- Tampa head coach John Tortorella is not long for the exit. The Bolts are 4-8 this month, and 5-10 in their last 15 games. They are either losing big, or winning small and having to consistently make up deficits. It's nobody's fault, only the natural progression of a team that hit its peak and is now on the slow, steady decline right before drastic changes need to be made. Last night alone, turnovers, poor checking, and miscommunication led to all four Flyers goals.
- In order for the Flyers to win any more games this year, decimated by injury or not, they must capitalize on every mistake or chance the opposition gives them - whether it be penalties, turnovers, or sloppy play. All of those factors came into play last night, and the boys still only won by a goal.
- Although he's not long for Europe or the over-30 leagues, Alexei Zhitnik is a 1,000 percent improvement on defense over the likes of Baumgartner, Jonsson (Lars), Rathje, Meyer, or Hatcher. He reads and reacts to situations much faster than the rest of the defensive corps, moves the puck better, and has a quicker and more refined instinct on when and where to shoot the puck. If only Clarke/Holmgren could have spent the money on him coming out of the lockout...
- It's a tough call once again on the goaltender situation, because neither Niittymaki nor Esche has had much time and space to "develop" into a Number One due to injuries. Like clockwork the last two years, one goes down right after the other. At best, they are still a 1B and 2, each capable of turning in one or two phenomenal starts (like Esche last night) but unable to carry the team consistently over long stretches. As it's not likely the front office will be looking for goaltending help any time soon, we're stuck in the spin cycle that keeps telling the fan base that injuries are the biggest factor holding the two men back -- not the apparent ceiling each has in terms of talent and psychological makeup.
- Get ready for a strange New Year's Eve - the game against Carolina could just as easily be a surprise blowout 6-2 win as it could be a letdown 6-2 loss. On one hand, Philly may have enough equilibrium to play a more consistent game against the Hurricanes after a huge win. On the other hand, the 'Canes scored just once last night in Buffalo, despite a dozen or so great chances to pump a couple past Ryan Miller. That just screams for the beast to be let out of the cage on Sunday.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Victory is Theirs
A few things to store in the memory banks the morning after the Flyers broke their franchise-record 10-game losing streak:
Thursday, December 28, 2006
The Thousand-Yard Stare
The losses mount and the race is on.
Last night's 3-1 defeat at the hands of Florida at the BankAtlantic Center makes it 10 consecutive losses, an ongoing franchise record.
Only one primary source of information on the team even brings up a lone bright spot - yet another return of Peter Forsberg to the lineup - and that was the usually fawning Tim Panaccio in the Inquirer. Equating Foppa's return during the latest loss which continues the worst losing streak in the Flyers' 40 year history is equating the brightness of a lone shaft of light in the middle of a thunderstorm, if that shaft of light is the glow of a missile heading right in our direction. Add to that Niittymaki's removal before the third period in favor of Robert Esche, due to that pesky torn hip labrum, and that shaft of light is about to hit ground zero any second.
The Flyers have lost two games in one season in South Florida for the first time since the Panthers joined the NHL in 1993. They are two games away from equalling the franchise record for consecutive games without a win (12 games, set in 1998-99 when the team suffered an 0-8-4 stretch from mid-February to mid-March) and face seven more road games split between 2006 and 2007 before returning home. Tonight, a long string of frustration against the Tampa Bay Lightning is expected to continue, as the Bolts have won five in a row at home over Philly, and carry a 10-game winning streak overall against the Flyers dating back to October 2003.
The chances that even this rag-tag bunch of worn-out veterans and kids who have that deer-in-the-headlights look about them, coached by a man who looks overmatched if he played against a 12-year-old in a game of checkers, will win a game on this road trip are actually pretty good. Parity, for once, has its advantages. At this point, intrepid fans who tire of debate might actually make some money laying down wagers on which game it will be (My guess is January 2nd at the Islanders, avoiding a new franchise record for games without a win).
And yes, I am advocating gambling on this web page. It's the least I can do to help fans who sunk thousands of dollars into the team, get something green and precious back. Whether it's done of the team's misfortune is of no concern to me.
And when that win comes, however it comes, at least one beat writer and perhaps all five men who provide entertainment through radio and TV broadcasts may (be forced to) treat it akin the discovery of fire, McKenna's Gold, or the cure for cancer. I won't be fooled, and I know there are thousands more who have woken up to the reality that the Flyers are little more than background noise this season. The streak-breaking win will probably be the only big thing that will turn your attention away from lively dinner-table conversation, paying bills, or other nighttime activities. After that, who knows? Before you know it, April rolls around, the Phillies begin again, and you won't care that the Flyers were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs by the first week of February.
From this point until the end of the season, it's best if you greet any kind words about the Flyers either in print or spoken in any forum, with a generous thousand-yard stare. It'll be the identifying mark of a truly savvy Flyers fan, if only for the remainder of the schedule -- the dumb-struck look of someone who cannot possibly utter any sound in praise, yet somehow smart enough to reserve any energy for something worthwhile.
Last night's 3-1 defeat at the hands of Florida at the BankAtlantic Center makes it 10 consecutive losses, an ongoing franchise record.
Only one primary source of information on the team even brings up a lone bright spot - yet another return of Peter Forsberg to the lineup - and that was the usually fawning Tim Panaccio in the Inquirer. Equating Foppa's return during the latest loss which continues the worst losing streak in the Flyers' 40 year history is equating the brightness of a lone shaft of light in the middle of a thunderstorm, if that shaft of light is the glow of a missile heading right in our direction. Add to that Niittymaki's removal before the third period in favor of Robert Esche, due to that pesky torn hip labrum, and that shaft of light is about to hit ground zero any second.
The Flyers have lost two games in one season in South Florida for the first time since the Panthers joined the NHL in 1993. They are two games away from equalling the franchise record for consecutive games without a win (12 games, set in 1998-99 when the team suffered an 0-8-4 stretch from mid-February to mid-March) and face seven more road games split between 2006 and 2007 before returning home. Tonight, a long string of frustration against the Tampa Bay Lightning is expected to continue, as the Bolts have won five in a row at home over Philly, and carry a 10-game winning streak overall against the Flyers dating back to October 2003.
The chances that even this rag-tag bunch of worn-out veterans and kids who have that deer-in-the-headlights look about them, coached by a man who looks overmatched if he played against a 12-year-old in a game of checkers, will win a game on this road trip are actually pretty good. Parity, for once, has its advantages. At this point, intrepid fans who tire of debate might actually make some money laying down wagers on which game it will be (My guess is January 2nd at the Islanders, avoiding a new franchise record for games without a win).
And yes, I am advocating gambling on this web page. It's the least I can do to help fans who sunk thousands of dollars into the team, get something green and precious back. Whether it's done of the team's misfortune is of no concern to me.
And when that win comes, however it comes, at least one beat writer and perhaps all five men who provide entertainment through radio and TV broadcasts may (be forced to) treat it akin the discovery of fire, McKenna's Gold, or the cure for cancer. I won't be fooled, and I know there are thousands more who have woken up to the reality that the Flyers are little more than background noise this season. The streak-breaking win will probably be the only big thing that will turn your attention away from lively dinner-table conversation, paying bills, or other nighttime activities. After that, who knows? Before you know it, April rolls around, the Phillies begin again, and you won't care that the Flyers were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs by the first week of February.
From this point until the end of the season, it's best if you greet any kind words about the Flyers either in print or spoken in any forum, with a generous thousand-yard stare. It'll be the identifying mark of a truly savvy Flyers fan, if only for the remainder of the schedule -- the dumb-struck look of someone who cannot possibly utter any sound in praise, yet somehow smart enough to reserve any energy for something worthwhile.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Another Good Idea Ruined by Dangerous Minds
It's a Christmas miracle! Only weeks after leaving an owner's meeting with absolutely no consensus whatsoever on how to alter the master schedule to allow each team to play all others at least once, the collective braintrust has come up with a proposal so insane that it just might work.
