BECOME A FAN OF ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND INFORMATIVE NHL/PHILADELPHIA FLYERS BLOGS ON THE INTERNET TODAY. THE MOOSE IS LOOSE, SO COUNT ON GRINDIN FOR THE STATS, SCOOPS AND STORIES, BOTH DURING THE SEASON AND BEYOND.
Guys, I have really exciting news to share with you. I don't have all the details yet, but everything will happen quick, so keep up.
This blog will cease to exist in it's current form in just a few weeks. The good folks at Genemix have presented me with a golden opportunity...to have my very own sports website.
www.thephillymoose.com
Don't lose the number :)
At The Philly Moose, we'll be covering not just the Flyers, but all Philadelphia sports, and more! I won't be doing it alone. I have two writers besides myself on staff at this time, and am definitely looking for more. I'll introduce them and all when the site launches.
What you read here isn't going away. You can expect the same coverage on the new site, as well as tons of other material.
There's also a radio show podcast in the works, where we'll cover all kinds of cool shit!
Stay tuned for more information on both projects, and thank you all for your continued support. Nothing is possible without you, and I never forget that.
It would have been really, really shitty if the Flyers lost tonight. Between raising the Eastern Conference Championship banner into the rafters, Chris Pronger's unannounced return to the lineup tonight, and oh yeah, that whole home opener thing, I think beating the Avalanche tonight was the only possible outcome.
The Flyers pounced on the Avs early, with the forwards as a whole showing an energy that just wasn't there in the previous two games. Players were skating harder, finishing their checks, and creating tons of good scoring chances. For the whole game, they managed to put 37 shots on goal, but there were really times where it seemed like they all came before the first intermission.
Claude Giroux got the scoring going at 12:13 of the first, with Jeff Carter banging one home five minutes later.
The second period saw a drop off for Philly. During the second intermission, Neil Hartman called the Flyers play "uninspired". I think this was really my only complaint of the night. I can't tell you what else he said, as I decided to flick between the Jets game and WWE Raw until some intelligence came back on the tube, but I really don't think the Flyers came down from their game at all. Colorado stepped it up quite a bit, and their coach Joe Sacco should get credit for that. It wasn't that the Flyers fell off, it's just whatever Sacco said to his players worked.
It pisses me off to see members of the Philadelphia sports media be so quick to lambast all the local teams, not just the Flyers, when there's a lack of production or a loss. I wish these people (Howard Eskin, i'm talking to you. Angelo Cataldi, you too homie) would just take a second to realize that sometimes, the other team is just better. If a team plays hard and does everything right, but it just ain't enough, it's not that team's fault. The other team was just better. Lighten up, douche nozzles.
But I digress. Colorado got one midway through the second, and Milan Hejduk (it's pronounced heyduke, your welcome) tied it up thirty seconds into the third, but Jeff Carter poked in his second goal of the night at the 17:22, which proved to be the game winner. Darroll Powe scored an empty netter with 1:11 remaining in the game to put an exclamation point on an awesome night.
I think this was a great night to build off of. The team felt the difference of a friendly crowd, felt the difference in their performance when they clock in for a full sixty minutes. This was the first game of a five game homestand, their longest of the year. This win generates momentum for the next one, and on we go. Before you know it, we're through the stretch with guns blazing, and last season starts all over again.
Next game is Thursday night, c'mon back then for another round with Moose. Thanks for reading, and take care.
Danny Briere scored the Flyers only goal, the defense played okay, and Boosh made a few decent stops.
That's where the love fest ends.
The Flyers lost to the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in overtime last night, and frankly they are damn lucky the score was that close.
Like in the Pittsburgh game, the offense put forth no significant effort until the third period, lazily carrying the puck into the zone, favoring line changes over offensive chances. They got away with it against the Penguins, but if this is a trend that is going to continue, it's gonna be a long season for the orange and black faithful. There was simply no intensity until it was too late.
The lone bright spot was the play of the Scott Hartnell - Danny Briere - Ville Leino line. They generated the team's only scoring, and continued the reckless, rowdy and effective style together that made coach Peter Laviolette keep the line intact from last season.
What Laviolette did wrong, was putting Brian Boucher between the pipes.
Am I a little bias toward Sergei Bobrovsky, yes I am. Do I feel he's a better goalie, yes I do. Why? Because he fucking is! Boosh will make the initial save, then completely lose sight of the puck and everyone around him. At one point last night, he made a pad save. Cool! As the puck skitters behind him and comes to rest against the right post, Boosh just stands there and stares down the ice. You got eight players around you, and you freeze. Garbage!
Here's the long and short of it. The Flyers are a 1-1 team. A lazy one and one team. Did Mike Richards and his boys start drinking heavy again? I think maybe. Does Laviolette need to light a fire under their asses? I think maybe that too. Because if he doesn't, watching Flyers hockey is gonna become a really shitty thing to do here soon.
Then Mario Lemieux poured water on center ice at the Penguins' new house. They said it was melted ice from Mellon Arena. Maybe it was, maybe it was Evian. We'll never know.
There were these fancy introductions for the Penguin players.
Finally, the lights came on, and Sergei Bobrovsky took his place in the crease.
And the game was won before the opening faceoff.
The first ten minutes of the first period were sketchy for Philadelphia. The Penguins looked great, and spent most of this time in the Flyers' defensive end. Bobrovsky looked like a Vezina winner, not a 22 year old kid making his NHL debut. He single handedly kept Pittsburgh out of the net through the first.
Peter Laviolette took his timeout midway through the period, and lit a fire under Philly. The defense tightened up, the Flyers started getting physical, and finally started getting chances. The game was scoreless after 20 minutes.
The Flyers finally got on the board at 2:51 of the second, when Danny Briere slipped one in on the power play. Mike Richards and Ville Leino got the assists. Blair Betts scored towards the end of the period, sending Pittsburgh to the dressing room staring at a two goal deficit.
The Penguins finally got on the board early in the third, but Claude Giroux scored a shorthanded goal to put the lead back at two. Pittsburgh scored once more, but it wasn't enough to overcome Bobrovsky's goaltending, despite 1:30 of a 6 on 4 empty net attack at the end. The game ended with the Flyers winning 3-2.
The young goalie was low key after the performance.
"It wasn't anything too extraordinary," Bobrovsky said after the game. "I wasn't too nervous. I was ready for this."
The Flyers next game is Saturday night in St. Louis, when they play the Blues.
Moose's Three Stars -
Third Star - Kimmo Timonen Led all skaters with 25:34 of ice time. Without Pronger in the lineup, Kimmo is the big dog in the yard. He quietly held up his end of the deal all night.
Second Star - Danny Briere Scored the first goal of the night, and set the pace for the rest of the night by creating several chances.
First Star - Sergei Bobrovsky Stopped 29 of 31 shots. Absolutely masterful debut, plain and simple. The defense looked decent tonight, but you can see they need some time to gel. "Bob" carried the load for the D, and got Philly this win.
Hello everyone. If you are reading this, I thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you like what you see. If this is your first time here, this post may mean nothing to you. I apologize in advance for your time, please go ahead and read the subsequent articles about the Flyers and have a great time doing so :)
This one is for last season's readers, as well as the good folks at Genemix Industries, who vouched for and have supported me from my first post.
You may be thinking to yourself "Why hasn't he really posted anything all summer?". I mean, things happened over the summer. Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils learned that trying to circumvent the collective bargaining agreement is really bad. There was a complete fire sale in the Windy City, as the Blackhawks dumped ten players after winning the Stanley Cup. Even the Flyers, the very basis of this blog, saw a ton of free agent signings, crucial injuries to Chris Pronger, Ian LaPerriere and Michael Leighton, and much more that I will think of when it isn't 1:00 in the morning.
I got sick. Really, scary, sick. I owe those of you who don't know an explanation.
I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic when I had my heart attack in the spring of 2009. It was never really an issue until recently. I carried on through my days at 415 pounds, chain smoking, eating take out and watching hockey. Sounds fun, right?
Around the time last season's playoffs hit the conference finals, I started peeing alot more than I used to, and I started having weak spells. Nothing that stopped me from writing or living. Doctor chalked it up to a bladder infection and too much Wawa Lemonade Tea (c'mon locals, holla at some tea!). Around the time the playoffs wrapped up, it started getting a little worse. Same problems, but I couldn't eat anything. I started losing weight. This made me happy!
But as the summer moved along, I got sicker and sicker, eventually getting to a point where I could barely get out of bed. Doc finally calls for blood work, and sees that all the things that say I have full on diabetes, say just that. So he finally gives me a blood tester thing and tells me to head home.
Two days I was sitting in an emergency room as doctors frantically tried to get my blood sugar down from over 600. It took them five days, but they finally got it down to under 200. My heart problems also reared their head, as every time I got out of the hospital bed, my heart rate shot up over 160.
