In The Room with Anthony SanFilippo

So this is what hockey is like?

2012-01-19T23:08:00.002-05:00

I had two special guests at the Flyers game tonight. Garnet Valley softball centerfielder Mary Schlosbon and the Jaguars' volleyball outside hitter Lauren Hostetler.

Mary won the opportunity to be a member of the media with me at a Flyers game (I know, what did the losers get?) and she decided to bring her classmate along.

I asked them to write a blog about their first NHL experience. Here it is. I don't know what was more fun, them writing it or me listening to them laugh about it while doing it.

Also, thanks to Harry Zolneirczyk who took a picture with them after the game.

Lauren: Despite the Flyers tough loss against the Islanders, I had
such an awesome time at my first Flyers game!

Mary: Going into this game, I was pretty anxious because we weren't
dedicated Flyers fans.

Lauren: The only game we watched of the Flyers is the Winter Classic,
and I didn't even understand the rules!

Mary: I can't believe that the first thing we did when we got to the
Wells Fargo Center was hold the door open for Danny Briere before his
game!

Lauren: We even got to say, "Good luck!" (Anthony's note: A lot of
good that did!!)

Mary: One of the highlights of the night was getting to interview
Peter Laviolette.

Lauren: It was hilarious when he called us "rookies" and asked if we
had any questions before the game.

Mary: We were definitely caught off guard; at least we wished him good luck too!

Lauren: Even though we gave Coach Laviolette and his team our well
wishes, they couldn't pull out the win in the end.

Mary: Even though they lost, the excitement of the game was definitely
worth it!

Lauren: We even got to witness our first hockey fight! (Anthony's
note: It was Claude Giroux after all, so it's not like it was a
heavyweight bout, but it'll suffice!)

Mary: After the game, we got to go into the Flyers' locker room and
got to meet Harry Z! (Anthony's note: What, Zolnierczyk was difficult
to type? Come on, that's the common spelling!!)

Lauren: He was really cool, and I hope he'll follow us on Twitter.

Mary: I think it's safe to say that we are now officially Flyers fans.

Lauren: I couldn't agree more! GO FLYERS!

Laviolette waxes on Jagr

2012-01-19T18:22:00.003-05:00

Jaromir Jagr told reporters Thursday that he wants to play in Philadelphia again next year.

After hearing that, Peter Laviolette spoke fondly about Jagr.

Below is the video from before tonight's game.

Take special note to the beginning of the video Delco High School sports fans, that's Garnet Valley softball star Mary Schlosbon and Jaguars' volleyball standout Lauren Hostetler doing the camera work and talking to the coach before the game.

Schlosbon was the winner of the "be a media member for a day" with me at the Daily Times Awards banquet last summer and she decided to bring her good friend and classmate.

The two got a taste of the action within minutes of walking in the door. They'll share their experience on this blog after the game.

The video is courtesy of Hostetler's Youtube page:

Talbot dazed by Staios hit

2012-01-12T23:05:00.002-05:00

During the Flyers 3-2 win in New York, their 23rd in the last 24 by the way, Max Talbot took a forearm to the head on a blindside hit by Steve Staios.

No penalty was called on the play, but Talbot stayed down on the ice after struggling to get up. After a couple minutes he returned to the bench and took another shift or two, even getting an assist on a goal by Sean Couturier.

However, after the game, Max was annoyed with the hit,and didn't seem himself after the game.

In the video below, he talks about Sergei Bobrovsky some, but when I finally ask him the question about the hit, you can see it's bothering him and he's still feeling the affects.

I wouldn't be surprised if Max is held out of the game in Nashville after trainers have a good chance to evaluate him tomorrow.

How Can Five Flyers make the All-Star Team?

2012-01-12T10:03:00.003-05:00

The NHL will announce it's All Star team later today. It's almost a certainty, that since the NHL Hockey Operations department picks the players, that there will certainly be a screw-up or two - like when they initially overlooked Danny Briere last season.

That being said, I'll make it easy on them.

Here is a list of should be All-Stars, broken down by team, with the exception of the final spot, which I explain at the end. Each team list includes the rookies who are also being selected.

We'll see how close I come in a few hours:

FLYERS - (4) Claude Giroux, Kimmo Timonen, Matt Read, Sean Couturier - Giroux is a no-brainer. Timonen might not be having his best defensive season, but you can't argue with his offensive numbers where his 25 points have him tied for seventh-best in the NHL among defensemen. Read is another no-brainer as he is tied for the rookie lead in goal scoring but Couturier is also deserving. Consider: Among rookies he's 12th in scoring, third in plus-minus, fourth in faceoffs among centers, and all this from a fourth line/penalty killing role. Imagine what he'd be if he got more than 12 minutes ice time per game.

New York Rangers - (2) Henrik Lundqvist, Michael Del Zotto - The $51 million dollar goalie might be in Philly, but the "money" net minder plays in New York. Del Zotto has had a really nice bounce back season after a sophomore slump. Some will argue that Dan Girardi is a better choice because he's a veteran and a better defensive defenseman, but as steady as he is, Del Zotto has stuck out more this season. Where's Marian Gaborik? He's in that conversation at the end.

New Jersey Devils - (2) Adam Larsson, Adam Henrique - The two Devils rookies have been outstanding and are a big reason why they are poised to return to the playoffs this season. They will both count among the dozen rookies in the All-Star festivities as Devils stars like Patrik Elias, Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise have been sub-par so far this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins - (1) Evgeni Malkin - If they were healthy, they'd be a Stanley Cup contender. They are ravaged by injury, it's starting to look like they'll miss the playoffs, and as a result, just Geno, their best player this season, gets the All-Star nod. Narc-Andre Fleury was close, but just missed the top six among goalies.

New York Islanders - (1) John Tavares - For a team that no one cares about - not even the NHL - Tavares is having a nice season. 39 points through 41 games is pretty good. It just gets lost because the Islanders are so bad.

Boston Bruins - (2) Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara - Thomas was voted a starter and Chara is a perennial All-Star. The more interesting items are the names not listed. Tlyer Seguin? Patrice Bergeron? We'll get to Seguin later, but Bergeron, a should be Selke finalist, loses out because it's an All-Star game. Nobody wants to see excellent defensive forwards!! I'd take Bergeron on my real team any day. Just not the All-Star team.

Ottawa Senators - (5) Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Erik Karlsson, Colin Greening - Yes, the host city will have a handful of hometowners to root for. Not that they all deserve to be there. Alfredsson, Spezza, Michalek and Karlsson were all voted in by fans despite only Spezza and Karlsson deserving of being there. Greening is deserving as a rookie and will round out the five-spot of Sens.

Toronto Maple Leafs - (3) Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf - This was an easy team. Phaneuf was voted in. Kessel and Lupul are the highest scoring line mates in the NHL. No one else from the team was even in the conversation.

Buffalo Sabres - (2) Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek - One of them will be there for sure, as each team needs one representative, but I think both belong. Pominville is top 10 in the NHL in scoring with 43 points (only five less than Giroux, who we're talking about as a Hart finalist)so to leave him off would be a crime. As for Vanek, he was my next-to-last forward I picked. But the rationale is, it's hard to argue 40 points and a plus-player on a non-playoff team.

Montreal Canadiens - (1) Raphael Diaz - What, no Carey Price? He's been good behind a bad team, but there are other decent goalies on bad teams and they're not in the All Star game. Quite simply, there were six more deserving options than Price. Not that anyone else on that roster deserved to go either. At least Diaz is a rookie defenseman that has shown some promise, so there you go.

Florida Panthers - (1) Brian Campbell - One of the surprise teams of the NHL this season, yet I am only awarding one spot. Campbell has had a resurgence in Florida after being an albatross in Chicago. Kris Versteeg has to be in the conversation - and is for the final pick - but no one else stood out on the team.

Winnipeg Jets - (1) Evander Kane - Again, each team has to have one player, and while Kane isn't even the leading scorer on his own team (that would be Blake Wheeler) he is the rising star on the Jets and will represent Winnipeg well.

Washington Capitals - (1) Nicklas Backstrom - An All-Star game and no Sid or Ovie? That's right. Ovechkin has been a major disappointment through the first half of the season, as have the rest of the Caps. Backstrom has been their best player, and since each team needs to be represented - he's the choice.

Tampa Bay Lightning - (1) Steven Stamkos - Talk about disappointing teams. The Lightning were one goal away form the Stanley Cup Finals last Spring and now won't make the playoffs. Crazy. Stamkos is still pretty darn good though.

Carolina Hurricanes - (1) Justin Faulk - This team was the least deserving of any All-Stars. There isn't one player, veteran or rookie, who should be there. But, it's less egregious to put a rookie who is improving through hard work on the team then a vet that doesn't deserve to be there. So Faulk gets the nod.

Chicago Blackhawks - (3) Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp - The most exciting team in hockey gets three excellent offensive players into the game (and maybe a fourth as Patrick Kane is in the conversation for the final spot). Sharp may not be able to play because of injury, but deserves to be selected regardless. Hossa and Toews are having monster seasons. Where's Duncan Keith? I ran out of room on defense, but he's my first alternate if there's an injury.

Detroit Red Wings - (3) Jimmy Howard, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk - Like Toronto, this was an easy trio. Howard is a likely Vezina finalist while the other two are grat players who deserve to be in this game every season.

St. Louis Blues - (1) Kevin Shattenkirk - As great as this team has been under Ken Hitchcock, there wasn't one standout player that screamed All-Star. Shattenkirk was the best choice because of his two way ability as a defenseman, scoring a good amount of points while being sound defensively. Brian Elliott would be a fun story, as good as he's been this season and heading back to Ottawa where he failed as a starting goalie, but I'm not giving an All-Star nod to a guy who has only started half of his team's games.

Nashville Predators - (3) Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Craig Smith - It'll be fun to just fuel the trade speculation fire with these two defenseman at All-Star weekend. Make no mistake, they are both among the best in the game, but Nashville may have to trade one within a month of the All-Star game. Smith has been one of the best rookies in the NHL this season, and belongs among the top 12.

Columbus Blue Jackets - (1) Ryan Johansen - What a foul, fetid, awful mess this organization is. Johansen, a rookie, has been their one bright spot on an otherwise disaster of a season. It'll be like a vacation for the kid to go to Ottawa and see what real hockey looks like.

Vancouver Canucks - (4) Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Alexander Edler, Cody Hodgson - Once again the Sedins find themselves at the top of the scoring race in the NHL and will be All-Stars again - maybe on the same team this time. Edler is not a popular choice for All-Star defensemen, but he's been the best on one of the league's best teams, so how can you ignore him? Hodgson is a talented rookie who is only adding to the great depth of the Canucks.

Colorado Avalanche - (1) Gabriel Landeskog - The Avs have been playing really good hockey lately, but without one standout star. Landeskog got off to a slow start to his rookie campaign, but has been much better the last month or so. He's only 19, so I expect the improvement to continue beyond that, which makes him one of the best dozen rooks in my book.

Minnesota Wild - (1) Niklas Backstrom - As great a start as the Wild got off to this season, it's amazing they only have one All-Star. But, when you lose 10 in a row, this is what happens. Backstrom has still been solid despite the team's collapse, and not to mention, it'll be fun at the fantasy draft determining between him and the Washington Center with the same name.

Calgary Flames - (1) Jarome Iginla - Like there's anyone else from that team who should be considered for an All-Star Game.

Edmonton Oilers - (2) Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle has been a breakout star this season to get into the top 10 in the NHL in scoring at the halfway point. Nugent-Hopkins, the No. 1 pick in the draft last summer, has not disappointed and is the leading scorer among rookies in the NHL.

San Jose Sharks - (1) Dan Boyle - With all the talent on this team, to only have one representative is indicative of how slow their start was. It came down to Boyle and fellow defenseman Brent Burns for me and I think Boyle has more cache in the league, which was the difference in the tossup. Burns could be a deserving injury replacement though.

Los Angeles Kings - (1) Jonathan Quick - If your team can't score, yet you are still in second place and clinging to a playoff spot, it has to be because of one guy. You're goalie. Quick has been excellent.

Dallas Stars - (1) Jamie Benn - What a great story Bennn has been for the Stars to become one of the better power forwards in the NHL. Credit him for his continued hard work to get where he is, deserving of a trip to Ottawa.

Phoenix Coyotes - (1) Mike Smith - Talk about crimes, if he's not an All-Star after the way he's carried the Coyotes this year, it's larceny. When they lost Ilya Bryzgalov, many thought the Coyotes were dead in the water. Smith has kept them afloat.

Anaheim Ducks - (1) Teemu Selanne - It's his last season. He's retiring. He's a surefire hall of famer playing out the string on a dreadful team. Yet, he leads the team in scoring at age 41 with 41 points and is a plus player. Gotta admire his commitment to the sport.

As for the final spot. There are 10 forwards in the conversation. A few of these guys may eventually end up on the roster because of injury concerns, but it comes down to one of the following:

Tyler Seguin, James Neal, Patrick Kane, Loui Eriksson, Marian Gaborik, Scott Hartnell, Kris Versteeg, Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias.

When doing my process of elimination, I immediately wiped out the three Devils because although they've ben hot lately, they weren't consistently good all season.

Likewise, I eliminated Versteeg, who started off on fire, but has slowed down a bit since.

I wiped out James Neal and Marian Gaborik for basically the same reason - somebody has to score goals on low-scoring teams, and they happen to be the guys, but they're not giving you much else besides the scoring threat.

So in the end it came down to Seguin, Hartnell and Eriksson to me.

I probably eliminated Eriksson because I don't get to see him enough. And if that was the determining factor, then shame on me, but I couldn't get away from the seasons Seguin and Hartnell were having.

Hartnell is the best power forward in the NHL this season. He creates so much havoc and also is putting up career-best offense. But I'm not sure he should go ahead of Seguin, a young superstar in the making.

Seguin has added a dynamic to the Stanley Cup champion Bruins that no one ever saw coming so soon. He is legit and should be celebrated for what he's doing as a 20-year-old in the NHL.

So give the nod to Seguin, and Hartnell just misses. But as soon as someone backs out with injury, Hartnell is the guy to go, hands down.

Braden, Kimmo and Ilya

2012-01-06T01:08:00.002-05:00

Or, if you read the headline, it can be translated into the Good, the bad and the ugly.

Let's start with Brayden Schenn.

Since coming back from his concussion, Brayden Schenn seems to be getting better and better with each game.

Peter Laviolette had to juggle lines tonight with Jaromir Jagr out of the lineup nursing a groin injury, but methinks that even if Jagr comes back Saturday against Ottawa, Schenn's line with James van Riemsdyk and Wayne Simmonds will stay intact.

JVR had a pair of goals, Schenn his first Flyers assist, and the trio really seemed to work well together and skated hard together.

It'll also keep Jake Voracek with Danny Briere, the best possible winger (aside from the top line guys) to play with Briere and bring some semblance of the line Briere had so much success with last year and the playoffs before that when he had Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino.

But this is supposed to be about Schenn, who is starting to seem comfortable in his role on the roster. The kid definitely has talent. He creates a lot of offense. He's a decent faceoff guy and will only get better, and he's starting to show signs of why he had a reputation as the best prospect not in the NHL prior to this season.

That's a positive for the Flyers.

Now the negative.

Kimmo Timonen hurt his left hand/wrist in the first period of the game against Chicago. He missed the last 9:30 of the period, came back to take three shifts of the second period and then left the game for good.

He will be re-evaluated Friday.

I spoke with Paul Holmgren after the game, and he doesn't believe the injury is serious. Timonen had trouble gripping the stick when he returned in the second period, which is why he took himself out of the game.

It was Timonen's call to try and return to the game. Didn't last.

I would expect he misses the next two games and then we'll see.

As for Ilya Bryzgalov, this situation is getting worse and worse. He is now dodging the media with the full blessing of Holmgren. The Flyers say that's not the case, that Bryzgalov just isn't feeling well.

O.K., maybe that's the case.

But maybe not. Considering how often the Flyers fib, I tend to think this is all spin control.

Here's the timeline:

9:45 p.m. - the media asks for Bryzgalov but is told he's soaking in the hot tub and will be available after the coach speaks.

10:10 p.m. - We are told Bryz doesn't feel well and won't be talking. We are told Holmgren agreed with Bryzgalov and that he shouldn't speak if he's not feeling well. According to a team spokesman, Holmgren said to him "If he's not feeling well, don't let him talk (to the media)."

10:25 p.m.Bryzgalov starts tweeting about the World Junior Championship, which Russia lost in overtime to Sweden.

Now, it's quite possible to be sitting in bed watching TV and tweeting from your iPhone, but this, again, flies in the face of what the team is saying and proves they can't get their story straight.

First he's soaking in a hot tub, then he's sick, then Holmgren tells a PR person not to "let" him talk if he's not feeling well. Then Holmgren tells us that they sent him home to get to bed and get rest, then Bryz tweets about the game.

In other words, the story is shaky at best.

This comes on the heels of a Daily News report recently that teammates were annoyed when Bryz said he was sick during a November loss, telling the newspaper that they can't believe anyone was buying that he was actually sick.

It also follows up comments by former Phoenix teammates who say Bryzgalov caused many similar problems in their locker room and that they were happy he's gone.

It's one giant soap opera.

So much so that a former Flyer playing in another city said to me recently, "You guys must be having a field day with this Bryzgalov character. I read you every day just to see what he says next. It's riveting."

Yes, the reputation is preceding him at this point. And that can't be good.

A full transcript of the Bryzgalov meltdown at practice today

2012-01-01T17:36:00.002-05:00

Ilya Bryzgalov is not starting the Winter Classic for the Flyers.

That's not the biggest problem he has right now.

It can be certain that the team can't be happy with some of the things he says publicly.

In an interview today, not only did he announce he wasn't starting in the game, but he went off on a loopy rant that has to have people questioning how he is dealing with the pressure of playing in Philadelphia, his relationship with his coach, and the fact that he has, at least temporarily, been demoted.

Here is the entire transcript of the Bryzgalov interview. Read it as it happened and decide for yourself just how disconcerting this whole thing is.

BRYZGALOV:

How was it out there?

“The ice is great. I like it. Unbelievable.”

Was your family here to skate?

“No, they still sleeping. I just came (here) from the party last night. New Year’s is a big holiday in Russia. We just finished 7 a.m. I get breakfast and came over here.”

Are you playing tomorrow?

“I have great news and even better news. OK, great news: I’m not playing tomorrow night. Good news: we have a chance to win the game tomorrow.

Are you just joking?

“No, I’m not playing, guys. I’m telling you, definitely.”

Are you disappointed?

“Yes. I’m a human. I’m not made from steel, but it is what it is and I had a good practice again like yesterday and two days ago. We just keep moving forward and there are lots of games in front of us. Lots of hockey. I heard it was still the main goal in Philadelphia to win the Stanley Cup and prepare for this.”

What’s your mindset for tomorrow?

“Make sure I don’t forget early in the morning, my thermos. I’ll put some nice tea (in it) and enjoy the bench.”

What’s it going to be like playing in front of a big crowd tomorrow?

“I can’t tell you because I’m not going to play.”

What have you been working on with (goalie coach) Jeff Reese?

“Nothing new. Just working on technical things. That’s it.”

Is this especially disappointing because it’s the Winter Classic?

“Oh yeah, that’s the only one reason. If it was another (regular season) game, I might not be frustrated like that. Still it’s a special game, outside. It’s like you step on the ice and ‘Oh, man. This is cool, actually.’ But I have my thermos, guys, like I told you.”

How do you know you’re not playing?

“It was written down. Actually, my goalie coach, Jeff Reese, he told me I’m not playing. Is it a big deal or not guys?”

Did you talk to Laviolette about it?

“No, I didn’t see the reason why. He’s the head coach. He makes these decisions and he’s responsible for the results. I can understand. He probably wants to put the best lineup he’s got for (the game).”

What is your role with the team now?

“I don’t worry about it.”

But, your workload has decreased siginificantly from what you were used to in Phoenix.

“This is the life. Every team’s different. You have to adjust and see if it works. Maybe it’s not going work. Maybe I’m not going to feel well if I play a lot. Who knows?”

Have you Watched 24/7?

“Yeah, I saw a couple.”

Did they use one interview?

“Yeah.”

Was it the greatest interview you’ve ever given?

“Hey, guys, you should read my Russian interviews with what I said in Russia. I was an angel in this interview.”

Do you like the show?

“I think life is a show. Isn’t it?”

How does this fit into the show?

“This? This is a great opportunity. It’s a great hockey holiday and the people get to enjoy it. Players, fans, media. I don’t hear any bad thing about players or fans or stuff like that from you guys. Just positive.”

What’s it like skating outside?

“Great. Oh, yeah. I remember we played City (something in Russian) and we fought team-on-team. I was 15-years-old. Man. Fans were jumping over the boards and started fighting too. Oh man, it was a great show.”

Did you fight the fans?

“No, I fought the other player, the goalie. Even fans from the home team, they jumped over the boards and started fighting.

How many did you hurt?

“I don’t remember. I was 15. You know, it was like, somebody pulled a knife, they threw the sticks. It was nasty.”

Like a Prison fight?

“Yeah, five people died.”

Do you have any advice for young kids?

“Work hard and believe in themselves.”

Was your family here today?

“No, like I said, we just get to the bed 7 a.m. in the morning. What are you talking about? I got my breakfast and came here to the practice.”

Why no family?

“They’re sleeping. It’s the biggest holiday in Russia.”

What kept you out all night?

(mimicking a drunk voice) “What else keep the players out all night?”

Do you think the fans will be disappointed that you’re not playing?

“You have to ask the fans.”

What do you think?

“I don’t know. I don’t know. There is nothing to do tomorrow. Come to the game early and start asking the fans ‘What do you think about it?’ and they give you an honest answer.”

What is the difference between how you were in Phoenix and how you are here?

“I am who I am. We have no reporters in Phoenix. I was really busy there because I was playing every game and I didn’t have time to talk. Right now I have plenty of time.”

Do you enjoy this part of it.

“It’s good. You guys ask good questions and it’s fun. It’s good that we all have a sense of humor. It’s not what I heard about the media. You’re actually pretty cool guys.”

Did you finish any good books on the road?

“Yes, I finished Tolstoy, it’s called ‘Struggles in Life.’ Right now I’m reading about Rasputin. It’s good stuff, man. Good stuff.”

Is there anything you learned from that Tolstoy book that can translate to what you’re going through now?

“People change their minds because they think one way at some point in their lives because they thought there was hope and then they change and start thinking differently.”

Have you lost hope?

“Who me? No. This is just hockey. It’s just hockey. You remember what I said about the universe? Compare that to the problems here? Come on. If you think your life is bad, there are other people on the earth who have it even worse. Don’t worry, be happy.”

What kind of tea will you drink tomorrow?

“It’ll be Earl Gray probably. Lemon, lots of sugar. Sweet. I hope I have enough for the whole game. It’s supposed to be colder tomorrow so we’ll see. I’ll probably make sure I have enough towels. I always wear long underwear and I usually wear lingerie too… what have you guys gotten from this conversation? Basically nothing, right? People don’t care how I feel. They want a show. They want entertainment. You remember Rome right? Antique Rome, the Roman Empire? What did the people want? Gladiators and bread. That’s all they wanted. The crowd hasn’t changed. It’s still the same. It’s going to be the same in the future.”

Do you pay attention to what people say about you? Do you care?

“I don’t care about the people. I don’t pay attention to what the people say. As long as I am happy with my game, it doesn’t matter what the people say. People can say that I’m playing pretty good, but if I’m not happy with my game, then I’m not happy with my game.”

Are you happy with your game?

“You remember what I said after the Tampa game? I said ‘I was outstanding.’ Of course I’m not (happy). There are black stripes in my life right now. No my life, but my hockey career. But, you know, it can be forever, but sometimes it’s going to change.”

2012-01-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

Winter Classic: LaBelle to sing anthem

2011-12-26T20:52:00.002-05:00

According to a league source, I have learned that Philadelphia native Patti LaBelle will sing the National Anthem prior to the start of the winter Classic Jan. 2.

Lauren Hart, the Flyers usual anthem singer, will still sing God Bless America, but I am told it will be at some point during the game, not before it, a la the seventh inning stretch at a baseball game.

There remains the possibility (probability?) of other acts performing as pre-game entertainment, but those names haven't been leaked just yet.

In case you want to see the difference between Lauren Hart and Patti LaBelle, here is LaBelle singing the anthem at the 2008 World Series.

All I have to say is hey, at least the Phillies won:

Jagr back in BIg Apple, Briere out of the lineup

2011-12-23T17:55:00.001-05:00

NEW YORK – Like many people, Jaromir Jagr is going home for the holidays.
Well, sort of.
Jagr returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time since leaving the Rangers to play in Russia following the 2008 playoffs.
Then next week, Jagr gets to go back to Pittsburgh, the place he won two Stanley Cups and a town that feels like they were spurned by him badly last summer when he chose to play in Philadelphia rather than go back to the Penguins.
“It’s part of the business of hockey but hopefully it’s not going to be as bad as Pittsburgh will be,” Jagr said of his return to the Big Apple. “It was hard in Pittsburgh before but it’s going to be crazy next week. I don’t know what to expect in New York, but in Pittsburgh, I know what to expect.”
If nothing else, Jagr had some positive recollections about his time spent with the Rangers and their organization.
“I cannot say one bad thing about the Rangers,” Jagr said. “They were good to me. The city, the organization – everybody. It was right after the lockout and the Rangers hadn’t made the playoffs in eight years and we had an unknown team and nobody was giving us any credit. Coach Tom Renney did a great job. Too bad I got injured before the playoffs my first year because I thought we could go very far.”
Despite his warm sentiments, it was a sure bet before the game even began that the always passionate New York fan base would greet him with a lusty boo.
And they didn’t disappoint.
However , those fans should remember that Jagr was the key piece to turning the Rangers from a perennial loser back into a playoff contender.
As a matter of fact, the last game Jagr played in Madison Square Garden was Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Pittsburgh.
In that game, with his team on the brink of being swept by the Pens, Jagr scored two goals and added an assist to have a hand in all three Rangers goals in a 3-0 victory for New York.
They would go on to lose the series in five games.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The last time Jagr played a game in Manhattan as a visiting player dates all the way back to January, 2003 as a member of the Washington Capitals. In that game, which ended in a 2-2 tie (remember those) Jagr was held scoreless and finished a minus-1.
L l l
Danny Briere became the latest Flyer to join a crowded team infirmary.
Briere missed Friday’s game with the Rangers suffering from what the team called a bruised hand. General manager Paul Holmgren listed him as day-to-day in an emailed injury report.
Briere apparently hurt his right hand against Dallas Wednesday, getting slashed by a Dallas player during a scrum. A screenshot captured by a Versus camera during the game shows the ring finger on Briere’s hand looking bruised and swollen.
Replays appear to show that a stick caught Briere’s hand hard, but it was difficult to tell which Stars player the stick belonged to, although both Vernon Fiddler and Mark Fistric where in the vicinity.
With Briere out of the lineup, it was assumed Ben Holmstrom would be re-inserted.
Uh, not so fast.
Instead, with the HBO cameras rolling and the hockey world watching what is a tune up for the Winter Classic, the Flyers chose to dress Jody Shelley while keeping Zac Rinaldo and Tom Sestito in the lineup as well.
Dressing all the big boys meant the plan was to approach this Rangers game physically.
“The Rangers have played well to this point and there’s no mistaking that they’re in the top of the conference,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “They’ve done it by finding a strong team identity and playing it hard to find success. That’s what makes the game exciting. There was more talk about not losing sight of things in a game against Dallas – a Western Conference team in the middle of a long, long month for us. This is a game that doesn’t need a whole lot of words. That energy, man I hope we have it and we have more pop than we know what to do with. Given that choice I’d rather have all that energy and let it out.”
L l l
NOTES: Both rookies Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn, sidelined with concussions, skated Friday in Voorhees at the Flyers’ practice facility. It was Couturier’s first skating session. Both players are considered day-to-day… Matt Walker joined Holmstrom as a healthy scratch… The Flyers will take off the next two days to celebrate the Christmas Holiday. They return to practice Monday.

Guest Blog following a Flyers win and a shoving match between coach and player

2011-12-21T23:19:00.003-05:00

In the ever changing world of journalism, Newspapers are frequently leaning on their staff to find ways to include the readers in the coverage of news.

In some circles it's called crowdsourcing. In others it's called engaging your readership.

Well, I stuck my neck out tonight and took it a step further.

I got a fan a press credential and put him to work.

Rob Rowello, a South Philly native and resident of Wyncote, PA was in Dallas on business Wednesday and was looking for a ticket to the game.

I had a proposition - come to the game and write me a story for my blog. Rob agreed. And then went a lot further.

Who knew that on this night there would be a run in between Flyers coach Peter Laviolette and Dallas Stars alternate captain Steve Ott?

With Claude Giroux returning from a concussion, I couldn't be in two places at the same time. So, I dispatched Rowello to the Stars locker room where he shot the video you'll see below and even asked Ott the direct question about the incident.

He then quickly posted the video to you tube where we exclusively tweeted it out.

All the while, he wrote a fine piece about his experience. Here it is below. Thanks Rob for the fine work.

Oh, and follow him on Twitter: @Rowello

Rob Rowello
Special Contributor to the Daily Times

DALLAS – It’s not every day when an average hockey fan like me gets a chance to experience an NHL game live from the press box. So when I recently got a call from my friend and former St. Joe’s Prep classmate, Anthony SanFilippo, who asked me to join him in Dallas to offer a “fan’s perspective” on how the media covers a hockey game, it was an offer I could not pass up, right?

I guess you can call me your typical 38-year-old Philadelphia sports fan - born and raised in South Philly on the Bullies (my mom still swears that she took me to the parade in ‘74) and the Flyers teams of the late 80’s (when we last had great goaltending).

Like most of us, I bleed orange and black, and have been to my fair share of games, experienced the highs of championship expectations, and suffered through the lows of heartbreaking endings. So, the idea of inviting me as a member of the “press” to cover a Flyers game was a very strange proposition for me.

I’ve heard from journalists before that once you cross over into the media, you become desensitized to the game and see things a lot differently. Plus acting like a “fan” in the press box is a no-no. The thought of me being at a Flyers game and not being able to cheer is like asking a hungry bear to not eat a trapped rabbit. Nature just doesn’t work that way. Usually.

So my journey into a “day in the life” of a beat writer started at the hotel, where I met up with Anthony before the game. For a typical fan like me, my game day experience starts at 7:05PM by turning on CSN or Versus.

