially with female fans, in the mid-‘80s, has died of a rare blood disease.

He was just 84 years old.

Zezel broke in with the Flyers when he was just 19, after the team made him the 41st pick in the 1983 draft.

Zezel was part of a core of young players that led the Flyers back to prominence. He played for the team four years before being dealt to the Blues during the 1988-89 season. The trade was not a popular one with fans, who railed about the loss of one of the team’s most popular players.

Zezel went on to play for the Blues, Washington, Toronto, Dallas, New Jersey and Vancouver over a 15-year career in the NHL during which he tallied 219 goals and 389 assists.

We often think of pro athletes as being super-human. We don’t think of them succumbing to a rare disease. And we certainly don’t ever think of losing them at just 44. Very sad.