There were some adjustments and things that had to be done when I came home. New diet, new drugs, needles.
Oh yeah, I moved to a new place in the middle of all this.
They told me I could have (maybe should have) died from the blood sugar thing. But I didn't, so here I am, to hell and back.
I'm 80 pounds lighter, I eat better, feel better, and am once again a handsome bastard. But with that being said, guys i'm really sorry. I had a responsibility to maintain this blog for my friends and fans who wish to read it. I hope to not let you down again.
The Flyers look really good this year. I look forward to covering them, I hope you look forward to reading about them. It's my hope that next summer, i'll be healthy still, writing about the parade down Broad Street.
Thank you all, let's have a fun season together, and god bless.
One of the worst kept secrets in Flyers history was finally made official when GM Paul Holmgren announced that veteran Bill Guerin was signed to a tryout contract.
Not that we weren't already assuming.
Prior to the signing, Guerin took part in several team workouts and scrimmages. We were all told that it was a favor to Guerin, letting him stay in shape until he was eventually offered a contract. Read that back to yourself a few times and tell me if it makes sense. I didn't think so either.
As far as cap space, Philly's holding $877,000 and change. If this deal gets done, there's really nothing else to play with going forward.
I think that the problem is going to be where he fits in. As it stands now, there are twelve forwards etched in stone. I see the Flyers scratching Jody Shelley and sliding Dan Carcillo from the third to the fourth line and plugging Guerin in there with the third. Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not Carcillo even makes the starting lineup. If not, it'll be some other guy from that line, I think.
On paper, it looks like a good move. He posted 45 points last season, the most he's had since 2006-07. He's a big, tough, gritty forward who fits the Flyers style well. I just can't help but think we don't need him. We have four good lines, why screw with them? Why is Paul Holmgren so gung ho to go after these older players as well as high risk, high reward types? The way the Flyers are set up right now, they can either be a cup contender, or sub .500. I wonder why we didn't get a proven goaltender?
I guess Homer knows what he's doing. Only time will tell. If they get in a hole during the middle of the season like last year, i'll be writing right on this blog about a new general manager.
Check This Out.....
Here's some footage of Bill Guerin, in case you need to familiarize yourselves. This is an interview that mixes in some of his highlights and such. Enjoy!
Grindin' will be relaunched officially on September 18th, 2010. I had originally intended to shoot for September 1st, however personal problems have popped up so the time just isn't there. I want to apologize to the the friends and supporters of the blog for not being able to keep up with it right at the moment. As soon as something hits the presses, you'll hear it here first. Thanks, and keep grindin'
Earlier today, I reported that Simon Gagne was going to be a Los Angeles King. And of course, I was wrong. RDS, a French Canadian sports site, as well as TSN, are reporting that Simon Gagne has infact been dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Walker and a fourth round draft pick in 2011.
Aside from cost cutting, this is a terrible move. In Tampa, Steve Yzerman is doing cartwheels in his office after being able to get rid of this guy. Last season, he played 66 games, recorded a whopping five points and was a minus 11 for the year.
Walker has bounced from team to team, shuttling between the NHL and the AHL. He's never played a full season, and he's never had more than 14 points total in a season, unless you count the Western League, where he had 23. Walker makes 1.7 million dollars, so the Flyers have managed to get their cap into the black, with $900,000 to spare.
Earlier today, it was announced that the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes is finally over, as he has signed on to return to New Jersey.
Per the Devils website:
"Since the free agent signing period began on July 1, almost every day brought new speculation on where the two-time 50-goal scorer might be headed. One of the most coveted unrestricteds in history, Kovalchuk finally ended the suspense Monday, following the Devils' announcement that he’s staying in the Garden State. A 1 p.m. press conference will be held Tuesday at Prudential Center."
This has strong implications for Simon Gagne as well. I predicted here on the blog that Gags would end up with either Los Angeles, New Jersey, or in New York with the Islanders. Now that the Devils have locked up their guy, hockeybuzz.com is reporting that Gagne to Los Angeles for Justin Williams is highly likely at this point.
Both Gagne and Williams have good numbers. When Gagne is healthy, he contributes more, obviously. But that's the trade off with these two. Williams is probably more durable, but not quite as gifted as a scorer. Like I said, it levels them out, and that's fine.
The concern I have is Williams' salary. The Flyers are already 2.4 million over the cap. Trading Gagne puts them 2.6 over. Williams makes 3.5 million a year. So how does this move work for the Flyers? They are losing the better player, and still not satisfying the cap situation.
There has to be another deal in the works, somewhere. Now, i'm not saying that this is going to happen, but the only player making significant money as well as being in the final year of their deal is Jeff Carter. I really don't see them getting rid of both Carter and Gagne in this offseason, but that five plus million off the cap would make life alot easier for Paul Holmgren, who according to sources still wants to resign Darroll Powe, as well as go after a better netminder.
If any more news breaks on the matter, i'll let you all know through the facebook page. Stay tuned...
A favor, if you could
I need your help, folks. I'm trying to grow the readership of this blog as much as possible before the season starts. The bigger the audience, the better. Most of you know me personally, so I feel comfortable telling you that I really want to start pursuing sponsors for the page. It'll allow me to spend more time on the blog, producing a better product. And of course, it helps me personally too. If you could just suggest the facebook page to your friends, it would be a great help. Thanks!
Depending on who you believe, the Flyers have either convinced Simon Gagne to drop his no trade clause already, or it's just a matter of time before he does. In either case, it's pretty much guaranteed that he's leaving now that Nikolai Zherdev has been brought back from the KHL to play in Philly.
Rumor had it that the Kings were really interested in Gags, however I think they are waiting to see what happens with Ilya Kovalchuk in their on again, off again conversations. Originally, I thought that the Kings were gonna be the lone option, but with the Flyers now having the worst cap situation in the NHL (-1.4 million), he must be moved somewhere.
I'm thinking that the teams in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes are the teams most likely to land Gagne. You're looking first and foremost at the New York Islanders. On their current roster, there are only three players at 30 or older. This is a great place for a veteran leader to drop in and make an impact. This is a good fit for New York also. They are $28 million under the cap, and ownership is working hard to make the Islanders respectable in their efforts to get a new arena and/or possibly relocate the team to Kansas City.
Now, on to you, the Flyer fans. Alot of you are unhappy about moving the longest tenured athlete in Philly sports right now, but looking at it objectively, there isn't a better time than now. Despite his numerous injuries, he still has value. Another significant injury or concussion, that may not be the case. If Zherdev comes as advertised, he has a better skill set than Gagne does regardless. And then, of course, there's that cap issue. The Flyers are still looking to sign Darroll Powe, Dan Carcillo, possibly Arron Asham and they are still evaluating goaltenders. None of this happens if he stays.
Moral of the story. The man had a good run here, but it's time to let go. It's a new opportunity for him, and for the Flyers.
High noon. The NHL is ready to start their "Free Agent Frenzy". Awesome. The Flyers have already been busy, trading a pick for Tampa's Andrej Meszaros. They also had Braydon Coburn signed for 3 million and change by 12:20.
12:01 - The first signing of the day was Marty Biron to the Rangers for 900k per. Good for you, douchebag. God I hate the Rangers!
12:10 - Sergei Gonchar going to the Senators is a good move for Ottawa. They paid a little high (5.5 million a season for three years and a no trade clause), but he's a great player. It'll be nice to not see him as much now that he isn't a Penguin anymore.
1:00 - They just brought up a great point about Philadelphia. Apparently, the Flyers are paying five different defensemen over three million a season, which is unique to the league. Hopefully the D-men justify the salary.
1:05 - Speaking of justifying salary...Martin St. Louis and his Lady Byng trophy are staying in Tampa Bay for another four seasons. He just signed an extension, 4 years/22.5 million.
1:12 - Pittsburgh locked up a solid replacement for Sergei Gonchar here a few minutes ago, Zybenek Michalek from Phoenix, five years, $20M. I'll admit he wasn't exactly on my radar, but it's Phoenix for Christ sake. Who the fuck follows them?
1:15 - I just posted a question to TSN's chat room. I asked if the Flyers were done yet or if they had more moves to make. And my question never even made it to the chat. It really pisses me off the way that they are favoring Canadian teams. That's all they are letting in the chat at this point.
1:30 - Who the fuck is Alex Auld?
1:33 - The Flyers are posting out on Facebook this triumphant article about resigning Coburn. Funny what a couple decent playoff games will do. Guess Paul Holmgren forgot about just about the whole regular season, when Coburn had all the effectiveness of a broken coat hanger. As much as the move pisses me off, good for Coburn. If you can get some sucker to dole out three million dollars for your services when your lousy, well goddamn good for you, pally.
1:45 - Antero Nittymaki found a home in San Jose. That's a good thing, I was really disappointed when we let him go.