According to tsn.ca, what's in vogue now is a plan to totally realign all 30 teams, reducing the number of divisions from six to four. That means, two divisions of seven, and two of eight, grouped according to "time zones" not necessarily geographic proximity. The playoff system guarantees the top two teams in each division a postseason berth, with four wild card spots in each conference available for the taking.
Amazing, really. The logic is staggering, to take something in dire need of repair, and breaking it even more in order to fix it again.
For the record, I was in favor of contracting four teams after the lockout, so that a 26-team league could return to the four-division format. Now that 30 teams are economically viable, I can live with the two-conference, six-division system in place since 1998. There are easier ways to get around the problem the current schedule presents without radical surgery.
For instance, let's dispense with the notion that everything has to exist on even numbers...and there are still two ways to work a schedule where each team has 29 opponents every season:
1) Split divisional games where you play two teams 5 times, and two teams 6 times (22 total) rotate each year; play all conference opponents 3 times each (30 total) rotating the home and away each year; play all opposite conference teams twice, 1 home, 1 road each season (30)...that makes 82 games.
2) Keep the current 32 intra-division games (eight per team), play conference opponents three times each (30), and set up the opposite conference by playing all the teams in one division at home, all the teams in another on the road, with the third division teams played once at home and once on the road (20) - rotating each season.
If it's too hard to keep all these factors in balance, knock off two intra-division games from Plan #1, and you have an 80-game season.
As far as the divisions are concerned, why would a conversion to a 7-8-7-8 format make for a better, or more fair playoff system with guaranteed spots for the top four finishers in each conference? Playoff contention is a competition, a desperate contest, not something that needs to be mollified in the name of fairness.
It wasn't fair that, under the old system where 1 through 4 in the division made the playoffs regardless of record, two teams in the Patrick Division with winning records missed the playoffs in 1988, while Toronto made it with 21 wins. OK, the switch to a 1-8 regardless of division standings took care of that mess. Now, because Toronto played in a great Northeast Division and missed the playoffs with 90 points last year, the league has to throw itself into turmoil again? I think not. You miss the postseason because you played in a great division? Thems the breaks, pal. Nothing is perfect, but the present system is about as equal as you're going to get.
Based on the TSN article, Pittsburgh (if they stay) and Atlanta get the shaft because they exist in a netherworld where you can plug them into any number of division-realignment scenarios. I could see either of those teams crying foul in the 7-8-7-8 alignment if they lose a bunch of games late in the season because they had to yo-yo between far-flung Central time-zone locations (Minnesota, St. Louis, Dallas) and home in the Eastern time zone - similar to what happened when Winnipeg moved to Phoenix in 1996 but remained in the Central Division for two seasons. At least in the six-division system, where teams are grouped mostly because of geography, the bouncing act wouldn't happen.
Even if Pittsburgh moved, things would turn out easier with a six-division alignment. All you'd need to do if the Pens relocated to Kansas City is place KC in the Central, move Nashville to the Southeast, and bring Washington into the Atlantic. A move to Winnipeg complicates things a bit more, since they'd be a better fit in the Northwest, but if you move them to the Pacific, the only extra move would be to put Dallas in the Central and bump the rest over. Pittsburgh to Hamilton or Hartford means Toronto might be bumped back into the Western Conference, but wouldn't mean any extra moves. In a four-division set, you'd inevitably have one division casting a wider net than others in terms of the distance between teams with relocation possibilities.
I wish I could say that saner heads will prevail, but with a simple 2/3s majority needed to implement any plan, it's more than likely that the group which does the most politicking for their favored plan will get the nod. Here's where Ed Snider actually could be of some use - one of the lone Old School voices booming from on high, begging his peers to save themselves from ruin - just as he did during the 1994-95 lockout.
According to tsn.ca, what's in vogue now is a plan to totally realign all 30 teams, reducing the number of divisions from six to four. That means, two divisions of seven, and two of eight, grouped according to "time zones" not necessarily geographic proximity. The playoff system guarantees the top two teams in each division a postseason berth, with four wild card spots in each conference available for the taking.
Amazing, really. The logic is staggering, to take something in dire need of repair, and breaking it even more in order to fix it again.
For the record, I was in favor of contracting four teams after the lockout, so that a 26-team league could return to the four-division format. Now that 30 teams are economically viable, I can live with the two-conference, six-division system in place since 1998. There are easier ways to get around the problem the current schedule presents without radical surgery.
For instance, let's dispense with the notion that everything has to exist on even numbers...and there are still two ways to work a schedule where each team has 29 opponents every season:
1) Split divisional games where you play two teams 5 times, and two teams 6 times (22 total) rotate each year; play all conference opponents 3 times each (30 total) rotating the home and away each year; play all opposite conference teams twice, 1 home, 1 road each season (30)...that makes 82 games.
2) Keep the current 32 intra-division games (eight per team), play conference opponents three times each (30), and set up the opposite conference by playing all the teams in one division at home, all the teams in another on the road, with the third division teams played once at home and once on the road (20) - rotating each season.
If it's too hard to keep all these factors in balance, knock off two intra-division games from Plan #1, and you have an 80-game season.
As far as the divisions are concerned, why would a conversion to a 7-8-7-8 format make for a better, or more fair playoff system with guaranteed spots for the top four finishers in each conference? Playoff contention is a competition, a desperate contest, not something that needs to be mollified in the name of fairness.
It wasn't fair that, under the old system where 1 through 4 in the division made the playoffs regardless of record, two teams in the Patrick Division with winning records missed the playoffs in 1988, while Toronto made it with 21 wins. OK, the switch to a 1-8 regardless of division standings took care of that mess. Now, because Toronto played in a great Northeast Division and missed the playoffs with 90 points last year, the league has to throw itself into turmoil again? I think not. You miss the postseason because you played in a great division? Thems the breaks, pal. Nothing is perfect, but the present system is about as equal as you're going to get.
Based on the TSN article, Pittsburgh (if they stay) and Atlanta get the shaft because they exist in a netherworld where you can plug them into any number of division-realignment scenarios. I could see either of those teams crying foul in the 7-8-7-8 alignment if they lose a bunch of games late in the season because they had to yo-yo between far-flung Central time-zone locations (Minnesota, St. Louis, Dallas) and home in the Eastern time zone - similar to what happened when Winnipeg moved to Phoenix in 1996 but remained in the Central Division for two seasons. At least in the six-division system, where teams are grouped mostly because of geography, the bouncing act wouldn't happen.
Even if Pittsburgh moved, things would turn out easier with a six-division alignment. All you'd need to do if the Pens relocated to Kansas City is place KC in the Central, move Nashville to the Southeast, and bring Washington into the Atlantic. A move to Winnipeg complicates things a bit more, since they'd be a better fit in the Northwest, but if you move them to the Pacific, the only extra move would be to put Dallas in the Central and bump the rest over. Pittsburgh to Hamilton or Hartford means Toronto might be bumped back into the Western Conference, but wouldn't mean any extra moves. In a four-division set, you'd inevitably have one division casting a wider net than others in terms of the distance between teams with relocation possibilities.
I wish I could say that saner heads will prevail, but with a simple 2/3s majority needed to implement any plan, it's more than likely that the group which does the most politicking for their favored plan will get the nod. Here's where Ed Snider actually could be of some use - one of the lone Old School voices booming from on high, begging his peers to save themselves from ruin - just as he did during the 1994-95 lockout.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
11:56, or Pittsburgh, You are on the Clock
The window of opportunity for the Penguins became significantly smaller after yesterday's casino licensing decision. Anybody with even the slightest hint of inside information knew that Isle of Capri, while the darling of the entire Pittsburgh area, was not ahead in the hearts and minds of the Pennsylvania Gaming Board.