I always knew that there was preparation required to cover a sports team like the Flyers, but I never realized how much preparation actually goes into it. Most journalists start their day by reading the opposing team’s home papers to get some insight and angles on the game. Then there’s the “morning skate sessions”, where the media is invited to cover the team during practice and interview the players afterward.

And the neverending tweets and the phone calls. It’s a 24/7 job, and every avenue is covered to bring the readers a unique perspective on the team and the game.

Two hours prior to puck drop, we arrived at the American Airlines Center to get some interview time with the coach and the players. I picked up my press credentials, and for a minute I actually felt official. We found our way to the press elevator, down to the “event level” where we made our way over to the Flyers locker room. After a quick chat with the Flyers media staff, an interview with Scotty Hartnell, and a bite to eat in the press dining room we headed up to the press box.

The one thing that stuck with me was how tightly knit the Philadelphia press community is. For a minute during dinner, I had a flashback of sitting around a table in my college cafeteria with some of my closest friends – the banter, stories, jokes.

The box at American Airlines Center is pretty spacious. Not as cramped and crowded as I imagined a press box being. To put things in perspective, the box is at the very top of the stadium (beyond the $9 cheap seats they sell here in Dallas), and there are two parallel rows of 90’ Formica countertops, with a bunch of really cheap (and very uncomfortable) desk chairs. I was assigned seat #18. I set up my laptop and iPad, and was ready for some action!

At 0:56 into the first period, Dallas drew first blood when Michael Ryder beat Sergei Bobrovsky glove side high. I stayed composed, no comments from the peanut gallery. At 8:30 in the first period, when Claude Giroux scored his first goal after returning to the lineup, my juices started flowing. Under my breath, I let out a slightly audible “yes!!”, but didn’t get any funny looks in the box.

I didn’t really cross the line until around 14:00 into the second period when Bobrovsky made two fantastic point-blank saves, and instinct kicked in hard. The bear ate the rabbit, and I bellowed out a big “yeah Bob!!” from the rafters, which drew a laugh and a head shake from Anthony.

By 5:22 into the third period, this game was pretty much history when Meszaros scored his 4th goal of the season to make it 4-1 Flyers. One final note on Giroux: I had my reservations when the Flyers announced he was coming back to the lineup this week, as I thought it was premature and rushed for an injury of his severity. But after putting up four points tonight, in an amazing show of skill, it’s clear the man is ready to play.

After the game, I had a chance to put my interviewing skills to the test. Anthony took the Flyers’ dressing room, and asked me to cover the Stars’ players, and specifically try to get something from Steve Ott on his brief exchange with Peter Laviolette at the end of the first period.

iPhone in hand, I muscled my way into the scrum of reporters in front of Ott, and fired away with a very succinct, yet point blank question, to which I got a very surprising reply. If you’re interested in the video, check it out on YouTube: “Steve Ott goes off on Laviolette”. (or see the video below)

So, in short, tonight’s “behind the scenes” experience was nothing short of impressive. I walk away tonight with a new respect for the men and women who work long hours and travel thousands of miles to bring home the stories for the teams we love. This is definitely every bit of a full time job, and I have witnessed the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to bring you that back page article. For me, I’m not quitting my day job. I think I’ll leave this one to the professionals and find a seat back on the couch.

OTT

LAVIOLETTE

Things looking up for #Hartnelldown

2011-12-19T21:20:00.005-05:00

DENVER – Like any other hardcore Flyers fan, Seth Hastings was overtly frustrated with Scott Hartnell’s propensity to fall to the ice with regularity over the course of last season.
It got to be so ridiculous, in Hastings’ mind that he decided to keep track of every stumble publicly using his Twitter account (@SethDH) to memorialize each fall with the hash tag #Hartnelldown.
It quickly became a trending tag during Flyers games, with fans and media alike using it to reference every time Hartnell fell on his britches.
But something changed this season in a way that Hastings could never imagine.
Hartnell created his own Twitter account (@Hartsy19) and immediately followed Hastings. He reached out to Hastings to find out about the hash tag and decided that the two could work together to turn the tag into a positive.
“When I first saw it, I was kind of caught off guard,” Hartnell said. “I was like, ‘What is that’ because I didn’t know what it meant. I found out a little later that this count kept going up every time I fell down, so I could have hated it or embraced it.
“I talked to my agent and asked him if he thought it would be cool to make some t-shirts about it and take all the proceeds and give them to charity. He said, ‘let’s do it’ and within a couple of days I had the web site and the shirts. I tweeted about it and Seth was shocked that it got this big but he was excited thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhat this was all going to charity so he was a good guy.”
The shirts, designed by Hartnell, feature the infamous hash tag on the front with the number 19 on the back and the words “down and dirty” on top of Hartnell’s Twitter handle.
They are available on Hartnell’s web site(Hartnelldown.com)and all proceeds will be donated to charity.
Hartnell will give some money to local charities in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan that are recipients of money raised at the annual Scott Hartnell-Clark MacArthur Celebrity Golf Classic, and provide a couple of Philly area hockey players the chance to enroll in Minnesota Hockey Camps, a summer camp that hones hockey skills.
“Never in a million years did I expect this,” said Hastings, 26, a cook from Middletown, Pa (near Hershey) where he can be found serving up food at Hershey Park, the Giant Center and Hershey Park Stadium. “It started off as kind of a joke last year and then it took off when he joined Twitter and became a whole new beast.”
Hartnell called Hastings and offered him a pair of tickets to last Saturday’s loss to Boston and then met up with Hastings after the game and posed for pictures with the t-shirts.
“It’s wild,” Hastings said. “It’s what dreams are made of as a sports fan. You follow a team and at the end of the day the players are just normal guys when you get to meet them. It’s pretty cool to be associated with a guy who plays for the team who I love more than maybe life itself.”
Hartnell added that he’s going to try to convince some of his teammates to wear the shirts in the locker room once the Flyers get home so they can be seen on camera to promote the site even further.
It’s the least Hartnell’s teammates can do considering they give him as much grief – if not more – every time he falls to the ice.
“I’ve scored a couple of goals now where I’ve ended up on my butt and the counter goes up, so that’s a good thing,” Hartnell said. “You have to be light-hearted about it, you know? Every time I fall down in practice now all the boys start yelling ‘Hartnell Down,’ so that’s pretty good.”
So ,Hartnell has gone from social media whipping boy to Twitter darling this season – and not just because he’s having a very good season offensively.
it’s gone all the way from Twitter to charity, which is kind of surreal to me,” Hastings said.“It’s totally different now than when we first started. At the beginning it was more because everybody was ragging on Hartnell because of the contract he had and here he was falling down all the time, now he’s second on the team in goals and is a big contributor to the team and it has a whole different meaning .”
It does – but primarily because Hartnell has proven to be an athlete who gets it, and gets the fans, putting him into a refreshing minority.
…………………………….

Some other quick hitters for you….

-Jaromir Jagr and Jake Voracek are both wearing the letters “VH” on the back of their helmets tonight in tribute to former Czech President Vaclav Havel, who died over the weekend. Havel was instrumental in orchestrating the country’s freedom.

-Adrian Dater, the fine Avalanche beat writer from the Denver Post, asked Peter Laviolette today if he thought the art of the slapshot from a hard skating winger down the wall was a lost art. Lavvy had one gem of a response:
“I think the last real good one that we had, an old school, old-fashioned, slap drive was Jody Shelley’s in Atlanta last season,” Laviolette said. “It was world class, down the wing, blow it by you. It was epic. “Now, there’s time and space and gaps and everybody’s quick to defend and reloads are hard from behind, but he blocked a shot, got out of the defensive zone and down the wing and he was moving fast and hard and he just wound up and ripped it top shelf. It was a thing of beauty.”

-Matt Walker saw his first action for the Flyers since Oct. 26, replacing Kevin Marshall in the lineup. He missed 13 games after clearing waivers (twice) and being sent to Adirondack of the AHL. He has also been a healthy scratch for nine games in that same span.
It’s been a trying experience for Walker, 31, who hasn’t been able to getany regular time with the Flyers since being acquired as part of the Simon Gagne trade with Tampa in the summer of 2010.
“Im excited,” he said. “It’s been a long time, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing again.
“It’s been extremely hard. It never gets easier, whether you’re a young guy or an old guy. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. But you have to wait your turn. The team was on a hot streak there so you don’t expect things to change up because it’s tough for coaches to change things. So you have to bide your time and be ready. Every day you’re hoping something’s different, but you have to wait it out.”

-Former Flyer Mike Knuble will become the 20th American player to play 1,000 games when he suits up for the Washington Capitals tomorrow. Here’s what Knuble had to say about the accomplishment (quotes courtesy of Steve Whyno of the Washington Times):
“I was trying to make my way,” Knuble said. “I was just trying to make the '04 lockout – 400 games. I think that was a pretty good milestone. Back in the day, that used to be like a different pension level, so that was the big goal – get to 400 games. It's changed since then. It's something I've been looking forward to the last probably couple years. You try and stay healthy and you never know with your contract status and all that.
“You get up there a little bit in the high (800s) and you start to think it's a possibility. You have to stay healthy and have good fortune and be in the right situation. I don't know. It's good. It's going to be like unwrapping a birthday present, kind of. And then the day after you'll be like, 'Huh.' Now you've just got to keep going.
“ You spent so long – you spend the first four or five years of your career trying to lock up a spot in the league and try to prove to everybody that you can play and that you're worthy of them getting you another contract and worthy of them investing time and energy into you. That's enough of a battle. Once you get over that hump and you've proved you can play, then it's a question of just being able to play that long and staying healthy. You play with great teammates that help you stay in the game and play well on the ice but keep you entertained off the ice and keep you fresh coming to the rink every day.”

Giroux back this week? Starting to look that way

2011-12-19T15:25:00.002-05:00

DENVER - Claude Giroux spent 90 minutes on the Pepsi Center ice practicing Monday. The last hour of that was skating hard with other scratches, injured players and assistant coaches.

When he came off the ice, he was in a jovial mood - perhaps the best mood he's been in since before suffering a concussion Dec. 10.

He says he's symptom-free. He says he feels good. He says he's close to getting back to where he can take contact at practice from teammates.

And with each step he's getting closer to playing.

"I just want to test myself and see where I'm at," Giroux said. "If there's no symptoms I don't see why I shouldn't push myself to see where I'm at. I had a good skate today.

"I told myself when I went back on the ice I wasn't going to do it to just cruise around the ice. If I go back it's because I want to skate hard and that's what I'm trying to do. I'm still going day-by-day. I have two more days before (Dallas). If I'm ready to go then I'm ready to go. If not, then the Rangers (Friday) is good, and if not than after Christmas."

But almost certainly, he'll play in the Winter Classic Jan 2, and likely before then.

Giroux wasn't the only player skating long and hard after practice. So was Andreas Lilja, who is eligible to come off the long-term injury list Wednesday in Dallas.

And then there was Erik Gustafsson, who practiced with the team for the first time since left wrist surgery in November.

Gustafsson said he is still more than a week away.

Jody Shelley and Kevin Marshall also are scratches, meaning Matt Walker and Tom Sestito will be in the lineup, joining callup Ben Holmstrom as the three new faces since Saturday's game.

Ilya Bryzgalov will get the start in net.

Look for more here later tonight on a homecoming from Holmstrom, a clever nickname for Marc-Andre Bourdon, a look at Matt Carle and what he's meant to the Flyers without Chris Pronger and an item on Scott Hartnell embracing the #Hartnelldown counter on Twitter and putting it toward charity.

Giroux practices, could play soon

2011-12-18T18:30:00.003-05:00

DENVER-- Claude Giroux practiced with the Flyers today, although he was wearing the yellow jersey that stood for no contact.

Still, Giroux took part in the entire practice and looked good. The question though is, how did he feel?

I'll let him tell you:

BRUINS ARE NO JOKE

2011-12-17T20:00:00.002-05:00

Just 31 games into the season, I have to admit I was wrong about something.

Sorry, I should have warned you to sit down before I said that.

Anyway, in my preseason predictions, I selected the Buffalo Sabres as the best team in the Northeast Division ahead of Boston.

My rationale was the Sabres had made some nice upgrades to an already good team and that coupled with what was sure to be a Stanley Cup hangover for Boston would equate to them switching positions in the division.

So, when Boston got off to a sluggish start, I was feeling pretty smart.

Now, I'm going to take that fleeting feeling of intelligence and correct my mistake:

These Bruins are very, very good.

I don't just say that because they came into Philadelphia today and walloped the Flyers 6-0 in a game that was for first place in the Eastern Conference.

No. I say that because I am certain that this 18-2-1 run after a 3-7-0 start is legit and should be taken as a sign that they aren't going to give up the Cup easily.

As a matter of fact, I may have to change my Eastern Conference champion prediction (Pittsburgh), but I'll wait a little longer to correct that possible error in judgement.

Here's the thing with Boston - everyone talks about their size and their defense and their goaltending, but they are a very fast team. They out-skated the Flyers considerably Saturday - and the Flyers have made their own bones in the East this season with their speed and pursuit.

Boston looked twice as fast.

Of course, the defense is still there. Zdeno Chara is a hammer. It's a shame the Flyers lost faith in Dennis Seidenberg, because he's as solid as they come.

And what more can you say about Tim Thomas? He might be Benjamin Button, because he's getting better, quicker and more complete as he ages.

As much as you have to like where the Flyers are right now, especially with five concussed players out of the lineup and Andreas Lilja recovering from a high ankle sprain, you have to wonder even if they were completely healthy if they could beat this Boston team in a seven-game series.

Right now, I don't believe they can.

Bourdon the latest rookie to impress

2011-12-13T22:24:00.002-05:00

His call-up was unheralded. As a matter of fact, it was probably decried in many circles.

After having waived Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis to the minors, the Flyers were short on defensive depth - or so was the common belief.

But in the short time that he's been here, Marc-Andre Bourdon has proven the commoners to be just that.

Bourdon scored his first NHL goal Tuesday as part of a thorough 5-1 thrashing of the directionless Washington Capitals - but has made a name for himself in other ways over the last several games.

"Over the last few games I think he's played like an NHL player, not a rookie," Kimmo Timonen said. "He's made some really good choices with the puck and without the puck. As an older guy I watch a lot of younger guys coming into the league and these are some of the things you watch. If they can't do them, it's going to be hard for them to have a long career. BUt once guys start making good plays, every time almost, and position-wise be in the right place all the time - these are things you cannot teach. It's hockey sense. He has it. He's going to have a long career."

That's high praise for Bourdon from one of the better defensemen of the past decade - and Timonen wasn't alone in his thinking and assessment.

"He's been rock solid," coach Peter Laviolette said. "His head is up. He makes a good first pass. He's physical. He looks really comfortable out there. His opportunity (to play in the NHL) has gone from some minutes, to increased minutes to someone that we count on and rely on. That's good for him and I'm happy for him... He's played terrific. He gets his first goal. There are a lot of positives."

...........................

Some observations:

- Tomas Vokoun was terrible. He's not normally this bad, but it's games like this, when the team is scuffling, that you need your goalie to at least give an effort that keeps the team in the game to help them get out of the funk. Vokoun was not good, letting in four goals,all of which he probably could have stopped, despite some deflections.

- Alexander Semin is a real problem child on the ice for the Caps. He looks disinterested.If these stuggles continue, he could be the big name that gets traded.

- Dale Hunter's trapping style does not fit this Washington team. It's weird seeing them not attack relentlessly on the forecheck. That's what made them so dangerous in the past. Their problem was they didn't have great defense or goaltending. They've improved in those areas but have hurt their offensive game considerably in the process.

- Really liked the play of the Flyers defense as a whole. They shut down Washington, and when they didn't, Ilya Bryzgalov was solid in net.

Statistical happenings:

- Scott Hartnell's six-game goal-scoring streak (career high) is the longest for the Flyers since Jeff Carter scored in six straight in 2010. It also ties Nashville's Patrick Hornqvist for the longest goal-scoring streak in the NHL this season.

- Hartnell's career-best point streak is seven games, which he can match with a goal or an assist in Montreal Thursday.

- Wayne Simmonds set a career best by scoring in his third straight game.

- Jody Shelley's assist was his first point since Jan. 14, snapping a drought of 30 games.

- The Flyers improved to 11-3-1 on the road this season which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, is the first time they have ever recorded 11 wins in their first 15 road contests. The franchise record for road victories is 24, set in 2002-03.The Flyers are on pace (30) to shatter that mark.

What a headache! Giroux the latest Flyer with a concussion

2011-12-13T13:32:00.002-05:00

After getting kneed in the back of the head by his own teammate Saturday, Claude Girox met with team doctors. He later told general manager Paul Holmgren he was already feeling better.

Sunday came an update that he was progressing and feeling better.

Monday brought similar news, although the Flyers also announced they were taking precautions and that Giroux would miss a game - tonight in Washington.

Still, things were looking up, as Holmgren released a statement Monday afternoon that started with "Claude is continuing to feel better..."

Then came Tuesday, and this bombshell from the team:

"Claude reported not feeling very good today," Holmgren said in yet another statement. "Over the past few days, his symptoms have gradually gotten worse. He will be out indefinitely with a concussion."

First the captain, and stalwart defenseman Chris Pronger. Then uber-rookie Brayden Schenn, now Giroux, battling for the league scoring title through 28 games and having his name tossed about as a Hart Trophy candidate - all saddled with concussions - or concussion-like symptoms in Pronger's case - and all out of the lineup indefinitely.

“The guys have responded well to everything in general, I guess,” said coach Peter Laviolette, who while maintaining a stoic exterior is likely kicking chairs and cursing his luck on the inside. “Whether it’s schedule or injury or youth or change, whatever it might be. The guys we put into the lineup have gone out and played hard every night. We haven’t won every game. Certainly, there’s been a consistent effort.”

That there has, and the Flyers take their five-game win streak and put it on the line tonight against an inconsistent Washington team without their two most important players.

But, if there's one thing this Flyers team has been, it's resilient, and that can go a long way toward success - consider last season's Pittsburgh Penguins finished tied with the Flyers point-wise atop the Atlantic Division and did so without their two best players -Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin - for much of the season.

“It’s been awesome,” said Jody Shelley of the way the Flyers have responded to adversity. Shelley, by the way, returns to the lineup tonight. “All teams want to have that. All teams wonder what happens when you’re down. What happens when things are bad and guys are missing. We haven’t spent any time thinking or talking about it as far as Pronger and now Giroux and things like that. That’s just a test of our system and our young energy, I guess. Almost like an ignorance to even spend time looking at that.

“I’ve said it before. The 20 guys wearing the Philadelphia Flyers jersey are representing the organization and we play one way and we’re going to do it again. We don’t sit here and look for a crutch. … Since the first moment in camp, it’s been ‘wow, where did this guy come from?’ Or this guys impresses tonight, this week or this month. You have a situation where you have guys waiting to jump into a spot. And show what they got. Look at Couturier. He’s been waiting on the fourth line, he’s got great talent. He’s done a great job. Now he gets an opportunity."

As for Giroux, unlike Pronger, who is seeing the same specialists who treated Crosby at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center tomorrow, Giroux will continue to be treated and evaluated by the Flyers doctors - at least for now.

That could mean that the symptoms aren't as bad as Pronger's, and a more expedited return could be possible, but that's speculative.

Meanwhile the Flyers will try to keep on keeping on against the Capitals with Ilya Bryzgalov back between the pipes tonight.

Look for more on the game, the return of Jody Shelley and what he means to the Flyers as well as the latest on all the concussions here on this blog or on Twitter @AnthonySan37

Oh... so NOW Chris Pronger has concussion symptoms

2011-12-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

We knew it when the word "virus" first came out of Paul Holmgren's lips.

We knew it when we saw Chris Pronger doing an off-ice work out a few days later - because nobody with a nasty contagion would put his teammates at risk of catching the same illness by hanging around them in the Petri dish better known as a hockey locker room.

We knew it when Pronger first spoke to the media following the announcement of the virus and he debunked that diagnosis and said it wasn't a virus.

We knew.

The Flyers just chose not to acknowledge it - until today.

Pronger, who was already on the shelf until Christmas recovering from a minor surgery to clean out some loose bodies in his left knee, is now out of the lineup indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms.

Pronger will now see concussion specialists Dr. Joe Maroon and Dr. Mickey Collins, both of whom are based in Pittsburgh.

If the names sound familiar, they are - they are the same docs who dealt with Sidney Crosby's concussion and post-concussion symptoms.

And if their track record with precaution is any indication - it could be a good while before the Flyers captain returns to the ice.

Pronger did pass a baseline test recently, but that is no longer a tried and true indicator of whether a player has recovered.

Baseline tests compare your score post head trauma to a similar test taken pre-trauma, however, many athletes throw the initial test to have a lower cognitive score to attain while possibly dealing with a concussion.

"Over the last few days he's had some difficulties," Holmgren said. "A fairly persistent headache, just sluggish feeling - so we're just trying to do the right thing here and get him checked out."

Holmgren still wouldn't call the injury a concussion, saying "I don't know that we know that," but he sure had no problem calling this malady a virus, even though there's a far better chance of it being a concussion then there ever was it being a virus.

"I don't know that we'll ever know that (it wasn't a virus)," Holmgren said. "We didn't know what we were dealing with then and I'm not sure we do now."

The immediate reaction is to assume these symptoms are related to the eye injury he suffered in October, but Holmgren was quick to temper that belief too.

"He played four games after that particular incident after missing some time," Holmgren said. "I talked to him after the game in Winnipeg and he said he didn't feel great in that game. He didn't feel like himself...

"Just over the last two or three days he's got a fairly persistent headache and a really sluggish feeling."

Brayden Schenn, who is in the middle of a rookie year that he'd like to forget, is also out indefinitely with a mild concussion suffered, who took a blow to the face in Phoenix last week and said he doesn't feel like himself.

The Flyers aren't in a rush to add another defenseman, but Holmgren admitted that he talks to GM's all the time, so something could always "pop up" at any time.

But if it turns into a long-term thing....

"We'll see what happens over the next little while," Holmgren said. Hopefully we'll get some better news after Chris visits the doctors in Pittsburgh and we'll see what happens from there."

PRONGER GOING UNDER KNIFE AGAIN

2011-11-28T14:17:00.003-05:00

After missing the last four games with a virus, Flyers captain Chris Pronger will now need surgery on his left knee.

O.K., so maybe one doesn't have much to do with the other, but the latest injury - and fourth surgery for Pronger in less than a year's time - will keep him out of action for at least another month - putting his appearance in the Winter Classic in question.

Of course, the way injuries are going for Pronger at age 37, maybe he should start considering returning for the alumni game.

All rim shots aside, this is not a palatable predicament in which the Flyers find themselves.

Pronger has already missed time this season with an eye injury and a virus and now this knee issue, that seemed to come out of the blue a little bit.

"This has been an issue probably for the last month or so for him that's been nagging," general manager Paul Holmgren said in making the announcement. "He's been playing through it up until his recent bout with his virus. We had believed that through continued rehabilitation and some medicine that it would start to feel better, but Chris saw the doctor yesterday, had another MRI and we just decided that this was the time to go and get this taken care of."

Pronger has what Holmgren termed as "loose bodies" in his left knee that are causing him pain and discomfort. While saying that anytime any player has surgery, there is a concern from an organizational standpoint, Holmgren feels confident that this is a minor surgery that won't affect Pronger long-term despite his age.

"The structure of his knee is fine," Holmgren said. "He's got good cartilage on both sides of that knee, so this is just kind of a maintenance thing more than anything and to get him a little more comfortable.

"We're worried because he's (having) surgery, yes, but long-term I still think Chris has a lot of miles left on his body, and based on his attitude about this and the way he takes care of himself and prepares, I think he'll be fine."

Holmgren insisted Pronger would have been playing in the games he missed despite the knee injury if it weren't for the virus zapping his health.

"The reason he missed games was because of the virus," Holmgren said. "This (knee situation)came up just recently - (Sunday) - and we decided the best way to attack this is with surgery now. He'd been missing games with the virus. It had nothing to do with the knee."

The Flyers are likely going have to pursue the possibility of trading for a veteran defenseman this week, as the team isn't comfortable going a hefty segment of the season with Phantoms call ups Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall (who is being recalled).

Holmgren added that Pronger and Andreas Lilja (high ankle sprain) will both be placed on the long-term injury list, which means they must miss a minimum of 10 games or 25 days, whichever comes first.

Couple that with the placing of forward Andreas Nodl on waivers and the Flyers suddenly have a lot of salary allowance to play with.

The Flyers now have $4,261,767 in available space, and that's after recalling Marshall and Brayden Schenn, who is ready to return to the lineup from his broken left foot.

If Nodl is claimed on waivers or sent back to the Phantoms, the Flyers cap space would creep up over $5 million.

That means the Flyers could, in fact, acquire a significant salary, and not just a stopgap defenseman - if there were one available on the trade front.

"We're talking about a lot of things here," Holmgren said. "I think initially we'll probably just recall Kevin and try to figure out where we're at."

BREAKDOWN OF THE FLYERS LOSS

2011-11-22T00:45:00.005-05:00

What a dreadful loss by the Flyers to Carolina Monday. They had no jump, no energy.

Yeah, they were missing Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn, but that's no excuse to be miserable.

Speaking of Coburn, it's always fun guessing injuries with the Flyers.

Right now they're calling it an Upper Body injury that will cause Coburn to miss 1-2 games tops.

But what is the upper body injury?

Immediate speculation was a head injury/concussion.

Some nice research by Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News uncovered that Coburn was hit twice in the game against Winnipeg, the last time coming in the third period. Coburn skated off the ice within seconds of the hit, and then rested for a full four minutes of game action - his longest stretch of the season. He then finished four minutes below his season average of ice time.

Combine that with Paul Holmgren saying he can skate, but hasn't been cleared for contact and it sure sounds like a concussion.

However, I spoke with a Flyers source via text message last night who said simply, "it's not a concussion... it's a lot lower on the body than that."

Interesting.

What I do know is the Flyers are hoping Coburn can be back by Friday, if not Wednesday. Ditto for Pronger.

One report had sources saying it was a bruised kidney, but that there was no internal organ damage.

Considering the location of the kidneys, calling the injury "upper body" would be somewhat misleading, if, in fact, that is the injury Coburn sustained.

Can we ask the NHL to create a "middle body injury" classification?

Tomorrow's practice will be a lot more telling and revealing.

For now, here's some video of me and Dave Isaac of PhillySportsDaily.com talking about the loss to Carolina:

ON JAGR, BRYZGALOV AND RINALDO

2011-11-17T23:12:00.003-05:00

Jaromir Jagr got hurt. Nobody saw what happened. It happened on the second shift of the game. The Flyers are calling it a lower body injury. One report is calling it a groin injury.

One former player suggested jokingly that it was a veteran move by Jagr since the Flyers are headed to Winnipeg - an undesirable location.

But, in all seriousness, if it is a groin tweak, it shouldn't keep him out longer than that and he should rejoin the team Monday against the Hurricanes.

He did not travel with the team to Winnipeg, so he's out for Saturday's game.

As for Bryzgalov: good for him that he took the high road and didn't go off on his former teammates in return after they ripped him.

Our friends at BroadStreetHockey.com got a transcription of the interviews by Derek Morris and Adrian Aucoin about Ilya Bryzgalov.

However, I can tell you Bryzgalov was bothered by it. I spoke with him after the interview session along with a few other writers, and he was still shrugging it off, but you can tell it was bugging him too.

A lot of people came to his defense, including GM Paul Holmgren.

Q: A couple of the Phoenix players took some shots about Bryz; what kind of person he is, and the goal keeping he has been doing, do you feel like that is sort of like a low blow?

A: “We love Bryz. He’s a huge part of this team, and a great person. Whatever other people say, who cares?”

Q: He looked good tonight too, like he was himself and had that confidence, is that how you felt?

A: “Yeah, we never lose any faith in him. He’s our guy, and when we can play a full game and help him out, then we can be really good.”

As for Zac Rinaldo, he was given a penalty for "inciting" tonight. Never head of that before, but it's in the rule book under 75.4(iii).

Rinaldo, who is tied for the league lead in penalty minutes with Ottawa's Zenon Konopka, didn't react well to the call though:

ROUGH NIGHT FOR OFFICIALS

2011-11-13T22:41:00.002-05:00

Stephane Auger and Kelly Sutherland had a tough night calling the Flyers 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers.

Flyers fans will contend that they screwed up far more calls against the Flyers than the Panthers - and they would probably be right this time, but they were hearing it both ways.

The Flyers were wondering why they were being called for goalie interference five feet in front of the crease but the Panthers were allowed to run Ilya Bryzgalov.

That did happen.

Meanwhile, the Panthers were livid that with a two-man advantage Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros got away with a mugging in front of Bryzgalov, but Jason Garrison was called for hooking Matt Read and Read was awarded a penalty shot seconds later.

They were right too.

Of course, Auger didn't like the complaining of Panthers forward Stephen Weiss after that play and slapped him with a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct too.

I can only imagine what Weiss said.

Most upset of all was Max Talbot, who was dinged with a double minor for a high stick on Brian Campbell that didn't draw blood, but had nothing called on a play where Garrison took a two-hander to his face that cost Max a tooth and a split lip.

Of course, he too was correct.

I talked to Chris Pronger afterward and he said, Auger and Sutherland told him they didn't see the high stick on Talbot.

To which I ask - how could they not?!?!

We saw it from the press box at the other end of the rink. Auger was six feet away and the play was right in front of him.

Maybe, as it was pointed out to me privately by one Flyer, Auger didn't blow the whistle because Talbot's initial reaction was to try to finish his shot rather than throw his head back to embellish the penalty as many players tend to do.

Auger is getting a reputation as a ref who reacts to those whiplash efforts to draw a penalty. That doesn't mean there wasn't one if the show wasn't put on.

Oh well, at least Bryzgalov is playing better:

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

GRETZKY AND GROUPER

2011-11-11T18:41:00.002-05:00

Just arrived in Ft. Lauderdale where I'm rejoining the Flyers after a three-day hiatus back home - and I've arrived in time for news that the Great One may have changed his mind.

When he was asked a couple weeks ago if he would participate in the Winter Classic Alumni game, playing for the Rangers against the Flyers on New Year's Eve, Gretzky declined - citing family commitments and nobody wanting to watch a 50-year-old skating.

Then came a call from Rangers G.M. Glen Sather, who was Gretzky's coach in Edmonton.

In an interview with ESPN, Gretzky said after speaking to Sather that he'd think about it.

“Glen called and we talked for 45 minutes,” Gretzky said. “I really respect the Rangers doing that. That’s classy of Sather, Mike Keenan (who is coaching the Rangers' alumni team) and the Dolan family. So I told Glen I would think about it.”