1:46 - Flyers are way more active this time than last year on July 1. they just signed another defenseman, Sean O'Donnell. All that really sticks out is that he takes alot of penalties, and he's pushing 40. Oh, Paul Holmgren, whatever are we to do with you?
2:00 - There's alot of talk over on the TSN chats about players being signed for more than they're worth. Colby Armstrong, for example, is in for 3 million per year as a third line center (projected). So, is a third liner worth that much. To that I say look at a team like Pittsburgh, using Jordan Staal on the 3. Is he worth that kinda money? Hell yeah he is. Mike Modano is too. The NHL used to be a two line league, but with the influx of talent from around the world, that's just not the case anymore. The Flyers had four lines of offensive ability this past season, and it was still not quite enough to get the job done. The third and fourth lines have arrived in the NHL, and they aren't going anywhere.
2:03 - I have to go feed a kid. I'll be right back.
2:29 - Sat down just in time to see that the Flyers signed Jody Shelley. This fuckin' guy has broken the single season penalty minute record just about everywhere he's played. He has zero offensive skill, he just fights alot. A whole lot. Makes me wonder if the Flyers were concerned about how they got knocked around in the final two rounds of the playoffs.
2:37 - New York just signed Derek Boogaard. Didn't get the details, don't care. He's another goon anyway. I'm wondering if they picked him up to avoid another incident like Danny Carcillo beating the living shit out of Marian Gaborik with his fellow Rangers standing there watching the clubbing. Honestly, I hope so. Because if Carcillo is returning (he's a restricted free agent), him and Boogaard could be the best fight Flyers fans have seen since Domi/Brashear.
3:05 - Things seem like they are starting to slow down a little bit. There's still alot of signings to be made, maybe the GM's all went to lunch.\
3:20 - This is gonna be it for today, things have died off and i'm getting bored. I guess the main thing to do is look at who they got and picture where they're fitting in at. Andrej Meszaros and Sean O'Donnell look like good pickups. I don't know what they're doing with Jody Shelley. I'm hoping they keep Carcillo and Asham, but realistically that's just not going to happen. Blair Betts was hurt alot last season, maybe this is for him?
I'll have another blog up with the moves that get made tonight sometime tomorrow. Until then, take care. And if by chance I have any Canadian readers, Happy Canada Day.
This is a letter that I just sent to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about that sham that was the NHL Awards. If you would like to say hi to him, he can be reached at gbettman@nhl.com.
Commissioner Bettman,
My name is Jimmy Duncan, and I am a freelance writer who covers the NHL. I primarily cover the Philadelphia Flyers, which is the reason I am writing you today.
I watched the NHL awards ceremony last night, and was simply appalled that the Flyers had absolutely no representation whatsoever at the event. If I am not mistaken, your league handed out twelve trophies last night, and the Flyers were not nominated for one of them.
I did see two Flyers during the night, but it was during a montage. I saw Brian Boucher and Scott Hartnell get smoked by other players.
I just don't understand how the team that won the Eastern Conference can be so grossly overlooked. I am starting to get the feeling that Philadelphia is like the bad apple. I mean, I watched almost every game this season. I saw the profound lack of support from the officials. I heard the insanely bias announcers on Versus during the playoffs. I watched the Cup Finals, where Jeremy Roenick and Mike Milbury donned Blackhawks warm-up garb before every game. And now, this.
I'm wondering how the league picks finalists for the awards themselves. Was Chris Pronger not good enough of a defenseman this year to be considered for the Norris? How about Claude Giroux for the Calder Trophy, or even Simon Gagne for the Lady Byng? These guys should have at least gotten a mention.
In closing, overall I feel a deep sense of frustration about the event as a whole, and I hope the NHL can take steps to include more teams in the process next year.
There was a crazy vibe over on the csnphilly.com boards this past season. Everyone was talking about how the Flyers were in bad favor with the league, and how the officials were doing all they could to keep Philadelphia from winning. And I watched intently all season, replaying blown calls one after another at nausea, living in a world of zebra striped denial.
I have come to see the light.
And the light is the color of bullshit.
Can anyone tell me how in the hell do you give away twelve different awards, and the Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers have not one nominee in any category?
Take Chris Pronger for example. He has to be a candidate for the Norris trophy! His numbers are comparable to Duncan Keith's as well as Drew Doughty's, both finalists for the award. Keith winning a Cup helps his cause, obviously, but what hardware is Doughty hoisting over his head nowadays? If you answered none, you'd be right.
And what about the Calder? Is Claude Giroux hands down the rookie of the year this season? Maybe not. But he deserves a sniff, at least. His stats fall almost right in line with finalists Matt Duchesne and Tyler Myers. He racked up some pretty damn good numbers for a third liner.
The fact seems to be that the league might have it out for the orange and black, plain and simple. Let's just hope they get over themselves by the start of the 2010 season.
Ciccarelli, Granato headline HOF inductees
The Hockey Hall of Fame announced it's 2010 inductees yesterday. They were former NHL'er Dino Ciccarelli, Olympic medalist Cammi Granato, and Canadian world championship winner Angela James. Also to be honored among hockey's elite are long-time Red Wings GM Jimmy Devellano and the late Daryl "Doc" Seaman from the builder category.
Ciccarelli is the best known selection of the group, albeit for the wrong reasons, perhaps. In 1987 he was arrested and convicted for indecent exposure. Just one year later, he was convicted, fined and jailed for one day for his terrible attack on Luke Richardson, where he swung his stick like a club and hit Richardson in the head.
Despite all this, Ciccarelli scored over 600 goals through his career, with five teams. He is considered one of the best players of all time to never receive a Stanley Cup.
Cammi Granato has a gold and silver medal to her credit, while Angela James has led Canada to four women's world championships. They will be the Hall of Fame's first female inductees.
Your Philadelphia Flyers Regular Season Schedule -
Date Visitor Home Start Time
Thu Oct 7, 2010 Flyers Penguins 7:00 PM Sat Oct 9, 2010 Flyers Blues 8:00 PM Mon Oct 11, 2010 Avalanche Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Oct 14, 2010 Lightning Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Oct 16, 2010 Penguins Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Oct 21, 2010 Ducks Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Oct 23, 2010 Maple Leafs Flyers 7:00 PM Mon Oct 25, 2010 Flyers Blue Jackets 7:00 PM Tue Oct 26, 2010 Sabres Flyers 7:00 PM Fri Oct 29, 2010 Flyers Penguins 7:00 PM Sat Oct 30, 2010 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM
November 2010
Mon Nov 1, 2010 Hurricanes Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Nov 4, 2010 Rangers Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Nov 6, 2010 Flyers Islanders 7:00 PM Sun Nov 7, 2010 Flyers Capitals 5:00 PM Thu Nov 11, 2010 Flyers Hurricanes 7:00 PM Sat Nov 13, 2010 Panthers Flyers 7:00 PM Tickets Mon Nov 15, 2010 Senators Flyers 7:00 PM Tue Nov 16, 2010 Flyers Canadiens 7:30 PM Thu Nov 18, 2010 Lightning Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Nov 20, 2010 Flyers Capitals 7:00 PM Mon Nov 22, 2010 Canadiens Flyers 7:00 PM Wed Nov 24, 2010 Flyers Wild 8:00 PM Fri Nov 26, 2010 Flames Flyers 1:00 PM Sat Nov 27, 2010 Flyers Devils 1:00 PM
December 2010
Wed Dec 1, 2010 Bruins Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Dec 4, 2010 Devils Flyers 1:00 PM Sun Dec 5, 2010 Flyers Islanders 1:00 PM Wed Dec 8, 2010 Sharks Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Dec 9, 2010 Flyers Maple Leafs 7:00 PM Sat Dec 11, 2010 Flyers Bruins 7:00 PM Tue Dec 14, 2010 Penguins Flyers 7:00 PM Wed Dec 15, 2010 Flyers Canadiens 7:30 PM Sat Dec 18, 2010 Rangers Flyers 1:00 PM Mon Dec 20, 2010 Panthers Flyers 7:00 PM Tue Dec 28, 2010 Flyers Canucks 10:00 PM Thu Dec 30, 2010 Flyers Kings 10:30 PM Fri Dec 31, 2010 Flyers Ducks 8:00 PM
January 2011
Sun Jan 2, 2011 Flyers Red Wings 5:00 PM Thu Jan 6, 2011 Flyers Devils 7:00 PM Sat Jan 8, 2011 Devils Flyers 1:00 PM Tue Jan 11, 2011 Flyers Sabres 7:00 PM Thu Jan 13, 2011 Flyers Bruins 7:00 PM Fri Jan 14, 2011 Flyers Thrashers 7:30 PM Sun Jan 16, 2011 Flyers Rangers 7:00 PM Tue Jan 18, 2011 Capitals Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Jan 20, 2011 Senators Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Jan 22, 2011 Devils Flyers 1:00 PM Sun Jan 23, 2011 Flyers Blackhawks 4:00 PM Tue Jan 25, 2011 Canadiens Flyers 7:00 PM
February 2011
Tue Feb 1, 2011 Flyers Lightning 7:30 PM Thu Feb 3, 2011 Predators Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Feb 5, 2011 Stars Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Feb 10, 2011 Hurricanes Flyers 7:00 PM Sun Feb 13, 2011 Kings Flyers 7:00 PM Tue Feb 15, 2011 Flyers Lightning 7:30 PM Wed Feb 16, 2011 Flyers Panthers 7:30 PM Fri Feb 18, 2011 Flyers Hurricanes 7:00 PM Sun Feb 20, 2011 Flyers Rangers TBD Tue Feb 22, 2011 Coyotes Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Feb 24, 2011 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Feb 26, 2011 Flyers Senators 7:00 PM
March 2011
Thu Mar 3, 2011 Maple Leafs Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Mar 5, 2011 Sabres Flyers 1:00 PM Sun Mar 6, 2011 Flyers Rangers TBD Tue Mar 8, 2011 Oilers Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Mar 10, 2011 Flyers Maple Leafs 7:00 PM Sat Mar 12, 2011 Thrashers Flyers 7:00 PM Tue Mar 15, 2011 Flyers Panthers 7:30 PM Thu Mar 17, 2011 Flyers Thrashers 7:00 PM Sat Mar 19, 2011 Flyers Stars 8:00 PM Tue Mar 22, 2011 Capitals Flyers 7:00 PM Thu Mar 24, 2011 Penguins Flyers 7:00 PM Sat Mar 26, 2011 Flyers Islanders 7:00 PM Sun Mar 27, 2011 Bruins Flyers 7:00 PM Tue Mar 29, 2011 Flyers Penguins 7:00 PM Thu Mar 31, 2011 Thrashers Flyers 7:00 PM
It's time, it's time, it's time. Time for you all to come back from your Father's Day hangovers, softball games, or whatever you did for our day, and check out some Classic Hockey Fights!