In reality, the larger picture in yesterday's state-wide casino-licensing awards was about pumping more money into certain economically-depressed parts of Pennsylvania's cities and generating additional revenue for the state's vacation destinations. It's an unfortunate side-effect of the Penguins' financial troubles that they hung so much hope on just one of dozens of proposals to cross the Gaming Board's collective eyes. While I'm sure there will be cries of Eastern favoritism on the part of Governor Ed Rendell for not pulling hard enough for Isle of Capri on behalf of Pittsburgh, I don't think he cared enough about the fortunes of one hockey team weighed against the economic windfall for the entire Commonwealth - nor should he.
Mario Lemieux has done a superhuman job to keep the Penguins here, and maybe now it's time for him to lay down his financial and psychological burden and watch from the sidelines, knowing he did everything he could - ultimately in vain. PITG, which won a slots license for the North Side, and headed by Detroit-based businessman Don Barden, has offered money on a 30-year plan for a new arena, with the team footing the remainder of the bill - which they are under no obligation to do so in the agreement. Caught between the rock of moving, and the hard place of possibly jumping back into bed with Jim Balsillie, maybe this isn't a bad option after all. Just, please get rid of the name, "Plan B." You're not trying to prevent a pregnancy.
The worst part beyond the fading hopes of thousands of fans, the front office, and the players, is that the sharks in other cities are already swimming, licking their collective chops at the penguin chum now floating in the proverbial water.
Quoth the GM of Kansas City's new Sprint Center: "Let's just say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." Rrrriggghhhttt...let's see if a minor league franchise can stay in KC longer than two years, let alone having dreams about an NHL team coming to the city. Remember the Scouts? They of the 27 combined wins in 160 games over two seasons? Apparently no one there does. Winnipeg - shiny new arena, rich hockey tradition, minus-20 in the sun. Las Vegas, Portland, Oklahoma City? Are they serious? Did the NHL just parse the lyrics to Huey Lewis and the News' "Heart of Rock and Roll" and pick cities at random? If so, they forgot Tulsa, Austin, Seattle and San Francisco, too.
The NHL does NOT have the Penguins' back. Further evidence provided by the following statement issued by Gary Bettman yesterday: "The decision by the gaming commission was terrible news for the Penguins, their fans and the NHL. The future of this franchise in Pittsburgh is uncertain, and the Penguins now will have to explore all other options, including possible relocation. The NHL will support the Penguins in their endeavors." Meaning, whatever deal will make our books look the best, we will support. Which is just totally un-fucking-fathomable. If the league rearranged its entire salary structure to allow for 30 teams to survive the post-lockout years, why in God's name can't they step up and fix one weak link in an otherwise strong chain??
I wonder when the final tipping point will come, when all involved simply give over to the fact that putting more energy into salvaging a lost cause is more painful than letting go. The Penguins are now embroiled in its fourth near-fatal situation since 1977. How about you let Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, Recchi and the rest play out the season without the Black Cloud hanging over their heads, get one more year of treasured memories, and give them the freedom to leave?
In reality, the larger picture in yesterday's state-wide casino-licensing awards was about pumping more money into certain economically-depressed parts of Pennsylvania's cities and generating additional revenue for the state's vacation destinations. It's an unfortunate side-effect of the Penguins' financial troubles that they hung so much hope on just one of dozens of proposals to cross the Gaming Board's collective eyes. While I'm sure there will be cries of Eastern favoritism on the part of Governor Ed Rendell for not pulling hard enough for Isle of Capri on behalf of Pittsburgh, I don't think he cared enough about the fortunes of one hockey team weighed against the economic windfall for the entire Commonwealth - nor should he.
Mario Lemieux has done a superhuman job to keep the Penguins here, and maybe now it's time for him to lay down his financial and psychological burden and watch from the sidelines, knowing he did everything he could - ultimately in vain. PITG, which won a slots license for the North Side, and headed by Detroit-based businessman Don Barden, has offered money on a 30-year plan for a new arena, with the team footing the remainder of the bill - which they are under no obligation to do so in the agreement. Caught between the rock of moving, and the hard place of possibly jumping back into bed with Jim Balsillie, maybe this isn't a bad option after all. Just, please get rid of the name, "Plan B." You're not trying to prevent a pregnancy.
The worst part beyond the fading hopes of thousands of fans, the front office, and the players, is that the sharks in other cities are already swimming, licking their collective chops at the penguin chum now floating in the proverbial water.
Quoth the GM of Kansas City's new Sprint Center: "Let's just say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." Rrrriggghhhttt...let's see if a minor league franchise can stay in KC longer than two years, let alone having dreams about an NHL team coming to the city. Remember the Scouts? They of the 27 combined wins in 160 games over two seasons? Apparently no one there does. Winnipeg - shiny new arena, rich hockey tradition, minus-20 in the sun. Las Vegas, Portland, Oklahoma City? Are they serious? Did the NHL just parse the lyrics to Huey Lewis and the News' "Heart of Rock and Roll" and pick cities at random? If so, they forgot Tulsa, Austin, Seattle and San Francisco, too.
The NHL does NOT have the Penguins' back. Further evidence provided by the following statement issued by Gary Bettman yesterday: "The decision by the gaming commission was terrible news for the Penguins, their fans and the NHL. The future of this franchise in Pittsburgh is uncertain, and the Penguins now will have to explore all other options, including possible relocation. The NHL will support the Penguins in their endeavors." Meaning, whatever deal will make our books look the best, we will support. Which is just totally un-fucking-fathomable. If the league rearranged its entire salary structure to allow for 30 teams to survive the post-lockout years, why in God's name can't they step up and fix one weak link in an otherwise strong chain??
I wonder when the final tipping point will come, when all involved simply give over to the fact that putting more energy into salvaging a lost cause is more painful than letting go. The Penguins are now embroiled in its fourth near-fatal situation since 1977. How about you let Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, Recchi and the rest play out the season without the Black Cloud hanging over their heads, get one more year of treasured memories, and give them the freedom to leave?
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Which Sounds Better?
Kansas City Penguins, Hamilton Penguins, Winnipe(n)guins...Hartford Whalers, Mark II?
That's where the whole Pittsburgh mess is heading now that Jim Balsillie is out of the running to rescue the Pens from their impending doom in the City of Bridges. From the sound of things, the Canadian-based inventor of the BlackBerry got his panties in a knot when the league higher-ups declined his chance to move the team if the whole new-arena deal fell through in Pittsburgh. Now, their slim chance of survival depends on the most capricious of all sure-shot deals: political favors.
Rumor has it, Governor Ed Rendell favors the Isle of Capri slots plan in Western Pennsylvania, and, if you read the oceans of thread on the Penguins web site devoted to saving the team, thousands of fans agree with him, and believe that the casino revenue would keep the Pens in place in a New Igloo somewhere downtown. However, the kind of back room dealings in Harrisburg that make these rumors juicy once reported, often reverse themselves away from the press in the inner-inner-sancta, where even the most intrepid reporter can't put his ear to the door and hear something buzzworthy.
There's no guarantee that Isle of Capri will be granted that slots license, and there's slim hopes that a back-up plan will hold water if a casino-type revitalization falls through.