With the names that are lining up for that Alumni game, it could be the most star-studded old-timers contest in a long, long while.

.....................

The Flyers spent the last two days away from hockey, vacationing together in and around Naples, Fla./Sanibel Island. There was golf. There was lounging by the pool. And there was fishing.

Boy, was there ever fishing.

The coaches went fishing and assistant coach Craig Berube nabbed a whopper. Check out the photo of the 200-pound Goliath Grouper that was hauled into their boat. Any bigger and it would have been Moby Dick:

PRONGER TO PLAY? YOU DECIDE.

2011-11-08T21:05:00.002-05:00

I think today was evidence that Chris Pronger will play tomorrow in Tampa.

He wouldn't say yes. Coach Peter Laviolette will never confirm a lineup decision the day before a game and Paul Holmgren wasn't available.

But it sure looked like he was playing - taking a regular turn in practice with partner Matt Carle, and with his surly attitude with the media afterward, it seems like Pronger is back.

He event went so far as to change into a t-shirt that read "go screw yourself," prior to meeting with the media (which you'll see as I pan down a couple times in the video).

What you won't see is what happened after I turned the camera off where Pronger said he didn't know whose decision it would be for him to play- as he didn't exactly say he had been cleared to play, but didn't exactly say he hasn't been cleared either.

You also won't see Pronger grit his teeth as he talked about playing while wearing a shield. It's a safe bet he's not long for it as he complained about having to constantly wiping it in warmer rinks (namely, Tampa and Florida).

But, I still think he plays against the Lightning. You tell me.

MORE NAMES ADDED TO THE ALUMNI GAME

2011-11-03T20:59:00.005-04:00

We already know Eric Lindros and John LeClair are playing in the Alumni Game on New Year's Eve afternoon at Citizen's Bank Park, but who will be skating with them?

The Flyers haven't released the roster yet, but organizational sources have informed me of a series of players who will take part.

This is not a complete list, but just some names that I've gleaned tonight:

Confirmed players:
Eric Lindros
John LeClair
Mark Recchi
Brian Propp
Dave Poulin
Bobby Clarke
Orest Kindrachuk
Kjell Samuelsson
Bill Barber
Reggie Leach
Chris Therien
Eric Desjardins
Derian Hatcher
Mark Laforest

Also, despite reports that Mikael Renberg will not play, there is still a chance that he'll be there, the sources indicated.

Renberg is broadcasting the World Junior Championships in Canada for Swedish television and is still trying to get a fill-in for New Year's Eve so he can attend.

As for who will play for the Rangers? That's still an unknown, but one source said the Rangers were trying to bring in as many guys from their 1994 Stanley Cup team as they can.

When I get more names I will be sure to post them here.

PRONGER SPEAKS FOR FIRST TIME

2011-10-29T19:58:00.002-04:00

Chris Pronger just addressed the media for the first time since catching a stick to his right eye last Monday against Toronto.

He appeared to be in good spirits and didn't look too bad considering. His right pupil was a little larger than it should be, but he's on his way back - admitting he started riding the bike today.

Here is the video of the interview:

Notice that he calls me fat during it - deservedly so I guess....

BRYZGALOV HAS NO CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF

2011-10-27T22:28:00.002-04:00

Ilya Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 10 shots in a relief effort Thursday as the Flyers lost a sloppy game, 9-8 to the Winnipeg Jets.

After the game, the goalie said he "stinks," has "no confidence" in himself, and he is "lost in the woods."

Great quotes from a stand-up guy. But that's not going to be enoough for Flyers fans who have to begin wondering if it was worth blowing up the franchise just to sign him for nine years and $51 million.

Here's the complete interview:

SCHENN OUT OF LINEUP AT LEAST A MONTH

2011-10-27T14:25:00.003-04:00

Brayden Schenn broke his foot in the Flyers 5-1 loss to Montreal and will now miss 4-6 weeks according to Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

The Flyers also recalled defenseman Eric Gustafsson and forward Zac Rinaldo. Both are available for tonight's game against Winnipeg, but it is uncertain whether either will play.

Schenn broke his foot while blocking a shot from Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban. Schenn remained in the game afterward, but the break was discovered post game.

The addition of Gustafsson and Rinaldo poses an interesting scenario for the Flyers salary cap wise.

Gustafsson makes $900,000 and Rinaldo $544,444. They didn't have room for both, but rather then send Matt Walker down to the Phantoms to clear the space, they placed Schenn on the long-term injury list (LTIR) marking their third player on the list (along with Ian Laperriere and Blair Betts).

With that the case, it's pretty certain the Flyers will be deferring any bonus money from this year that may be accrued to next season.

PRONGER SUFFERS SERIOUS EYE INJURY

2011-10-24T22:59:00.002-04:00

Chris Pronger took a stick in the right eye with eight minutes to play in the first period Monday and is out for at least two weeks - and that's if things go well over the next 96 hours.

Trying to block a Mikhail Grabovski slapshot during the Flyers 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pronger was clipped in the eye by Grabovski's stick on the follow through to his shot.

Pronger dropped to the ice and started screaming.

It was a scary moment.

Here's Danny Briere talking about it (plus some other things from the Flyers win)

Pronger will need bed rest for four days, and assuming there's no further problems, can start skating in about two weeks.

But he's not out of the woods yet. These next four days are critical. If blood starts to coagulate and clot, it could mean more problems lie ahead, and a tougher and longer road to recovery.

Here's Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren on the injury:

Q: (Inaudible)

“… very scary incident, in particular watching him come off the ice like that. Right now, he had a little bit of a cut just on the outside of his right eye here. The eye doctor checked him out thoroughly, and he’s got a little bit of an issue right now with his eye. We think max, three or four days… no real concern, other than what might happen over the next three or four days, whether it’s swelling or something behind the eye. So he’s basically going to be on bedrest for three days, and hopefully he’ll be fine within a couple weeks.

Q: Did he go to the hospital?

“No, our eye doctor came here. He’s going to see the eye doctor every day for the next four days. We think after that time that he’ll be out of, we don’t want to say danger, but if everything goes ok and if the swelling goes down, he should start on some kind of an exercise program shortly after that, and we’re hoping he’ll be able to rejoin the team within ten days to two weeks. And skating-wise, not necessarily playing wise.”

Q: Is there a prognosis on it?

“Well, not really. The prognosis is that he was hit on the side here and there’s a lot of swelling around his eye and the hope is that the blood doesn’t build up there and create issues. That’s why he’s going to be on bedrest here for the next four days.”

Q: Which doctor?

“Doctor Goldman.”

Q: Holmgren, when this happens, (inaudible)?

“Well, when Chris comes back, he’ll be wearing a visor. We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League and it’s not an issue. Obviously some of these players have been around a long time and for whatever reason they don’t want to wear them. When Chris comes back… (inaudible). I think the improvements on the visor over the last few years, compared to what it was ten or 15 years ago, are tremendous. Other than getting a little sweat in there and some water on the visor, I don’t think it’s a big issue. I’m not sure our doctor would clear him to play unless (inaudible).” I think Chris was really scared after this incident tonight, and I would like to believe (inaudible).

Q: Did he lose his sight at all?

“No. It was blurred.”

Q: Because of the salary cap right now, I don’t know if you guys can afford to bring somebody else up or are you comfortable with Lilja, Walker and…

“We have players we can use. We’ll be fine.”

Q: (inaudible) he was obviously in a lot of pain.

“He wasn’t in the mood to talk. I think he was very scared, and rightly so. When something like that happens to your eye, you’re worried and you don’t know what’s going on, but I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine.”

Q: Did you think Toronto was a little careless with their sticks tonight overall?

“It’s a fast game, and things happen quickly. The first six games you could say we were careless with our sticks. It’s a freak accident, and obviously a very scary accident.”

SCHENN ARRIVES

2011-10-19T11:58:00.001-04:00

It was only a matter of time and money but now Brayden Schenn is here... Likely to stay.

Schenn was recalled by the Flyers today replacing two players - Zac Rinaldo and Harry Zolnierczyk - who were both sent down to the Phantoms.

Schenn, 20, spent four games with the Phantoms in the AHL and had four goals and four assists.

He had to start the season in the AHL because of the suspension to Jody Shelley and the Flyers precarious cap position. However, now that Shelley is off the suspension, Rinaldo is moveable as the Flyers don't need another fighter and Zolnierczyk, who was a one game replacement for the dinged up Andreas Nodl, was sent down despite scoring his first NHL goal in his first NHL game.

The Flyers are actually operating above the salary cap but can do so because of injury allowance space from Ian Laperriere and Blair Betts being on the long-term injury list. Even still, the Flyers are dangerously close to using up their allowance and may have to make another move soon to get some financial breathing room.

I'll have more on this as the day goes on.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

IT'S ALL ABOUT RICHIE

2011-10-13T19:37:00.003-04:00

Skipped Flyers practice today...

Instead, I made that wonderful commute to Newark, N.J. - the plan? Talk to Mike Richards.

I have a story coming on him very soon (it'll be in tomorrow's papers but we'll give you a sneak peak in a bit), but I wanted to share some quotes with you about the former captain.

I spoke with Simon Gagne, Richards himself and Kings assistant coach John Stevens.

I also have some quotes here courtesy of Wayne Fish of the Bucks County Courier, who was in Voorhees, N.J. talking Richards with the Flyers.

For the record, Mike didn't want to get into to many details from his past - which I understood. So, his comments are rather plain.

Here are all the Q and A's.... full story to come:

MATT CARLE

>The guys in here defend Richards, said he was a good team player. . .

“He was a guy who wore a letter and guys looked up to him. They listened to what he had to say when he spoke. It wasn’t too often that he would step up and say something but when he did, it meant something.

“So I’m sure it will be an emotional game for him. He started his career here and he was the face of the organization. It will be an emotional game for him but it will be just like any other game for us. It’s something more for the fans and the media and stuff.’’

>You’ve been traded. Sometimes it’s good to get a fresh start, might change a guy’s career, right?

“Absolutely. In going through it twice myself, it is sometimes a blessing in disguise. Time will tell on both sides how that plays out but it’s one of those things that’s always bittersweet. You don’t wish it upon anybody. When it happens, you feel bad for the parties involved. I’m sure it’s the same for management and the people that are making those decisions. It’s not an easy decision to make, to trade somebody.

“A lot of the fans don’t realize you’re uprooting your family and your life. But at the same time, it’s what we do. I think everyone understands that.’’

>Are expectations a little less after you’ve been traded? There’s always that initial hype for players drafted. On the second team, players seem to operate in a less demanding environment…

“I guess, again, time will tell. We watched that first game (Kings vs. Rangers in Stockholm), he was playing top minutes and he’s not a guy who’s going to fly under the radar. He’s a top echelon player in this league. Any team he’s playing, he’s going to be facing their best defensive pairs.’’

>Expect a good reception for him?

“Yeah, I think the fans recognize the work that he put in and what he did every night on the ice. He sacrificed his body, great two-way player, blocked shots, fighting, hitting. . .he really led by example for us.’’

DANNY BRIERE

>What do you expect on Saturday?

“We’re facing a tough team, there’s going to be a lot of emotion with a lot of ex-Flyers coming back. We’ll have to be ready for this one.’’

>What about Richards, what’s going through his mind?

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be mixed feelings for him. He’ll never forget the good times that he’s had here but at the same time, he’s moving on and I’m sure he wants to start something special in LA as well.

“It will be very weird as the fans respond nice to him. Everything. . .the way he’s played the game, on the ice especially, I don’t think the fans have anything to complain about.’’

>You’ve moved in this league; is there a natural tendency to want to show the previous team they were wrong. . .extra motivation?

“You go back and you want to prove they made a mistake. I think every competitive hockey player – and we all know Mike is – plays with a little bit of an edge when you’re back in that situation.’’

>Did you have that feeling the first time you went back to Buffalo?

“When I went back to Buffalo, when I played Phoenix. . .I think it’s totally normal.’’

JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK

>You and Richards are part of that first-round draft pick fraternity. What did he impart on you?

“Just his presence in general was good. On and off the ice, he made me feel real comfortable here. Obviously, he’s a pretty laid-back guy off the ice. Maybe he keeps to himself a little bit. But he’s a guy you definitely look up to you when you come into the league. He’s had a lot of success in his years here. He’s a great teammate and a great friend, so obviously we were sad to see him go.’’

>Briere said there’s extra motivation for a traded player to prove his old team wrong. . .

“I’m sure he wasn’t expecting it to happen, so maybe that puts a little more salt in the wound. I know he loved playing here. I don’t think necessarily he wanted to leave. It makes it tough to leave. Coming back, I’m sure he wants to make a point.’’

>Was it overstated that the room was divided and Richards was in the middle of all of it?

“I don’t know where that came from. Both Jeff (Carter) and Mike were key members of what we did on the ice and off. As far as getting the guys together, I know that even after I got drafted and before I made the team, I spent my summers here. They went out of their way to make me feel really comfortable. ‘Do you want to go to a ballgame?’ or whatever. I can’t say enough good things about those guys.’’

PETER LAVIOLETTE

>You know what it’s like to go back to a place you’ve called home for years. What do you expect it will be like for Mike to come back here Saturday? Will he be received well?

“I’m sure he will. I’m not sure what Mike’s thinking or what he might be going through. He’s been a part of this organization for a long time and I’m sure he will be received well.’’

>What are your lasting impressions of him?

“I wasn’t here for that much of his tenure. What stands out for me the most is that he was a captain of a team that went to the Finals and almost won the Cup. The players that were here that year were close.’’

PAUL HOLMGREN

>JVR said Richards helped him a lot when he first got here. There seem to be a lot of good things about Mike that maybe people aren’t aware of. . .

“Way more. Mike was a great player for our organization for six –plus years. He did everything we asked . . . maybe he got painted with the wrong brush there. He was a good player. When we made the trade, we thought we were making a good trade that would work out well for us. Probably will work out well for Los Angeles. He’s still one of the top young players in the game. Two-way guy, quality character. Tough. LA made a good deal and we think we made a good deal. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a great year and LA goes on to do great things.’’

>How difficult was it to make that trade?

“For our organization, that was huge (decision) to make both those trades. They were something we thought we needed now and in the future. I still believe they are good hockey trades and we will benefit from them down the road. That doesn’t mean those guys aren’t going to do good things for the teams they are with now. I hope they do.’’

SIMON GAGNE

What is Saturday going to be like for Mike?

“It’s not easy. For me this year will be easier to go back to Philly. For the first time, it’s almost like going home. Just driving by the rink and driving through the city brings you back to the past and brings back a lot of good memories. It’s hard. Mike played there quite awhile. It’s going to be tough and it’s going to take time to adjust. On my side last year it took me a while to realize I wasn’t playing for the Flyers and that I was with Tampa Bay, wearing that jersey was definitely weird. Then, walking across to the locker room on the other side was definitely one of the toughest days in my career. It’s not going to be easier for Mike. We’ll try to help him with that but he’s strong enough mentally to get through it. Other than that it will be fun for him to go back and see some friends. We have two days there, which is something I didn’t have last year because we had back-to-back games there. I don’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing to just go there, play and get out of town, but it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Have you had the chance to talk about it at all?

“Not really. I’m the type of guy that if you want to ask me I’m willing to talk, but I think he’s old enough now and mature enough that he’s really strong mentally. I’m sure he’s really prepared himself for this moment and is going to be ready for it.”

Was it an easier transition for him coming to L.A. because of so many familiar faces?

“Maybe. Personally, I think it was easier to come to Los Angeles this year than it was going to Tampa because I know guys like Mike and the coaching staff and (assistant G.M.) Ron Hextall and (G.M. Dean) Lombardi. It’s like coming to a place you are comfortable with and comfortable with the system. I guess it would be the same thing for Mike. That was the first time he was traded in the league so who knows, but I think it will help in the transition to a new team to adjust a bit quicker then going to another team and learning everything all over with new coaches and guys you’ve never played with before.”

MIKE RICHARDS

What’s this weekend going to be like for you?

“I’m not sure. I haven’t thought about it that much, or at least tried not to as much as possible. It’s going to be exciting once I get there.”

How much has having familiar faces here helped with your adjustment?

“I think everyone in the dressing room has helped out. You may not notice it much being all the way on the East Coast, but the guys in this dressing room have helped me a lot to make me feel at home right away. But yeah, to have familiar faces like Johnny and Murph and Simon definitely helped out a lot, but we have a great group of guys here. We come to the rink every morning and tell jokes and stories – it’s a real close group that welcomed me in.”

How important was your summer – just getting away?

“This time there was a change, but not much of a change – I like to get away from hockey and get away from everything. Get my thoughts together and prepare for another season off the ice.”

What was your initial reaction?

“Shock.”

How long did it take for that shock to go away?

“A little bit – Once I got to know the area a little bit it helped out, but once I got to L.A. it was just hockey again?”

Does it make it easier to not focus on going back to Philly that it came at the end of this incredibly long road trip that had you away from home for almost three weeks?

“Yeah. It’s been here, there, everywhere with planes, trains and automobiles. It’s been good though, to get away with the guys and be welcomed into their tight-knit group. It’s fun to come to the rink again. You don’t have to worry about anything. You just come to the rink and joke around with the guys. There’s not little (cliques) or anything – there’s just one big group. When you have that it makes everyone closer and you play that much harder on the ice.”

Have you kept in touch with any of the guys?

“I was actually in Philly Monday and went out to dinner with Hartnell. I still keep in touch through text messages and stuff. I will probably see a couple more of the guys (tonight).”

What was it like playing in front of Philadelphia fans?

“I enjoyed playing in front of them every night and I’m excited to play in front of them again Saturday. I tried to leave everything on the ice every night for them and I thought I did that. It’s what made it fun to go to the rink.”

JOHN STEVENS

What has it been like for Mike joining up with you guys and now getting ready to come back to Philly this weekend?

“We’ve had other things on our mind, but at this point in the trip, the return to Philly is upon us. I’m not quite sure what the emotions are going to be for Mike or the fans but he certainly was a big part of things there. He grew up there. He was drafted there. When you think of Mike Richards you think of Philadelphia. This is certainly a big event for him and the fans. As far as for us, getting him integrated is no different than any new player trying to find his way with the team. He’s a quiet leader the way he plays the game anyway. He does some subtle things that exude leadership. I think he’s getting adjusted much like (Gagne) is or even Ethan Moreau who is a veteran player in a new city and new situation. He’s settling in with his teammates and developing new relationships and every day he seems to be more and more comfortable being here.”

How much does having familiar faces here help?
“It helps because it’s such a big change moving from East Coast to West Coast because of the time change and communication and stuff like that. I think it easier for a guy that doesn’t have a wife and kids and a family with schools to deal with, but it’s still a big change. I think he’s had some time now and he’s enjoying the area and it’s a great place to live – that part’s been easy. But I also think when you’re a player you have relationships with your coaches and other players and that helps you settle in. The fact that Mike has existing relationships with (coach) Terry (Murray), myself, (Hextall, Lombardi) and of course Simon – that relationship[p has been important for both guys. It helps. If a player went somewhere where he didn’t know anybody it would be a longer adjustment phase but from our end, having a guy like Mike who we know so well and from his end having relationships already in place, it’s very helpful all the way around.”

What are your expectations for Mike?

“No different than they were in Philadelphia. He’s an all situations player that we count on in every critical situation both offensively and defensively. He plays on our top two lines and has a lot of responsibility and we expect leadership from him as well. I don’t think anything has changed for Mike except for his uniform.”

Do you like the fact that coming home you have an extra day to catch up with Friends and the sort in town rather than it just being one night, in and out?

“If you talk to anyone who spent time in Philadelphia they’d tell you it’s a great city. We’ve all thoroughly enjoyed our time there. It’s a chance for us to go back and see people we’ve grown close to and everyone relishes those opportunities. It’s a great city and everyone, including Mike, will have nothing but great things to say about the city and their fans. We’re excited to go back and spend a couple days.”

Does it take some of the pressure off Mike that he doesn’t have to wear a letter on his jersey here and can just play?

“I don’t think Mike changes anything whether he wears a letter or not. I still see him doing things where he subtly taps guys on the pads or he communicates in the circle during a timeout. To me that’s the Mike leads. He leads by example and with his play. So, whether he has a letter on his jersey or not, I don’t see a big difference in the way he carries himself.”

WALKER DEMOTED?

2011-10-06T13:16:00.001-04:00

The Flyers won't give us a straight answer about Matt Walker, so we have no choice but to speculate.

I'll lay out some facts, then offer an opinion, then leave it up to you to interpret what's what.

Let's start with a timeline:

Wednesday at Noon - Walker clears waivers.

Wednesday at 12:05 - Walker tells us that he expects to be in the lineup for the opener; playing alongside Braydon Coburn. Walker also adds that he's completely healthy. This something coach Peter Laviolette also talked about earlier in the week, saying it's nice to see Walker healthy and happy after a trying season last year.

Wednesday at 12:15 - Coburn confirms Walker's belief about the two playing together and discusses what it will be like playing with a right-hand shot and being the guy who makes the switch to the left side.

Wednesday at 3 pm - the Flyers send out a press release confirming Walker is in fact on the roster and that Oskars Bartulis, the other defenseman to clear waivers, will be sent to the Phantoms.

Thursday at 1130 am - the Flyers take the ice for their morning practice at TD Garden in Boston. Walker does not skate.

Thursday at 1230 pm - Laviolette directs all questions about Walker to Paul Holmgren.

Thursday at 1245 pm - Holmgren says there is nothing wrong with Walker and that he didn't skate because he "wanted to work on other things."

Thursday at 1pm - I get a text confirming Andreas Lilja will play and Walker won't.

So what happened?

I can't figure honestly. I do not believe he's injured at all. If he were, Holmgren would have offered an obligatory "upper" or "lower" body injury. He didn't do that.

I guess they could be holding him out of everything because of a pending trade. But I'm not sure they want to do that now. Bartulis would have to clear recall waivers to come back... Which is unlikely as teams could get him for half his salary (which would be $300,000) and Erik Gustafsson needs to play in the AHL to improve.

Or maybe, and this is really just speculation and not confirmed by anyone at all, maybe Walker was pulled from the start because of something disciplinary.

Hey, stranger things have happened.

I mean seriously, what other things was Walker working possibly working on if he wasn't skating with the team or even in the building?

Was he working out alone at the team hotel? Was he putting new numerical stickers on his teammates helmets? Was he sharpening his Scrabble skills playing Words with Friends on his smart phone?

Seriously. The Flyers need to be more up front about stuff like this.

And they wonder why no one regularly believes them.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

FLYERS LOSE BETTS, OPENING NIGHT ROSTER SET

2011-10-05T12:30:00.002-04:00

Blair Betts was claimed off waivers just before the noon deadline today by the Montreal Canadians, much as the Flyers expected.

Betts, 31, was an attractive piece on the waiver wire because of his cap-friendly salary of $700,000 and his defensive mindset and an ability to kill penalties.

This frees up a contract spot for the Flyers to sign rookie Sean Couturier, should they want to keep him on the roster beyond the first nine games of the season.

The other Flyers who were on the waiver wire - Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis - both cleared. Bartulis will be sent to Adirondack of the AHL. Walker, meanwhile, will stay with the Flyers.

In a crazy turn of events, Walker went from being a player the Flyers were willing to lose on waivers to being in the lineup for the opener, winning the No. 6 defensman job in camp.

Here is how the lineup will look for tomorrow night's game - and yes, these are your line combinations and defensive pairings.

van Riemsdyk-Giroux-Jagr
Voracek-Briere-Simmonds
Hartnell-Couturier-Read
Nodl-Talbot-Rinaldo

Carle-Pronger
Timonen-Meszaros
Coburn-Walker

Bryzgalov
Bobrovsky

Andreas Lilja is a healthy scratch. Jody Shelly is also on the roster, but is suspended for the first five games of the season.

Ian Laperriere also remains on the roster as a technicality for the first day, but will likely be placed on the long-term injury list once the Flyers need to make another roster move.

For now the Flyers are, as always, right up against the salary cap, operating at a measly 65,374 below the $63.4 million cap figure.

It seems the plan is to roll with this roster until Braden Schenn is ready to be recalled, at which point, Laperriere would be placed on the long-term injured list, and another player would be sent back to the minors - likely Rinaldo, since he wouldn't have to clear waivers.

If they did that, the Flyers would then be just 86,905 under the salary cap - still not a desirable number.

The reason the Flyers find themselves in this strict bind is the $1.4 million in bonus overages they are paying against the cap this season from last season.

The reason they had such a high bonus overage was the amount of time players spent on the long-term injury list last season - namely Laperriere and Michael Leighton. That allowed the Flyers to operate above the salary cap, but because of that, they didn't have the room to pay out earned bonus money to players for reaching certain triggers in their individual contracts.

As such, that bonus overage has to count against this season's cap. And, once Laperriere is placed on long-term injury this season, it could have a similarly adverse affect on next season's cap figure.

The Flyers also find themselves in an undesirable position of not having a spare forward for the first five games because of the Shelley suspension.

If there's an injury, the only choices the Flyers would have would be to place Laperriere on LTIR sooner than they would like, send Couturier back to junior or waive another player entirely - none of which are options the Flyers particularly like.

A GUESS AT THE FLYERS OPENING ROSTER

2011-10-01T22:43:00.002-04:00

O.K.... here it goes, my educated guess at who makes the Flyers and who doesn't.

Just to clarify, I'll have a more detailed explanation on the reasons behind these guesses online later tomorrow, but I wanted to get them out there now for you all to discuss.

So, without further ado... the 2011-12 Flyers - as I think it'll turn out:

Forwards:(13)
James Van Riemsdyk
Claude Giroux
Jaromir Jagr
Scott Hartnell
Danny Briere
Jakub Voracek
Matt Read
Sean Couturier
Wayne Simmonds
Zac Rinaldo
Blair Betts
Max Talbot
Jody Shelley

Notes:

-Couturier beats out Brayden Schenn, who was limited in camp by a shoulder injury. Schenn can be sent to the AHL for what would be an extended camp of sorts while Couturier either has to stick or go back to Drummondville of the QMJHL. The Flyers will at least give him nine games, but I'm betting he sticks. The coaches love his maturity.

-Read makes the roster, but could be sent down for one day as the Flyers have to technically carry Ian Laperriere's salary on the roster for the first day before placing him on injured reserve.

- Shelley's salary counts against the cap while he serves a five-game suspension. The Flyers could keep another player in that spot in his place, but the player would have to be inexpensive as they are tight to the salary cap.

-What becomes of Andreas Nodl? Good question. Maybe he's the guy that they were talking with Nashville about.

Defensemen: (7)
Chris Pronger
Matt Carle
Kimmo Timonen
Braydon Coburn
Andrej Meszaros
Matt Walker
Andreas Lilja

Notes:

-Erik Gustafsson can be sent back to the Phantoms with no problem. Oskars Bartulis is a different animal. He has to go through waivers. I'm not sure he makes it. That means the Flyers could try and trade him too. He has value at such a cap-friendly salary ($600,000 for each of the next two seasons).

Goalies: (2)
Ilya Bryzgalov
Sergei Bobrovsky

This roster would leave the Flyers with roughly $755,000 in salary cap space. Not ideal, but manageable.

So... what do you think?

POWER PLAY COULD BE LETHAL

2011-09-29T23:38:00.003-04:00

With all of the supposed talent on the Flyers roster last season, their power play finished ranked 19th in the NHL.

Not good.

Yes, missing the hammer on the point that is Chris Pronger for 32 regular season games and eight playoff games had a little something to do with that, but the biggest problem for the Flyers was the unwillingness of the players to keep moving in the zone, and things grew stale and easy to defend.

No more.

You add Jaromir Jagr to the mix, sprinkle in some Wayne Simmonds, who isn't afraid to play in front of the net and the guys who tried so hard last year - Claude Giroux and Danny Briere - can get even more creative.

“We’re doing a good job of moving and not staying stagnant,” Pronger said. “We got some interchangeable parts that can move around. We can set up on the left, the right, no matter who is out there. That’s a nice luxury to have and it allows us different looks.”

And those different looks create havoc for opposing penalty kills because you never know what the Flyers are going to do.

“I think both units are going to really click," coach Peter Laviolette said. "(We're) just really starting to get it together. We’ve got to get James (van Riemsdyk) in there when he gets back. But both units have had a lot of time, it’s been every day now for four or five days.
"I think the more time we spend on it, work on it, find some continuity with the groups, the more successful we’ll be. I definitely think there’s a lot of options that are available. They’re both set up just a little bit different. A lot of things can happen.”

In the last two games, the power play is 5-for-12.

Yeah, it's the preseason, you get the sense that these guys have some instant chemistry... and that's rare for Jagr, who has fallen in love with the idea of playing with Giroux, whom he dubbed the "Little Genius."

"It’s not easy to play with me, trust me," Jagr said. "I couldn’t find many guys who would get used to me or who I was happy with.”

He then put Giroux into a very select group.

"No. 66 (Mario Lemieux) and No. 10 Ron Francis. That's about it."

Once again, high praise. Once again something for the Flyers to be excited about. Because believe it, Jagr still has a lot left in the tank, and the power play should be the initial beneficiary.

FLYERS TO TRADE SALARY THIS WEEK?

2011-09-28T16:26:00.003-04:00

The Flyers are right up against the salary cap. No surprise there.

They'll need to clear some salary before the season begins, sure, especially since they are only $175,000 below the cap and if someone were to get hurt and they'd need to call up an AHL fill-in, they wouldn't have the space to do so.

They can get enough room with a simple waiver move - or minor trade - before opening night in Boston next week.

Or they could do something bigger.

Excited by the prospect of many of their young forwards - namely Matt Read, Zac Rinaldo, Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn, and even their younger forward acquisitions from the summer with NHL experience - Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek - as well as some players who they've already sent back to the Phantoms, the Flyers think they might be able to move some veteran salary elsewhere to create space.

A Flyers source confirmed for me today that they are "thinking of moves" and that general manager Paul Holmgren "may have (made) calls today."

The hot rumor had them talking to the Nashville Predators, who have about $14 million in cap space.

Could the Flyers look to move Scott Hartnell back to Nashville, a place he adored when playing there several years ago?

The Predators would like to bring in another veteran forward to help convince other players like Shea Weber (restricted free agent after the season) and Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne (both unrestricted at season's end) to stay in Nashville because it would show a commitment to winning on a longer-term basis.

Hartnell has a cap hit of $4.2 million for the next two seasons and could bring back a more inexpensive player in return, or future draft picks.

Now, Hartnell has a no-trade clause, and he could stymie the whole conversation, if in fact it were to take place, but considering how much Hartnell enjoyed Nashville, there are good odds that he would waive his no-trade to go there.