I've decided to focus on one of the most storied rivalries in hockey fighting history, if there is such a thing. These two warriors squared off dozens of times, I just picked three. You could probably go find 300 more of your own. But for now, relax, relive and enjoy this heavyweight battle.
With the Flyers grabbing Dan Hamhuis over the weekend, I thought it would be cool to use today's Big 10 to give everyone the chance to get to know him a little better.
He appears to me a multi-talented player, who hits big, drops the gloves and can get a shot on from the point. These six clips are in no order, just a little taste of what Hamhuis can do for the Flyers. There's not alot of Dan Hamhuis videos out here, so we're going with 6 clips instead of our usual 10.
That's enough fanfare. It's time to check out Dan Hamhuis's Big 10 (or 6, whatever).
The Flyers made some noise over the weekend when they traded defenseman Ryan Parent to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a conditional draft pick and another defenseman, Dan Hamhuis.
Hamhuis has a resume that says winner top to bottom. He's been an all star at three different levels, as well has holding five medals, three from the World Champoinships and two more from World Juniors.
Philadelphia sees Hamhuis as a players who can skate with the power play and penalty kill units as well as bring down Chris Pronger's time on ice numbers. Mroe than anything else, however, he's a fifth quality defender joining what is already one of the best top 4 defensive contingents in the NHL.
"I think Philly has an unbelievable defense corps,” said Hamhuis. “To join a corps like that makes the Flyers one of the tougher ones in the league. To play against the teams from the East, the conference has a lot of great forwards. Watching the playoffs, having a great defense will get you a long way.”
There's only one problem with the move.
He's not a Flyer just yet.
When the deal was made, Hamhuis was not under contract. The Flyers have until July 1st to sign him, or he becomes a free agent.
“Our intention is to get him signed prior to [July 1], and that is what our aim is at this point in time,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. “The sooner that we get going on trying to get this done, the better.”
If he can be signed, it appears that this move will put the Flyers one step closer to the Cup in 2011.
Hey everyone, hope your week is going well. Lemme distract you for a few minutes with the 10 best uniforms in NHL history. Roll it...
10. 1987-1995 Washington Capitals
Classic, old school look. These sweaters were fashionable and patriotic all at the same time. The word mark on the front was just about identical to the Washington Bullets jerseys, also.
9. 1995-1996 Edmonton Oilers
I like these jerseys because they keep with the Oilers winning years, and at the same time update the piping and pantones just enough to keep it modern. I read somewhere where they are going back to the look next year, and I couldn't be happier about it.
8. 2009- Chicago Blackhawks
Admiring these is a tough pill to swallow, being a Flyers fan and all, but you can't argue that alternate. That thing is absolutely fucking gorgeous, plain and simple. I believe they debuted them for the Winter Classic in 2009. So glad they stayed in the wardrobe for future seasons.
7. 1982-1983 All Star Game (Campbell Conference)
If the Flyers and the Rangers had a baby, this is what the onesey would look like. Bright, yet sensible colors with a 3-D effect on the numbers makes this a can't miss.
6. 1944-1947 Montreal Canadiens
Taking it back to the old school for this one. These sweaters are a little simpler than their current counterparts. Less striping, smaller numbers, but they just look right. No other way to describe what you're looking at here.
5. 2009- Philadelphia Flyers
Currently, the Flyers are featuring an old school look at home, with a white nameplate over an orange sweater. Absolutely awesome! Starting next season, look for the Flyboys to wear last season's Winter Classic whites as their primary road uni. These jerseys feature a black nameplate on a white sweater.
4. 2000-2003 Calgary Flames
Ah yes, the flaming horse. I was such a huge fan of that look. It had nothing to do with it being the original logo for my first hockey team I ever played on :) But even beside that, it just looked fucking bad ass. can ya argue with a flaming horse? No, ya can't!
3. 2009- Minnesota Wild
Credit where credit is due. the Minnesota uni is hodge podge of old school designs and colors. No real theme, no constant color scheme. But it's brilliant. Old school jerseys for a new team. Genius! I love it!
2. 1963-1967 Toronto Maple Leafs
This was the last years of the "original" leaf before it was brought back as an alt in recent years. The jersey is simple and elegant, with alternating shoulder colors, TV numbers, and just enough piping to make it look classy.
And the number one jersey is...
1978-1987 New York Rangers
It pains me to say this, because I fucking HATE the Rangers (there's your impartiality for ya), but these uniforms were as close to perfect as you could get. Nice striping, unique name and number font, no crazy logos on the front. The team name on the home sweaters and the city on the road uni is a great touch that I am really fond of. All in all, my fave set.
As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Drop me a line, and as always, thanks for reading.
This was the uniform of the Philadelphia Quakers, a team that played in the NHL for only one full season and set a record for futility that lasted for over 45 years. They are still regarded as one of the worst single season clubs in NHL history.
Originally, the Quakers were known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates started out well in 1925, making the playoffs for two of their first three seasons, but by 1929 the Great Depression put the Pirates in a dire financial situation. The money was gone, the arena was horrid, and the morale was shot. With league permission, the team was moved to Philadelphia for the '29-'30 season and renamed the Philadelphia Quakers.
The Quakers played at the Philadelphia Arena. "The Arena", as it was dubbed, was located in West Philly, at 46th and Market. The Quakers played their one season in the venue to the tune of 4 wins, 4 ties, and 36 losses. Their win percentage of .136 was the lowest in the history of the league until 45 years later when the mark was eclipsed by the Washington Capitals.
If you're into trivia, check this out. The Quakers were folded at the same time another current NHL city saw their hopes dashed. The original incarnation of the Ottawa Senators were sent packing as well. Philly and Pittsburgh both took a much more successful second chance in 1967, as the NHL used the cities to expand the league to double it's size.
The Camden Courier-Post is reporting that the Flyers could be interested in acquiring netminder Jonathan Quick from the Los Angeles Kings.
Rumor has it that Philadelphia could be offering up Jeff Carter as well as a high draft choice for Quick.
Quick's numbers are good. His record last season was 39-24-7 with a GAA of 2.54 as well as a save percentage of .907. He had four shutouts to his account last season. These numbers fall directly in line with his career marks of a 2.55 goals against and a .908 save ratio.
Carter has good numbers also, and it would be a shame to see him go, but this move could be what puts Philadelphia over the top in terms of winning a Stanley Cup. Leighton looked great up into the Cup Finals, but fell apart in the Chicago series, thus becoming the first goalie in Finals history to be pulled from the series twice. A better option would be to keep Leighton as a back up, and push current back-up Brian Boucher through waivers or land him in Adirondack.
Another rumor is that the Flyers could move for Jonathan Bernier, Quick's backup. Although he is a back up, his numbers are very similar to Quick's and he is a younger, possibly cheaper option as well.
Drop the gloves, bitches! Time for another week of Classic Hockey Fights!