Basically, folks, unless there is a miracle (and they DO happen every once in a while: see Jets, Winnipeg: 1995 Rally) the Penguins will be moving in the offseason once the team's lease with Mellon Arena expires. It's shocking how the league office, through the mouthpiece of the Commissioner, just sits back and issues comment once the best-laid-plans of businessmen don't come to fruition. So far, we've heard the league's pleasure at Balsillie's willingness to take up Pittsburgh's cause, and then the disappointment of his pull-out, but nothing in between. Even though the old regime under John Ziegler was roundly criticized for years about their country-club atmosphere and staid philosophies on the game, they did step in one time and actively saved a franchise.
In the early 1980's, Ralston-Purina (based in St. Louis) drove the Blues into bankruptcy because the corporation knew very little about how to run a hockey team, although it did earn praise for buying the team out of civic responsibility when it first went bankrupt in the late 70's. They eventually gave up control at the end of the 1982-83 season, and sold it off to a guy who was primed to move the franchise to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. During the summer, the buyer backed out, and the Blues were in limbo until the NHL stepped in and acted as caretaker for a year before Harry Ornest stepped in to buy in 1984. Aside from the hysteria of possibly folding the team, and the fact that they did not have a draft pick that year, St.Louis made the playoffs in 1983-84, then won the Norris Division the following season.
Where is that benevolence now? Nowhere to be found except in revenue projections. Bettman is most concerned with the financial solvency of the league as it pertains to giving all 30 teams a shot, and, ultimately because his role is more the CEO of a corporation, he doesn't care if the Penguins remain in Pittsburgh or not - as long as the ledger looks clean and fair at the end of the season. Wherever the best deal is struck in the best interest of the NHL, that's where the Penguins will land. I believe the sincerity of his disappointment over Balsillie's parlor games, but that kind of righteous indignation can only last until someone else comes along with a better fail-safe plan.
I wish the swarms of Whalers faithful would stop creaming in their jeans over the prospect of the Penguins relocating to Hartford - if they failed to generate sufficient interest because the city and its fans lived smack in the middle of traditional Bruins and Rangers fans 10 years ago, they will fail again - even if they court more fans from Fairfield and New Haven Counties, even with the supposed windfall from corporate sponsorships because Hartford is the Insurance Capital of North America.
Rant aside, the worst thing that could happen from a competitive standpoint is that Crosby and Malkin are somehow split up because a potential deal to keep or move the Penguins forces a salary dump, where they'd have to choose between two young explosive stars. Interest in the league and the new product will spike when you have more than just one star keeping the other 24 players afloat. Judging by the beatings they've handed out on the Flyers and the dozen eye-popping plays they've had between them, the Terrible Twosome will have a bright future.
Rovers. Wanderers. Nomads. Vagabonds. Call them what you will. Just don't call them unprepared, because the rumors have been swirling in the Steel City for nearly a decade. It's just a matter of when the announcement comes down, something nobody truly knows. That's the worst kind of waiting.
That's where the whole Pittsburgh mess is heading now that Jim Balsillie is out of the running to rescue the Pens from their impending doom in the City of Bridges. From the sound of things, the Canadian-based inventor of the BlackBerry got his panties in a knot when the league higher-ups declined his chance to move the team if the whole new-arena deal fell through in Pittsburgh. Now, their slim chance of survival depends on the most capricious of all sure-shot deals: political favors.
Rumor has it, Governor Ed Rendell favors the Isle of Capri slots plan in Western Pennsylvania, and, if you read the oceans of thread on the Penguins web site devoted to saving the team, thousands of fans agree with him, and believe that the casino revenue would keep the Pens in place in a New Igloo somewhere downtown. However, the kind of back room dealings in Harrisburg that make these rumors juicy once reported, often reverse themselves away from the press in the inner-inner-sancta, where even the most intrepid reporter can't put his ear to the door and hear something buzzworthy.
There's no guarantee that Isle of Capri will be granted that slots license, and there's slim hopes that a back-up plan will hold water if a casino-type revitalization falls through.
Basically, folks, unless there is a miracle (and they DO happen every once in a while: see Jets, Winnipeg: 1995 Rally) the Penguins will be moving in the offseason once the team's lease with Mellon Arena expires. It's shocking how the league office, through the mouthpiece of the Commissioner, just sits back and issues comment once the best-laid-plans of businessmen don't come to fruition. So far, we've heard the league's pleasure at Balsillie's willingness to take up Pittsburgh's cause, and then the disappointment of his pull-out, but nothing in between. Even though the old regime under John Ziegler was roundly criticized for years about their country-club atmosphere and staid philosophies on the game, they did step in one time and actively saved a franchise.
In the early 1980's, Ralston-Purina (based in St. Louis) drove the Blues into bankruptcy because the corporation knew very little about how to run a hockey team, although it did earn praise for buying the team out of civic responsibility when it first went bankrupt in the late 70's. They eventually gave up control at the end of the 1982-83 season, and sold it off to a guy who was primed to move the franchise to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. During the summer, the buyer backed out, and the Blues were in limbo until the NHL stepped in and acted as caretaker for a year before Harry Ornest stepped in to buy in 1984. Aside from the hysteria of possibly folding the team, and the fact that they did not have a draft pick that year, St.Louis made the playoffs in 1983-84, then won the Norris Division the following season.
Where is that benevolence now? Nowhere to be found except in revenue projections. Bettman is most concerned with the financial solvency of the league as it pertains to giving all 30 teams a shot, and, ultimately because his role is more the CEO of a corporation, he doesn't care if the Penguins remain in Pittsburgh or not - as long as the ledger looks clean and fair at the end of the season. Wherever the best deal is struck in the best interest of the NHL, that's where the Penguins will land. I believe the sincerity of his disappointment over Balsillie's parlor games, but that kind of righteous indignation can only last until someone else comes along with a better fail-safe plan.
I wish the swarms of Whalers faithful would stop creaming in their jeans over the prospect of the Penguins relocating to Hartford - if they failed to generate sufficient interest because the city and its fans lived smack in the middle of traditional Bruins and Rangers fans 10 years ago, they will fail again - even if they court more fans from Fairfield and New Haven Counties, even with the supposed windfall from corporate sponsorships because Hartford is the Insurance Capital of North America.
Rant aside, the worst thing that could happen from a competitive standpoint is that Crosby and Malkin are somehow split up because a potential deal to keep or move the Penguins forces a salary dump, where they'd have to choose between two young explosive stars. Interest in the league and the new product will spike when you have more than just one star keeping the other 24 players afloat. Judging by the beatings they've handed out on the Flyers and the dozen eye-popping plays they've had between them, the Terrible Twosome will have a bright future.
Rovers. Wanderers. Nomads. Vagabonds. Call them what you will. Just don't call them unprepared, because the rumors have been swirling in the Steel City for nearly a decade. It's just a matter of when the announcement comes down, something nobody truly knows. That's the worst kind of waiting.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Sinking in the Atlantic
The signing of Brendan Shanahan was made for times like what the Rangers went through in the last two days. You'd have to go back to the 2000-2001 season to find a time when New York was crushed so thoroughly in back-to-back games, and that was in the era when Messier, Graves, and Leetch roamed the ice. Even with Jagr wearing the "C" last season, the Blueshirts didn't suffer a two-game stretch like their 9-2 loss at Toronto on Saturday and the 6-1 drubbing at home to the Devils yesterday. We'll see just how resilient the club is, and how deft Shanahan's touch is off the ice as the Rangers attempt to put their Lost Weekend behind them.
Regardless, it seems that the Atlantic Division, once the most intensely-competitive division in the NHL, has become the modern-day version of the old Norris Division of the late 1980's - the one which featured a Blues team which won the division with a losing record (1986-87), and which had a .500 team (1988-89 Red Wings) finish first in another year.