One underground rumor had the Flyers taking back Sergei Kostitsyn, who makes $2.5 million and would save the Flyers the much-needed cap room, but a separate Flyers' source indicated the team isn't interested in Kostitsyn.

While the talk of moving Hartnell is just a rumor at this point, it's hard to find another veteran player on the Flyers that they'd be willing to move that would also interest Nashville.

It should be interesting to see what crops up for the Flyers over the next few days, but it's a certainty that they are seriously considering moving a known salary at this point.

A RAW DEAL FOR SIMMONDS; HIGH PRAISE FROM JAGR

2011-09-27T00:59:00.004-04:00

It's been a rough week for Wayne Simmonds, and he deserves none of the attention he's received.

In the first case, he was a victim of an ugly racial demonstration when a fan at a preseason game in London, Ontario threw a banana at him during his shootout attempt.

In the second case, he was the victim of a peer talking out of school.

While the first incident was certainly egregious, it can easily take a backseat to the second because the latter involved another player breaking a code.

Here's the short story.

Simmonds and Sean Avery were jawing back and forth all night. It got heated. Much like many, many, many other exchanges in the pro sports landscape between rivaling players, things were said that were not for the ears of babes.

However, Sean Avery felt the need to bring it up with the New York media after the game.

If you want full transcriptions of those post game interviews, scroll down on the right and click on the link to this blog from last night. There is also video there.

From there, the New York media turned a typical on-ice exchange between combatants into a can-you-believe-he-said-that indictment of a hockey player with highly-regarded character.

We all followed suit here in Philly, writing about it as if it was breaking news last night.

Frankly, it's all pretty pathetic.

Avery is a crumb, for lack of a more printable word, for bringing this to light and turning it into an issue. He's the last person who should be talking about on-ice banter getting out of control, because, as many people pointed out last night, some of the things he said in the first period of last night's game, if taken literally, could have been construed as death threats.

Luckily, those of us who saw it or heard it have enough sense in our noggins to know that again is just part of the on-ice vernacular during a game. It's part of the machismo. It's part of the bravado.

Then again, this is Avery and as one player who played with him earlier in his career once told me, "Avery is the worst teammate I have ever had. It's not even close."

So if Simmonds used a derogatory word in an exchange of barbs between the two, it wouldn't surprise many rational folks.

Which is why it is disappointing that the New York media then took that ball and rolled with it.

They rushed to the Flyers locker room and requested Simmonds. The Flyers' forward took all their questions and gave non-committal answers for more than three minutes - but really, was this necessary?

Are there not worse things said on the line of scrimmage in the NFL? How about with all the chirping between dugouts over the course of a long 162-game season in major league baseball? You think all the trash-talking in the NBA just takes place on Twitter?

Curse words, derogatory comments and otherwise snide and often personal remarks are fired between hockey players in every game. It's part of the culture of sports. It's never going to change.

So just because one troublemaker tips off reporters about the specifics of one of those conversations, we have to highlight it as an example of intolerance?

Come on fellow hockey scribes, we are better than that.

.........................................................

So much happened in the game last night that I really feel the following stuff is being shrugged to the backburner, but there's some good stuff here.

First, Jaromir Jagr was very good for the Flyers with two goals and an assist. He especially looked good on the power play were he created a lot of space for Danny Briere and Claude Giroux.

When Chris Pronger is healthy and able to man the point on that power play, and big-bodied players like Scott Hartnell or James van Riemsdyk, neither of which dressed for yesterday's exhibition game, are parked in front of the net, this power play could be dangerous - a big upgrade from last season's inconsistency.

Here's Jagr after the game. Please pay attention to what he says about Giroux, who will be his linemate this season probably with JVR on the other wing. It's pretty effusive praise.

Q: You seemed to be especially comfortable on the power play, is that something that’s starting to come along here?

“The power play is the same everywhere, big ice or small ice, so that’s okay. We did it a little better than last game, and when (Claude Giroux) in the center it makes it a lot easier. He's that good. You guys have a good future here. Don't worry about anything. He's a little genius.”

Q: Does he remind you of anyone that you played with?

"(Me) when I was younger (a lot of laughter). He's a little Mario Lemieux. He's a little smaller but he can see and he's got great hands. You have to be watching all the time because you never know when the puck is coming."

Drawing comparisons to two of the 10 greatest point producers in NHL history is some kind of praise, especially when one of those players is offering the compliment, no?

...........................................................................

Expect a lengthy suspension for Tom Sestito for his hit on Andre Deveaux. He came from a long way away to make that hit and the league, which has been laying the hammer down with suspensions in the preseason, will likely come down hard on him.

Here's Sestito:

Q: Tom, are you concerned at all that there will be a hearing after what happened?

“Yeah For sure, I think there could be one. I hoping there is not. I don’t consider myself a dirty player. I am a person that is going to finish out my checks. And hopefully it wasn’t that bad.”

Q: Can you explain what happened on the play?

“Yeah, I saw him go down and he was on the ice and we were in on the forecheck and I was just getting there as fast as I could and I think he turned a little on me before I hit him.”

Q: How tough of a break is this for you?

“Yeah, it’s definitely not what I wanted to do – sit and watch when I’m supposed to be playing and showing them what I can do. But everything happens for a reason and I just have to bounce back and show them what I can do when I get the chance.”

And here's Paul Holmgren's reaction:

Q: For a guy like Sestito, doing a lot to make the team…

“That’s exactly right, trying to make the team and he got a little over zealous and that’s unfortunate. I haven’t heard anything yet but I do expect an e-mail or a call or a text or something. “

SIMMONDS RETURNS AND MORE SLURS FLY

2011-09-26T23:09:00.006-04:00

First the banana incident, now this.

New York Rangers pest Sean Avery accused Flyers' forward Wayne Simmonds of calling him a homophobic slur during a penalty-filled exhibition game between the Flyers and Rangers Monday night that ended in a 5-3 Flyers win.

Here is a link to my good friends over at CrossingBroad.com where there are three videos involving Simmonds and Avery, the latter two seem to show Simmonds calling Avery some choice words.

You be the judge of what was said by watching the videos.

Here is a transcript of Avery post game:

Q: Did he call you what we think he called you?

“Well, yeah.”

Q: Is he going to say that there was anything as a precursor?

“I mean, I certainly hope not. Are you implying that it would be from something that I said?”

No, I was just asking.

“No, I mean from my end. I certainly wasn’t.”

Q: Are you familiar with what happened with him last week?

“Yeah, it is really disappointing. First of all, who would do that? And why would you do it? It just such an unnecessary thing. It’s something that’s not even an issue with us or our sport. So to be here now and having to answer your questions about what he did is disappointing for me.”

Q: Do you feel like when someone does something like that they should be treated in a similar context (inaudible)?

“I mean Kobe got fined 100 grand. Everything is different now. You know, it’s an issue. It is an issue that people are dealing with and trying to overcome. And I guess ten years ago, maybe it was not such an issue. But it is such an issue politically with people in the game and just in life in general.”

Q: Is there concern that you were kind of vocal with the video you did this summer that players will come back against you?

“I mean, it has been said. It has been said for years. Whether I thought about it in that sense, I don’t know.”

Q: So, you think he just said it out of emotion?

“I can’t. I have no idea.”

Q: Would you like to see the league take a stand on this?

“That’s something that I’m not really going to comment on. First of all, me commenting on things like that, the backlash that I could receive is unknown and I don’t want to put the team in a situation where they would have to deal with something because of me wanting to see something happen. So, I’m not going to get into it.”

The slur, if it was in fact used by Simmonds, may be stemming from this video made by Avery last summer in support of gay marriage.

For his part, Simmonds didn't admit to calling Avery the slur, but he didn't really deny it either.

Here's a transcript of his interview postgame:

(question inaudible)

"We were just at the bottom of the scrum and I felt that (Avery) sucker-punched me and we were just going back and forth the rest of the game. Emotions run high and we exchanged words with each other."

Q: On the video it looks like there might have been a slur of some kind...

"Honestly, we were going back and forth for awhile there and I don't recall every single thing I said to him, but he said some things I didn't like and I said some things he didn't like. But, I can't recall every single word I said."

Q: What did he say to you?

"Things got said out there... (inaudible)... but I'm not going to say what he said."

Q: Avery said very definitely that you called him a homophobic slur and he said he didn'tthink he said anything that would have prompted that.

"He didn't think he said anything? It's Sean Avery, come on now. Who knows what comes out of his mouth."

Q: (Inaudible)

"Well we were going back and forth battling the whole time. He definitely said some things to me that I wasn't too happy about. That's the way it is.

Q: Did he say anything that crossed the line?

"I don't know. I can't recall every single word that he said. I'm not here to say that or he said this. I'm not going to rat him out. It doesn't really matter to me. It's in the heat of a hockey game, that's what it is."

Q: Do you feel that you said anything to him that crossed the line?

"I don't think so. It just got heated like I said before. I may have thrown a couple swear words at him, but that's just what happens sometimes."

Q: Considering what just happened with you last week, is it surprising to find yourself at the other end of this?

"It's something that happens every game. Guys say stuff. It's the heat of the battle of the game. It's not necessarily that things are said to hurt people. It's just something that happens."

I will have an opinion on this later after I give you all some time to take all this in.

Here's a preview of my thoughts:

Wayne Simmonds did nothing wrong. Sean Avery is a troublemaker. The New York Media (and in an effort to keep pace, we, the Philadelphia media) have blown this out of proportion.

Stay tuned...

STRANGE TRIP FOR HYKA COULD LEAD TO CONTRACT

2011-09-21T18:32:00.004-04:00

When Tomas Hyka makes it to the NHL, he'll have a funny story to tell about his road getting there.

Hyka was announced as one of 15 training camp cuts by the Flyers Monday. He was slated to be returned to Gatineau of the QMJHL, his junior team and preseumably, since he had joined the Flyers in camp as an undrafted free agent on an amateur tryout contract, would end up going unsigned before the October 1 deadline and then be eligible for the 2012 draft.

Hyka packed up his gear and was in a car on the way to the airport to fly back to Gatineau to start working out with the Olympiques when his phone rang. It was Flyers G.M. Paul Holmgren.

Holmgren told Hyka there was a mistake and that he wasn't waived. He should report back to the Flyers.

Meanwhile, nobody bothered to explain this to Gatineau, and the Olympiques coach Ben Groulx was confused that Hyka hadn't returned for practice Wednesday morning as expected.

Instead, Hyka was in the Flyers lineup at Wells Fargo Center against the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing wing alongside Claude Giroux, who starred at Gatineau before making the leap to the NHL.

"We thought about drafting Hyka in the third or fourth round," one Flyers executive told me prior to the game. "But the draft goes in a lot of different directions all the time, and sometimes you forget about guys - and that's what happened with Hyka.

"By the time we realized he was still on the board it was the seventh round and we were debating between him and a big and tough kid (Derek Mathers) and we decided to draft the tough kid hoping we could get Hyka into camp as an undrafted kid. It worked out for us."

Hyka has done nothing but impress the Flyers with his skating ability and his skill, but has really been a surprise with his puck possession skills for such a small player.

"I think the knock on him going into the draft was his size," said the Flyers exec. "But we don't think that's going to be a problem for him. He actually reminds a lot of us of Giroux a little bit in that way."

Hyka, 18, is 5-10, but needs to put on some bulk, weighing just 158 pounds. The native of the Czech Republic had just one goal in 13 games with Mlada Boleslav BK of the Czech Elite League last season and played two games this season for Gatineau, registering one assist.

The Flyers wanted to give him a look in a game situation before deciding if they want to offer him an entry level contract, which, according to a team source, is something the Flyers are seriously considering.

If they do, that will make something else he and Giroux have in common. Giroux's name escaped then-Flyers' GM Bob Clarke when he went to announce the Flyers' pick at the 2006 draft. Hyka was mistakenly put on a cut list by the Flyers' staff.

If they sign Hyka, he will be the second 18-year-old to sign with the team in camp as first round pick Sean Couturier signed a three-year, entry level deal with the team earlier on Wednesday.

The Flyers are at the limit on allowable contracts (50). However, neither Hyka nor Couturier would count against that limit until they turn 20 or play in their 11th NHL game, whichever comes first.

If, though, veterans like Adam Mair or Michal Nylander, both of which are in camp on a professional tryout contract, were to sign with the Flyers, the team would have to waive or trade somebody to get them on the roster.

PRIMEAU TO BE HONORED IN DELCO

2011-09-20T12:32:00.002-04:00

Former Philadelphia Flyer Keith Primeau will be honored by Neumann University next month when he will be the first recipient of the University's Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development Award.

The award is presented to individuals who exemplify the development of strong character through athletics and the embodiment of the good that exists in sports.

Primeau has become a very public spokesperson about the dangers of concussions in ice hockey. He was diagnosed with the injury four times during his career, the last incident forcing his premature retirement.

He appears on behalf of “Play It Cool,” a concussion prevention program that hosts education days for minor league hockey players across North America. His message is that players can be courageous and competitive without risking brain damage.

Primeau has also agreed to donate his brain for scientific study upon his death.

After receiving the award, Primeau will speak on “The Ethical Value of Sports: Building Character through Competition.” A question-and-answer period will follow his presentation.

The presentation and special lecture will take place Wednesday Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Mirenda Center on the University's campus.

Tickets to the event cost $5 and are available by writing ISSCD@neumann.edu or calling 484-840-4707. Independence Blue Cross (IBC) is the presenting sponsor of the inaugural award.

The Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development at Neumann University is committed to the concept that sport possesses an inescapable spiritual and ethical dimension that merits academic exploration and practical application.

Led by former Delaware County basketball legend Ed Hastings, who played at Monsignor Bonner High School and Villanova University, the Institute supervises Neumann’s team chaplains, trains team captains in leadership, produces practical resources for area coaches, and teaches University courses.

FLYERS SWING FOR THE FENCES...UPDATED

2011-09-19T13:30:00.004-04:00

Here's a quirky little side note.....

Nine Flyers will get a chance to take batting practice with the Phillies today at Citizens' Bank Park.

In what will turn into a little competition between teammates, each of Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Wayne Simmonds, Braden Schenn, Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk, Max Talbot, Jody Shelley and Matt Carle will each get their swings to try to hit one out of the park.

My money is on van Riemsdyk, who played baseball in New Jersey as well as hockey. But, he predicted Shelley would win because he's the biggest and strongest competitor.

The nine Flyers will then stay to watch the game.

We'll update you on the results later.

.......

Well, it's later, and not to be an I told you so, but JVR was the only Flyer to go yard.

"It was pretty cool," he said. "I got a little lucky. I think I caught it just right and it just carried. It was fun, this is something I wanted to do for awhile and I'm glad we were able to set it up."

Van Riemsdyk said he played baseball growing up but was never a power hitter and was more successful as a pitcher.

Hey, if the hockey thing doesn't work out, maybe he can get a summer job as a right-handed bat off the bench for the Phillies.

SCHENN V. SCHENN?

2011-09-19T13:23:00.004-04:00

Braden Schenn talks about possibly playing against his brother Luke in the Flyers' first preseason game Tuesday in Toronto:

(If the video doesn't play below, try this link.)

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

PRONGER SKATES WITH TEAMMATES

2011-09-19T10:38:00.003-04:00

It was just a half hour of skating and shooting. It wasn't anything incredibly taxing. And, it was an abbreviated practice for the Flyers captain, but Chris Pronger was on the ice with his teammates this morning.

And that, is a bit surprising.

While uncertainty about his timeline for an actual return to game action remains up in the air, Pronger did get on the ice sooner than expected, and that's certainly a positive sign for the Flyers.

In other news that may or may not be pertinent, Peter Laviolette had some crazy line combinations at the first session of practice this morning. They could suggest the grouping that is flying up to Toronto for the first preseason game tomorrow, or they could mean nothing at all.

Here they are for your perusal - in case you put any stock in this sort of thing:

Hartnell-Nylander-Nodl
Schenn-Talbot-Simonds
Shelley-Betts-Mair
Read-Couturier-Voracek

Carle-Walker
Coburn –Lilja
Gustafsson-Timonen
Meszaros-Bartulis

Obviously one of those defensive pairs wouldn't make the trip (if in fact this has anything to do with tomorrow's roster).

Also Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky were with the first group on the ice.

When Pronger did practice, it was with Andreas Lilja.

The Flyers also sent 15 guys packing at camp Monday, returning players to the collegiate or junior squads.

The 15 are:

Etienne Boutet, Ricard Blidstrand, Shayne Campbell, Nick Cousins, Campbell Elynuik, Austin Fyten, Sam Grist, Simon Gronvaldt, Michael Houser, Tomas Hyka, Derek Mathers, Jonathan Narbonne, Marcel Noebels, Brendan Ranford and Colin Suellentrop.

None were under contract, so the team still has 50 contracts. Meanwhile, 55 players remain in camp.

CAPTAIN PRONGER

2011-09-16T16:37:00.003-04:00

The Flyers will announce later tonight that they have named Chris Pronger the 18th captain in team history.

In what amounts as a shock to no one, Pronger replaces the traded Mike Richards as the team's leader on the ice.

Pronger, 36, who has served as a captain in previous stints with St. Louis and Anaheim, was the locker room leader the past two seasons for the Flyers despite wearing an "A" as alternate captain.

“With Chris’s experience and presence, we felt that he was the perfect player to take over as captain of the Philadelphia Flyers,” general manager Paul Holmgren said.

Kimmo Timonen remains an alternate captain while Danny Briere takes over the other "A" from the traded Jeff Carter.

Both Timonen (Nashville) and Briere (Buffalo) have been captains before.

“Having Kimmo and Danny, both former captains in the NHL, serving as alternates, really gives us a strong, dedicated leadership group," added Holmgren. “All three of these players know what it takes to win and are excellent role models both on and off the ice.”

The veteran trio serving as team leaders is a switch from the team's M.O. in previous seasons when they relied on players under the age of 30 to lead the team.

Rob Parent will have more on this story tonight as I am at the Garnet Valley-Upper Darby football game, but I'll be back in the Flyers saddle (finally) tomorrow with reports from the first official day of training camp.

HOLMGREN INJURED IN BIKE ACCIDENT, HOSPITALIZED

2011-09-05T22:27:00.003-04:00

According to a report on CSNPHilly.com....

Flyers' General Manager Paul Holmgren was seriously injured while biking in Avalon, N.J. Monday.

Reports are sketchy at this time, but it appears Holmgren suffered significant injuries including broken ribs, a broken shoulder and wounds that required stitching.

It is not known how the accident happened, or if any other vehicle was involved, but Holmgren was admitted to Cooper University hospital where he is spending the night.

Several attempts to reach Flyers executives and staff went unanswered late Monday.

Check back for more on this Tuesday.

IT'S FALL, HOCKEY'S AROUND THE CORNER... AND I'M ORNERY.

2011-09-02T11:16:00.002-04:00

I always look forward to September.

While I'm often bummed to let go of the summer and the vacations that accompany that season, there's a lot to look forward to when we flip to the ninth page on the calendar.

1. The kids go back to school - meaning peaceful mornings at home.

2. Fantasy football - because it's better than the actual product the NFL produces anymore.

3. Hockey training camp - just two weeks away and I'm Jonesin' for it.

Now, of course, once we're in camp mode for a few days, I'll be complaining about how it's dragging (yes, I can be insatiable), but there is something invigorating about returning to my beat on a regular basis after months of constant uncertainty.

And while I can envision several stories that I'll be writing from camp in a couple weeks, I thought I still had a little more hockey down time left.

Until I woke up this morning and read a story on NHL.com about a months-long investigation into the Vancouver riots following Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last June.

Cory Masisak, a fine reporter, does a nice job in providing all the nuts and bolts of this news story, so I don't want my impending outrage to be geared toward him. I'm going to spare the messenger up front.

However, I can't even begin to describe the incredulity that washed over me when I read these opening two paragraphs:

Two months of investigation into the events that transpired the night of June 15 in Vancouver have led 53 recommendations for future preparation and prevention of events like the riot that occurred after Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, according to the report released Thursday by an independent review.

The review, co-chaired by former Nova Scotia deputy attorney general Douglas J. Keefe, QC and former head of the Vancouver Olympic Committee, John Furlong, concluded the main problems on the night of the riot were too many people in the downtown core and too much alcohol involved.

Really?

We needed two months of investigations and countless dollars to be paid to these investigators to come to that conclusion?

Next thing you know a report will come out to tell us that sitting in the sun all summer will change the complexion of your skin.

HELLO INVESTIGATORS! It was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, in a hockey-mad Canadian City. WHAT DID YOU FREAKIN' EXPECT!!!!!

I don't know, maybe it's only in Philadelphia that thousands of sports fans gather outdoors for major sporting events to tailgate, carry on and imbibe alcohol - or at least that's how the national media wants to present it at times - but anyone who didn't think Vancouver wasn't going to be an alcohol-laced pressure cooker that day is a clueless clod.

Oh... there's more... but here's something that wasn't included in that report: those riots would have happened in Vancouver even of the Canucks won! You know how much research that took on my part? NONE! You know why? I USED COMMON SENSE!

Then there's this:

"There were too many people," (Keefe said). "Not too many people for the police but too many people for the venue. ... They were too drunk. Alcohol sales that day were 68 percent higher than they were the year previous on the same Wednesday."

Yet another shocker. Alcohol sales were increased by 68 percent over a random June Wednesday in 2010? How mind-boggling! I never would have anticipated that. Hmm. Oh well, excuse me while I go and try and buy a Super Bowl commercial spot for $20,000.

The report also pointed out that the crowd management plan was solid, but didn't anticipate such an early-arriving crowd that started to form in the afternoon for a night game.

Again, HAVEN'T YOU PEOPLE EVER SEEN A FOOTBALL TAILGATE? Sunday night football? No problem, we'll be setting up the Winnebago in the parking lot at 9 a.m. Stop by! Seriously... how moronic is this report?

I had to stop reading at this point (apologies Cory). There is nothing else that Mr. Keefe could have said that would have made me think that this investigation wasn't a complete and utter waste of time.

What I want to know is, how can I get a gig like that - get paid for two months of ... ahem... work to publicly proclaim the emperor, in fact, wasn't wearing any clothes all along?

Yeah, I'm fired up... and there's more that's eating at me. But I'll save the next rant for tomorrow.

My son is calling me out for a duel on Madden 12. Just four more days until school starts.

Til then. I'm out.

FLYERS START STOCKING MINORS

2011-07-19T18:47:00.003-04:00

After taking a couple weeks to catch their collective breaths following a tumultuous overhaul to the roster, Flyers management decided to take a turn building their farm team.

On the day the Steven Stamkos drama finally ended with him re-signing in Tampa Bay and not considering a rumored offer sheet from Philadelphia that never materialized, general manager Paul Holmgren turned his attention to roster depth.

He added a goalie with a little NHL experience when he signed Jason Bacashihua to a one year contract.

Bacashihua, 28, was most recently a member of the Colorado Avalanche organization and played for their AHL affiliated Lake Erie Monsters last season where he was 23-16-3 with a 2.29 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.

Bacashihua did appear in 38 games for the St. Louis Blues over a span of three seasons from 2005 to 2007. He was originally a first round pick of the Dallas Stars (26th overall) in 2001.

The Flyers also re-signed forward Jonathon Kalinski to a one-year deal and signed Marcel Noebels, a fourth round pick in last month's draft (118th overall), to an entry level deal.

Kalinski, 24 , was selected by the Flyers in the sixth round (152nd overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He has appeared in 22 games for the Flyers in his brief career totaling five points. Over parts of four seasons with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia/Adirondack Phantoms, he has posted 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points in 193 games.

Noebels, 19, played the 2010-11 season for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, where he posted 54 points (28G, 26A) in 66 games played. He finished second on the team in goals and third on the team in points. Noebels represented his home country of Germany in the 2011 World Junior Championships, recording three points (1G, 2A) in seven games.

DID FLYERS VIOLATE CBA WITH TALBOT CONTRACT?

2011-07-03T22:00:00.003-04:00

There was a random tweet on Twitter on a lazy Sunday evening from TSN's Gord Miller hinting that the Flyers may have violated the CBA with Maxime Talbot's contract Friday.

According to Miller, the five year deal, worth $9 million is slated to pay Talbot $2.5 million in year one, $2.25 million in each of years two and three and $1 million in each of years four and five.

These front-loaded contracts are nothing new in the NHL, as teams utilize them to bring their cap hit down since the cap number is based on the average salary over the life of the contract.

However, there is a problem with the way this one is structured, if Miller has it correct.

"The difference between the stated Player Salary and Bonuses in the first two League Years of an SPC cannot exceed the amount of the lower of the two League Years. Thereafter, in all subsequent League Years of the SPC,… (ii) any decrease in Player Salary and Bonuses from one League Year to another may not exceed 50 percent of the Player Salary and Bonuses of the lower of the first two League Years of the SPC…"

- From article 50.7 of the CBA

If that legalese is translated into simple English, it means the Flyers aren't allowed to reduce the salary from year 3 to year 4 by more than 50 percent. That means Talbot must earn at least $1.125 million in year four.

It's a simple fix, as it's "only" $125,000, but if it's true, it's a mistake that shouldn't happen.

While teams have been docked in the past for shady contracts that tried to circumvent the CBA, it's unlikely the Flyers will be be penalized for such a small error.

Earlier I tried to reach assistant general manager Barry Hanrahan, the cap guru for the Flyers, to get his take on this matter, but he didn't return a text message.

He usually provides a clear and lucid explanation, especially to contract matters that are sometimes vague or difficult to understand, so until I hear from him, I'll give the Flyers the benefit of the doubt.

Nevertheless, for a team that frequently operates so close to the cap, even a $125,000 error could be a big difference when it comes down to making a key roster move.

JAGR SPEAKS

2011-07-02T14:38:00.002-04:00

One thing is for certain about this guy, Jaromir Jagr is quite a candid speaker.

Here's the transcript of his interview today:

Flyers RW Jaromir Jagr

Q: Why Philadelphia, over Pittsburgh or other teams?

Before I start talking, it surprised me when you said money – there were a lot more teams with a higher offer than Philadelphia. I didn’t think I was going to go there, but after the conversation with the coaches and Chris Pronger, I started to like it and I also like that there is something to this from their side, and that was important to me.

Q: What did you like about Philadelphia that swayed you here?

“There’s a lot of things. When you’re talking to the GM and the coaches, you kind of have a sense of what they’re trying to do. I also liked that they made a great move with the goalies before I even signed with them. I follow a little bit of the NHL even though I haven’t been there for three years, I follow it, and I know Philadelphia’s defense is very good. There are some guys that when I was the NHL I played against and it was always tough to play against them. They’re not only good defensively, but they’re also good offensively, and that’s very important in the new style of the NHL. I’m going to have an opportunity to play a little more than [I would] with other teams. Philadelphia made those trades, and I know it’s going to be tough for the fans because the GM traded two very good players, and it’s not easy for the fans to see it, but I think it would be a lot easier for me to come in if the team stayed the way it was before, but you never know.

Q: Why now and not any time in the last three seasons?

“I had a contract. I couldn’t do it.”

Q: There was never any thought of trying to buy your way out of that, an offer strong enough from an NHL club?

“A few years ago, when I was leaving, when I was in the NHL, the Russian team came in February, during the season, and asked me if I wanted to go to Russia. Back then, I didn’t know. I was playing there during the lockout and I really liked it, everything about it. Back then I wanted to play for the New York Rangers, and I promised [Omsk] if I don’t make a deal with the New York Rangers, I’m going to go to Omsk. That’s what I promised them. Three years ago with the free agency, we couldn’t make any deals with Glen Sather. So like I promised, I signed with Avangard Omsk. But right after I signed, there were very good offers from the NHL. But I told myself I’m not going to look back, because I already did what I did. It was kind of tough to leave, because then I saw there was more interest from the NHL, but I had already made the promise. I know for some people it might be just words, but for me, I’m very religious, I know it would bite me a little later. I know that. That’s the way the word works.

Q: Would you have stayed in the NHL or were you happy with the decision to go to Russia for three years?

“That’s exactly what I said, that I’m not going to look back. I made the decision three years ago and I said I’m going to go over there. You just think it might be better, it might be worse. You never know. There’s only one life. We cannot compare it with anything else. You can match it, how it was going to be, but that’s not real. So I said I’m not going to look back, if I made a good decision or a bad decision. I just made the decision and stayed with it.

Q: Are you concerned that you may have damaged your relationship with Mario Lemieux over the last week?

“I talked to him once, and it wasn’t very long – just talked about the organization and how it would be. I didn’t talk to him since I was in the NHL. I didn’t promise anybody anything, that I was going back. The Penguins seemed like I did something wrong or something bad, and I don’t think I did something bad. If they feel like that, I cannot change their minds. I was a free agent, and I had my chance to pick wherever I think is best for me. Everybody does in the world. I have the option to pick. It doesn’t mean that if somebody wants you or they’re telling you they would like you to be on their team, that it means I have to go there – I still have the choice. At least that’s what I think. I still have the choice to make a decision where I’m going to go. If I hurt somebody, I apologize, I didn’t mean it, but this is my life and I want to make the choice. It’s tough for me to explain in English, it would be a lot easier for me to explain in Czech because I didn’t speak a lot of English in the last three years. I could even explain in Russian better. I have to learn better English now. But hopefully you guys understand what I’m trying to say.

Q: What are your impression of the Flyers centers and playing alongside them?

“I didn’t look at a roster… I wasn’t here for three seasons, and during those three years, when I looked at [all the NHL] lineups, all the new guys, there’s probably half of the young guys I don’t know. There are a lot of young guys in the league. When I looked, for me, [I looked for] a centerman, a good player like Briere or Giroux, who are right handed, have a right-handed shot. I like to play power play on the right side, and I think because they’re right-handed, they like to play on the other side. I think it would be a problem if I would play in Pittsburgh with Crosby or Malkin, left handed, and have to play on the other side, when I’ve played all my life on the right side, I don’t think I would be able to play there. Or if I go to Detroit, with Datsyuk and Zetterberg, they’re left-handed and they play on the boards where I used to play at. I don’t think I would have a chance to play at all. If I’m going to play good, at least I have a chance to play. That was the other thing I was thinking.

Q: The length, the one-year contract – is that mutual for both sides?

I wanted one year. I never talked about more than one year. I think it’s better for me, I think it’s better for the team, because you don’t know how things are going to go. You might think it’s going to be good, you might hope it’s going to be good, but there’s no guarantees. And if something goes wrong, why have two years? Why?

Q: You said something about the changing of the roster and it would be easier if those guys were still there. Are you talking about pressure on you because of who you are, and the expectations that could be put on you?