This week, i'd like to focus on legendary Flyers brawler and current assistant coach Craig Berube. Absolute bomber, quick hands, iron jaw. Check out these bruhahas (thanks Gene Hart) :-)
Berube v. Darius Kasparitis
Berube v. Lindy Ruff (and the referee)
Berube v. Bob Probert (three fights in a row, pro wrestling fans will like this one too, I suppose)
Hi everyone, and welcome to Faceoff with Moose and Rory. Faceoff should hit the press every Friday, and will feature Rory and I doing what we do best. Arguing.
Rory - The Flyers offseason NEEDS to be a busy one. Unlike other teams down in the sports complex Flyers management does not preach a stay competitive mantra. Here's the moves I see the team needing to make.
Moose - I can't argue that. The Flyers definitely need to make moves to make another run at a Cup. But it's gonna be tough to maneuver because the Flyers are right up against the salary cap, and loaded with no-trade clauses.
Rory - Sign a TRUE Star goalie- The Emery experiment failed, Boucher and Leighton are both career journey men. Not to take away from Leighton but I don't see him carrying the club for a full season. The net minders I'm eyeing up... First and foremost Carey Price. Quality goalie from Montreal who'll be looking for a new home this summer with the emmergence of Halak. He'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder as he tries to prove he's still a top netminder.
Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco could both be available come free agency. Martin Biron could hit the market too and we've seen his work close up a good goalie who can carry you in a playoff series, so options are there.
Moose - How the hell did the Emery experiment fail? He was 16-11-1 with a 2.64 GAA and he did that mostly with injuries. When he actually was healthy, he was a top flight goaltender. Leighton is a solid option as a back up. My thing is, if you're gonna try to spend money, do it where you need it. Carey Price? The all-star goalie that got benched? No way. Give Razor another chance, and if it fails, go after another netminder at the trade deadline.
Rory - Upgrade the defense- Your top 4 are probably one of the best corp groups of pointmen in the NHL right now, and Pronger is still the best out there. Problems arise when you move to 5 and 6. Lukas Krajicek looks like he can play and handle his minutes but Ryan Parent becomes a non factor in the playoffs seeing little ice time. Go out and get someone to replace Parent or find a way to get more out of him something needs to be done. They found a gem in Matt Carle 2 years ago, his pairing with Pronger this season really helped him mature and improve, hopefully a few more diamonds lie around in the free agent pile as the big money should be invested in a Goalie.
Moose - I can't even argue the defenseman thing. Kinda screws up the format, eh? Braydon Coburn is garbage. He just looks lost out there. He has to be replaced. I think if you find a good replacement though, Parent will come into his own. He did become a lump in the playoffs, but if you put him with someone who can lead him and is solid, you have no issues. I'd like to see the Flyers try him with Pronger and Timonen with Carle, personally.
Rory - Jeff Carter/Claude Giroux- It's time to Wave goodbye to Jeff Carter and get Claude Giroux a bigger role with this team. Where as Carter disappeared in the playoffs Giroux's star shone brightly and he emerged as a premier player in the league. Yes Carter gives you plenty of goals in a regular season but to get the job done in the playoffs you need to be able to bury pucks like the one he had wide open with minutes left in game 6.
Moose - It goes without saying that Giroux is on the verge of a breakout. But are we really ready to throw in the towel on Carter already? Scott Hartnell looked like hell for the second half of the season, but got hot in the last two rounds of the playoffs. He's less consistent than Carter is! Let's give Jeff's foot a chance to really heal, and see how he looks in camp.
Moose - What did you think of the officiating in the finals? Personally, I think that the officials, while not perfect, simply had to let things go. That's what you do in a Cup Final. If they would have started calling all the ticky-tack garbage like holding the stick, and interference and the like, it would have hurt the game. Being a former player myself, if I had a choice, I would prefer to have a ref let me get away with some stuff.
Rory - Officiating in the Finals series was horrible BOTH WAYS. These guys either made up calls or missed them for most the series, both teams had to play that way. The one thing I saw in the anti Flyers sense... the fast whistle when the pucks in the Chicago end compared to letting them whack away at Leighton down the Flyers end. I will say in game 6 Hartnell got sent to the box on a high stick that didn't even connect with a Hawks player and Pronger's second trip to the box was not a good call at all... as pointed out by the announce team for NBC. The goal on the Pronger penalty helped in a long way to decide this game.
Rory - Playoff MVP - For Philadelphia the MVP would have undoubtedly been Ville Leino. Detroit cast of a player with serious talent when they let Leino go this season. His numbers speak for themselves and don't need recounting. Simply look at the footage and notice the excitement in a commentators voice as he skates into the offensive zone. Thats a player with value that makes you stop and say wow.
Sadly the true MVP isn't a Flyer. Its Antti Niemi... how many big saves can one person make? Mike Richards and Jeff Carter both filed charges on Niemi for robbery this series, he stole 2 games for Chicago, game 2 and the series clincher. Any other goalie and this series probably goes in another direction. He's no rookie, regardless of how long he's been in the league he's legit. And I kinda hate him for it.
Moose - No one had a more profound effect on the playoffs than Danny Briere did. We watched his game evolve as the rounds went on, him becoming not only more and more creative in the offensive zone, but also doing the little things, like grinding in the neutral zone, and hitting, and taking shots only to come right back from them.
Antti Niemi? Yeah, he's good. But only as good as his players around him. A good goalie, but not as valuable as Briere was.
That wraps it up for Faceoff this week. Next time, we'll talk more about the free agency and draft situations for this team. For Rory Douglas, my new partner in crime, i'm Moose and i'll catch up with ya.
Hi everyone. I had a plan for this column, ya know. I have some stats to look at, I have a sound clip from Scott Hartnell I was gonna layer on as well.
But that just isn't what any of us Flyers fans are feeling right now.
I can't help but feel cheated by the whole thing. Cheated by the Chicago players for their various acts of thuggery. Cheated by the officials and the league for what the Blackhawks got away with throughout the series. Even by the Flyers themselves. Some of the boys looked really good last night. Guys like Hartnell and Danny Briere really stepped up and took accountability for leading this team to victory. But most of them served up an indifferent, tired game.
Flyers fans got one thing right. They booed the living shit out of everyone, from Gary Bettman right down to the Chicago towel boy.
Listen, we'll be back with fresh columns on Monday, and a piece from Rory on Sunday. Until then, don't read any hockey news. Take a deep breath and shift the focus to enjoying your summer.
I wanna take this opportunity to welcome the newest member of the Grindin' team. Rory Douglas is a guy that has his finger on the pulse of the Flyers and the NHL. he will be an awesome addition to the blog. Rory will also disagree with everything I say. And we will be taking advantage of that with a new column called "Faceoff with Moose and Rory". Watch for that coming up. Check out Rory's first article today!
The Stanley Cup Finals that the NHL Didn’t Want but is Glad They Got… By Rory Douglas
It’s the last game of the regular season and the Philadelphia Flyers claw there way into the playoffs. I team that limped in in an overtime shoot out against the rival Rangers. They face off with New Jersey in Round 1, but most around the NHL could careless. The match ups their eyes are glued on are Washington/Montreal and Pittsburgh/Ottawa. Stars Crosby and Ovechkin respectively carrying their teams. The NHL wants that rematch of a great Conference finals series between the two. But it never happened. Montreal played the part of Cinderella and crushed Washington’s Stanley Cup dreams.
In New Jersey future Hall of Fame net minder Marty Brodeur showed signs of age as his gas tank hit E. The Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL’s last entrant into the Stanley Cup Finals had a date with Boston.
The NHL’s hopes of a star studded Finals series was left up to Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins. In a series that saw the true rise of Jaroslav Halak as a true top goaltender and a playoff star the Montreal Canadiens put the glass slipper on one last time and sent Crosby home hoping for his Prince Charming to come next season.
The NHL has lost its top two marquee names from the Eastern conference… but another story was developing in Boston.
Down 3-0 in the Series the Flyers took to home ice in game four in what most would consider a pride game. Its one to lose on home ice, but to be swept in for and finish in your building its another. But the boys from Philly weren’t done. Simon Gagne returned to the Flyers lineup since going down with a foot injury in New Jersey. Signs of rust weren’t evident as the Flyers forward scored the game winning overtime goal to force the series back to Boston.
From there the story was born. The Flyers, a never say die team that limped into the playoffs had somewhere in the final minutes of that game four transformed into the new bullies. Grit determination and physicality, in a sense true Flyer hockey. They took 5 on the road in Boston and won game 6 back home for the Philly faithful. Then they hit a bump, game 7 in Boston. Down early 3-0 in the first period, but they didn’t quit, they simply played their brand of hockey and gutted out a 4-3 comeback that will go down as one of the greatest hockey playoff series ever.
