By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Flyers have sadly announced that former forward and long-time scout of the organization Ilkka Sinisalo passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 58.
Sinisalo played for the Flyers from the 1981-82 season to the 1989-90 season. Sinisalo scored 199 goals and had 209 assists for 408 points in 526 games. He is just one of 32 Flyers to appear in 500 games and just one of 18 to reach the 400-point mark with the team.
"Ilkka was a true friend and loyal member of the Flyers," Flyers President Paul Holmgren said in a statement on the team's website. "He gave a great deal of his time, effort and talents to the organization in several capacities as a player and long-time scout to bring this franchise success on and off the ice. Most important to all that knew him, he was a great person, a loving husband, father and grandfather. His presence and friendship will be deeply missed by all that knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of over 35 years, Carina, his sons Niklas and Tomas, as well as Tomas' wife, Maija and their children Peter and Matilda."
"Ilkka was a very good player, a great teammate, but most importantly an outstanding person and a terrific friend to us all," Flyers GM Ron Hextall said. "We've all had the pleasure to work with him for many years and he will be missed."
During the Flyers success of the 80s, including two Stanley Cup Final runs, Sinisalo was a dependable two-way forward with scoring ability. Sinisalo's 408 points are sixth all-time among Flyers right wingers, and the forward also added 52 points in 66 playoff games.
Sinisalo was essentially in the shadow of the NHL greats on the Flyers roster in the 80s, like Brian Propp, Tim Kerr and Dave Poulin, but was among the team's leading scorers. In the 1984-85 season, Sinisalo scored 36 goals and added 37 assists for 73 points. The next season, he had 39 goals and 37 assists for 76 points.
After a successful career in the 1980s with the Flyers, Sinisalo signed with the Minnesota North Stars in 1990 and was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1991. His NHL career ended after the 1991-92 season, and Sinisalo returned to his native Finland where he played for four more seasons.
In his post-playing career, Sinisalo held a management position in Finland's top professional league for two seasons before joining the San Jose Sharks as a scout in 1998. He re-joined the Flyers organization as a European scout in 2004, a position he held until his death.