There’s always going to be pressure. That’s not the problem. The only thing I’m worried about is that there are a lot of people who counted on me to help them. If the things were only about myself, I’m not worried about it. If I play bad and people criticize me, that’s fine. But on the other side, if I play bad, people are going to criticize those people who brought me to Philadelphia. That would be tough for me. That’s the way I think. It would be tough for me because I let somebody down who believed in me. With my age, that’s the toughest thing. That’s the way I look at it.

Q: Do you feel after not being in the NHL for several years that you can jump back into NHL hockey and be a productive player?

I don’t know. There’s no guarantees. I hope so. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have come here. I could easily stay in Russia, make a lot more money and play 60 games. I wanted to try it. I wanted to have the feeling. I believe it’s for my good, and hopefully the team too.

Q: Have you set any goals for yourself?

“I have only one goal, and that’s making people happy. To make them happy, to those people who believe I can be good. That’s my goal. If I make them happy, I’ll be happy.

Q: How do you compare to yourself to when you last played in the NHL?

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask somebody else who saw me years ago and then saw me last month. I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Q: Can you compare the level of play in the KHL to the NHL?

“I’ve always said that the league is a totally different game on the big ice. That’s why there’s so many great players who play on the small ice that when they come on the big ice, they can’t play. It’s a totally different game. It’s tough to compare. If you had asked me three years ago, I would have told you I love to play on the small ice. I played there for 17 years. I felt a lot stronger than anybody, and I can play on the boards. It was a lot easier for me to play hockey on the small ice. But when I get to the big ice, I had to get used to it. I couldn’t play the same style. I had to change, had skate a lot more. You cannot stand. You have to skate a lot more. I think I’m better than I was, but you have to skate all the time. If you stand there, you don’t have a chance to play on the big ice.

Q: Conditioning-wise, the Flyers were talking about how you have re-committed yourself.

“Well, I don’t think I recommitted. I’ve always been a hard worker. If I didn’t work hard I wouldn’t have a chance to play. If you want to be the best, if you want to be one o the best, you have to work extremely hard. There’s no other secret. The more you work, the better you’re going to be. I was really lucky in Pittsburgh. I always loved to work when I was younger. But I came to Pittsburgh when I was younger, and there were different players who were extremely hard-working guys like Paul Coffey, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet. I loved it. I think for the young players, if you have a chance to watch the older guys and how they work, it’s going to help you. They show you the different ways of thinking. Young guys, I don’t think you know if you’re young. You just have to make the next step. They challenged me. Paul Coffey, I’ll always remember, he always told me, you have to do whatever I do. And I know it was tough for me, but he always you said you have to do it, and I did it. And thanks to him and those guys, I’m still playing.

FLYERS SIGN JAGR; TALBOT; LILJA

2011-07-01T13:31:00.005-04:00

Fans used to whistle at him as his curly black hair would flow out of the back of his helmet when he was with Pittsburgh or Washington.

Now they'll be cheering him for at least one season.

On the first day of NHL Free agency, the Flyers signed forward Jaromir Jagr to a one-year, $3.3 million contract per club sources.

Jagr, 39, has spent the past three seasons playing in the KHL in Russia, but wanted to finish his career back in the NHL on a team he felt could win a Stanley Cup.

Jagr, a former Hart Trophy winner, scored 51 points (19G, 32A) in 49 games in for Avangard Omsk in Russia last season.

In his last season in the NHL, Jagr posted 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points in 2007-08 with the New York Rangers.

More to come on this later today...

In other Flyers related news, the Flyers also signed Maxime Talbot to a 5-year, $9 million contract.

Talbot, 27, is one of those gritty, character guys the Flyers like and hope he can take on the role lost when Ian Laperriere had to shut it down in training camp last season.

Although Talbot will always be remembered as the guy who scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Pittsburgh, he's more of a grinder and an energy guy. He had eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 82 games for the Penguins last season.

Restricted free agent Jakub Voracek has signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the Flyers.

They've also added defenseman Andreas Lilja for one year, and approximately $750,000.

Lilja, 35, played last year with the Anaheim Ducks after a lengthy career with the Detroit Red Wings.

Also, former Flyer Sean O'Donnell signed a one year, $850,000 contract with Chicago.

FLYERS VICTIM OF JAGR BOMB?

2011-06-30T22:35:00.001-04:00

Just got off the phone with someone I trust.

I was told Jagr has already told Lemieux that he's going to sign with Pittsburgh and that the Penguins have a huge front page for their Web site ready to go live at Noon tomorrow with a big "welcome home" theme.

Why the delay then?

From what I was told Jagr's agent Petr Svoboda may have been trying to lure another team into offering Jagr a bit more money so he can put a PR spin like "I turned down more money to come back to Pittsburgh."

Is it possible the Flyers are that team?

Maybe. Maybe not. There is no evidence that the Flyers even made an offer, although they have discussed the possibility.

But if it's true, it wouldn't surprise... Jagr needs to make a splash after being gone for three years.

However, Jagr is aloof enough that maybe, just maybe, he's changed his mind.

Get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is going to be cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

STAMKOS SAGA CONTINUES

2011-06-29T10:54:00.001-04:00

I got to tell you, I found it funny this morning that some of my colleagues from other media outlets wrote stories in direct conflict with one another regarding the Flyers and the possibility of trying to pry Steven Stamkos away from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's funny how you ask one guy in the organization and he tells you one thing then you ask someone else and they give you a completely different story.

It's all part of the game as a beat reporter - trying to decipher what's fact and what's simply lip service or team-oriented spin doctoring.

Doing my best source-to-English translation, here is what I've been able to glean regarding Stamkos.

The Flyers would love to be able to go after him and have discussed a possible offer sheet that could cripple the Lightning and force them to trade him to the Flyers.

But, there are many pitfalls that have left the Flyers deciding if they want to get involved in a game of chicken.

First, they have to make sure they can put together a contract offer that not only would force Tampa into submission, but would be manageable enough on the Flyers end to be able to move other pieces around to make sure they could work within the confines of the cap.

Secondly, they have to make sure their offer is the best offer. There are a lot of other teams interested in signing Stamkos to an offer sheet and many of them are in a better cap situation to offer a maximum allowed deal, which would better the Flyers.

Then there's this little-discussed ramification:

If the Flyers do extend an offer sheet, Tampa has seven days to match. If the Lightning drag it out to the last possible day, it could hamstring the Flyers come Friday, when the free agency signing period begins.

They can only exceed the $64.3 million cap by 10 percent during the summer, so they need to be careful.

In a lot of ways, that's why everything is being played out so cat-and-mouse-like.

My prediction is the Flyers will make an offer, because that is their aggressive style, as will other teams.

However, I believe Tampa matches and clears out some other salary - like Ryan Malone - to keep Stamkos.

The Flyers will then turn their attention elsewhere and find a handful of solid, character-oriented guys - with skill mind you - to fill out the roster.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

OK.... THAT WAS NUTS.... SO WHAT'S NEXT?

2011-06-23T22:00:00.003-04:00

Where to begin?

I never expected BOTH Jeff Carter and Mike Richards to be traded, never mind on the same day, so that's crazy.

But now we have to move on. Here are the things I have learned since the deals went down this afternoon:

1. The Flyers are in love with Brayden Schenn. He's not going anywhere. He is being looked at as a lynchpin to the future. And, the Flyers think he'll play in 2011-12.

2. The Flyers WILL NOT try to trade for Stephen Stamkos. I was offered $1 million (jokingly) by a Flyers source if I could come up with a trade for Stamkos that would work with the salary cap AND would be acceptable to the Lightning. Couldn't do it off the top of my head, but after a good night's sleep, maybe I'll try.

3. The Flyers would love to draft Gabriel Landeskog tomorrow night, but he won't be there at No. 8. So, they will try to move up to get him. Whether they'll be successful or not remains to be seen. Maybe Florida will trade back and take on another salary - Hey, they need to get $30 million in salary just to reach the Salary floor... might make sense.

4. Sergei Bobrovsky isn't long for the Flyers. At $1.75 million and an inability to be sent down to the Phantoms makes him undesirable financially as a backup goalie. Plus, even though the Flyers are $7.5 million under the cap (probably more like $11.8 million if you consider them waiving Michael Leighton and Matt Walker and putting Ian Laperriere on the long-term injury list) they want or need to sign a bunch of free agents, mostly restricted. They include:

5. Ville Leino

6. Wayne Simmonds

7. Jakub Voracek

8. Darrell Powe

9. Andreas Nodl

10. After that, I'm told the Flyers are looking for a few "character guys" to round out the roster. One of which needs to be "another Lappy," according to a team source.
While I'm not sure there is another Lappy out there, here are a few guesses - and they are just guesses, as none have been fed to me by a source, but are the kind of players they may want.

11. Brooks Laich

12. Cory Stillman

13. Pascal Dupuis

14. Joel Ward

and on defense....

15. Sean O'Donnell

16. Eric Brewer

17. Brent Sopel

But, let's just get to tomorrow first. This has been one heck of a day.....

CARTER AND RICHARDS TRADED - MORE TO COME?

2011-06-23T15:43:00.003-04:00

So much for the core of the Flyers.

The Flyers have traded Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets and less than an hour later shipped captain Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings.

The Carter trade was something we first discussed on this blog a couple weeks ago, but Flyers execs told me was not going to happen.

Well, it did.

The Flyers will receive 21-year-old forward Jake Voracek and two draft picks in this weekend's draft - the Blue Jackets first rounder (8th overall) and a third rounder.

The later sent Richards to Los Angeles for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and a second round pick.

Guess the relationship between Richards and coach Peter Laviolette was sour enough to force that trade out west.

The Flyers may not be done. I've heard there are more rumblings with the Flyers who are looking to make a major acquisition.

Also, sources have confirmed the Flyers have agreed to a contract in principal with Ilya Bryzgalov for nine years and $51 million.

LAPPY WINS MASTERTON

2011-06-22T21:58:00.004-04:00

I don't usually put a lot of stock in the NHL Awards. Here's a secret - I hardly ever watch the show.

Watching it this year, I now remeber why - as Jay Mohr is a horrific host, and the thing moves along at such an awkward pace with mistakes galore - like Mohr pronouncing the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning's name as Steve Why-zerman and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills pronounced the name of Tampa's star forward as Mar-tin Saint Lew-is.

Now, as has been well documented in the past on this blog, my confidence level in my fellow hockey scribes to get these things correct is pretty low.

However, we did a fine job this year - and not just because Ian Laperriere won the Masterton Award (more on that in a minute).

But, we voted the right guy for the Hart Trophy in Cory Perry of Anaheim. We voted the right guy for the Norris Trophy in Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit. We voted the right guy for Lady Byng in Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay.

Yes, I voted for each of those guys to win - along with Laperriere.

And even though I didn't vote for Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, who won the Selke Award, he was quite deserving (I hemmed and hawed between him and Boston's Patrice Bergeron - who wasn't a finalist - and voted for Bergeron).

Even Carolina's Jeff Skinner was a deserving winner for the Calder trophy (I had him third behind Logan Couture and Michael Grabner).

But there was nothing better than seeing Laperriere win. It's one thing for you fans to be excited about Lappy - because you have built such a tight bond with him in a short period of time.

But for those of us who cover him on a daily basis, I can tell you, he's easily one of the best, if not the best, professional athlete we've ever covered when it comes to off-ice professionalism.

I think I can speak for each of my colleagues on the Flyers beat when I say that we all were thrilled to see Lappy win.

That might not be real objective - but if there were ever a time for us to break that journalistic tenet, this was it.

Kudos to Wayne Fish of the Buck County Courier Times, who assisted me in presenting this to the rest of our chapter as a possibility for the Masterton and kudos to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News, Delco native Chuck Gormley of the Courier Post of New Jersey and Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com for making our choice unanimous.

Finally, even though this is the third time I've posted this, in case you missed it, here, in it's entirety, was the nomination petition that I wrote for Lapperriere:

There are three qualities that identify a Bill Masterton Award nominee: Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to the sport of hockey. In Philadelphia there is only one player who exemplifies all three - and he hasn't played a game all season.
Ian Laperriere's hockey career spanned parts of 18 seasons with five different teams. In 2009-2010, he was an integral part in the Flyers unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals. As one of the best penalty killers and shot-blocking forwards in the sport, Lapperriere sacrificed his career and long-term health, blocking a Paul Martin slapshot with his face in the first round of the playoffs against New Jersey.

The damage was severe - A concussion, a fractured orbital bone, an absurd number of stitches, and a spot on his brain from where the impact took place.

Yet, this did not deter Laperriere, who returned a little more than a month later to finish the Flyers playoff run that ended two games short of a championship.

Laperriere gave it a go in training camp this season with the Flyers, but could not overcome his concussion-related symptoms and has been on the long-term injury list all season.

It is likely that Laperriere will never play hockey again, although he hasn't officially retired from the league.

Yet, while a player with a long-term injury could simply stay away from the rink, Laperriere has meant so much more to the Flyers organization.

He continues to be a representative of the team at many charity functions. He accepted an award on behalf of his teammates at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Banquet. He still frequents many games as an eye in the sky, watching from the press box and talking to the players about his observations directly after games.

But, most importantly, Laperriere has remained a mentor for many of the young players in the Flyers organization. Laperriere befriended several young players last summer when they were in Philadelphia working out and took part in rookie camp. All of them were re-assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL and when the Phantoms were going through an horrific start to their season, Laperriere made a trip to Glens Falls, N.Y. on his own to check in with the young players and to offer them advice on how to turn their season around.

While it didn't get the Phantoms into the playoffs, it certainly made them a better and more competitive team over the course of the second half of the season.

Laperriere's longevity in the sport of hockey shows his perseverance. As a well-liked and well-respected player on the ice, in the locker room and by the fans - videos of him on the big screen still garner standing ovations in Philadelphia, which is unheard of for a player who played just one year in the city - shows he is a shining example of sportsmanship.

And his continued dedication to the Flyers and their future despite the uncertainty of his own puts him at the forefront of a list of people dedicated to the sport of hockey.

It is with that said that the Philadelphia Chapter of the PHWA emphatically supports Ian Laperriere as our most deserving Masterton nominee in a long, long time.

CARTER TO COLUMBUS? SOME SAY YES, OTHERS NO.

2011-06-08T14:28:00.005-04:00

UPDATED: Spoke to another Flyers executive who denied these talks took place.

He said that a lot of teams - including the Columbus Blue Jackets - have called asking about Jeff Carter.

"Just like everyone else they were told no," the exec said.

While conversations between Paul Holmgren and Columbus GM Scott Howson have taken place, this executive said it was "nothing on that level."

That could be interpreted as a smaller deal with the Jackets could be in the works, or that the executive was trying to divert attention away from a bigger deal.

Below is the original story I wrote. Another item of note us that if the Rangers pull out of the Winter Classic, I've been told the frontrunner to replace them is Chicago, who have a trip East planned at the turn of the calendar and on a preliminary schedule are due to stop in Philly Jan. 5.

Boy, make a deal for a pending free agent and it gets everybody worked up in a tizzy, doesn't it?

As expected, the rumors about how the Flyers will manage to sign Ilya Bryzgalov, the goalie whose exclusive negotiating rights they acquired from Phoenix yesterday, rolled out en masse Wednesday.

None of them really seemed to have legs... that is, except one.

According to several sources in multiple cities, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has spoken several times with Columbus Blue Jackets G.M. Scott Howson about a possible deal before the June 24th entry draft.

The deal would have the Flyers trading Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets for restricted free agent Jakob Voracek and the Blue Jackets first round draft pick which is eighth overall.

Mathematically this makes sense. Carter's $5.25 million salary cap hit would be shed to make room for the big money Bryzgalov is looking for (rumored to me in the neighborhood of $30 million over five years).

Meanwhile the Flyers would have a lottery pick in a draft in which they have very few selections, and would acquire the 21-year-old Voracek, who just completed his entry level contract that finished with a cap hit of $1.27 million (including bonus money).

Voracek is an interesting piece to the equation because he plays the wing - an area of need for the Flyers - is durable, having missed only five games in his three NHL seasons, and has put up good offensive numbers for a young player:

2008-09: 9-29-38
2009-10: 16-34-50
2010-11: 14-32-46

The Flyers would simply have to offer Voracek a qualifying offer of 105 percent of his 2010-11 salary - which is $826,875 - because it is based on the actual salary ($787,500), and not the cap hit that includes bonus dollars.

However, while that all sounds good numbers-wise, the big question is, does this have a realistic chance of happening?

Outside of Philadelphia the belief is yes, as NHL folks affiliated with two other teams - one in the Eastern Conference and one in the Western Conference - think this deal could go down anytime in the next 16 days.

However, here in Philadelphia, it is being shrugged off as simply a rumor.

"(It) isn't true," said one Flyers' executive who declined to elaborate further.

And it might not be. There are a lot of people in the organization who really like Carter and what he brings to the Flyers. However, when asked last month about what the offseason might bring, the same executive told me:

"We will get a goaltender. Whether it's by trade or through free agency we will get a goaltender."

And when I asked how they planned to afford said goalie, the response was:

"Sometimes you have to give up something of value to get something of value."

Carter might not be that specific value, but he makes the most sense - especially since he's a natural center and the Flyers have one-too-many at that position with Mike Richards, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Blair Betts.

If it's not Carter that is going to be moved, then it means Flyers will have to shed multiple pieces in order to create the space needed to sign Bryzgalov.

Holmgren continues to say "I like this team," the way it's made up. If that's so, then why would he break it apart considerably for the goalie addition? He wouldn't, which is why Carter still remains the likely candidate to go - whether it's to Columbus or somewhere else.

.......................................................................................

Here's another interesting note:

According to an NHL source, the New York Rangers may not be the Flyers opponent for the Winter Classic after all.

The game, slated for Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park, hasn't been formally announced by the league yet. That's because the Rangers are allegedly waffling about whether they want to participate in the game or not.

It's no secret the Rangers would like to host the Classic at some point, but are bereft of a venue to do it right now - although there is an idea that has been quietly discussed about bringing in portable stands and lights and holding the game in Central Park at some point down the road.

However, the Rangers are up in the air about the game, allegedly because they are already taking part in games in Europe to start the season and adding the Winter Classic to that hectic schedule could be too much of a distraction (Especially with HBO cameras around... um... 24/7).

As such, the league is looking into alternatives to play in the game against the Flyers but still want the Rangers to be the Flyers' opponent.

They are willing to give the Rangers a few days, but the league wants to make the official announcement of the game as soon as possible, so they won't wait long and might choose a different route (Chicago? Detroit? Toronto?) if the Rangers can't make up their mind soon.

.....................................................................................

One last item....

I was told on Twitter after last night's blog posting by a couple astute readers that Sergei Bobrovsky is now waiver-eligible because he appeared in 60 games for the Flyers last season - including playoffs.

That means in order to be sent down to the Phantoms, he would have to clear waivers. That's obviously not going to happen now.

If Bobrovsky would have only played 59 games (or fewer), the Flyers could have sent him down and called him back up as often as they would have liked next year. Now, they can't.

The tipping point for this change in status came when Bobrovsky relieved Brian Boucher in Game 2 against Boston when Boucher suffered a hand injury that cost him the last five minutes or so of the second period.

Bobrovsky finished the period but Boucher returned to start the third period.

That brief snippet of time ultimately cost the Flyers the ability to send him down to the AHL. Bobrovsky relieved Boucher in Game 3 for appearance No. 59 of the season and then started Game 4 for appearance No. 60.

Maybe Bobrovsky is part of the trading block too no? Otherwise, why sign Brzygalov for five years? Isn't Bobrovsky supposed to be "the future?" When? 2016-17?

FLYERS TRADE FOR BRYZGALOV'S RIGHTS

2011-06-07T21:43:00.002-04:00

You've heard about the trade by now:

The Flyers traded Matt Clackson, a 2012 3rd round pick and a conditional draft pick to the Phoenix Coyotes for the negotiating rights to soon-to-be free agent goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.

Paul Holmgren held a conference call tonight and said all the expected things - like they wouldn't have done the deal if they didn't think they could sign Bryzgalov.

And that they have options on the roster to help get them below the salary cap.

But he had a few additional interesting items that didn't make the original story that you'll see in print tomorrow morning or online in a few hours when our Web site finally posts my story.

Here they are:

On signing Ville Leino as well as Bryzgalov:

"We still have the intention of trying to sign Ville, (but) with the salary cap you can only do so much."

Translation: Thanks for your time Ville.

On if Bobrovsky is still the goalie of the future:

"I don't know... I still think the world of Sergei and I think he's one of the top young goalies in our game. Having said that... we continue to try to make our team better. Right now, the position we've put ourselves in, negotiating with Ilya, if we can get him signed, it'll make our team better."

Translation: Ilya Bryzgalov is the goalie for right now and the forseeable future. Where Sergei Bobrovsky ends up remains to be seen. Personally, I think there's a better chance that he plays a full season with the Phantoms or is traded away than he spends the season as Bryzgalov's backup. Of course, if they don't sign Bryzgalov that could change. And if my opinion seems a bit crazy then take this...

Asked about Bryzgalov's workload in Phoenix (he played 68 and 69 games in each of the past two seasons) if he expected the same thing here if he signs, here's what Holmgren said:

"If we can sign Ilya he's a guy used to the workload... He played 70 in Phoenix, maybe he can play 65 here. With I assume easier travel than they have in Phoenix maybe he can play more than 70. We'll just play that as it goes if we can accomplish what we need to accomplish and get him signed."

Translation: If they're even thinking about Bryzgalov playing 70 games (or more) then Bobrovsky will never develop as a backup. Bold prediction: someone else is brought in to back up Bryzgalov, Leighton is bought out (or waived to the minors) and Bobrovsky is either sent down or traded.

Finally....

Asked if he has a deadline in mind for when he feels he needs to know if Bryzgalov will sign with the team, Holmgren offered this clue:

"I think we have some time, (but) ideally before you get to the Draft you'd like to know if you have a deal in place and then we'll see what we can do at the draft in order to - we need to make some adjustments or whatever."

Translation: Expect the Flyers to be active with wheeling and dealing leading up to the draft and possibly at the draft itself. The more active they are, the more likely a deal with Bryzgalov is a definite.

15 REASONS WHY THE FLYERS ARE DOWN 3-0 AND WHY THEY WON'T COME CLOSE TO COMING BACK THIS TIME

2011-05-04T22:56:00.003-04:00

People like lists, so here's one - though I expect that most of the people reading it, won't like this one:

1. Brian Boucher - One of the best locker room guys I've ever encountered. He's a guy that is easy to root for. And yet, he has imploded against Boston.

2. Sergei Bobrovsky - just isn't ready for playoff hockey in the NHL.

3. Michael Leighton - Seriously? Move on to the next one.

4. Kris Versteeg - had some sporadically nice moments in the Buffalo series, but no goals in 10 playoff games and just three in the last 18 games of the regular season is hardly the production Paul Holmgren was expecting when he traded a first and third round draft pick for the guy.

5. Blair Betts - can't win faceoffs against the Bruins. Period. 12-for-37.

6. Mike Richards - Aside from a strong effort in Game 2, seems like his tank is empty. The question is, who to blame for that?

7. Scott Hartnell - Not been horrible, but certainly doesn't have the playoff mojo from last season.

8. Chris Pronger - Boy do they miss him. The thing is, when you have as many injuries as he's had this season at age 36 (knee, foot, hand, back), is he breaking down?

9. Ville Leino - See Scott Hartnell.

10. Matt Carle - minus-8 in the playoffs. Think he misses Pronger more than anyone?

11. Danny Syvret - really don't want to blame him, but is this the best the Flyers could come up with when Pronger's hurt? See Paul Holmgren below.

12. Andrej Meszaros - The guy that was the Flyers' best defenseman in the regular season has plummeted back to normal against Boston.

13. Kimmo Timonen - He can't seem to figure out the Red line any more, He can't get shots on goal with any regularity, and he's not the shutdown defenseman he was as recently as last season.

14. Peter Laviolette - One of the game's best coaches, he likely made a very costly mistake in March, pushing his players to physical limits to see if they were "conditioned enough for the playoffs." Guess what? They're gassed, and it's only the first week of May. That one's on the coach.

15. Paul Holmgren - For all the good decisions he's made with personnel, to continue the tradition of having a blind spot when it comes to goalies is inexcusable. And to not have a good option for a seventh defenseman also is bad (Matt Walker = broken down, Nick Boynton = bad research).

PRONGER'S FEELING MORE LIKE HIS OLD SELF

2011-04-29T10:32:00.002-04:00

Maybe these observations mean nothing. Maybe I'm taking things a bit too far - and if I am, please tell me - but, it seemed yesterday like Chris Pronger is feeling better than he has in nearly two months.

Consider:

During his rehabilitation from hand surgery, Pronger was surly at times, refused to speak publicly at others, was frustrated on the ice, and almost always had his right hand hidden so no one could see it, frequently tucked into the pocket of his suit pants.

Then came Thursday.

Pronger was back to being a media darling. He took questions, cracked jokes, playfully got into it with one reporter, looked good on the ice firing slap shots at will, and was using his right hand for a lot more - holding a water bottle, motioning with it while emphasizing a point.

He went from less than five minutes of ice time in Game 6 playing solely on the power play, to 17-plus minutes in Game 7 playing both PP and even strength.

Might he be ready for the full load come Saturday and Game 1 against Boston? We'll see, but I'm betting yes.

I've not been told anything, it's solely based on instinct and observation. And if Pronger is back to being the Pronger that became a Philadelphia rock star last spring, then the Flyers are in a far better position this time against the Bruins.

...................................

Just for kicks, and because I know my colleague will get a laugh once he reads this, here is a transcription of the playful exchange between Pronger and Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly.com after practice Thursday. As you will see, I play a good straight man.

To set the scene, Pronger purposely ignored a question from Panaccio during the media scrum just prior to this exchange.

Pronger: (To me as Tim's walking over) Here comes Tim. Watch this.

Tim: You didn't answer my question.

Pronger: You had a question?

Tim: Yeah, and you didn't answer it.

Pronger: Let's hear it.

Tim: Are you surprised that Boston didn't score a single power play goal in the (first round of the) playoffs.

Pronger: Am I surprised?

Tim: Yeah. That's almost unheard of.

Me: It is. It's never happened.

Pronger: There you go. There's always a first for everything. There's always firsts. They scored three overtime-winning goals. That in itself makes up for all the power play stuff.

Tim: Given your power play has struggled almost as much as theirs...

Pronger: (cutting Tim off) Wow, how many did we get?

Tim: How many did you get?

Me: You got five.

Pronger: (dripping with sarcasm) Oh, We got five. Ohhhhh.

Tim: Big difference.

Pronger: Oh? Zero and five, that's close isn't it?

Tim: You were seven percent.

Pronger: Is that what it was?

Tim: Yeah.

Pronger: Are you sure?

Tim: Yeah.

Me: Actually it was 14 percent.

Pronger: (to Me) Thank you. (to Tim) Get your stats right and then come back and talk to me.

Tim: You think this is a series where the power play is going to make the difference?

Pronger: (to Me) What was our power play percentage?

Me: Fourteen.

Pronger: Ohhhhh. O.K.

Tim: It was seven before you came back and then it went to 14.

Pronger: Ohhhh. O.K. Well, 14 and seven aren't the same Tim.

Tim: It's double.

Pronger: (surprised that Tim's math is so good, he raises his eyebrows) Ahhhh....

(general laughter from the audience of the rest of the media and Flyers staff present).

Pronger: Double? So, make sure you have your stats correct before you ask a question. Because it's very misleading.

Tim: It was seven before it became 14 percent.

Pronger: You see, but that's not a question. You're trying to make a statement Tim with your question and it doesn't work that way.

Me: (To Tim) You want help?

Tim: (ignoring me) Are you going to see this as a difference in the series, these two teams that can't seem to score power play goals? Whoever gets the most is probably going to win this.

Pronger: You're still not getting it Tim. I still don't understand the question.

Me: (Finally coming to the rescue) How important will special teams be in this series?

Pronger: Special teams are always important. Whether you look at the negatives like Tim, or look at the positives accomplished, penalty kill and power play are always essential to winning in the playoffs and this series is going to be no different.

Me: (to Tim) Happy?

Tim: (Grumbles a response kind of like yeah)

Pronger: You're better than that Tim! You're better than that.

(At this point I turned off my recorder... there was another few seconds of back and forth between them before Pronger walked off, feeling victorious).

So, like I said before, he's back.

ROUND 2 SCHEDULE VS. BOSTON

2011-04-27T22:52:00.002-04:00

Here it is, hot off the press:

GAME 1 – Saturday, April 30 at Philadelphia – 3:05 PM. NBC

GAME 2 – Monday, May 2 at Philadelphia – 7:35 PM. Versus

GAME 3 – Wednesday, May 4 at Boston – 7:05 PM. Versus

GAME 4 – Friday, May 6 at Boston – 8:05 PM. CSN

GAME 5 – Sunday, May 8 at Philadelphia – 3:05 PM. NBC

GAME 6 – Tuesday, May 10 at Boston – TBD, CSN

GAME 7 – Thursday, May 12 at Philadelphia – TBD, CSN

DID LEIGHTON GO AWOL?

2011-04-26T23:05:00.007-04:00

Lost amid the euphoria of the Flyers Game 7 victory over Buffalo Tuesday was the fact that Michael Leighton, starter in Game 6 of this series, was not in the building to celebrate with his teammates.

Where he was is a matter that is being kept pretty hush-hush by the Flyers.

However one team source told the Daily TImes tonight that Leighton was very upset with himself after his Game 6 performance and didn't show up for the morning practice Tuesday.

According to the source, the Flyers tried to contact him early Tuesday but couldn't reach him. They finally got through to him later on Tuesday.

It is unclear what conversation took place with Leighton - either with coach Peter Laviolette or G.M. Paul Holmgren, but Leighton was not with the team in any capacity Tuesday.

A second Flyers source, who said he had no knowledge of Leighton's temporary disappearance, said that Leighton was hurting - both physically and emotionally after Game 6.

Flyers president Peter Luukko denied this report saying he hadn't heard anything about Leighton at all and that he would know if something that serious had taken place.

General manager Paul Holmgren answered an email outlining this story and completely denied it with one brief response, saying the story is "absolutely not true."

We'll look into this more tomorrow to see if we can get more information.

.........................

In other news, I was told tonight that television can still change the schedule depending on matchups, but the belief is Game 1 will be Saturday and Game 2 Monday in Philadelphia. Games 3 and 4 next Wednseday and Friday in either Tampa, Boston or Pittsburgh (the preferred order for this traveler),and Game 5 back here Mother's Day afternoon.