The NHL had a new team from the East that would make for great ratings come time to broadcast the finals. After disposing of the Canadiens in 5 Philadelphia headed into Chicago, and as we’ve all seen that series has played out to a 3-2 edge for the Blackhawk’s. Gary Bettman and other NHL officials want one more game in Chicago, because these never say die Flyers, the new era Bullies like Richards, Hartnell, and Giroux, are a story worth watching. A team with out the NHL’s marquee big names, Philadelphia may have brought back some old fans and created some new ones, and for the future of the NHL, their appearance in the finals is a welcomed change of plans.
Hi, and welcome to The Big 10, where we look at and dissect all things hockey, and do it all in neat little 10 piece packages. Like Chicken McNuggets. Anyway, today we'll be featuring some of the weirder occurences to take place in and around the rink. And as always, your comments and suggestions are more than welcome.
10 - The NHL Celebrity Challenge
Presented by Microsoft Windows XP, the NHL All-Star Celebrity Challenge was held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Wednesday, January 30, 2002. A truly riveting event, two teams of celebrities as well as ex-NHL players squared off to raise money for Hockey's All-Star Kids and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The teams were coached by TV and movie producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David E. Kelley. Only in places like this can you see gritty former players like Dino Ciccarelli and Barry Melrose share ice with Alan Thicke and Alex Trebek. They held a draft for this debacle, and sadly, Donnie Wahlberg went unpicked. Check the rosters out on Wikipedia.
9 - The Richard Riot
On March 13th, 1955, Montreal Canadien legend Maurice Richard got in a fight. He always got in fights. This fight, with Boston Bruin Hal Laycoe, was a little different in that while the linesmen were trying to hold Richard back, one of them pinned his arms and Laycoe threw a haymaker into his face. When Richard got free, he punched the linesman twice and knocked him unconscious.
League commisioner Clarence Campbell suspended Richard for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, sending Habs fans into a tizzy. Then, the guy shows up at the next Montreal home game. The fans threw rotten food and debris at Campbell in his seat. A tear gas bomb was shot off in the Montreal Forum, the arena was evacuated. fans poured into the street and began to loot and riot all around the venue. 12 cops and 25 civilians were hurt.
The biggest kick in the teeth to Montreal? The forfeited win gave the Red Wings enough points to finish first overall. They went on to beat the Habs in the cup final, in seven games.
8 - Clint Malarchuk Gets Cut
March 22nd, 1989 - Clint malarchuk is the starting goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres. There is a scrum in front of the net. As the players fall to the ice, one of them accidentally catches Malarchuk in the throat with his skate blade. the blade severs the interior cartoid artery, better known as the juggular vein.
He thought he was going to die. He had an equipment manager call his mother, then asked for a priest. However, the team trainer, a former Vietnam medic, was hearing none of it. He reached into Malarchuk's neck and held both ends of the severed vein until it was sutured by doctors.
Some people would probably never play again. in one of the ultimate signs of toughness, Malarchuk was back at practice four days after the incident, and started against the Quebec Nordiques one wekk after the incident.
7 - Who Shut Off the Lights?
January 8th, 2010. The Devils and Lightning are in the second period of a 3-0 game in favor of Tampa Bay. Then it got a little dark.
Pitch black, maybe a better example.
In an extremely rare occurence, the NHL suspended the game and made the teams finish it two days later, from the point it was stopped. The final score was Tampa Bay 4, New Jersey 2.
6 - Game Four
On May 27th, 1988 the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins took to the ice for game four of the Stanley Cup finals. The Oilers were up 3-0, and favored to win it all that night.
It was not to be.
When the players took to the ice, fog began to form on the rink. This was not a rare thing back in the 80's, when it was 80 degrees outside and you're trying to maintain a 32 degree patch of ice.
After various stoppages to clear fog, the Boston Garden went dark at 16:37 of second period due to a power failure. The game was cancelled and restarted two nights later, with Edmonton winning 6-3. 5 - Parking Lot wars
I'll leave it to the expert. This is an article from the LA Times, September 27th 1991.
Ice in Desert? It's No Mirage Hockey: Kings, Rangers play in Caesars Palace parking lot tonight. September 27, 1991|STEVE SPRINGER, TIMES STAFF WRITERLAS VEGAS —
Most hotels here are known for their rooms, their restaurants, their casinos or their shows.
Caesars Palace has become famous for its parking lot. It put 24,000 people into its back lot to watch Muhammad Ali lose to Larry Holmes in Ali's last big fight. It put a huge crowd in its front driveway to watch Evel Knievel lose to Caesars' fountains in a daredevil motorcycle jump. It put 45,000 people in seats to watch auto racing.
Lawrence of Arabia didn't have this many desert spectaculars.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns have fought some of their greatest battles here. Caesars has staged tennis, gymnastics, weightlifting and bodybuilding events.
What's left? About three years ago, Rich Rose, president of Caesars World Sports, and several of his colleagues came up with the idea of outdoor ice hockey.
In the parking lot? In the desert? In the heat?
Insane?
Tonight, we will all find out when the Kings face off against the New York Rangers in an exhibition game to be held on a portable rink in Caesars' parking lot.
"When I went to them with the idea," Rose said of his superiors, "the only thing they said was, 'Can it be done?' Around here, they don't say, 'No.' They say, 'Yes, find a way to make it happen.' "
Having already staged ice skating at Caesars in the late spring of 1988 in 108-degree heat, Rose felt confident that his scheme was feasible.
"I went to the NHL," he said, "and once they got over the shock and asked me if I really wanted to do this, they gave their approval."
Next, Rose contacted the Kings' owner, Bruce McNall, who knows all about impossible dreams. Bringing Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles once seemed as unlikely as bringing outdoor hockey to Las Vegas in September.
McNall gave Rose his blessing, and Caesars undertook a search for a miracle worker who could bring ice to the desert.
It turned out to be Bob May of Ice Systems of America, a New York- and Denver-based company. May has a bit of experience in such matters. He first constructed an outdoor rink for the Syracuse Warriors hockey club in War Memorial Stadium in 1951. A veteran of 14 seasons as a minor league player, May, 58, has installed 151 permanent rinks and 14 of the temporary variety.
But never anything quite like this.
"This was a big challenge," he said Thursday, a smile on his face as he watched the finishing touches being applied to the rink and the surrounding 13,000 seats, which are priced from $20 to $75.
4 and 3 - Flyers/Sabres Cup Finals, game 3
Gotta be a strange day when TWO of the craziest things happen in the same night.
First, the game was played in a heavy fog due to the heat outside. As if that wasn't bad enough, Sabres center Jim Lorenz noticed a bat flying through the fog. A real, honest to god bat. So he swatted at it and killed it. No one knew how to handle it from there, so Flyers winger Rick MacLeish actually scooped it up with his stick and threw it away. The Sabres considered the whole deal bad mojo, because the Flyers wound up winning anyway.
2 - Tom Martin traded for bus
Here's another one where i'll let the real press handle it.
Tom "Bussey" Martin recalls strange tradeFriday, 10.31.2008 / 11:00 PM / Off the Wall By Evan Weiner - NHL.com Correspondent
Tom Martin was one of those players who seemed to bounce between the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League on an annual basis throughout the 1980s. He was good enough to be in the NHL but his career stats were pretty much non-descript. He played in 92 games for Winnipeg, Minnesota and Hartford between 1984 and 1990, scored 12 goals and assisted on 11 others. Martin was also a tough guy who rang up 249 penalty minutes in his NHL days, but many others could make that claim as well. But Martin holds one distinction that no one in the NHL, and maybe the entire sports world, could claim about his playing days.
Martin, who was a fourth-round draft pick by the Winnipeg Jets in 1982, was traded for a bus -- a used bus. That puts Martin in the same category as one-time major-league pitcher Keith Comstock, who was traded for a box of used baseballs as a minor-leaguer, independent league baseball player John Odom, who in May 2008 was traded by the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League to the Laredo Broncos of the United League for 10 bats, and Fred Roberts, who was traded by the NBA's Utah Jazz to Boston in 1986 in exchange for two preseason games in which Boston would play Utah.
On January 19, 1983, the Western Hockey League's Seattle Breakers dealt Martin to Victoria for a used bus and future considerations. Martin never played for the Breakers and decided to give the University of Denver a try instead. The left wing had played for the Kelowna Buckaroos of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League in 1980-81 and 1981-82 and ended up on the Breakers' reserve list. Martin decided he wanted to play hockey and get a college education at the same time so it was unlikely he would ever perform for Seattle. Breakers management was looking for a deal to get something of value for an asset it would never use.
OFF THE WALL Muckler got his start with the EHL's Ducks Evan Weiner - NHL.com Correspondent Long before the Ducks nested in Anaheim, John Muckler played for the L.I. variety. READ MORE ›
Scouting for talent... and a nice restaurant Brett Hull: Great American goal-getter Gilbert recalls touring Canada for preseason COMPLETE OFF THE WALL ARCHIVE ›Seattle was also looking for a team bus, and Victoria had an extra one. The Cougars management bought the vehicle after the WHL's Spokane Flyers suspended operations after 26 games in the 1981-82 season, but the Cougars could not use the bus that was sitting in Spokane because team management did not want to pay the taxes and duties to register the vehicle in Canada.