This morning, the Rangers sit atop the division with an 18-12-4 record, but a negative goal differential (107-109) thanks to the torrent of goals given up. The Devils, perennially lurking in the weeds are second (18-12-2, 83-79) and their goal differential finally tipped to the positive side after last night's blowout. They are akin to the Capitals of the late 80's - the team that starts off horribly then gets stronger as the weather gets colder. You wonder why they just don't cancel the first 40 games of the season, set them up with an arbitrary losing record, and let them play out the remaining 42 games. The Islanders and Penguins keep swapping places between third and fourth, and each team is a mirror of the other: Pittsburgh the squad with all the hot young talent and a little veteran spice that overachieves in some games, and looks their age in others, and the Isles the team with all the veteran talent and some young spice that overachieve in some games and play their age in others. And, of course, there are the Flyers drowning in the basement, on whose back every other team stands just to catch their breath above the waterline.
The whole of the Eastern Conference is just one big oozing mess. Nobody has distinguished themselves, and it's all just a bunch of teams suffering the sophomore slump or bearing the brunt of unreal expectations. But everyone has their eyes affixed to the Atlantic because every team has a juicy storyline affixed to it: Can the Devils play a full season at full strength and NOT rely wholly on Brodeur? Will Crosby and Malkin be enough to keep the Pens in Pittsburgh? Are the Flyers REALLY done with Old Time Hockey? Can the Islanders avoid being embarrassed with a ragtag bunch of free agent veterans and Bridgeport castoffs? Will Shanahan be the proper shock to the hearts of all that European talent on Broadway? We're soon to find out about that last one.
Whoever finishes first in April will have the "benefit" of getting a three-seed and at least home ice for the first round of the playoffs. It's pale shelter because the way the postseason is set up, a six has an excellent chance of beating a three because home-ice advantage doesn't mean much anymore. However, it should be noted that the "cream" isn't always the first thing to rise to the top, or to stay there. With 32 divisional games each year, it won't take much for one team to go on a hot streak by feasting on the fourth-and-fifth place clubs. At this point, it could realistically be any team except the Flyers. Which is sad.
Here's hoping someone takes the reins in the New Year and plays some exciting hockey on their way to winning the division crown. The last team other than the Devils or Flyers to take the Atlantic were the Rangers in their Cup-winning 1993-94 campaign. It would be nice to have a little change in that department, since the Flyers, Devils, and Islanders have dominated the top of the standings since the Patrick was created in 1974.
By the way, this title is no pun whatsoever, given the tragic situation facing the family of Montreal Canadiens' general manager Bob Gainey. His oldest daughter, Laura, was swept overboard by a "rogue wave" (I love how the media plays up the capricious ways of Nature as if it were lurking just around the corner waiting to strike at Innocent Humanity) while serving on a ship sailing through the North Atlantic on its way to the Caribbean. At 25 years old, she lived quite a life, marred as it was by the premature death of her mother, the subsequent drug problems, and the roundabout way she tried to get her life back on course. Her father had to step down as coach of the Dallas Stars when his wife passed from cancer in 1996, and the toll it took on father and daughter was tremendous. Sadly, the story didn't get to have a happy ending, though the journey back to normal was one that I'm sure will be treasured by those who survive. Through all this, the Canadiens are a surprise top team in the East, and a pleasure to watch in English or French (no thanks to you, RDS!) when my job dictates.
From the Bad Joke Department: Why is it that as a hockey fan, I have to switch over to the NFL, NBA, and MLB to find the fisticuffs and cartoonish violence I once treasured as part of the NHL? Whether it's "Malice at the Palace," Saturday night's "Rumble at the Garden," or any bench-clearing square-dance on the baseball diamond, I'm seeing the violence and incivility that once marked the game of hockey spill over into the other major sports - without the code of honor and protection which made fights in the NHL so enjoyable. I propose a massive switch within the leagues - Gary Bettman gets to be commish for a week in all three other leagues, while David Stern, Roger Goodell, and Hair Bud get to fill that seat in the NHL. Hell, it should be easy, just a bit of a walk through Midtown Manhattan for all four to ponder their fortune while sitting in different Big Leather Chairs. The change in perception could do wonders for all involved.
Regardless, it seems that the Atlantic Division, once the most intensely-competitive division in the NHL, has become the modern-day version of the old Norris Division of the late 1980's - the one which featured a Blues team which won the division with a losing record (1986-87), and which had a .500 team (1988-89 Red Wings) finish first in another year.
This morning, the Rangers sit atop the division with an 18-12-4 record, but a negative goal differential (107-109) thanks to the torrent of goals given up. The Devils, perennially lurking in the weeds are second (18-12-2, 83-79) and their goal differential finally tipped to the positive side after last night's blowout. They are akin to the Capitals of the late 80's - the team that starts off horribly then gets stronger as the weather gets colder. You wonder why they just don't cancel the first 40 games of the season, set them up with an arbitrary losing record, and let them play out the remaining 42 games. The Islanders and Penguins keep swapping places between third and fourth, and each team is a mirror of the other: Pittsburgh the squad with all the hot young talent and a little veteran spice that overachieves in some games, and looks their age in others, and the Isles the team with all the veteran talent and some young spice that overachieve in some games and play their age in others. And, of course, there are the Flyers drowning in the basement, on whose back every other team stands just to catch their breath above the waterline.
The whole of the Eastern Conference is just one big oozing mess. Nobody has distinguished themselves, and it's all just a bunch of teams suffering the sophomore slump or bearing the brunt of unreal expectations. But everyone has their eyes affixed to the Atlantic because every team has a juicy storyline affixed to it: Can the Devils play a full season at full strength and NOT rely wholly on Brodeur? Will Crosby and Malkin be enough to keep the Pens in Pittsburgh? Are the Flyers REALLY done with Old Time Hockey? Can the Islanders avoid being embarrassed with a ragtag bunch of free agent veterans and Bridgeport castoffs? Will Shanahan be the proper shock to the hearts of all that European talent on Broadway? We're soon to find out about that last one.
Whoever finishes first in April will have the "benefit" of getting a three-seed and at least home ice for the first round of the playoffs. It's pale shelter because the way the postseason is set up, a six has an excellent chance of beating a three because home-ice advantage doesn't mean much anymore. However, it should be noted that the "cream" isn't always the first thing to rise to the top, or to stay there. With 32 divisional games each year, it won't take much for one team to go on a hot streak by feasting on the fourth-and-fifth place clubs. At this point, it could realistically be any team except the Flyers. Which is sad.
Here's hoping someone takes the reins in the New Year and plays some exciting hockey on their way to winning the division crown. The last team other than the Devils or Flyers to take the Atlantic were the Rangers in their Cup-winning 1993-94 campaign. It would be nice to have a little change in that department, since the Flyers, Devils, and Islanders have dominated the top of the standings since the Patrick was created in 1974.
By the way, this title is no pun whatsoever, given the tragic situation facing the family of Montreal Canadiens' general manager Bob Gainey. His oldest daughter, Laura, was swept overboard by a "rogue wave" (I love how the media plays up the capricious ways of Nature as if it were lurking just around the corner waiting to strike at Innocent Humanity) while serving on a ship sailing through the North Atlantic on its way to the Caribbean. At 25 years old, she lived quite a life, marred as it was by the premature death of her mother, the subsequent drug problems, and the roundabout way she tried to get her life back on course. Her father had to step down as coach of the Dallas Stars when his wife passed from cancer in 1996, and the toll it took on father and daughter was tremendous. Sadly, the story didn't get to have a happy ending, though the journey back to normal was one that I'm sure will be treasured by those who survive. Through all this, the Canadiens are a surprise top team in the East, and a pleasure to watch in English or French (no thanks to you, RDS!) when my job dictates.