LAPPY A MASTERTON FINALIST

2011-04-26T12:41:00.003-04:00

If there was ever a deserving candidate for the Masterton Award playing in Philadelphia, it has to be Ian Laperriere.

After all he went through in the past year after blocking a shot with his face against the Devils in last season's playoffs, Laperriere has still been an integral part of the Flyers' organization both as a spokesman for the team and as a mentor to young players.

When the Philadelphia Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association discussed the possible candidates for this award, there was some concern that we couldn't come up with a deserving nominee from Philadelphia.

The problem was, we were thinking about players who were actually playing, and not the one that wasn't.

Then, Wayne Fish of the Bucks County Times came to me and said, "What about Lappy?"

Fish didn't have to make a compelling argument to me, because my initial reaction was that my cohort on the beat was thinking outside the box and came up with a genius recommendation.

I presented it to the rest of our regular beat writers who cover the team, and to a man, each one had the same revelation that I did - that it was a brilliant suggestion, and one we should have thought about right away.

I cobbled together a nomination letter that I sent to our national office and then the votes were cast.

Laperriere is among the three finalists for the award.

He is joined by two former Flyers - Ray Emery (Anaheim) and Daymond Langkow (Calgary) as finalists. The award will be presented at the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas in June.

Here, in it's entirety, was the nomination petition that I wrote for Lapperriere. A whittled down version is appearing on the league press release announcing the finalists today:

There are three qualities that identify a Bill Masterton Award nominee: Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to the sport of hockey. In Philadelphia there is only one player who exemplifies all three - and he hasn't played a game all season.
Ian Laperriere's hockey career spanned parts of 18 seasons with five different teams. In 2009-2010, he was an integral part in the Flyers unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals. As one of the best penalty killers and shot-blocking forwards in the sport, Lapperriere sacrificed his career and long-term health, blocking a Paul Martin slapshot with his face in the first round of the playoffs against New Jersey.

The damage was severe - A concussion, a fractured orbital bone, an absurd number of stitches, and a spot on his brain from where the impact took place.

Yet, this did not deter Laperriere, who returned a little more than a month later to finish the Flyers playoff run that ended two games short of a championship.

Lapperriere gave it a go in training camp this season with the Flyers, but could not overcome his concussion-related symptoms and has been on the long-term injury list all season.

It is likely that Laperriere will never play hockey again, although he hasn't officially retired from the league yet.

Yet, while a player with a long-term injury could simply stay away from the rink, Laperriere has meant so much more to the Flyers organization.

He continues to be a representative of the team at many charity functions. He accepted an award on behalf of his teammates at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Banquet. He still frequents many games as an eye in the sky, watching from the press box and talking to the players about his observations directly after games.

But, most importantly, Laperriere has remained a mentor for many of the young players in the Flyers organization. Laperriere befriended several young players last summer when they were in Philadelphia working out and took part in rookie camp. All of them were re-assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL and when the Phantoms were going through an horrific start to their season, Laperriere made a trip to Glens Falls, N.Y. on his own to check in with the young players and to offer them advice on how to turn their season around.

While it didn't get the Phantoms into the playoffs, it certainly made them a better and more competitive team over the course of the second half of the season.

Laperriere's longevity in the sport of hockey shows his perseverance. As a well-liked and well-respected player on the ice, in the locker room and by the fans - videos of him on the big screen still garner standing ovations in Philadelphia, which is unheard of for a player who played just one year in the city - shows he is a shining example of sportsmanship.

And his continued dedication to the Flyers and their future despite the uncertainty of his own puts him at the forefront of a list of people dedicated to the sport of hockey.

It is with that said that the Philadelphia Chapter of the PHWA emphatically supports Ian Laperriere as our most deserving Masterton nominee in a long, long time.

VENI! VILLE! VICI!

2011-04-25T07:34:00.003-04:00

What is it about Ville Leino and the playoffs?

Heck, what is it about this group of Flyers and the playoffs?

With the exception of Game 6 against Chicago in last year's final, the Flyers know how to cheat death.

"I think we've shown heart and character from the onset of the season," said Chris Pronger, who played just seven power play shifts in his return. "There's always a lot of ups and downs and different adversities that you go through in a season, and we happen to come through in clutch and we did again (in Game 6)."

Leino was the hero, scoring the biggest goal of his career in overtime to force a Game 7.

And it was on his odd shift apart from his normal line with Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell.

With the Flyers dressing seven defensemen to get Chirs Pronger on the ice for five minutes of power play time, they had to double shift forwards at times since there were only 11 of them to go around on four lines.

Mostly, what coach Peter Laviolette chose to do was mix and match a third forward onto the line with Mike Richards and Kris Versteeg.

All three of Briere, Hartnell and Leino took turns on the right wing of that line as did James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux and Dan Carcillo.

And it was that ever-changing look to that line that made them so effective in Game 6 as it often caused matchup problems for the Sabres' young defensive corps.

It's no surprise that was one of the key reasons the Flyers were able to get 49 shots on Ryan Miller whereas they struggled to do so well in the five previous games - they were able to get the matchup advantage in a road game - something that is awful difficult to do when the home team gets the last line change during stoppages.

And Leino, who has become a playoff cult hero, was the latest to conquer the Sabres in what has been a wildly entertaining series.

"We just didn't want to get frustrated," Leino said. "We wanted to stick with the program and keep doing things the way we were doing them and it worked out in the end."

The program called for Scott Hartnell to be the recipient of the tying goal on a pass from Richards, it called for Danny Briere to score twice - reaching five goals in this six game series, and it called for James van Riemsdyk to stay red hot, scoring his third goal of the series and lead the team in shots with 10.

"We just have confidence in one another no matter what time of the game it is ir what the situation is," Richards said. "Our season was on the line and we just wanted to throw it all out there and save nothing for tomorrow because if we would have lost it wouldn't have meant anything."

................

On another note, after getting back to the hotel and flipping on the television, it really got my goat at how embellished the analysis of the Flyers goaltending was tending to be.

Barry Melrose called it the worst goaltending he's ever seen in the playoffs. Matthew Barnaby called it a joke. People were laughing at the Flyers goalies right on television.

Jeremy Roenick rolled a pair of dice on T.V. and said it came up with Boucher's number for Game 7.

Look, all three Flyers goalies have had first periods to forget for sure. But, let's break this down for a second, shall we?

Brian Boucher's goals against average in the playoffs is 2.12. That's the third best of any goalie who has started in the postseason. His save percentage is .938. That's tied for third-best in the playoffs.

If it really was the worst goaltending ever in the playoffs, wouldn't he be like 16th or something? Let's not exaggerate for exaggeration's sake please.

Also, where's the outcry for other goalies?

Sure Ryan Miller has two shutouts, but in the other four games he's allowed 16 goals. Why don't we hear anything about that 4.00 GAA in his 1-3 games?

Anybody outside of Vancouver screaming about Roberto Luongo as the Canucks are on the brink of an historic choke job?

Anyone criticizing the play of Antti Niemi in San Jose that he's been yanked twice in five games, or does the fact that he has a Stanley Cup on his resume protect him from any criticism?

Or is it just that it's easy to pick on the Flyers?

That's probably the more likely scenario for a bunch of blabbermouths who sit in a green room all day and watch games on TV and don't actually come out to see the games in person.

Look, the Flyers goaltending situation is not ideal. I've even been critical of it this week - but at least do so in context. Say Sergei Bobrovsky has talent, but just isn't ready for playoff hockey as a rookie.

Say Michael Leighton is a different goalie after back surgery this season than he was last season.

And give Boucher credit for how he's played save the opening four minutes of Game 5.

Otherwise, don't say anything at all, because you sound like a sanctimonious dope.

BOUCHER THE ONLY ANSWER FOR GAME 6

2011-04-22T23:23:00.002-04:00

Peter Laviolette said he's going to sleep on his goaltender decision for Game 6... but won't make a public declaration Saturday.

That's fine, it's all part of the gamesmanship of the playoffs.

But if Laviolette is a smart coach, and there's plenty of evidence to prove that is the case, he will go back to Brian Boucher in goal for Game 6.

Really, there's no other choice.

Here's why:

He's the best goalie they have when it comes to dealing with the pressure of an elimination game.

Yes, Michael Leighton did the job in three elimination games against Boston last season - but don't forget the Bruins were bereft of any offensive talent whatsoever at that point and the Flyers had a date with destiny.

That was also pre-back injury Leighton. He's a lot different now. He's good enough to win in the AHL, but not the NHL - otherwise he'd have played more than one NHL game this season AND he wouldn't have started the playoffs third on the depth chart.

He's fine in an emergency, but once again you saw his weaknesses in Game 5. He allowed just one goal - the game winner, but it was a big rebound - something he is prone to giving up.

Not to mention, he looked shaky throughout the rest of the game. There were a few shots he stopped with good positioning, but there were a lot of close calls too. He seemed rusty. He seemed a little slow - no matter what the players and coaches say about him calming things down - he went untested until late in the third period.

As for Sergei Bobrovsky, he might have the most skill, talent and upside, but he is a not-ready-for-prime-time player. Let's talk Bobrovsky down the road. For now, he's a non-factor.

Which leaves Boucher.

Yes, he gave up a pair of unsightly goals in the first period. Yes he put his team in a bad spot by only stopping eight of 11 shots before leaving the ice, trailing the game 3-0. Yes he is a journeyman and, to most observers, no better than a backup.

But, he is best prepared to handle the rigors of a Game 6 in Buffalo. Remember, until the crazy first period ensued, Boucher led all goalies in save percentage in the playoffs - better than Henrik Lundqvist. Better than Roberto Luongo. Better than Antti Niemi. Better than Marc-Andre Fleury. Better than Carey Price. Better than all of them.

And now, after a horrible performance - the worst of his career and the first time in 32 career playoff starts that he was yanked - Boucher wants another crack at it.

“I’d very much like to redeem myself,” Boucher said. “It was my responsibility tonight. I take ownership in that. To put your team in a hole like that in such an important game – they didn’t deserve that. I’d to get a second crack at it. We’ll see what happens.”

If you listen to Leighton, he's already resigned to the fact that it's Boucher's series to lose.

"I definitely want to play but Boosh has done a great job to get us in this situation and tonight was one of those nights," Leighton said. "Two of those goals... you can probably take 100 shots from there and you might score one, so it's a tough bounce. (Like Patrick Kane in Game 6 of the Cup Finals, but I digress) We have confidence in Boosh. He's going to bounce back and play a good one in Buffalo."

Boucher wants to get back in the net. Leighton wants him there too. All that's left is for Laviolette to wake up tomorrow and realize the same thing - it's his best and only choice.

"I'll bounce back," Boucher said. "I'm a pretty resilient person. I'm pretty upset right now, I'm not going to lie to you. It was a big game and I wanted to have a good start and I didn't have that."

There's no guarantee Boucher will win Game 6 - or both Game 6 and Game 7 for that matter, but if you're playing the odds, he's a better bet than anyone else.

...........................

On a separate note, but still related tot he goaltending situation, it was a little more than a year ago that I was talking to Flyers' president Peter Luukko in the press box and he told me the Flyers couldn't continue to go on the same way with the goalies.

"We can't keep going the same way we have year after year," Luukko said. "We have to go in a different direction with goaltending - get someone young and stick with him."

That was before the unexpected run to the Finals. Before Leighton's magic act. Before Boucher's gutsy first round performance.

But, they did follow what Luukko said - and tried to turn things over to Bobrovsky. But, that didn't work either - at least not now.

Once again the offseason will be ripe with questions about goalies. Will the Flyers ever learn? Or will we see another playoff with the two of the three goalies currently in the mix trying to win a Cup again?

It seems like the vicious circle that will never end. Pity.

PRONGER OUT FOR GAME 5

2011-04-22T14:13:00.002-04:00

Color me surprised, and I don't think I'm alone.

The same people who have been telling me for weeks that Pronger would miss much of the first round of the playoffs after re-injuring his fractured right hand are the same people who assured me that Pronger would play tonight.

I just got a phone call that said, "Sorry, I was wrong" from both of them.

That's because Pronger just isn't ready, physically.

He took two slap shots in the morning skate with his team, then stayed on the ice for several minutes taking shots by himself to test his strength. The frustration was evident on his face and as he walked off the ice, he again declined to speak with the media.

After a meeting with coach Peter Laviolette it was determined that Pronger would not play tonight, meaning the Flyers will be without both their best defenseman and their best goal scorer, as Jeff Carter is also out of the lineup with a sprained ligament in his right knee.

Both sources who called me today told me that Pronger has been feeling a little bit of pressure to come back as soon as possible, but at the same time, the stalwart defenseman has been able to not let that cloud his judgment.

And yet, he is champing at the bit to get back into this series, but doesn't want to get on the ice in a limited role and would rather come back at 100 percent.

While the Flyers do miss him, defense has hardly been the problem in this series against the Sabres. The Flyers need to score goals on Ryan Miller.

If they were able to do that more consistently, this series could be over by now. Instead, after two 1-0 losses sandwiched their two wins, the Flyers are in desperation mode against a less-talented Buffalo squad.

It appears Ben Holmstrom will replace Carter in the lineup, with Darroll Powe playing alongside Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk in Carter's spot.

One other note...

If in fact there is a Game 7 in this series Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center, the Game time will be 7:30 p.m., not 7 p.m.

Great news for fans getting to the game, horrible news for those of us with ridiculously early deadlines who have to write about it.

THOUGHTS ON GAME 4

2011-04-20T23:15:00.002-04:00

- Ryan Miller had his best game of the series. For those that thought he was deserving of the first star in Game 1 (he wasn't) take a look at this game. See the difference? Miller flat out stole Game 4. In Game 1, he was good, but not spectacular - he didn't have to be. In Game 4 he was great because if he wasn't, the Sabres wouldn't have won. Plain and simple.

- The penalty called on Mike Richards by referee Francois St. Laurent was a flat out joke. Has anyone ever seen a major penalty assessed on someone who wasn't being an agressor? Richards was defending himself from a big hit. He got his arm up. Patrick Kaleta ran into him. You want to give him two minutes for elbowing because he wasn't in control of his elbow - fine. But a five-minute major? For that? Please. There have been far worse hits in this playoff alone that received lesser punishment. Good thing the Sabres didn't score, or the outcome didn't hinge on that call, or there would be far more made of it.

- Jeff Carter suffered a right knee injury on a collision with Tyler Myers in the first period and didn't return. The Flyers are calling it a day-to-day injury. Just like Chris Pronger's been for three weeks.

- Speaking of Pronger, anyone want to lay odds on his return Friday? I'm all but guaranteeing it.

- It would be remiss to not mention the play of Brian Boucher in Game 4. Many of is 28 saves were huge, including stoning Tyler Ennis on a breakaway in the third period. He's allowed four goals in three games, and none have been his fault. He'll get the nod again in the pivotal Game 5. It'll only be his second start at the Wells Fargo Center since Feb. 10. (3/27 vs. Boston).

- The penalty kill was outstanding - and not just because they killed off the five-minute major to Richards (although, as Laviolette said, that may have been their best kill all year). They kept the Sabres from even getting set up for much of the 9:41 the Sabres had in man-advantage time. If they can continue to do that, Miller is going to have to be perfect to beat the Flyers two more times.

- Based on that penalty killing - and his even strength play - Kris Versteeg was outstanding in Game 4. In one of his better games as a Flyer, Versteeg was creative, he was a pest. He was what the Flyers envisioned when trading a first and third round draft pick to Toronto for him. Again, if he keeps going at that level, the Sabres will struggle to find answers.

THE MARK OF ZHERDEV

2011-04-18T22:51:00.003-04:00

It's certainly been a roller coaster of a season for Nik Zherdev.

He went from promising goal scorer to Peter Laviolette's doghouse to being waived, to not being wanted by any team in the league, to coming back to the Flyers with a new attitude to scoring a game-winning goal in the playoffs.

That's what happened Monday when he potted he winning tally in a 4-2 Flyers win over the Buffalo Sabres that gave them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Re-inserted into the lineup because of a facial laceration to Andreas Nodl, Zherdev supplied a good bit of jump to his line with Mike Richards and Kris Versteeg, and was rewarded with the first playoff point of his career.

"Yeah it was," Zherdev said when asked if his first playoff goal was special. "First one. Game-winner. The team won. It was good."

O.K., so he's a man of few words. Nevertheless, he made an impression on his teammates and his coach.

"Since (he was waived) the most impressive part for me has been his attitude," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's committed just like everyone else. He got an opportunity and scored a big goal for us. He had a couple other opportunities too and set up Richards just after that through the crease back door.

"There's always two different roads you can go down at that point - maybe go south, where you never get a player back, or do what you have to do, work hard with the coaches, work hard to stay in shape and improve conditioning. He did that, worked hard and made a difference."

Zherdev gave Richards' line an offensive boost that makes them more dangerous, especially with Richards and Versteeg being two-way players.

"He always seems to find the net whenever he gets back in the lineup," Richards said.

And the captain is right.

Monday marked the sixth time this season Zherdev returned to the lineup after being scratched by Laviolette and in four of the six occasions he posted at least one point, scoring a goal in three of them.

"I'm not worried about that (other stuff)," Zherdev said. "I'm just focused on the playoffs."

And if he does stay focused on the playoffs and provide the offense he provided Monday, he could be a big part of a lengthy Flyers run.

.............................

A couple of odd historical notes:

- The Sabres are 0-15 in playoff series that they have trailed 2-1.

- In 30 career playoff starts, Boucher has never been pulled.

- Danny Briere now is 5-4-9 in seven games in Buffalo since joining the Flyers.

- The Flyers are 18-3 all-time when leading 2-1 and are 14-7 all-time in the subsequent Games 4.

NOW IT'S THE SAME GOALIES AS LAST YEAR

2011-04-18T14:44:00.002-04:00

Hate to be an I told you so but...

Brian Boucher will start Game 3 tonight.

Michael Leighton will be his backup.

Sergei Bobrovsky is now the No. 3 goalie.

While there's a chance the first two could flip-flop at some point in these playoffs, it wouldn't surprise me if the last one remains that way for the rest of the Spring.

Quite simply, the kid's not ready for the postseason. That's not to say the Flyers have given up on him, it's just that they recognize a need to win now, and they feel the tandem of Boucher and Leighton gives them a better chance than any to do just that.

“I thought Brian came in and the last couple times has done a really nice job for us,” Laviolette said. “He’s on top of his game and in charge of his net. He’s bailed us out of a couple situations. He deserves to go in there and play.”

As for Leighton being the backup, Laviolette wouldn't talk about it. Nor would he talk about Bobrovsky's demotion.

So how do we know for sure?

Well, Both Boucher and Leighton came off the ice with the rest of the starters following the morning practice for one while Bobrovsky again stayed on longer with the extra skaters.

And then there was General Manager Paul Holmgren, who wouldn't really comment on what the coach's decision was, but certainly hinted that Leighton was thismuch closer to playing in the playoffs than he was before.

"When we resigned Michael (this year), we thought our goaltending duo would be Leighton and Boucher," Holmgren said. "Obviously dominoes started to fall in training camp when Michael went down with a back injury which required surgery. Sergei's play in training camp and at the start of the year, it's just that a different scenario kind of played itself out. Sergei took advantage of an opportunity with Michael out.

"But Michael's a good goalie. He went down to American League and never (complained) and played great. He kind of got his game back and he's 100 percent healthy. If he gets an opportunity, I think he'll be fine."

The buckshot of the whole ordeal is this: the Flyers, once again, have goalie drama in the playoffs, which has become a right of Spring. Laviolette has had success with this before - winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 with a few goalie hiccups along the way - but this is truly classic Flyers.

Speaking of Classic Flyers....

What's the truth about Chris Pronger's hand injury? Was the setback in fact another break?

That's what a report by NBC-10 in Philadelphia said last night on it's "Sports Final" show.

However Holmgren vehemently denied the report, calling it irresponsible journalism.

“They think they can throw whatever they want against the wall and see if it sticks,” Holmgren said.

However Holmgren did admit two weeks ago that Pronger had a "setback," but would still be ready for the playoffs.

I was told at the time by a source not affiliated with the team that Pronger had a second procedure on his hand after he re-injured it shooting pucks at practice in late March.

When asked if that was true, Holmgren also denied it, saying it was "completely untrue."

Now this report, which had both Holmgren and Pronger a bit annoyed at the morning skate today.

Pronger practiced with the team, but didn't take any hard shots, just flipping a few shots towards the goalies from in close. He also stayed on the ice long after the rest of the team to continue working with assistant coach Kevin McCarthy.

Pronger will not play in Game 3 and Holmgren still is calling his status day-to-day.

Another roster change that came via a source, since most of the management and coaches are now suffering from lockjaw, is that Nik Zherdev will replace Andreas Nodl in the lineup.

Nodl had a cut on his cheek in Game 2 and ended up playing just six first period shifts. The Flyers are keeping him out with an upper body injury and he is day-to-day.

On the Buffalo side, defenseman Jordan Leopold, probably their No. 2 guy behind Tyler Myers, will return tonight from a fractured hand similar to Pronger's. The difference was Leopold did not have a surgical procedure, let a lone two.

However, his return is a bit of a surprise as he appear to be 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule.

THOUGHTS ON GAME 1

2011-04-14T23:07:00.002-04:00

As the final horn sounded and the "send" button was being pushed on the lap tops of the 100 or so media jammed into the press box, the boos emanated from the crowd below.
At that point, a fellow writer walked by me, tapped me on the shoulder and said, "The natives are getting restless."

That they are. It's because they saw a Game 1 loss to an inferior team. It's because the team didn't care about hockey for a month and that frustrated them to no end.

It's because they now are letting their instinct kick in - the same instinct that always tells Flyers fans in the Spring to panic after following the Stepford mantra through 82 games.

It's certainly understandable.

But, it's also a bit of a rash response.

Consider:

The Flyers dictated the play for much of the game. They controlled the puck. They out-hit the Sabres. They out-worked the Sabres. They out-everythinged the Sabres except for in two places - on the scoreboard and in the crease.

And while those are two very important aspects to a hockey game - and the blatantly obvious reason the Flyers are trailing the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series 1-0 - they are not the most tell-tale signs from this game.

No, the most telling thing to me, is the Flyers are the better team - by a lot.

All they need to do is find a way to score a few goals.

Sounds simple, but it's not all that hard - especially if they continue to dictate the defensive game. The Sabres got very few chances. Very few. Sergei Bobrovsky had 24 saves and I had to do a double-take when looking at the scoresheet, because it didn't seem like that many - not even close.

Meanwhile, the Flyers were buzzing around Miller and got a lot of good first shots, they just didn't pounce on rebounds - that might be the one area they look to improve at practice.

But, that said, if the Flyers play games 2-through-whatever like they played Game 1, they'll win this series with relative ease.

Miller stole one game - even if he wasn't the first star (this writer thought James van Riemsdyk was more impressive on the ice) - and he could steal another one along the way.

But the Sabres can't compete with the Flyers when their system is rolling - and that was evident for much of Game 1.

And here's the belief that it'll be evident the rest of the way too.

FLYERS YEAR-END AWARDS

2011-04-09T08:02:00.006-04:00

Watching the Flyers play of late leaves one feeling like the team is undeserving of any accolades - individual or otherwise.

However, as is custom for the final home game of the regular season, the team will hand out it's annual awards prior to tonight's game with the New York Islanders.

There are four major awards - the Bobby Clarke Trophy for the team MVP, the Barry Ashbee Trophy for the best defenseman, the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Award for the player adjudged to best illustrate character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice, and finally the Pelle Lindbergh Award given to the most improved player on the team.

The Clarke and Ashbee Awards are voted on by a panel of sports writers and broadcasters. The Dupre Award is voted on and presented by members of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA).
The Lindbergh Award is voted on by the players themselves.

Here is a breakdown of the winners, and how my ballot looked for each award:

Bobby Clarke Trophy: This year's recipient is Claude Giroux. Pretty much a landslide winner, Giroux is getting the award because he is the team's leading scorer by a lot. Heading into the final game of the season he has 25 goals and 51 assists for 76 points, 11 more than the next closest scorers Danny Briere and Jeff Carter.

Giroux, who was a first-time All-Star this season is really coming into his own and should be a force for the Flyers for many years to come as he plays in all situations.

However, he didn't get my first place vote. That, instead, went to Carter, who I feel is more valuable because of the style he plays. Not only is he the team's best goal scorer (36 goals), but he's tied for the team lead in power play goals (eight) leads the team in game-winning goals (seven) is the best plus/minus forward by a lot (plus-25, six better than the next-best forwards), rarely takes a dumb penalty (and as such is a candidate for the Lady Byng Award league-wide), and is arguably the most fluid skater on the team (along with Braydon Coburn) which allows him to make up ground easier on opponents and cover for teammate mistakes.

I just think Carter is more valuable as an all-around player. As skilled as Giroux is, he is a gambler and sometimes turns the puck over too much.

Here was my ballot:

1. Carter
2. Giroux
3. Briere

Barry Ashbee Award: In what was easily the closest and hardest vote, this year's recipient is Andrej Meszaros.

While there is little doubt that Chris Pronger is the team's best defenseman (and probably best player) it's difficult to present him an award after missing 30-plus games.

Which made this race wide-open. Kimmo Timonen seemed like a logical candidate as he had another, solid and uber-consistent season. But, Meszaros outshone him - mostly because he performed at a level far beyond many expectations.

Meszaros was the best plus-minus defenseman. His advance statistics - for the sabermetricians among us - were also off the charts. He was the best hitter on the blue line as well and added some punch offensively, especially after Pronger went down. He also frequently logged the biggest minutes in Pronger's absence, showing that he had the faith of the coaches as a top defender as well.

But really, an argument can be made here for Timonen, Matt Carle or Coburn, all of whom had excellent seasons defensively for the Flyers. As a voter, I felt bad that I left Coburn off the ballot, because I felt this was his best season, but Carle really shined in my opinion without Pronger.

My ballot:

1. Meszaros
2. Timonen
3. Carle

Yanick Dupre Class Guy: This year's winner was a slam dunk, but there were a couple of good options for second place.

Brian Boucher was an easy winner. He not only is good with the media - which is what the award was originally designed for, but when it comes to character, dignity and respect for the sport, Boucher, who has had a roller coaster career, is a great option. Here is a transcription of an interview we did with him earlier this week when we told him he was going to win the award:

>On the award:

Well, it means a lot. To have you guys look at me in that way means a lot to me. Some days are better than others, as far as this job.
Certainly, players sometimes we can be short with you guys. I hope you guys don’t take that stuff personally. . .(sometimes) it’s a matter of how you’re feeling that day. That’s nice of you guys to vote me for that. I appreciate it.

>We expanded the award about 6 years ago to include sportsmanship, giving back to the community and so forth. Do players feel a sense that they should give back to the community?

Certainly to our fans, especially, I think since the lockout. It’s understandable that we could have lost some fans during that time. I think it’s everybody’s duty to try to get them back. We can do that. I know even the Flyers organization – obviously we do that for the Wives’ Carnival but we also do it for suiteholders. Special events for them. . .bowling night. The organization is trying to connect with the fans. As players, we enjoy doing that stuff.
As far as sportsmanship goes, some days we’re probably sore sports. But you try your best to do the right thing and do the job. It’s awful nice to be voted in.

>Is player-fan interaction important, in your opinion?

I think it is. I think in some places it’s even more important because maybe the fan base isn’t there in the NHL. I think here in Philadelphia we have a strong fan base. I think at times we can take it for granted and assume they’re going to show up and we don’t have to give back. But that’s not the case. As players, I think we should always take the responsibility with great pride. In other areas, you can’t forget, if the fans aren’t there, you really have to go the extra mile. So here, we’re thankful that we have great fans and that they show up every night. For us to give back at any time, it’s our privilege to do that and we feel good doing it.

>Think you’ve changed since you first started out as a player?

I think I’ve grown, for sure. You know, when you’re think, it’s tough to put things in perspective. You can be self-absorbed at times. It’s hard to look at the big picture. But you get old and you go through some years, been through some adversity and gotten through the other side, it’s not all that bad. There’s a bigger picture. So I just come in everyday and try to be as positive as I can. Support my teammates and try to keep them loose. Try to be a good buy like that. It’s a tough game and some days are better than others. If you can be a positive influence on people, make them smile, make them laugh at a time that maybe they’re stressed out maybe, that’s what I like to do.

Other good choices would have been Jody Shelley (who I predict will win this award in the next two seasons) or Sean O'Donnell, who was a great veteran voice in the locker room when Pronger was down for half the season. Danny Briere and Ian Laperriere were ineligible for the award as previous winners (we don't allow repeat winners).

My ballot:

1. Boucher
2. Shelley
3. O'Donnell

The Pelle Lindbergh Award When you're looking for a most improved player from last season to this season, there really only were two candidates - James van Riemsdyk and Andreas Nodl.

The players chose Nodl, and why not? He became a much bigger part of the team this season, and even showed that, yes, he could contribute offensively. JVR started to come into his own a little bit, and there are times when you see him growing into what the No. 2 overall pick in the draft should be, but he still needs another year or two to reach that peak. Nodl made the most marked improvement, and for that, I think his teammates made a wise choice.

A CHOKING SITUATION

2011-04-09T00:23:00.001-04:00

Those were the words used so eloquently by Terry Murray when the Flyers didn't show up in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals.

Yet, what we are witnessing here could be far worse.

At least that Flyers team made it to the Finals and gave fans reason to hope.

This team doesn't seem to instill any hope at all.

Five straight losses have cost them the top spot in the East that they coveted for so long.

One more loss would likely cost them the Atlantic Division crown too.

There's nothing about how the Flyers are playing right now that instills any confidence in any observer to pick them to do anything of substance in the playoffs.

None of their possible first round opponents strike fear into the heart, but neither do the Flyers seem really ready to beat anyone at this point, be it Montreal, Buffalo or Tampa Bay in the first round.

There's no question that the Flyers are more talented than all three of those teams, but talent only goes so far. At some point you have to put in honest work to flaunt that talent. Problem is too few players are bringing the lunch pail and punching the clock.

The loss to Buffalo Friday wasn't ugly. The flyers actually played well for most of it - but they still lost- and have done so 15 times in the last 21 games - sometimes spectacularly and sometimes while looking disinterested.

You don't just turn that off and turn on the A game overnight. It's a process. It takes time.

And that's something the Flyers have just about run out of.

LAPPY FOR MASTERTON

2011-04-07T08:01:00.002-04:00

He hasn't played a game all season, but that didn't stop the Philadelphia Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association from nominating him for the Bill Masterton Award this season.

The Masterton is supposed to go to the player adjudged to show the most perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport of hockey.