Each side got something they needed for unusable parts. Martin, a Victoria native, would play in Victoria in 1983-84, and Seattle got new wheels. Seattle needed the bus after its bus blew its engine on a trip to Kelowna.
"I was at the library that night, it was in the middle of the week and the season was going pretty good there in Denver," Martin said. "But I wanted to go back and play junior the next year. The team that had my rights, Seattle, they could not offer me any education. So I asked to be traded.
"You know Kevin (Dineen) was there, he was with me, we didn't think that much of it at first," Martin said. "You know, I went to bed that night but the next morning, the phone started going crazy and it ended up being a bigger thing than I thought and I got a lot of media at the time, phone calls from all the papers around the county and a few TV things. It was a pretty funny thing, I guess."
Martin, with his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek, took some exception to the characterization that he was traded for a "used" bus. But the bus did have some mileage on it.
"Well, it was used, but it was a fairly recently used. It was a fairly new bus," said Martin.
"I know it had bunks on it and it was definitely a team oriented bus. In the Western Hockey League they travel a lot and they need a good bus. Maybe it had better wheels than I did."
Martin left the University of Denver and played for the Victoria Cougars in 1983-84, but never laid eyes on the bus even though Victoria did play Seattle that season. Martin really wanted to eyeball the vehicle, but there was a problem. Seattle didn't have the bus when the Breakers played the Cougars in Victoria.
"I never saw the bus," said Martin. "I saw a picture of it. I got a picture sent to me once, they painted it all up and put Seattle Breakers on the side. Hopefully, it was a real nice bus. I didn't even see the bus that year because they (the Breakers) lost it. They had a kid from Europe on their team and he didn't have a visa and they tried to cross the border and they ended up confiscating the bus for six months that season."
Martin turned pro with the American Hockey League's Sherbrooke Jets at the end of the 1983-84 season and started his pro career thinking he left his tale of being traded for a bus behind. But he found out, quickly, that everyone knew the story. Martin picked up a nickname that stayed with him throughout his professional hockey career.
Bussey.
"I guess that's my handle," Martin said with a laugh. "That sticks with me with every team I go to and I everywhere I've been, I have been Bussey."
Martin ended his career with the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks in 1991. Martin is the only player in Western Hockey League history ever to be traded for a bus and that overshadows his accomplishments as a player, which included being named a first team AHL All-Star in 1988.
Just wanted to share a Ron Hextall video I found on youtube this morning. There's a better one, but it's copyrighted so I can't put it on here. It possibly could be called "Ron Hextall Tribute Video", and it could be 6:28 long. I'm just sayin'.....
I think Dustin Byfuglien is the most hated man in Philadelphia right now. The ultimate agitator, he throws cross checks, he plows people out in front after the whistle, he likes to give our goalie snow showers or clip his leg skating by. Players like this usually don't make their contributions on the score sheet.
Not this guy.
Byfuglien was a monster on both ends of the ice Sunday night. In just 18:48, he logged two goals and two assists for a rating of +3. In the Chicago zone, he was responsible for nine hits, and two blocked shots. Hate him all you want. I do. But he is a workhorse.
When asked if Chicago came out with a sense of desparation, he had this to say:
"Getting two down in their building, we had to come back with some fire and show them that we weren't gonna quit, and right from the get go we just moved our feet and stayed physical."
"He's out there to battle and so am I." he said after being asked if there was any satisfaction in "flattening" Chris Pronger "You just try to get the best of him and be strong and that's all you have to do".
Yeah kid, that's all you gotta do, right? That statement summarizes the entire feel of this series. The Blackhawks are primarily a group of overconfident kids who feel entitled to be in the Cup finals, as where the Flyers are much more of a blue collar type of crew.
If the Flyers want to have a shot at taking these last two games, they have to get under Chicago's skin. The key to that is to generate more chances in front. Antti Niemi is pretty easy to get out of position if you start firing on him. He instantly drops to the ice and works low. It becomes easy at that point to go top shelf and rack the points up.
The other key is to just hit. Hit and hit and hit. Young teams get dissheveled when they gotta play off their asses. So make them play off their asses!
"That's all you gotta do", right Dustin?
Playing off balance is not going to help the cause any.
Leighton or Boucher?
Peter Laviolette knows.
I'm sure the goalies know.
The only people out of the loop?
Us.
The job appeared to be up for grabs after Michael Leighton was benched after the first period of game 5. He saved 10 of 13 shots. Brian Boucher's 11 of 14 didn't look a whole shitload better if you ask me, but i'm just a reporter, what do I know.
Look, this is a no brainer. Leighton's stats in these playoffs are better from front to back. Better GAA, better save percentage. The most important stat? Leighton's 8-2, and Boosh is just 6-6. We most likely won't know until faceoff who is between the pipes, but if you want to win this series, Leighton's obviously the guy.
Greetings, and welcome to the Big 10, a feature you will see throughout the offseason and into 2010-2011. What we're doing here is featuring the best (and worst) the NHL has to offer.
Ugliest uniforms is really one of my favorite conversation starters, and something I felt would be a good start. But bear in mind that this is about you as well. If you have something to add, or have your own topic you want to see covered, comment me here on the page or at mooseduncan9@gmail.com. I'll look forward to hearing from you.
#10 - Philadelphia Flyers (1981-1982)
Ok, the reason this made the list wasn't for the jersey. We don't pick on anything Flyers here on the Grindin' blog. Fandom aside, I love the Flyers jersey, in fact all the incarnations of the Flyers jersey appeal to me. It's them damn pants that kill me. In the '81-'82 season and the '82-'83 season, the Flyers experimented with Cooperalls, a long length alternative to hockey shorts and shells. They scream community service uniform.
#9 - Edmonton Oilers (2001-2007)
The Oilers are only 30 years old, but are definitely one of the storied franchises in NHL history. Five Stanley Cups, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, we can go on and on. The team logo. Timeless! With the exception of a little color darkening, everything remained the same until 2001, when Edmonton debuted the oil spill tribute jersey. We have a color and font change with a totally new logo. A cog. One, single cog. With oil coming out of it. I doubt the good folks of the Louisiana coast like it. I don't either.
#8 - Los Angeles Kings (1995-1996)
Have it your way, right away with this horrid alternate, used only for the 1995-1996 season (thankfully). I think this thing is the reason that Wayne Gretzky high tailed it for New York. The Kings had a solid look with the black and silver, then ruined it with this purple and yellow train wreck.
#7 - Chicago Blackhawks (1937-1938)
This jersey should have came with a warning label. "Prolonged exposure can cause seizures". There is nothing good about this jersey. Tons of stripes, silly looking little logo, bad colors. Plus, it's the Blackhawks. We're not allowed to like anything of theirs until the series is over anyway!
#6 - California Golden Seals (1970-1971)
Tell me what the hell that logo is supposed to be, and you win a prize. Tell me how blue and green go together, you can trade it in for a bigger one. This is just a personal thing, as I'm sure some of you love this look. To me, it's like AIDS spread on a bagel. This team died a slow death, and with that sweater, I'm cool with that.
#5 - Phoenix Coyotes (1998-1999)
If Dr. Timothy Leary designed a hockey sweater, it would look just like this. That alternate jersey is just scary. You got half a coyote head and a desert scene. It looks alot like the desert vomited on fabric. Just absolutely disgusting, in a fun way.
#4 - Buffalo Sabres (2000-2005)
Kind of lost on this one. Usually I can pick out one jersey and be like, "hey, that sucks". Not here. The home and road jerseys have a pissed off goat with horns on the front, and the alternate is a red light that says Buffalo on it, just in case you forgot where you are. Bad looks, bad bad looks.
#3 - Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
Walt Disney's ghost hates hockey after seeing this. The standard jerseys are bad colors, but not DEFCON 5 like the alternate is. Who is that little, heroic looking man? Why, it's a bird...no yeah just stop right there. It is a bird. It's a duck, done up like a Superman. what else do I have to say?
#2 - Boston Bruins (1926-1931)
I'm gonna keep this short. Snobs wear khaki, fat people look bad in stripes, brown is poop, yellow is pee. So this uniform is a fat snob losing his bowels on ice. See, that was easy, right?
#1 - Vancouver Canucks (1978-1979)
It don't get no worse (or better depending on perspective) than this. In my honest opinion, Vancouver has never had an attractive set of duds, but this brown, orange and yellow disco disaster is just terrible. This set is widely recognized as the ugliest uniform in NHL history, and the Grindin' blog isn't gonna argue either.