From the Bad Joke Department: Why is it that as a hockey fan, I have to switch over to the NFL, NBA, and MLB to find the fisticuffs and cartoonish violence I once treasured as part of the NHL? Whether it's "Malice at the Palace," Saturday night's "Rumble at the Garden," or any bench-clearing square-dance on the baseball diamond, I'm seeing the violence and incivility that once marked the game of hockey spill over into the other major sports - without the code of honor and protection which made fights in the NHL so enjoyable. I propose a massive switch within the leagues - Gary Bettman gets to be commish for a week in all three other leagues, while David Stern, Roger Goodell, and Hair Bud get to fill that seat in the NHL. Hell, it should be easy, just a bit of a walk through Midtown Manhattan for all four to ponder their fortune while sitting in different Big Leather Chairs. The change in perception could do wonders for all involved.
Friday, December 15, 2006
The Memory Remains
The repercussions of March 8, 2004 just will not go away. More so than the effects of the 2004-2005 season's cancellation, the Bertuzzi-Moore affair is the NHL's true elephant in the room. The saga continues with more legal wrangling and protracted visits to the league office:
20 games in exchange for a career
My stance on a few matters relating to the incident can be summed up within the boundaries of a few questions which keep repeating themselves:
Yes, I think it was a cowardly act by Bertuzzi, grabbing Moore from behind and using his full force to slam the player face-first into the ice. Even in the goon's code, you have to at least tap a player on the shoulder when his back is turned, in order to engage properly.
No, I don't think there should have been legal repercussions beyond the league's involvement. It was not the place for Vancouver city or Provincial police to begin an investigation if Moore did not specifically ask for it first. However, I do see that in the league's inability to pass down a proper verdict, courtroom justice had to be sought.
Yes, I think it was very weird how the Avalanche signed Brad May, whose actions in that game (going after Sakic and Forsberg as the chosen player to retaliate for Moore's hit on Canucks captain Markus Naslund the month before) preceded Bertuzzi's thuggery. I find it even stranger that the players' unwritten code allowed for all to be forgiven when May played a full season in Denver last year, while Moore remained a distant, litigious afterthought.
No, I don't think Bertuzzi "suffered enough" for his actions. Dale Hunter once cross-checked Pierre Turgeon from behind and dislocated Turgeon's shoulder in a 1993 Capitals-Islanders playoff game, and he got a league-record 25-gamer to start the following season. Turgeon rehabbed and only missed a handful of games the next year.
Moore, on the other hand, was bloodied and knocked unconscious by the hit, and, almost three years later is still dealing with the concussions and other physical symptoms of the attack. He will never get another team to sign him, since, as the weeks and months pass by, the effort he would need to return to playing shape will leave him ever more out of sync with the different demands of the new NHL. Justifying the fact that Bertuzzi had 13 games, the playoffs, and the cancelled season to not play, and to wrestle with his responsibility in addition to his actual suspension is a shoddy argument at best. Redemption should not have come this easily. Sure, Bertuzzi is psychologically not the same player he was before the incident, even with new surroundings in South Florida, but so what? Bertuzzi continues to earn his living while Moore cannot.
It's a curious contradiction in the Bettman era, and the hit has become a nexus point for discussion of just where The Commissioner wanted to point the league in the new era. On the one hand, the suspension was handed down, but it seems more like a pale compromise than what it should have been: a landmark attempt for Bettman to lay down the law regarding violence in the sport. Instead, he looks at the Flyers-Ottawa brawl, and recounts nightmares from Buffalo in the mid-90's, and decides to create a rule which suspends anyone caught in a fight in the last five minutes of a regular-season game, and another one which brings the hammer down if someone's jersey happens to pop off his pants during a fight.
Even a trained lawyer like Bettman can see the logic in the separation between the traditional rules of fighting, and the brutality of random violence. So far this season, there have been plenty of behind-the-back hits in vulnerable positions, resulting in the most benign of disadvantages, the two-minute minor. I watched a Washington-Pittsburgh game on Tuesday night, and two combatants were given game misconducts because they dared to start a fight away from the main attraction which the officials were watching closely - no kicking, no gouging, no shirts torn off, no turtling, just a tussle in the faceoff circle. And yet, there's endless Hamlet-like hand-wringing and indecision on what to do with all these "big hits" that may or may not happen via elbows to the head. There's subtle discussions about the psychology of players refusing to wear visors when the issue should be why there aren't more double-minors and majors handed out after ever-increasingly careless stickwork. It's all a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees.
Meanwhile, there seems to be some confusion about who should settle this $19.5 million civil suit Moore brought against Bertuzzi. Why are they meeting with the league instead of having the reps meet with each other? As far as I know, once the courts are involved, the league has no say in the matter, it's up to the lawyers to sort it all out, unless the punishment levelled by the league office somehow factors into the eventual settlement amount.
All of this could have been avoided had the NHL taken appropriate action. I'm certain that Moore wouldn't have gone the painstaking route he did, had justice been meted out properly by the appropriate source. The continuing tragedy beyond corporeal effects, is the molasses-like movement of the legal system in both the U.S. and Canada. Both men are in it for the long haul now, but no matter what the outcome, it still won't truly satisfy anyone.
20 games in exchange for a career
My stance on a few matters relating to the incident can be summed up within the boundaries of a few questions which keep repeating themselves:
Yes, I think it was a cowardly act by Bertuzzi, grabbing Moore from behind and using his full force to slam the player face-first into the ice. Even in the goon's code, you have to at least tap a player on the shoulder when his back is turned, in order to engage properly.
No, I don't think there should have been legal repercussions beyond the league's involvement. It was not the place for Vancouver city or Provincial police to begin an investigation if Moore did not specifically ask for it first. However, I do see that in the league's inability to pass down a proper verdict, courtroom justice had to be sought.
Yes, I think it was very weird how the Avalanche signed Brad May, whose actions in that game (going after Sakic and Forsberg as the chosen player to retaliate for Moore's hit on Canucks captain Markus Naslund the month before) preceded Bertuzzi's thuggery. I find it even stranger that the players' unwritten code allowed for all to be forgiven when May played a full season in Denver last year, while Moore remained a distant, litigious afterthought.
No, I don't think Bertuzzi "suffered enough" for his actions. Dale Hunter once cross-checked Pierre Turgeon from behind and dislocated Turgeon's shoulder in a 1993 Capitals-Islanders playoff game, and he got a league-record 25-gamer to start the following season. Turgeon rehabbed and only missed a handful of games the next year.
Moore, on the other hand, was bloodied and knocked unconscious by the hit, and, almost three years later is still dealing with the concussions and other physical symptoms of the attack. He will never get another team to sign him, since, as the weeks and months pass by, the effort he would need to return to playing shape will leave him ever more out of sync with the different demands of the new NHL. Justifying the fact that Bertuzzi had 13 games, the playoffs, and the cancelled season to not play, and to wrestle with his responsibility in addition to his actual suspension is a shoddy argument at best. Redemption should not have come this easily. Sure, Bertuzzi is psychologically not the same player he was before the incident, even with new surroundings in South Florida, but so what? Bertuzzi continues to earn his living while Moore cannot.
It's a curious contradiction in the Bettman era, and the hit has become a nexus point for discussion of just where The Commissioner wanted to point the league in the new era. On the one hand, the suspension was handed down, but it seems more like a pale compromise than what it should have been: a landmark attempt for Bettman to lay down the law regarding violence in the sport. Instead, he looks at the Flyers-Ottawa brawl, and recounts nightmares from Buffalo in the mid-90's, and decides to create a rule which suspends anyone caught in a fight in the last five minutes of a regular-season game, and another one which brings the hammer down if someone's jersey happens to pop off his pants during a fight.