Unfortunately, the award is often given to somone who has overcome great odds - serious injury or illness - to continue their hockey career.

While those are feel good stories (read: Ray Emery in Anaheim this season) they don't really embody the terms of the award.

If you want to go by what the award actually calls for, the Flyers have a great nominee this season.

Here's the nomination letter I wrote to the rest of the PHWA in support of Laperriere for the Masterton:

There are three qualities that identify a Bill Masterton Award nominee: Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to the sport of hockey. In Philadelphia there is only one player who exemplifies all three - and he hasn't played a game all season.
Ian Laperriere's hockey career spanned parts of 18 seasons with five different teams. In 2009-2010, he was an integral part in the Flyers unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals. As one of the best penalty killers and shot-blocking forwards in the sport, Lapperriere sacrificed his career and long-term health, blocking a Paul Martin slapshot with his face in the first round of the playoffs against New Jersey.
The damage was severe - A concussion, a fractured orbital bone, an absurd number of stitches, and a spot on his brain from where the impact took place.
Yet, this did not deter Laperriere, who returned a little more than a month later to finish the Flyers playoff run that ended two games short of a championship.
Lapperriere gave it a go in training camp this season with the Flyers, but could not overcome his concussion-related symptoms and has be on the long-term injury list all season.
It is likely that Laperriere will never play hockey again, although he hasn't officially retired from the league yet.
Yet, while a player with a long-term injury could simply stay away from the rink, Laperriere has meant so much more to the Flyers organization.
He continues to be a representative of the team at many charity functions. He accepted an award on behalf of his teammates at the Philadelphia Sports Writers Banquet. He still frequents many games as an eye in the sky, watching from the press box and talking to the players about his observations directly after games.
But, most importantly, Laperriere has remained a mentor for many of the young players in the Flyers organization. Laperriere befriended several young players last summer when they were in Philadelphia working out and took part in rookie camp. All of them were re-assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL and when the Phantoms were going through an horrific start to their season, Laperriere made a trip to Glens Falls, N.Y. on his own to check in with the young players and to offer them advice on how to turn their season around.
While it didn't get the Phantoms into the playoffs, it certainly made them a better and more competitive team over the course of the second half of the season.
Laperriere's longevity in the sport of hockey shows his perseverance. As a well-liked and well-respected player on the ice, in the locker room and by the fans - videos of him on the big screen still garner standing ovations in Philadelphia, which is unheard of for a player who played just one year in the city - shows he is a shining example of sportsmanship. And his continued dedication to the Flyers and their future despite the uncertainty of his own puts him at the forefront of a list of people dedicated to the sport of hockey.
It is with that said that the Philadelphia Chapter of the PHWA emphatically supports Ian Laperriere as our most deserving Masterton nominee in a long, long time.

We told Ian about this yesterday. Here is the brief interview we conducted with him:

Anthony SanFilippo (PHWA Philadelphia Chapter Chairman) Opening Statement:

Ian, as you know about this award a little bit, we got together with the Chapter this year and decided that although you haven’t actually been on the ice this season, you still embody the three characteristics that the league is looking for when determining a Masterton candidate. We felt, pretty unanimously, that you still maintain those characteristics off the ice in what you do and how you conduct yourself. We wanted to nominate you this year as our candidate for the Masterton Award.

Lappy:

“Thank you very much. I got caught by surprise a little bit, and like you said, I didn’t play in one game, but it’s life. I know what it means. It means that I tried to be a good human being on and off the ice, and when you guys are voting for me, it’s telling me that I’m doing a pretty good job off the ice.”

Q: How has it been for you to kind of continue to stay involved with the sport of hockey while this is going on for you? Obviously, as someone who has played as long as you have, you know you want to keep being out there, keep being out there. The fact that you haven’t been able to be out there, but at the same time being able to do things around the team… I know earlier you [took a] trip up to Glens Falls to go see some of the young players that you befriended in the summer. How has that been for you to kind of keep being around the sport even though you’re not able to play?

“Well, it’s been the hardest point of my career. I said that before and I still feel the same today. To tell you the truth, everything happens for a reason and I am a big believer that for me to be a Flyer while it happened to me is kind of there is something behind it. They are taking care of me and I can’t imagine any other team, or maybe a couple teams, but not that many teams that would take care of their players like they are doing with me. They have been giving me all the tools to keep me busy and they know how much I love the game. I just can’t play right now and they just give me all the tools to stay in the game and stay close to the game. I can’t thank the Flyers enough, and Zack Hill is one of those guys too, he has been helping me a lot. It’s great, but it’s been hard, It’s been hard watching, it’s been hard not to be a part of something like I’ve been used to since I’m five years old, but that’s something I have to deal with. It’s pretty much all I can say about that, it’s been a hard year but there is nothing I can do about it.”

Q: Would you like to get involved in coaching down the road? It seems as though you enjoyed the time with some of the younger players.

“Yeah, that is one of the things that I’m touching. Right now, with all the free time I have, I try to get involved with hockey as much as I can. I get to help out with the junior leagues and American Hockey League and I try to see as much hockey as I can. If down the road I get to coach those guys I could work with them in some kind of way. I do not know yet. It is one thing to play and I’m still going to try to come back and play, but I have to be honest with myself and my age. I am 37 years old, and I haven’t played for a year, and if I have something wrong with my eye then I am going to have to look at the other options to do something with my life. To be honest, I just can’t see myself going in another direction than hockey. Hockey has been my life and is going to always be my first love. I am going to try to do something in the game. I do not know if it is going to be coaching, but it is going to be around the game for sure. I really enjoy working with the young guys. I have been able to work with them last summer and in previous summers. I have always been an approachable guy and it is one of my qualities. I think that the younger guys appreciate that. I’m not saying I am a young guy, but I think I am really young at heart. I can relate to those young guys. We will see where life is going to take me, but right now I try to touch everything. I try to touch the media types, radio, and TV and stuff like that. I’ll try to touch everything before I have to make a decision.”

ZHERDEV TO STAY IN THE LINEUP?

2011-04-01T22:49:00.002-04:00

Sometimes a player is buried so deep in the coach's doghouse you think he's never getting out.

So read the saga of Nik Zherdev.

The guy so angered coach Peter Laviolette with his lazy play in one half of the ice that it didn't matter how offensively gifted he was, damn it he wasn't going to be in the lineup come hell or high water.

Well, the high water never came, but the offensive drought sure did. And it was that scoring famine that pushed Laviolette to grit his teeth and dress Zherdev for a game for the first time since March 6.

He played on a line with Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux, and it was the Flyers best offensive line for the entire 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Laviolette even mustered up enough will power to say something nice about Zherdev.

"I put Nik back in because he's been working hard and I wanted to give him that opportunity," Laviolette said. "I thought he responded as maybe one of our top forwards tonight."

Zherdev still left a little to be desired defensively, but hey, you can't ask for the world.

He did assist on the Carter goal and it was his first point in a game since January 23.

"I work hard and keep practicing and I played good," Zherdev said.

And until the Flyers figure out their offensive woes, it's a good bet Zherdev will be in the lineup.

........

Some interesting notes:

- The Flyers were credited with just one giveaway in the entire game (seems like the official scorers weren't paying attention but anyway...) if it is true, it matches a season low. They only had one giveaway in Columbus back in October.

- The Flyers blocked only four shots in the game - a season low.

- The Flyers are 33-8-5 when scoring the first goal. They finished the season series 3-2-1 against the Devils.

- And from the AHL: the Phantoms defeated Albany Friday 9-5. The nine goals matched a franchise record done three times previously, but not since Dec., 1999 at the Spectrum. Mike Testwuide had a hat trick and Michael Ryan had a five-point night (two goals, three assists).

CROSBY TO RETURN

2011-03-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

An NHL source confirmed for me this morning that Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby will practice with his team for the first time tomorrow after missing nearly three months with concussion related problems.

Crosby has been skating on his own for the past week or so, but there has been no timetable for his return.

In a joint effort with my colleague Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, it was learned late last night that Crosby was traveling with the team on its road trip to Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale this week.

This has to be good news for Pens fans and has to give Flyers fans pause. Because the Pens were a pretty stout team without their best player and if he's well enough to play at an elite level in the playoffs, can make a potential matchup with Pittsburgh in the second or third round all the more dangerous.

Look for more of this later today and tomorrow both here and in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review at Pittsburghlive.com

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A FLYERS SECRET

2011-03-21T07:34:00.002-04:00

First we had the secret pickle juice concoction in Philadelphia - now this:

During home games, the Flyers have a special slushy machine that replenishes the sodiums lost during play and at the same time cools the core body temperature to maximize performance.

The machines, which are situated in the home locker room; spin non-stop and look like the old Ice-ee machines that used to be behind the snack counter at Woolworth's.

"We do heat rate studies and sweat rate studies just like the NFL does," Flyers' trainer Jim McCrossin said recently. "What our research has been on is electrolytes and how to get the proper amount of electrolytes back into the players. Each individual loses electrolytes at a different rate. That's why we do sweat rate studies. We want to know what electrolytes they're losing most and whatever it is, that's what we have to replace."

Which is where the slushy machine comes in. Made from a green tea extract, the slushies are designed to recharge the batteries between periods or even during the games themselves.

"Once your core temperature reaches 106 you start to die," McCrossin said. Some of our shifts we are getting up to 103 and then come back down, then go back up the next shift before coming back down and the cycle continues.

"What we want to do at intermission is cool down the core temperature as much as possible and get the sodium back in because you don't want fatigue and make sure the players are getting fluid."

The slushies, much like the pickle juice did for the Eagles several seasons ago, has worked wonders and it should be no surprise that it was Eagles' trainer Rick Burkholder who came across this method first.

Always trying to be at the forefront of maximizing athletic performance, Burkholder read about slushies being used in Australia by rugby and Aussie rules football teams.

So, in conjunction with Dr. Sandy Fowkes Godek, the director of the HEAT institute and professor of Sports Medicine at West Chester University, Burkholder brought the slushies to the Eagles locker room.

The Flyers also work with Godek doing sweat rate studies and heat rate studies - once early in the season when rinks are cooler and once again just before the playoffs when rinks are warmer - to determine what players are losing which electrolytes and when.

What the Flyers have found is that North American-born players sweat a lot more than western European-born players (Russians sweat about the same as the North Americans).

"Kimmo Timonen, who plays as much as he does, hardly sweats at all while (Brian Boucher) sweats like a mad dog," McCrossin said.

There is no hard evidence as to why that is, but the best guesstimate is based on diets over the course of a lifetime and how they are expansively different here than in Europe.

Still, Boucher has been the prize pupil, so to speak, with the slushies.

"We only have it at home and I can't remember the last time I played at home, but I do use it a lot at practice," Boucher said. "I sweat a ridiculous amount and they keep me cool and fresh."

McCrossin suggested that it has helped Boucher in other ways too. Boucher would frequently cramp up from sweating so profusely, but ever since the slushies became part of the daily routine, there's been no cramping.

"As I've gotten older I've been more conscious of staying hydrated," Boucher said. "The slushies have been great."

Boucher, when playing at the Wells Fargo Center will down two slushies per period in lieu of Gatorade. During practice, he averages four slushies in an hour.

Other players are buying into the recovery power of slushies and many are frequently seen downing a cup or two post game.

"No other teams in hockey use the slushies, so don't share our secret until we win the Cup," McCrossin said.

Um... Too late.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

PRONGER UPDATE

2011-03-17T11:27:00.002-04:00

Chris Pronger spoke for the first time this morning since having surgery on his right hand that will keep him out of the lineup for about a month.

Pronger didn't say anything unexpected, but admitted it will be difficult to sit out this next few weeks with the team in a battle for the top spot in both the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division.

"It’s never easy being hurt and sitting out," he said. "You want to be part of the team, part of the action and playing. So, yeah it sucks. But I have to use this time wisely and make sure that when I do get back and can jump in seamlessly."

Pronger admitted that he tried to play through the injury, but that it didn't seem to feel right and progressively got worse.

"Nothing was showing up on the x-ray but it continued to stay weak," he said. "It wouldn’t get any better during the off days and it was getting weaker after playing. So we had a CT scan and it showed up and decided to get it fixed."

Pronger said his timetable is pretty much set to where the bandages will come off Sunday and he will be put in a splint and then next week he will start skating to get his game legs back and follow a well-designed rehab program over the next few weeks to strengthen his hand.

In the meantime, Erik Gustafsson and/or Nick Boynton will take his place in the lineup.

VERBEAUTY HAS BECOME VERUGLY

2011-03-12T23:14:00.002-05:00

Here's a question for the coach that we didn't ask at the press conference, but probably should have:

Why is Kris Versteeg on the ice in the final minute of a game when you are trying to protect a one goal lead?

First, here's an assessment of Versteeg:

Good offensive player. Quality backchecker. God awful with the puck in his own end. I mean seriously, how many more bad turnovers is this guy going to make in crucial situations?

I felt bad for him in the locker room. No one was talking to him. I walked over, and said, "Were you trying to chip the puck to Matt Carle behind the net?"

"Yeah," he said somberly.

"What happened, did you just chunk it," I asked.

"Yeah," the same somber response.

"So it hit the side of the net and took a bad bounce out front?"

"Yeah."

This from a guy who likes to talk!

But it was more than just the one turnover. He had an equally egregious gaffe in the 7-0 embarrassment in New York last Sunday.

Then he took a dumb interference penalty that led to Enstrom's goal that cut the lead to 4-3 inside of three minutes to play.

And from what I've been told, it's a bit chronic. One NHL scout recently said to me that Versteeg is "an unconscious gambler" with the puck.

"He takes too many risks in too many areas of the ice that you can't afford to take chances," the scout said. "That kind of play is going to come back and bite you in the butt."

He wasn't the reason they lost in New York. He wasn't the reason they lost to Atlanta.

But he was a big part of both.

And aside from a three game stretch where he played some inspired hockey, Versteeg has proven to be a bit of a disappointment thus far.

He has 4 goals and two assists for 6 points and is a minus-1 in 13 games.

When you add in the mistakes and the untimely penalties, it hardly seems like he has been worth the price the Flyers paid.

It's a small sample for sure. And Versteeg could prove to be a nice piece before the end of the regular season, let alone the playoffs.

But for now, he's a bit of a head-scratcher.

....................

One other query... Why has Laviolette given the team off again Sunday? That's three off days and one practice day in a week. That NEVER happens in the NHL.

There's got to be something up with the Flyers on that front too. What it is exactly though remains to be seen.

PRONGER STILL HURTING

2011-03-12T20:17:00.000-05:00

PHILADELPHIA – Despite Chris Pronger missing a third game with his hand injury, despite him sporting a new, soft cast on his hand, and despite the fact that he has seen not one but two hand specialists, general manager Paul Holmgren is downplaying the injury.
Still insisting that Pronger is day-to-day with a mysterious injury to his right hand suffered when he blocked a shot against the New York Islanders Feb. 24, Holmgren said Pronger will make the road trip with the team and likely could return to the lineup this week.
“He was better in practice,” Holmgren said. “That’s all we can go by. We’re hoping by the next game he’s ready to play. His grip strength is getting better. We’ll see how it goes.”
Holmgren said he is not worried about how long Pronger will be out of the lineup because of the depth the team has on defense.
“I happen to like it when (Andrej) Meszaros, (Matt) Carle and (Braydon) coburn play more minutes,” Holmgren said.
Pronger has met with team hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham, who is based in Baltimore and is considered the leading hand specialist in the U.S., and has also been examined by Dr. Randall Culp of the Philadelphia Hand Specialists who is affiliated with Methodist Hospital.
All x-rays and MRI’s have been negative so far.
“There’s obviously something going on in there that’s inhibiting his strength,” Holmgren said. “Obviously if you’re a hockey player you can’t play if you can’t grip your stick.

CARTER OUT AGAIN

2011-03-06T11:22:00.002-05:00

Credit Jeff Carter for giving it the old college try Saturday.

Fresh off a nasty flu virus and an emotional trip home to Canada for his grandfather's funeral, Carter played Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres.

However, after trying to do his pregame warmup routine Sunday at Madison Square Garden, Carter cut his workout short, hit the showers, dressed in his suit and headed home before the game even started.

Jody Shelley, who was a healthy scratch Saturday along with Dan Carcillo and Nick Boynton, will be back in the lineup.

Look for more on this and a lot more Flyers coverage later today and tomorrow as sports editor Rob Parent joins me in New York today for the big Atlantic Division matchup.

FLYERS MAKE ONE MINOR MOVE

2011-02-28T15:41:00.002-05:00

In what looks on paper to be a minor league trade, the Flyers sent Phantoms forward Greg Moore and unsigned draft choice Michael Chaput to the Columbus Blue Jackets for left wing Tommy Sestito.

Sestito, 23, actually played nine games with the Jackets this season and could very well get a cup of coffee with the Flyers before the regular season is out.

A hulking forward at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, the New York native is a guy the Flyers view as a possibility to be a depth forward next season.

But keep in mind the one thing the Flyers are really missing is a big-bodied winger - which is part of the problem on the power play - and Sestito could get a look on the big club sometime in April if the Flyers have the top seed locked up.

They parted with very little for Sestito - Moore is slated to be a UFA at season's end and Chaput, their highest pick in the draft last season (3rd round) still hadn't signed and likely wasn't going to do so with the Flyers.

Paul Holmgren said the team looked around at a few players, but the asking price was too high for rental players and the Flyers didn't have much to part with after trading a 1st rounder and a 3rd rounder for Kris Versteeg on Valentine's Day.

More on this deal and those that didn't happen later today.

TWEEPS MESSING WITH REPORTERS

2011-02-28T14:52:00.004-05:00

Some of my hockey colleagues were whining and complaining about fake Twitter accounts breaking phony trades.

Maybe it was because they all got burned by re-reporting it themselves.

Look, if you didn't get the scoop yourself, you should check it out before you go and post anything yourself. I understand we live in a world where immediacy is of the utmost importance, but really, shouldn't accuracy come ahead of that?

How hard would it be to take a minute or five to double check what somebody else put out there rather than assume it's gospel?

Former Flyer Joffrey Lupul had some fun at the media's expense in response to the rumor that he was traded to Long Island that was retweeted by a couple local reporters.

He made a point to suggest that at least one writer "writes first and asks questions later."

The point here is, your best reporters aren't going to go gaga on twitter everyday filling your feed with useless info or bad reports.

As for the fake twitter account guys... keep it up. You keep the real hockey scribes honest.

Instead, they're going to only give you news when there's actually news.

Find those guys and follow them.

And if the fake twitter folk are exposing other writers as hacks, so be it.

FIRST (and maybe only) BIG TRADE TODAY

2011-02-28T14:10:00.004-05:00

and it did not involve Flyers. No surprise there.

Still, The Flyers West (L.A. Kings) made the big splash acquiring Dustin Penner from the Edmonton Oilers for Colton Teubert a 1st round pick and another conditional pick.

That's a big add for the Kings who have been playing some really nice hockey of late.

In other trades:

Another former Flyer was dealt as Ryan Potulny and a 2nd round pick were shipped from Chicago to Ottawa for Defensemen Chris Campoli.

The other intriguing deal saw Carolina get Bryan Allen from Florida (where else) for Sergei Samsonov.

The Hurricanes, a possible first round opponent for the Flyers, are adding some nice pieces to try to make a run to A. Get in the playoffs, and B. play the role of Cinderella.

MOVES INVOLVING (former) FLYERS

2011-02-28T13:26:00.002-05:00

Still nothing here at Voorhees. Starting to seem like that's the way it's going to stay.

But a couple notes on a couple former Flyers:

Scottie Upshall was traded along with Sami Lepisto from Phoenix to Columbus for Rastislav Klesla.

I like the deal for the Jackets. Both players will add a little spunk to that offense as the Jackets try to sneak into the playoffs out west.

Then there's Justin Williams (married to a Delco girl by the way) who signed a new 4-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings worth $14.6 million. Good for Willie.

As for the rumor that Joffrey Lupul was traded (again) to the Islanders, not true. It was a Twitter fabrication.

Got to know who to trust on the social networks!

PANTHERS ONLY TEAM ACTIVE EARLY

2011-02-26T14:15:00.002-05:00

So the Panthers are emptying the cupboard.

First it was Radek Dvorak to the Thrashers for Nicklas Bergfors and Patrik Rissmiller.

Then it was Dennis Wideman to Washington for Jake Hauswirth and a third round pick.

Considering Wideman was the key piece in the trade for Nathan Horton last summer, it makes one wonder what the heck Dale Tallon was thinking.

Either way, he's the only one doing anything right now.

The Flyers, as expected, have been quiet.

They are looking for a cheap, veteran, depth winger, but won't break up the roster to get one.

There was a lot of speculation that they were trying to get Marty Reasoner from Florida (does everyone have Tallon on speed dial today?) But I was told a little bit ago that Reasoner not only won't be traded but is likely the next captain for the Panthers.

Meanwhile, here at practice, Nick Boynton has made his first appearance and was playing physical, burying James van Riemsdyk on one drill.

Blair Betts and Chris Pronger also practicing.

Stay tuned for more...

NIK'S LIMO HEADED SOUTH?

2011-02-23T21:33:00.002-05:00

So, I spent much of my evening sitting at my dining room table talking on the phone for far too long to NHL people about varying topics.

Anybody got a life they can trade me before Monday's deadline?

Anyway here's the latest:

At least three NHL teams are considering putting in a claim for Nik Zherdev - if they haven't already - and the one with the best chance of getting him? How about the Atlanta Thrashers?

It makes sense. The Thrashers have plummeted off the cliff and need to try to save their chance at a playoff berth, but would like to do so with spending extravagantly.

Zherdev is owed $440,000 the rest of the season (roughly) and becomes unrestricted after the season.

He'll immediately be viewed as a top six forward on the Thrashers and would certainly get up for the three remaining games the Thrash have with the Flyers. It makes a lot of sense.

If not Atlanta, another name I heard was Nashville... who is getting ready to make a serious push out West, and could be a dark horse with some added offense to its already stellar defensive team.

Mike Fisher was the first step, could Zherdev be the second?

Another league source told me that Zherdev would not return to Russia, as that season is nearly over, and that he won't go to the AHL - which suggests to me that a claim is coming.

We'll see how that turns out tomorrow.

As for Oskars Bartulis - a Flyers source confirmed for me tonight that Bartulis' shoulder injury is bad enough to require surgery and it will cost him the rest of the season.

Bad break for Bart, but if nothing else it all but guarantees the Flyers will be on the hunt for a seventh defenseman for the playoff push.

But I also think they want another forward.

When we were in Florida last week, Paul Holmgren was spotted having a lengthy chat with Dale Tallon, the GM of the Panthers.

So many people are speculating that this has to do with goalie Tomas Vokoun. The Flyers have been linked to him before, but I don't see the need for such a big money contract for a goalie.

If nothing else, the Flyers proved last season you don't need a big ticket goalie to reach the Cup Finals. I think they stand pat with Bobrovsky and Boucher.

But don't be surprised if Homer and Tallon weren't chatting about Cory Stillman.

The veteran winger is unrestricted after the season and is likely to be moved to a contender. Stillman would be reunited with Peter Laviolette who was his coach in 2005-06 in Carolina and they won a Stanley Cup.

He'd be another fine addition to the lineup.

His salary is pretty hefty, but the Flyers can get creative. Take away Zherdev and Bartulis' contracts and they could add Stillman without losing anyone else.

If they want to go Stillman and a defenseman, they could probably make it work by losing one salary from the current roster - Dan Carcillo and Andreas Nodl make the most sense mathematically.

Again, this is pure speculation. I have no knowledge of this being a legitimate possibility.

However, it's worth thinking about as a lot of pieces to my puzzle certainly make sense.

Let me know what you think.

Z YOU LATER

2011-02-23T15:17:00.002-05:00

Nik Zherdev has been waived. Who didn't see that coming?

Zherdev, who was a gamble to fit in with the Flyers when they signed him to a one-year deal, never did. He was a loner in the locker room. His work ethic was less than desired. He never won over coach Peter Laviolette and then sulked after being benched.

An animated discussion between Paul Holmgren and Zherdev's agent Jay Grossman in New York Sunday led to this end result.

Zherdev is gone. Fifteen goals in 47 games wasn't enough to keep him around. And while the Flyers said they'll wait to see what happens with the waiver process before deciding on what to do with Zherdev, it's almost a certainty that they won't keep him around.

His diva-like attitude is more of a strain on what is being built with the Flyers than his what his potential suggests he brings to the table.

"His agent and Nik aren't real happy with the situation here and they asked us to look around for options," Holmgren said. "Nothing really came of that through trade, so we'll see what happens.

"I think about this all the time. It was a little bit of an experiment bringing him here to see what he can do and for periods of time it was good. He has 15 goals in limited power play time and limited minutes. But over the course of time here, things have eroded and his work ethic has dropped off and right now he's not fitting in."

In other words... don't let the door hit you in the rear end on the way out.

Which is practically what happened Wednesday.

After being called to Holmgren's office to be told he was being put on waivers, Zherdev was smiling as he walked down the hallway outside the locker room chatting on his cell phone.

With a bevy of reporters waiting to speak to him, he told a Flyers' spokesman that he had no interest in speaking with the media, he slipped out a side door, into a limousine and sped away.

The end of an uneventful era.

In other news:

- Kimmo Timonen offered some unexpected criticism of Sergei Bobrovsky and sort of through some support behind Brian Boucher... look for a story on this on delcotimes.com later tonight.

- Despite reports to the contrary, Sean O'Donnell will be in the lineup Thursday against the Islanders, his knee sprain, not as bad as originally thought.

- Phantoms defenseman Matt Walker is on his way back to Philadelphia - but not as a recall. Rather he is returning for another surgery - this time on his knee - and it will keep him out of action for about one month.

- Oskars Bartulis will have shoulder surgery and will be out for a significant period of time. More details on that to come as well.

SHELLEY'S HEROS

2011-02-22T22:53:00.003-05:00

You always hear war references referring to losing battles but winning the war.

Feel free to use that when talking about Flyers pugilist Jody Shelley.

Shelley dropped the gloves with Phoenix defenseman Nolan Yonkman during the Flyers 3-2 overtime loss to the Coyotes and it was a heck of a fight.

Shelley landed more punches and as such gets credit for the win, but Yonkman did get one in and it split the bridge of Shelley's nose wide open.

As a result, Shelley needed more than 60 stitches to close the cut. He's going to have a real pretty face after this one.

Something tells me with a wound that big, Shelley might have to miss the tilt with the Islanders Thursday. If Blair Betts isn't ready to go, the Flyers may have no choice but to re-insert the enigma that is Nik Zherdev into the lineup.

Zherdev did skate with the team during warmups Tuesday - a rare sight from the Russian winger who, when he's not playing is hardly ever around, and is usually the first guy out of the arena after a game, win or lose, and isn't often seen mingling with teammates.

General manager Paul Holmgren had a lengthy conversation with Zherdev's agent Jay Grossman in the bowels of Madison Square Garden Sunday and it was Holmgren doing all the talking.

Maybe the message got through and Zherdev's participation in the warmup was a sign that he is making an effort - or at least a veiled effort - at being a better teammate.

Still, I don't think Peter Laviolette buys it for one minute. Zherdev is the one square peg in the Flyers locker room and I'm not convinced that he's wanted there when the chips are down in the postseason.

..................................

This came out of the blue:

Sean O'Donnell, he of the knee sprain and the 10-14 day timetable for a return, skated Tuesday for 40 minutes, felt great and could be back Thursday.

What's that line Joe Conklin used to use when doing his impersonation of Bob Clarke? "Hello, Liars."

Seriously...

"He got good news in his MRI," Paul Holmgren said. "It's not a ligament problem that we're dealing with."

One other item of note...

Of the 22 games remaining this season for the Flyers, 15 of them are against teams who entered play Tuesday not in a playoff position.

Nine of those 15 are in the next 10 games.

Here are next 10 opponents: Islanders, Senators, Maple Leafs, Sabres, Rangers, Oilers, Leafs again, Thrashers, Panthers, Thrashers again.

With 84 points, the Flyers are 34 points behind the Franchise record for points in a season (118 in 1975-76). Is it really inconceivable to think they couldn't match that with the schedule they have left?

After those next 10 games it gets a little dicey as they have five out of six against Dallas, Washington, Boston and Pittsburgh twice, but the season ends with two against the Islanders, another game with Atlanta, the Devils, Rangers again, Sens again and Sabres again.

A 17-5 record isn't too far-fetched.

Just saying...

WHAT ABOUT BOB?

2011-02-19T08:01:00.002-05:00

If an end of season award ever had an opportunity to boil down to one isolated moment it could have happened Friday night in Raleigh, N.C.

There was 18-year-old Carolina rookie - and cult icon in the research triangle - Jeff Skinner skating down the left wing.

There also was 22-year-old rookie goalie Sergei Bobrovsky squaring to face him.

There's a short list of names that will be mentioned for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, and these two are likely candidates for the award.

Skinner won the mano-y-mano competition in this instance, floating a nothing-special wrister through Bobrovsky's five-hole - a save the goalie, nay any goalie, has to make - but Bobrovsky answered Skinner the rest of the game.

Skinner is the leading scorer in the NHL among rookies, and by those accounts is a favorite to win the Calder Trophy. Considering the added exposure he received in the All-Star Game, He's a lock to be a finalist and could win on reputation alone.

Logan Couture in San Jose may be the most polished and most complete rookie this season, but he's only a rookie through a technicality as he played a good chunk of last season with the Sharks and that could hurt his candidacy in the eyes of many voters.

Then there's Michael Grabner with the Islanders. The late-to-the-party rookie has been white hot lately with 14 goals in 15 games to jump into the mix.

But what about Bobrovsky? Is what he's doing in goal impressive enough to be mentioned?

"He should be in the conversation," his coach Peter Lacviolette said. "If he's not then maybe I need to start rattling that cage. He has 23 wins. That means he's going to finish with 30 or more. That's a pretty impressive number for a rookie."

It is, but it ranks in the middle of the pack in the NHL (tied for 12th). His goals against average is also in the middle third of the league (12th at 2.44) and is behind his own teammate Brian Boucher (2.27, 6th). And his save percentage (.919) is tied for 15th in the league one-hundredth of a point behind Boucher (.920).

Again, his numbers are pretty good for a rookie, but they're not eye-popping. And when you consider Skinner, Couture and Grabner all are sure bets to post 50-point seasons as a rookie (Skinner could hit 60) and all three have a realistic shot at 30 goals.