As always, I welcome your input. I love being told i'm wrong. If you want to take a look at the uniforms yourself, head over to www.nhluniforms.com
One of the features of Grindin' is going to be hockey fights. Lots and lots of hockey fights. So I apologize in advance to all the European readers that think North American hockey is trashy because of fighting and other assorted forms of debauchery. If there's a particular fighter you'd like to see featured, drop me a line either here on the board or at mooseduncan99@gmail.com. Thanks!
With that being said, enjoy today's Classic Hockey Fights.
Round 1 - Rick Tocchet vs. Scott Stevens
Anyone who watched hockey in the late 90's and early 2000's knows that Philly/Jersey games were always an adventure. This fight was from that time period. What you have here is two grizzled vets just getting nasty. Check it out.
Round 2 - Bob Probert vs. Marty McSorley
On February 4th, 1994 these two fellas took part in one of the longer fights you'll see. Although the record for fight length was set way back in 1946 by John Marriucci and Black Jack Stewart (20 minutes), this is about as lengthy as you'll see in the modern game.
Round 3 - Daniel Carcillo vs. Marian Gaborik
This was a little more recent (January 21st, 2010), i'm adding it to the fray today for a good friend who loves this scrap. This good friend also coaches my softball team, so unless your team can offer me more playing time, i'm showing what he's liking!
The Flyers seem to have left it all out on the ice.
Two nights ago.
In Philadelphia.
The Flyers dropped game 5 to the Blackhawks last night by a 7-4 margin, placing them just one loss away from elimination.
Chicago struck early and often, as Brent Seabrook, Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg all logged first period goals within 5:58 of one another. "They came out hard, and we didn't match their physicality or their intensity", quipped Chris Pronger after the game. "We didn't do a very good job in the neutral zone...the first period we didn't get much of a forecheck. Consequently, we were in our end, and it's just a matter of time. You keep staving off, and staving off, eventually they're gonna get to you, and they did".
For the second time in the series, Coach Peter Laviolette offered starting goalie Michael Leighton an early trip to the showers in favor of Brian Boucher. Leighton stopped 10 of 13 shots, Boosh saved 11 of 14. When asked why he pulled Leighton, Laviolette simply said "We weren't very good in the first period". Laviolette also indicated that he had "no answer for that" when asked who the starting netminder would be for game 6.
Honestly, it's a shame, because if you take the first period out of the equation, the Flyers ran with Chicago through the rest of the game. Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen registered goals in the second period, while James Van Riemsdyk and Simon Gagne tallied third period scores. Ville Leino was also quite impressive with three assists. Unfortunately, the Hawks answered every Flyers goal with one of their own. Dustin Byfuglien led the Blackhawk offensive with two goals and two assists.
In my humble opinion, the trick to Philadelphia not dropping this series on Wednesday is to get back to what got them this far to begin with. The aggression has to come back into play. Guys like Scott Hartnell and Chris Pronger have to lead the way with brute physicality. You have to almost bully Chicago to get their young nucleus of talent to fall apart. This is how the Flyers won two games, and this is how they will win two more. Also, they really have to cut down on turnovers. Guys are going behind the net and firing off these passes to no one in the slot. The lesson here, get your man down in the low slot to take those passes and find rebounds. Do these things and Chicago goes home sad, plain and simple.
Oh, and off the record...that Blackhawks goal song is the worst song I have ever heard and it makes me wanna punch someone in the mouth. Your thoughts?
Like the title says, we have a HUGE summer planned for our readers. Grindin' In The Corner With Moose will play host to real time NHL Draft coverage on June 25th, free agency day also in real time on July 1st, and divisional previews throughout the month of September, leading up to October 7th, when we will feature predictions for the 2010-2011 season. In the short term, look for a complete Stanley Cup Finals recap as soon as the final horn sounds.
Grindin' will have tons of features leading up to these special dates. Among them, we'll run 4F (Free Agency Fact and Fiction), which is basically rumors and true facts of free agency. Starting Thursday the 10th, we will run down the top 30 rookies available in the draft.
And that's just our bonus coverage. During the summer you can find coverage here every Monday through Thursday. If you write your own articles, essays, or whatever else it may be, send them. With your permission, I will happily add your submission to the blog for everyone to see. All of this, in addition to regular features such as Grinder of the Week, Classic Hockey Fights, The Big 10, and Player Profiles, we're gonna do everything short of driving the zamboni for you. And that's only half of what we're running during the season!
I just wanna thank you all for taking the time to come to my blog. I hope you enjoy it. If there's something you don't see that you would like added, drop me an email at mooseduncan99@gmail.com, and i'll do the best I can to add it in.
And finally, as always, Grindin' In The Corner has been brought to you by Genemix Multimedia, www.genemix.net, where it's ALWAYS time to think outside of the box.
Earlier this week, the NHL announced the details of the 2011 Winter Classic. The Penguins and Capitals will clash on New Year's Day at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. That would be Alexander Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby prominently featured on the highest rated telecast the NHL puts out there all year.
Never saw that one coming.
Don't get me wrong, I understand the strategy. I just see myself sitting on the couch (hungover) trying to watch two teams that were both shown the doors in the playoffs by Montreal. Montreal, the eighth seed I should add.
Ultimately, I think the game should be a Stanley Cup rematch. I do also realize that this would be a problem if Tampa Bay and Phoenix made the finals. Another cool option is hold the All-Star game outdoors. All of hockey's biggest stars, freezing their asses off in a nailbiter with a final score of 16-12.
Okay, so my ideas blow. The only thing left is to brainstorm a little and come up with some better games. That brings us to the Big 10: Ten Places to Hold the 2011 Winter Classic.
1. Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON
This is my favorite option. I probably should have saved it for the bottom of the page, but at least if I get bored and stop at 5 or whatever, it's noted. Place the Maple Leafs in to host the Canadiens. C'mon man, Montreal vs. Toronto?! Fucking awesome!
2. Target Field - Minneapolis, MN
OK, I saw this on a chat board a while back and thought it was cool. The Dallas Stars come back to Minnesota where they started to face the Minnesota Wild. Put one of the teams in the old North Stars jerseys and let 'em go!
3. Citizens Bank Field - Philadelphia, PA
Flyers v. Rangers. This game turns into a war early, but fans of old time hockey will love to see Danny Carcillo beat the living shit out of Sean Avery. Or better yet, sick him on Marian Gaborik again. That was fun!
4. Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO
I like Chicago v. St. Louis here. It features a Stanley Cup finalist, and a team with upside that doesn't really get the recognition other teams get.
5. McMahon Stadium - Calgary, AB
One of the nastiest rivalries in sport, the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames will fill this, or any other stadium in Canada and just unleash hell. Another fun one for the old time sect out there.
6. Invesco Field - Denver, CO
The Avs and the Red Wings. They. Simply. Hate. Each other. If the yard isn't buried in snow and inaccessible, these two clubs would put on a heluva show.
7. New Meadowlands Stadium - E. Rutherford, NJ
One more Flyers game, if I may indulge. How about Flyers v. Devils. That's always a cool game. Not just a fighting rivalry. This is also two well matched teams.
8. Insert Name Here Field - Miami, FL (different name every season)
Florida v. Tampa Bay would be completely irrational based on climate. Just understand that back in '89, the Kings played the Rangers in September. In the Caesar's Palace parking lot in Vegas. If you can prevent the rink from turning into a wading pool there, you can do it anywhere. It's up to you.....oh man, i'm getting away from myself. Sorry.
9. FedEx Field - Washington, DC
These teams aren't rivals, but they are national capitals. Washington v. Ottawa. Like I said, not rivals now. But maybe after the national pride that goes with this kind of matchup, there might just be a rivalry there.
10. ?
The Big 10 is an interactive experience. So I ask for number 10 from you guys. Send your ideas, or anything else you have for me, to.....
Hello. Thanks for finding me. I hope I can write things that will make you stick around.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should let you know that i'm a lifelong Flyers fan. Away from this blog, I drink Bacardi and Cokes and blindly root for my team. I had a brief love affair with the Rangers around '94, when they won their Cup. Mike Richter was a local guy, and Mark Messier defined to me what a hockey player should be. He still does. But don't expect me to bring any of that shit here. This is a Flyers blog, not a goddamn prom invitation. My goal is to be neutral. We shall see.
I curse. Alot. If that doesn't work for you, you may wanna go read something on bleacherreport.com, or disney.com. I'm not picky. I write this as a fan of the game, not a true journalist. That would be rad though, they get paid well and I took a class in high school.
My goals for this blog are:
To write an article about every Flyers game, and make it available before noon the following day. You may see alot of them at night anyway, but I like the buffer.
To write about things other than the Flyers here and there. I'll figure that out when I get there.
To be interactive. Feel free to send your comments, questions and suggestions. I'll do what I can.
Lastly, let's have a little fun with this, ya know? Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you. Later!
31 years old, living in Philadelphia. Married, kids, friends, love Disturbed, play softball, love hockey more than I love most of my family. Let's roll.....