Even a trained lawyer like Bettman can see the logic in the separation between the traditional rules of fighting, and the brutality of random violence. So far this season, there have been plenty of behind-the-back hits in vulnerable positions, resulting in the most benign of disadvantages, the two-minute minor. I watched a Washington-Pittsburgh game on Tuesday night, and two combatants were given game misconducts because they dared to start a fight away from the main attraction which the officials were watching closely - no kicking, no gouging, no shirts torn off, no turtling, just a tussle in the faceoff circle. And yet, there's endless Hamlet-like hand-wringing and indecision on what to do with all these "big hits" that may or may not happen via elbows to the head. There's subtle discussions about the psychology of players refusing to wear visors when the issue should be why there aren't more double-minors and majors handed out after ever-increasingly careless stickwork. It's all a classic case of not seeing the forest for the trees.
Meanwhile, there seems to be some confusion about who should settle this $19.5 million civil suit Moore brought against Bertuzzi. Why are they meeting with the league instead of having the reps meet with each other? As far as I know, once the courts are involved, the league has no say in the matter, it's up to the lawyers to sort it all out, unless the punishment levelled by the league office somehow factors into the eventual settlement amount.
All of this could have been avoided had the NHL taken appropriate action. I'm certain that Moore wouldn't have gone the painstaking route he did, had justice been meted out properly by the appropriate source. The continuing tragedy beyond corporeal effects, is the molasses-like movement of the legal system in both the U.S. and Canada. Both men are in it for the long haul now, but no matter what the outcome, it still won't truly satisfy anyone.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
For The Love of God, Just Bring Him Back Already
Forced into having to report to the Penguins minor league affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton after clearing waivers for the second time, veteran forward John LeClair has opted to stay home. Pens GM Ray Shero will make a decision on what to do with him today, according to today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Will Johnny Come Marching Home Again?
The obvious question is, why the hell isn't he back in Philadelphia? I know that bringing back another aging former star with at least one prior turn on "Insert Corporate Name Here" ice will stoke a thousand cynical fires, but in this case, a return is warranted. Sure, it'll be akin to placing a big red bow on a pile of moose dung which is the 2006-2007 season, but at the very least nobody will complain about a bunch of Phantoms losing to NHL clubs night in and night out.
If anything, LeClair will serve two purposes: a badly needed veteran presence who can guide the dozen or so Phantoms who populate the roster through the remainder of the year, and someone who can spend 10 minutes a game planted in the crease on power plays. Plus, now that he's been cycled through waivers with no taker twice, he comes at an unbelievable discount for the remaining 2/3s of the season.
Put him with Eager and Umberger on a second or third power-play unit, and the Flyers might be able to bash out an extra goal here and there. Then, if everyone is healthy in February, send him home. He's back here anyway with his family while Pittsburgh twiddles their collective thumbs, and he obviously wants to begin the non-playing phase of his life in the Philly area.
Ed Moran, last week in the Daily News, practically whined like a six-year-old at the prospect of LeClair, the Stanley Cup Winner and three-time 50-goal-scorer sitting home with no action on the Flyers' part. He convieniently forgets that age becomes a discriminating factor for all but the very best talents the league has to offer. Remember that Larry Murphy, Dave Andreychuk, Vladimir Malakhov, Brian Leetch and Doug Gilmour all faded out of existence when no team offered them jobs, and that's just in the last five years.
Seriously, between a washed-up LeClair and a green Stefan Ruzicka, which would you rather have in these desperate hours? The answer to that question is completely obvious. Apparently, maybe not obvious enough for Paul Holmgren.
Will Johnny Come Marching Home Again?
The obvious question is, why the hell isn't he back in Philadelphia? I know that bringing back another aging former star with at least one prior turn on "Insert Corporate Name Here" ice will stoke a thousand cynical fires, but in this case, a return is warranted. Sure, it'll be akin to placing a big red bow on a pile of moose dung which is the 2006-2007 season, but at the very least nobody will complain about a bunch of Phantoms losing to NHL clubs night in and night out.
If anything, LeClair will serve two purposes: a badly needed veteran presence who can guide the dozen or so Phantoms who populate the roster through the remainder of the year, and someone who can spend 10 minutes a game planted in the crease on power plays. Plus, now that he's been cycled through waivers with no taker twice, he comes at an unbelievable discount for the remaining 2/3s of the season.
Put him with Eager and Umberger on a second or third power-play unit, and the Flyers might be able to bash out an extra goal here and there. Then, if everyone is healthy in February, send him home. He's back here anyway with his family while Pittsburgh twiddles their collective thumbs, and he obviously wants to begin the non-playing phase of his life in the Philly area.
Ed Moran, last week in the Daily News, practically whined like a six-year-old at the prospect of LeClair, the Stanley Cup Winner and three-time 50-goal-scorer sitting home with no action on the Flyers' part. He convieniently forgets that age becomes a discriminating factor for all but the very best talents the league has to offer. Remember that Larry Murphy, Dave Andreychuk, Vladimir Malakhov, Brian Leetch and Doug Gilmour all faded out of existence when no team offered them jobs, and that's just in the last five years.
Seriously, between a washed-up LeClair and a green Stefan Ruzicka, which would you rather have in these desperate hours? The answer to that question is completely obvious. Apparently, maybe not obvious enough for Paul Holmgren.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Hitch in Blue Jackets' Plan Seems to be Working
When Columbus fired Gerard Gallant, and replaced him with recently-deposed Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock on November 22nd, it was that organization's first real step out of the expansion doldrums.
Funny, because Columbus has seen NHL action since October 2000. That's five seasons and part of a sixth. They've managed to string together exactly one season (last year) with a finish higher than fourth place in the Central Division, and have not come close to sniffing the playoffs. No expansion team since the Washington Capitals, who entered the league in 1974 and did not make the playoffs until 1983, has had to endure such a run of futility.
Yet, the addition of Hitch behind the bench has proven that the right mind and the right hands can improve any situation. Columbus has run off a 5-3-0 record, including big shutout road wins at Edmonton and Colorado, and an impressive 6-2 home thrashing of Ottawa on Sunday.
But things are not going to be rosy for long. See, the on-ice product has to shoulder a hefty amount of the burden for the team's perennially poor performance, and Hitchcock's rapier-like mind is already working full-time as talent evaluator. Easy times are coming for those deemed too soft, or lacking in defensive mind-set. They will be the ones demoted to Syracuse or traded. Tougher days are coming for the ones the head coach deems "work-in-progress" like youngsters Gilbert Brule, Rusty Klesla, Dan Fritsche, and sniper Rick Nash, or those deemed in need of an attitude adjustment (read: Sergei Fedorov). Those I feel the most for are the hard-nosed respected veterans, like Adam Foote, David Vyborny, Freddie Modin and Anson Carter. They will be the ones charged with bringing Hitch's message down from on high, and the ones who must deal with the portly genius' psychological gambits.
The challenge in Ohio's capital city is also a unique one for the man whose coaching pedigree allowed him to step into ready-made situations in Dallas and Philadelphia. At each of those two stops, he was placed in charge of veteran underachieving teams. In Dallas, it took one year to get the Stars from worst to first, and two more to win a Cup. In Philly, he took a team which mutinied on their former coach, and turned it into a defensive machine which reached the Conference Finals in 2004.
This time around, he faces a young team in need of guidance, confidence, and a total overhaul, something which he has not encountered since his days coaching 16-20 year olds in the Western Hockey League. Failure to adapt to a different league philosophy and a younger roster played a huge part in the Flyers' disastrous start this season. Let's hope the man who has enjoyed success at every level of his coaching life possesses the wisdom to know how to adapt to his newest circumstance.