Considering how hard it is to reach those plateaus as a veteran let a lone a rookie and considering Bobrovsky's slightly above average numbers are bolstered by playing behind arguably the best defensive corps in the NHL, it's not hard to think Bobrovsky is fourth in a three-horse race for the Calder - no matter how much cage-rattling Peter Laviolette wants to employ.

LEINO INJURY SAYS A LOT ABOUT ZHERDEV

2011-02-16T19:20:00.002-05:00

Ville Leino has a lower body injury. He is missing tonight's game against the Florida Panthers.

It was an injury suffered last night in the 4-3 win against the Lightning.

Paul Holmgren told me - and the Daily News - that it's nothing serious and that he'd "be surprised if (Leino) doesn't play the next game" Friday in Carolina.

But what's more interesting is coach Peter Laviolette's decision to use Jody Shelley in place of Leino rather than the more skilled Zherdev.

Zherdev has likely burned his last bridge with Laviolette and barring a dire need for him in one of the next couple games, may have played his last game as a Flyer..

Sources have confirmed that the Flyers are trying to trade Zherdev, but are struggling to find a partner with enough interest to work the deal.

If Zherdev does not get moved, don't be surprised to see the Flyers waive him, eat the remainder of his $2 million salary and create some additional cap room.

More on this tomorrow...

FLYERS LAND VERSTEEG

2011-02-14T18:56:00.002-05:00

I'm down in Clearwater with the Phillies but here's the press release from the Flyers on the trade. Rob Parent will have more on line in a bit and i'll follow up with the team in Tampa tomorrow:

The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have acquired 5-10, 182-pound right wing Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first-round and a third-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

“Kris is an exciting young forward,” Holmgren said. He’s 24 years old and he’ll fit in with our group of players here. He’s a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for our hockey team. He can move up and down our lineup. He can kill penalties. He can play on the power play. We think he’s a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and we think he’s going to be a really good addition to our team.”

“Right away I was extremely excited to join this team,” Versteeg said. “They’ve had a lot of success this season. They had a great playoff push last year and I’m excited to try and have a good one this year. I like to make plays and score goals at the same time, maybe go out there and be an agitator at times too. I’m going to try and do it all and have fun doing it.”

Versteeg, 24 (5-13-86), was a fifth-round selection of the Boston Bruins (134th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In 53 games for Toronto this season, Versteeg has posted 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. He was acquired by Toronto on June 30, 2010 in a five-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Versteeg was part of Chicago’s Stanley Cup championship team last season, contributing 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 79 regular season games and adding six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

In 223 NHL games with Chicago and Toronto over parts of four seasons, Versteeg has career totals of 58 goals and 78 assists for 136 points.

The Flyers return to action on Tuesday night when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the start of a four-game road trip. The game will be broadcast in high definition on Comcast SportsNet and also will air on 610 WIP. Puck drop is 7:30 PM.

ODD STATS ABOUND FOR FLYERS

2011-02-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

With a second five-day break from Flyers action in the past two weeks, I thought it would be cool to look at a few statistical anomalies that have shone through in this successful-to-this-point Flyers season.

The first is faceoff percentage.

Among players who have taken at least one draw per game, the Flyers two best faceoff folks this season are currently playing wing.

Jeff Carter hasn't taken enough draws to count among the league leaders but is winning 55.6 percent of his faceoffs this season...which would tie him with Sidney Crosby for 17th in the league. The reason he hasn't taken enough draws is because he's been playing a lot of wing.

Ville Leino is clicking at 58 percent, although he usually only gets a chance when Danny Briere gets tossed from the circle.

Still, going 40-for-69 is a pretty good sample, and maybe there's something there.

Mike Richards (49.2 percent), Claude Giroux (50.7 percent) and Blair Betts (48.4 percent) are close to a coin flip each time, but Danny Briere is a sub-par 45.3 percent.

Everybody is better at home than on the road becase you get the matchups you're looking for - that is all except Briere, who is one-tenth of a percent better away from the Wells Fargo Center. All that means though is Briere is equally shaky in the circle regardless of where the game is being played.

Which brings about this idea?

Why not let Leino take the draws on that line?

I'm sure coach Peter Laviolette will one day sit me down and explain how job responsibilities stem from positioning in a face off circle and how systematically it wouldn't be prudent to let Leino take draws instead of Briere, but until that day arrives (and I'll let you know if it does, it seems to me you should go with the hot hand.

If Leino proves to be just a flash in the pan in the circle - then go back to Briere. But to me, it's worth a shot to see what Ville can do.

As for Carter, how about giving him more of the draws than Giroux? It's not that Giroux has been bad... actually he's the best of the top four... but Carter has been elite. Only 18 of 91 qualifying pivots are winning at that good a clip.

Laviolette certainly plays matchups with those two right now, but Carter should be given more.

At least that's one man's opinion.

Now, after highlighting a negative in Danny Briere's game, let's turn to a positive.

There is only one line on the Flyers that has scored more points on the road than at home this season and, yep, you guessed it, it's Briere's line.

That translates to the rest of the league having no answer for them when they're on their game.

In other words, when the opposing coach has the ability to match up his best defensive pairing and his best defensive line against the Briere line, they're still scoring.

Combined they have 66 points and are a plus-32 in 26 road games. They have 52 points and are a plus-17 in 27 home games.

The only other Flyers that are better offensively on the road than at home are Andreas Nodl (11 points vs. 7 points), Jody Shelley (4 points vs. 0 points), Matt Carle (14 points vs. 10 points) and Andrej Meszaros (10 points vs. 9 points).

....................

One of the favorite parts of hockey - as far as fans are concerned - is hitting. The Flyers, of course, have a big time reputation of being a team that hits and hits hard.

And while that reputation is being upheld by the current bunch of players, it may not be the guys you think of first and foremost that are doing the hitting.

Consider:

There are four players with 100 or more hits this season and only one of them would be on the "as expected list" and that's Scott Hartnell, who incidentally is fourth on the team with 100 on the nose.

Who is ahead of him?

How about Chris Pronger - the notorious defensive hammer.

Nope. Granted he missed 15 games this season, but he's averaging less than one a game and has only 27 so far.

How about the enforcers? Dan Carcillo and Jody Shelley?

Well, combined they have more than 100 (118) but that's not even as many as the best hitter on the team.

How about Mike Richards - who so many people around the NHL ridiculously label a head hunter?

No. He has 66 hits. Fewer than ANdreas Nodl (72) and Claude Giroux (75).

Then who?

Well, No. 1 is Darroll Powe, with a whopping 128 - not bad for a fourth line player.

No. 2 is Andrej Meszaros with 110 - just another excellent part of his game.

And No. 3 is Braydon Coburn (more on him coming in a separate story on delcotimes.com tomorrow) with 101.

Here's a few other surprises:

Most giveaways: Matt Carle (39) - most among forwards: Mike Richards (26).

Fewest giveaways among regular players: Blair Betts (5)

Most Missed Shots: Jeff Carter (83) - O.K., that's not a surprise.

ON EMERY AND THE MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

2011-02-03T23:17:00.002-05:00

OK... before we get to the Flyers 3-2 win over Nashville...

Reports out of Canada (TSN rumor hawk Darren Dreger) are that the Flyers are one of three teams interested in signing Ray Emery.

I checked with a source tonight and although I was told it was unlikely, I didn't buy the poker face I was being given.

I think the Flyers would like to add another veteran goalie for depth purposes - in case Sergei Bobrovsky falters, or there is an injury - and I think they'd be willing to gamble on Emery on a two-way contract, which Emery would likely sign.

Also, Emery is young enough that if he shows you something in the AHL, maybe he becomes another asset for the team. Who knows.

Also, Detroit is in serious need of a backup goalie. Maybe they'd be willing to trade for one of the Flyers depth guys. Who knows.

The fact is, while I was told emery is not a priority, I believe Dreger's report and think there is definite interest.

As for the game... it was well-played both ways.

Nashville doesn't get a lot of credit for their style of game because they are an unheralded team, but the fact is, they play you tough and are in every game. They have a really strong defense - like the Flyers - and probably a better goaltending tandem in Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback.

Where the Flyers seriously trump the Preds is up front. Nashville doesn't even have one dynamic offensive forwards, let alone six or seven as the Flyers do, and ultimately that won out.

But, it didn't stop Peter Laviolette and Barry Trotz from tripping over their own tongues to compliment the other coach's team:

Trotz:

“They have tremendous depth, they have three lines that are first or second line quality. We had (Kimmo) Timonen, and know he is one of the smartest defenseman in the league. Pronger is going to be a Hall of Fame Norris guy every year. They have really good depth, mobility, smarts. They’re the deepest team that I’ve seen out of the East, there is no question about it.”

Laviolette:

"Nashville came in here and played a really strong game. They skated very well and competed very well and you have to match that and I thought we did.
"It’s about winning and losing, and as the season starts to push towards the end, if you don’t compete at the level at which we did tonight and Nashville did tonight, you’ll find yourself not in a hockey game. Both teams were in a hockey game, it was a playoff style, very competitive game for me and not a lot of scoring chances, not a lot of room to make plays, you had to fight for everything out there, on both sides. But if you’re not ready to do that, you don’t do that, and you’re playing somebody that is – it might get lopsided out there.”

Speaking of Trotz, he didn't have a lot of kind words for Martin Erat, who was flabbergasted by Leino on the winning goal. Here's Trotz... a few times on Erat - without ever naming him).

"We came back twice in the game and tied it up and then just some coverage broke down. The low forward on the third goal(Erat) was really loose on Leino and then panicked and Leino executed. I thought we should have come out of here with a point."

Q: You said your team came back right after the Flyers scored, do you think it gave some momentum to the team?

“Absolutely, after they scored, they’re a good hockey team and obviously the top team in the East (more love for Lavvy) and we came back and responded and got a big power play goal. We should be able to hold them down; they really didn’t have much going on.
"That was really the only shift they had something going on after we scored the goal. Just forward low coverage, they (Erat) had Leino in the corner, then he moved it and they (Erat) just stood there and watched. You (Erat) have to be detailed and committed right at the end of the game and we lost, one guy made a mistake and it ended up in our net.”

Quality....

By the way, Jeff Carter is the definition of streaky. He has seven 3-point games this season. That's 21 points in seven games. That means he only has 26 points in the other 45 games.

CARCILLO MAKES HIS CASE

2011-01-26T00:55:00.002-05:00

Before Tuesday's 5-2 over the Canadiens, we caught up with Daniel Carcillo, who found out he was in the lineup for a second straight game while James van Riemsdyk rested his tweaked lower body.

Here's what Danny had to say:

"It's frustrating not playing. I got to play (Sunday), went in there and played my game. You have to play well because you know if you don't you're going to come right back out. There's a little more emphasis on your game. You got to bring what he (coach Peter Laviolette) wants to see. Everyone here has their roles. Once I get a chance to play my job is to bring energy, get the guys going. Give hits, stuff like that.

"Obviously you want to be playing. It sucks big time not playing. Especially with the guys doing well. When you win, you don't come out of the lineup, so hopefully I can keep contributing and keep winning.

"I don't talk to him (Laviolette) much. We don't talk much. I know what I have to do. I just have to skate and hit every game and bring energy. That's what he wants out of me every game. Whether it be with (Mike Richards) and (Andreas) Nodl or with (Jody) Shelley and (Blair) Betts you know you're going to see the same game from me.

"I get a long with everybody and I've made a lot of friends here. It's a tough situation for sure. It's not something I thought I'd be in this year, but it is what it is. It's a roller coaster. It's ups and downs."

Sounds like Carcillo and Laviolette don't quite see eye to eye.

However, Carcillo made a case to stay in the lineup after the All-Star break with a goal in the win over the Habs. He also stirred the pot a few times and really got under the skin of the Canadiens in the six short minutes of ice he got before being banished to the locker room in the third period with a misconduct.

"When Danny plays in the lineup he needs to continue to do what he did against Chicago. He played an aggressive game and he skated well. It's always a little easier when he's playing with Mike not from a personnel standpoint but from a minutes standpoint. Mike's line gets out there on a pretty regular basis. He was in the game and active and he did a good job with his physical presence."

So, should he stay in the lineup?

There are those who argue he should be ahead of Shelley because he brings more skill, but the fact is, Carcillo is not an enforcer, Shelley is.

Also, Shelley is well-liked in the locker room and is a respected voice on the bench as well.

So, who comes out?

NO ALL-STAR GAME FOR RICHARDS

2011-01-23T16:18:00.003-05:00

With Sidney Crosby and Evegeni Malkin backing out of next week's All-Star game with injuries, the NHL's hockey operations department has to find replacements.

They might have been thinking about Mike Richards, who until Claude Giroux's four-point ouburst in today's 4-1 win in Chicago, was the Flyers' leading scorer.

Not only would Richards be ideal because the Flyers are the best team in the NHL record-wise - but Richards would give the league a little name recognition to replace the hurt of losing it's star player - Crosby - and one of the game's other big names in Malkin.

However, the NHL can scratch Richards off the list.

"It's not too late for them to ask me, but it's too late for me to say yes that I would go," Richards said after the game. "I've already made too many commitments to too many people (for next weekend) and for be to cancel on them last minute wouldn't be good."

Richards has 44 points this season, which ranks him tied for 14th in the league. Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg is the only higher-scoring player in the league who wasn't selected to participate in the game and reports are that he made it known he wouldn't go to rest some nagging injuries that he is playing through in games that matter.

So, Richards is definitely deserving - but he won't be there - now by his own choice.

BRIERE FINED... FOR NOTHING

2011-01-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

The never-ending joke that is the NHL disciplinary system provided a few more sarcastic chuckles Monday evening.

That's because NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell, whose fines and suspensions stagger across the map more than the town drunkard on his way home from the local tavern, slapped Flyers' forward Danny Briere with a $1,000 fine for ... well... nothing.

As Sunday's 3-2 Flyers' win over the New York Rangers was concluding, two Flyers' players - Briere and Scott Hartnell - took a swipe at Rangers' forward Brandon Prust from the bench as Prust skated by.

Already perturbed at the Rangers' guerrilla tactics from earlier in the game - namely Sean Avery ambushing Matt Carle from behind and pummeling the pacifistic Flyers' defenseman in a ... ahem... fight, both players again became incensed after Prust leveled Kimmo Timonen after he cleared the puck from the Flyers' zone, securing the win.

It was a clean check, but it was probably unnecessary considering the time of the game it occurred.

As Prust skated by, first Hartnell, then Briere, took a gloved swipe at Prust. Hartnell clipped Prust in the helmet. Briere got nothing but air.

But Campbell, who seems to have a specific dislike for Briere, levied the fine for the swing and miss but looked past the one that made contact.

If he would answer a question about his decision, he would likely refer to Briere as a repeat offender, which made him subject to the fine, while Hartnell doesn't have that status.

But, Campbell refuses to answer such questions, and told one reporter Monday that what went into the decision was none of the media's business.

Nice.

The Campbell-Briere tiff has been a discussion all season long.

Briere was suspended three games in November for a blow to the head of New York Islanders forward Franz Nielsen during a late October game.

Many felt the suspension was a little excessive, and Briere expressed his displeasure with Campbell afterward, saying Campbell had his mind made up before he ever spoke to Briere.

Briere was later left off the NHL All-Star roster despite obviously deserving a spot, and hinted that his reputation might have been what kept him off. Campbell was part of the hockey operations committee that decided a majority of the players participating in the game.

Now comes this suspension.

The Flyers released a statement that they would not have any further comment publicly about the fine. However, a team source told me Monday night that they vehemently expressed their displeasure with this latest fine.

Meanwhile, Avery slithered away scott free again despite his snake-like antics.

Briere has now been fined a whopping $239,000 this season by the NHL.

Can't wait for the next punchline... or in this case... phantom punch-line.

PRONGER CLOSE

2011-01-12T14:18:00.005-05:00

Sitting here stuck in Buffalo with my fellow beat reporters hoping for something, anything, to do to break the monotony of a looking at snow out the hotel window.

The Flyers tried to provide such a little nugget of information.

Chris Pronger, who has been recovering from foot surgery last month, has been cleared to participate fully in practice with the Flyers after a visit to the doctor today.

He likely would have joined the team in Boston, but nothing is getting in or out of Bean Town because of a blizzard that is rocking the city (which is why I'm still in Buffalo).

As such, Pronger will meet the team in Atlanta Friday, although I find that perplexing as well as the team doesn't usually have a game-day practice (morning skate) when they play on back-to-back days.

The expectation is the target date for Pronger's return is next Tuesday when the Flyers come home to play the Washington Capitals, but he will likely need a few good practices before that can happen.

As for his teammates, their charter flight made it into Boston's Logan Airport just before the big storm hit very early this morning (just before 1 a.m.). However, they are snowed into their hotel and had to cancel practice today.

Peter Laviolette said the team went to a fitness club next door to the hotel for a team workout, but that was about all that could be done as the rest of the city is shut down.

The hope is we can finally get out of here and join the team tomorrow in Boston, but we are at the mercy of the snow at this point.

Stay warm.

ALL-STAR DEBACLE

2011-01-11T15:58:00.003-05:00

Leave it to the NHL to make pointless All-Star games even worse.

It's probably not worth going off on a big rant here, because it is the All-Star game after all, a meaningless game that no one really cares about but the NHL is going to market like it matters, but the fact of the matter is, whoever the NHL operations department consists of that selected this team sure fell way short of putting together a compelling list of players.

Certainly there are those that deserve to be part of the festivities. The faces of the league, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are going to be there. Not to mention, the league unveiled the uniforms for the All-Star Game Tuesday and while they aren't exactly like the Winter Classic Jerseys worn by the Capitals and Penguins - they sure do bear some striking similarities.

Other players deserve to be there too, like Martin St. Louis, the Sedin Twins in Vancouver and even though he is the hometown guy, Eric Staal is having a nice season.

They even went so far as to get it right and recognize some unheralded players having
fine seasons - like Louis Erikson in Dallas, Ryan Kesler in Vancouver, Anze Kopitar in Los Angeles and Patrick Sharp in Chicago.

But, to litter the roster with undeserving players, and players who don't have a lot of cache in the name recognition department only makes for a more uninteresting matchup.

It's bad enough that the ballot box stuffers in Pittsburgh and Chicago got Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Toews into the All-Star game this season when they aren't having All-Star seasons, but that's forgiveable, because hey, it's fans. They don't know what the heck they're talking about, but they drive the product by constantly spending money to see it, so they should get to see who they want, regardless of how biased their voting might be.

But, for the NHL people to include players like Patrick Elias (nine goals and a minus-11), Phil Kessel (62nd in the league in scoring and a minus-15), Ales Hemsky (124th in the NHL in scoring), Erik Karlsson (minus-11 and 15th in scoring among deensemen)and Cam Ward(17th in the NHL in goals against) is puzzling.

I'm not even sure guys like David Backes, Patrick Kane, Brent Burns, Mike Green, Marc Staal, Jonas Hiller or Henrik Lundqvist belonged.

Not when the following players were snubbed:

Forwards:

Nicklas Backstrom (WAS) and Martin Havlat (MIN) - highest scoring players in the NHL (38 each - ranks in top 20) not selected while at least seven forwards with fewer points made it.

Paul Stastny - only the best player on an overachieving Colorado Avalanche team whose numbers are identical to Jarome Iginla, who made the team.

Dany Heatley, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards and Teemu Selanne - four players having solid years with a little name recognition that would have spiced up the lineup. Instead, the league felt Backes, Elias, Hemsky, and Kessel were better choices.

Danny Briere - Only eight players in the NHL have at least 20 goals this season. Seven of them are all stars. Briere is the only one who isn't, and it's because the league has an agenda with him - more on that in a story for tomorrow.

Defensemen:

Lubomir Visnovsky - raise your hand if you thought the Ducks were a contender this year. Visnovsky has been excellent with 33 points and a plus-6.

Jon-Michael Liles and Brian Rafalski - two U.S. defenseman getting no love - but with 30 points each and strong defensive numbers, they have to be better choices than either Burns or Karlsson - not to mention would have at least been recognizable to NBC viewers in the States.

How can anyone not be impressed with Ryan Whitney on a bad Edmonton team? His stats - 2-25-27, plus-13. Another American left out.

Oh, and the guy that sort of replaced Whitney in Pittsburgh - Alex Gologoski. He's 7-16-23 plus-20. O.K. We get it. It's Canada's game. Now, pick the most deserving players, please?

Wait, more U.S. snubs?

How about Jonathan Quick (2.18 GAA, .920 SvPct.)? He's got to be a better choice than Ward, Carey Price and Jonas Hiller based on his stats, no?

But, quick isn't the biggest goalie snub.

How about Pekka Rinne in Nashville? The Finn has super numbers (2.16, .926).
Or Ondrej Pavelec, who is singlehandedly turning the Atlanta Thrashers into a playoff team? His 2.33, .930 is better than Roberto Luongo - who I can also make a case for ahead of Ward and Hiller.

In total, of the 42 players playing in front of a national TV audience in the United States, only six are American.

That's not to say the NHL should have used that as a starting point - because if Americans didn't deserve to go, then they shouldn't be there just because they are American.

But if they did deserve to go, that should carry some weight.

So should name recognition.

Or being one of the best goal-scorers in the game.

Of course, none of this matters in the NHL, where everything is done bass-ackwards. Hope they're ready for bad ratings in the U.S. (with the exception of Pittsburgh and Chicago).

(NOTE: Not every team needed to be represented among the 42 players in the All-Star game. Also, I'm not a big fan of plus-minus rating, but I used that in lieu of advanced statistics because, after all, this game is for a casual audience.)

MID TERM GRADES

2011-01-08T18:13:00.003-05:00

It's been a staple in newspapers for years:

Beat reporter covering a team assigns mid-term grades to players and coaches after the game that represents the mid-point of a season.

Like we really should be the ones holding the red pens.

To be honest, I've never liked the concept, and have tried avoiding it in the past, or at least tried to put a sarcastic spin on the process to make it different.

All previous attempts have failed.

so, now I have just decided to conform, but do so in a much more efficient manner.

See, when we printed it in the newspaper, we had to fill a certain amount of space, so we had to really sell our grades to the readers, which made the project all the more loathsome.

But, I decided to put it on the blog instead. That way I can keep it simple and not have to really make this whole farcical process worse than it has to be.

So, without further delay: My mid-term grades. I'm sure you could convince me to change them if you disagree: (players listed in numerical order)

Oskars Bartulis - C - Not sure it would be higher if he had played more.

Braydon Coburn - B+ - Got off to a really good start then leveled off - still, a solid defenseman.

Sean O'Donnell - B - Would be higher, but he tapered off after being separated from Andrej Meszaros.

Blair Betts - B- - Not as good in the faceoff circle as last year, and not as dominant on the PK without Ian Laperriere as his partner.

Daniel Carcillo - C - Not really a Laviolette type player. Doesn't really have a role.

Andreas Nodl - A - Maybe the most pleasant surprise on the roster this season.

Jeff Carter - B+ - Just wish he wouldn't go in spurts. If he was more consistent, he'd be an A.

Mike Richards - A - Certainly the Flyers most valuable player even if he hasn't been the first half MVP (read that a couple times, it will eventually make sense to you).

Scott Hartnell - B+ - and he gets the additional most improved player award.

Chris Pronger - B - Was slowed by injury early, made a nice comeback - now hurt again. Should be an A by year's end.

James van Riemsdyk - B - He was an F through mid-November, so this tells you how far he's come.

Ville Leino - B+ - I think everyone from me to the coaches to his linemates to the fans wish he'd shoot more... still, a beast with the puck and a heck of a playmaker.

Matt Carle - B - Not as strong as last season, but hasn't had a healthy Pronger next to him all season either.

Claude Giroux - B+ - Tapered off a little lately, but has had an offensive breakout season.

Brian Boucher - A - In my mind anyway, has been the first-half co-MVP. He has the mental makeup to carry it through the rest of the season too.

Sergei Bobrovsky - A- - For adapting as quickly as he has, he's been an A+, but he also has fallen off a tad too. But, with Boosh rolling, he doesn't need to be perfect.

Darroll Powe - B - Has filled in admirably for Laperriere on the PK.

Andrej Meszaros - A - Holmgren's best move of the offseason. The guy has been a superb, all-around defenseman.

Kimmo Timonen - A- - The guy who keeps the defense together and the quiet leader in the locker room. Underrated star on this team.

Jody Shelley - B- - Has played his role well... and a great guy in the locker room.

Danny Briere - A - The other co-MVP with Boucher. Nice to see him finally having the kind of year so many people expected him to have in Philly - including Briere himself.

Nik Zherdev - C - The guy can score. He's an offensive whiz. He does nothing else and frustrates the organization in the process.

Peter Laviolette - A - Has to be the early leader in the race for the Jack Adams Award, no?

A DEAL WITH THE DEVILS?

2011-01-06T19:37:00.002-05:00

The New Jersey Devils scratched veteran captain Jamie Langenbrunner prior to Thursday's game with the Philadelphia Flyers and asked him to waive his no trade clause.

Why is this interesting to Flyers fans?

Because the Flyers are pushing hard to get Langenbrunner.

I talked to a source familiar with both sides of the deal tonight and I was told that Devils' GM Lou Lamoriello called the Flyers a few days ago asking if they were interested in Langenbrunner, who makes $2.8 million and will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

Not coincidentally, the Flyers waived Michael Leighton that same day, creating cap room to acquire a player of Langenbrunner's ilk.

The source said the Flyers offered the Devils "draft picks" in exchange for Langenbrunner but have not heard back from Lamoriello since, making the Flyers believe the Devils' GM had gotten a better offer somewhere else.

However, playing in the Flyers favor is the notion that Langenbrunner will only waive his no trade clause to go to a contender, and that team would either have to be on the East Coast - so his family can stay put, or back to Dallas, where he made his bones in the NHL.

Some reports are suggesting Washington and Boston could be frontrunners, but the Caps' don't make much sense - they have enough up front. Boston is a legit possibility though, however the Flyers are going to try to convince Lamoriello otherwise.

According to the source, Flyers' G.M. Paul Holmgren was spending his time at the Prudential Center Thursday hunting down Lamoriello trying to work the deal.

However, it should be noted, Lamoriello has never orchestrated a trade with the Flyers, and might choose to send Langenbrunner outside of the Atlantic Division before helping a chief rival.

Stay tuned as the drama continues...

NOT THEIR SPECIALTY

2011-01-05T14:48:00.004-05:00

When you have the best record in the league, it usually means things are puttering along rather smoothly.

And while the Flyers can't complain right now, they are perfectionists, and still have some concerns.

Like special teams.

When John Stevens was the coach, he used to add his power play percentage to his penalty kill rate.

"Anything above 103 and you're happy," he once said.

Right now the Flyers are at 98.7.

Not bad for a body temperature, but Stevens would tell you the Flyers have work to do.

And they wouldn't disagree with their former coach.

Both the power play and the penalty kill have been inconsistent this season, which is why the PP finds itself tied for 17th in the league (17.1 pct.) and the PK is tied for 16th (81.6 pct.)

"We have to find a way to improve it," Danny Briere said. "We know we can be better in those areas." But, not everything can be perfect all the time. If it were we'd be winning games 7-1, 8-1 every night. Come to think of it, if that happened we'd start complaining that we can't play in close games."

There have been a lot of reasons the Flyers can't get rolling on special teams. On the PP players have said there's a lack of movement at times, an unwillingness to create traffic at others, or even trying to be too cute when a simpler approach would likely prove successful.

As for the PK, well, let's just say this unit really misses Ian Laperriere this season.

Not to mention, Chris Pronger has also been out of the lineup, and he is an integral piece to both special teams units, so it's understandable that they are a middling bunch right now.

However, they need to get them right by April as special teams is a crucial aspect to playoff success.

"You go through times in the season where things either go your way or don't go your way on special teams," coach Peter Laviolette said. "We've still been able to win games, but we have to keep working at it. Something is always going on. You're always working on something... The penalty kill has done a decent job. We seem to do everything right and then there seems to be a rebound or a backdoor goal of some kind... but we have the right people on the ice."

....................................................

In other news...

- Chris Pronger was cleared today to begin light skating tomorrow. He will have his healing foot (fractured metatarsal) re-evaluated again next Wednesday.

- Nik Zherdev skipped practice again with a groin injury. He is doubtful for tomorrow's game in New Jersey.

- If the Flyers sweep the Devils tomorrow and Saturday, Laviolette will be named the second coach for the All-Star game in Carolina Jan. 30. Asked for his thoughts on that:
"I'd rather not get into that right now," he said. "We have two big games coming up and I'd rather get two wins than look ahead to Fantasy land."

LATER, LEIGHTON.

2011-01-03T12:38:00.005-05:00

The Flyers made a bold move and placed Michael Leighton on waivers today.

(To hear audio of Paul Holmgren talking about this move go here.)

That temporarily solves the logjam in goal on the current roster.

A move was expected - and smartly the Flyers chose to move Leighton, who was the most expendable at the time, never mind what he did for the team last season that earned him that brand-spanking new two-year contract last summer.

The move is certainly injury-related. Leighton played his first official game since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last week and looked very shaky in a 7-4 Flyers' win in Los Angeles.

His back surgery and subsequent problems with his leg have certainly slowed him up.

Unable to trade him - and there were/are teams in need of cheap goaltending - the Flyers had no choice but to waive him, and hope he clears waivers so they can send him to the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL.

Ultimately, at this point, the plan is to go with red-hot Brian Boucher, who improved to 7-1-1 in his last nine starts Sunday with a 3-2 win in Detroit on his 34th birthday, and rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, who has been dealing with confidence issues since his red hot start to the season.

Boucher is in the last year of his deal and Leighton is signed for next year. Likely, Leighton will spend the rest of the year with the Phantoms and then be brought back as a backup to Bobrovsky next season as Boucher becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Leighton got that start in L.A. as the Flyers tried to determine what the best course of action would be for their goaltending dilemma.

If he had a good-to-great game, he would have either increased his trade value - and maybe Tampa Bay would have traded for him rather than Dwayne Roloson, or maybe the FLyers would have sent Bobrovsky to the Phantoms to get him some needed work in low-pressure situations while Leighton and Boucher shared NHL duties.

However, Leighton didn't perform well against the Kings, and if anything, hurt his value with at least two horrible goals against.

This left the Flyers little choice but to waive him.

If he's claimed during the waiver process, the claiming team will be responsible for his entire contract. If he goes unclaimed, he will be sent to the Phantoms and can only be brought back to the Flyers if he cleared waivers a second time - this time with teams being able to get him at half-price with the Flyers on the hook for the other half of the salary (remember Randy Jones?)

Paul Holmgren will address this problem later today and I will have audio available immediately here on the blog through my twitter feed (@anthonysan37) to the right.

Stay tuned.