Funny, because Columbus has seen NHL action since October 2000. That's five seasons and part of a sixth. They've managed to string together exactly one season (last year) with a finish higher than fourth place in the Central Division, and have not come close to sniffing the playoffs. No expansion team since the Washington Capitals, who entered the league in 1974 and did not make the playoffs until 1983, has had to endure such a run of futility.
Yet, the addition of Hitch behind the bench has proven that the right mind and the right hands can improve any situation. Columbus has run off a 5-3-0 record, including big shutout road wins at Edmonton and Colorado, and an impressive 6-2 home thrashing of Ottawa on Sunday.
But things are not going to be rosy for long. See, the on-ice product has to shoulder a hefty amount of the burden for the team's perennially poor performance, and Hitchcock's rapier-like mind is already working full-time as talent evaluator. Easy times are coming for those deemed too soft, or lacking in defensive mind-set. They will be the ones demoted to Syracuse or traded. Tougher days are coming for the ones the head coach deems "work-in-progress" like youngsters Gilbert Brule, Rusty Klesla, Dan Fritsche, and sniper Rick Nash, or those deemed in need of an attitude adjustment (read: Sergei Fedorov). Those I feel the most for are the hard-nosed respected veterans, like Adam Foote, David Vyborny, Freddie Modin and Anson Carter. They will be the ones charged with bringing Hitch's message down from on high, and the ones who must deal with the portly genius' psychological gambits.
The challenge in Ohio's capital city is also a unique one for the man whose coaching pedigree allowed him to step into ready-made situations in Dallas and Philadelphia. At each of those two stops, he was placed in charge of veteran underachieving teams. In Dallas, it took one year to get the Stars from worst to first, and two more to win a Cup. In Philly, he took a team which mutinied on their former coach, and turned it into a defensive machine which reached the Conference Finals in 2004.
This time around, he faces a young team in need of guidance, confidence, and a total overhaul, something which he has not encountered since his days coaching 16-20 year olds in the Western Hockey League. Failure to adapt to a different league philosophy and a younger roster played a huge part in the Flyers' disastrous start this season. Let's hope the man who has enjoyed success at every level of his coaching life possesses the wisdom to know how to adapt to his newest circumstance.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Zebras: On Notice
The state of NHL officiating thus far in 2006-2007 can be described as non-descript, non-chalant, stagnant at best. I can't adequately describe what it is at its worst without resorting to vulgarities and profanity, so I'll just settle by saying it is beyond sorely lacking on several fronts.
Saturday night, in addition to watching the Flyers get their posteriors handed to them on the scoreboard by a 6-1 count, I saw (and heard on the way home from work) at least four instances where the referees failed to make either the right call, or any call at all. Sharks defenseman Rob Davison and forward Mark Bell were the main culprits, counting Flyers forward Alexandre Picard among their confirmed injuries when he was slammed from behind into the glass. R.J. Umberger was also upended from a precarious position with the Flyers bench door open, and Mike Knuble was served most barbarously right in front of the bench.
The only penalty called was one to Bell on the Picard hit, and even then, only a two-minute minor for boarding which looked suspiciously like a five-minute-major for charging. What's more, Boyd Kane was hit with the rare 2-5-and-10 for defending Picard by fighting Bell, while Bell only picked up a fighting major.
Whether it's a scrum after the whistle, or an infraction that draws blood, it's easy to figure out the directive from the league regarding calls and game flow: keep it as even as possible.
At the time of the Picard hit, the Sharks had built a 3-1 lead and carried all the momentum from that 3-goal first into the second. Would it have killed the referees to award the Flyers a five-minute power-play, or was it deemed to risky a venture in what was at the time a close game? The correct call might have given the Flyers something to hook on to, with the whole five minutes to score as much as they could. Instead, there was no call, Kane was sent to the sin bin for 17 minutes, and soon after, the Sharks pumped in a fourth goal. I can't remember the last time I saw a game officiated without an "even up" philosophy implemented - maybe sometime last December, and before last season, maybe 10 years ago or more.
One reason why games were so much more compelling in the early-to-mid 90's, was the fact that officials were not afraid to call one team for successive 5-on-3's without feeling compelled to give the other team equal opportunity. That's what begat blowouts, when better teams took advantage of those chances and ripped into their opponent. It must be an unintended consequence of keeping all 30 teams afloat now, not to tip momentum too much in one direction by actually officiating.
It's a shame every fan, broadcaster, writer and pundit complained bitterly over the incredible amount of penalty calls in the first half of last season. The league directive then, was to let the officials dictate flow of the game by making as many calls as necessary, to wean all players off the clutch, hook, and grab tactics which marked the previous 10 seasons. The resulting glut of power plays and power-play goals did much to boost the goals-per-game average, while also teaching players how strictly the rules would be enforced. However, after the New Year, the tide of rancor must have become too great for even Bettman and VanHellemond to bear, and the number of calls (and subsequently goals) dropped noticeably. The calls decreased, but it was not an indicator of how well players adapted to the new philosophy of more skating room on the ice.
This season, goals are down because coaches have found more ways to exploit the supposedly open ice for defensive purposes. There's more obvious hooking, holding, and tomfoolery after the whistle that is much-too-conspicuously going by the wayside without punishment. So now, we have four extra skaters in zebra gear on the ice with very little power, except when they confer to make calls that one or more of them did not happen to catch with the naked eye. That's what was so jarring about a game this week where the Blackhawks were whistled for nine consecutive penalties.
Without proper calls from the officials, games are already turning into the 2-1, 3-2 snoozefests where teams wait until overtime or the shootout to make their move. Please, go back to whistling six, seven, eight penalties per period. I won't be whining about messing up the flow of the game if the correct calls are made - I can afford to sit through an extra 15 minutes of game time to see the right things done. Don't be afraid to make calls that put one team in a deep hole - you're only punishing these teams who decide to cut corners. Don't make your lives easier by being a neutral arbiter just because the fans might complain, the league may call, or head coaches may want your head on a platter after their team lost a game - it's your job, and it's isolating and tough, but those are the breaks you accept when you take the job.
Saturday night, in addition to watching the Flyers get their posteriors handed to them on the scoreboard by a 6-1 count, I saw (and heard on the way home from work) at least four instances where the referees failed to make either the right call, or any call at all. Sharks defenseman Rob Davison and forward Mark Bell were the main culprits, counting Flyers forward Alexandre Picard among their confirmed injuries when he was slammed from behind into the glass. R.J. Umberger was also upended from a precarious position with the Flyers bench door open, and Mike Knuble was served most barbarously right in front of the bench.
The only penalty called was one to Bell on the Picard hit, and even then, only a two-minute minor for boarding which looked suspiciously like a five-minute-major for charging. What's more, Boyd Kane was hit with the rare 2-5-and-10 for defending Picard by fighting Bell, while Bell only picked up a fighting major.
Whether it's a scrum after the whistle, or an infraction that draws blood, it's easy to figure out the directive from the league regarding calls and game flow: keep it as even as possible.
At the time of the Picard hit, the Sharks had built a 3-1 lead and carried all the momentum from that 3-goal first into the second. Would it have killed the referees to award the Flyers a five-minute power-play, or was it deemed to risky a venture in what was at the time a close game? The correct call might have given the Flyers something to hook on to, with the whole five minutes to score as much as they could. Instead, there was no call, Kane was sent to the sin bin for 17 minutes, and soon after, the Sharks pumped in a fourth goal. I can't remember the last time I saw a game officiated without an "even up" philosophy implemented - maybe sometime last December, and before last season, maybe 10 years ago or more.
One reason why games were so much more compelling in the early-to-mid 90's, was the fact that officials were not afraid to call one team for successive 5-on-3's without feeling compelled to give the other team equal opportunity. That's what begat blowouts, when better teams took advantage of those chances and ripped into their opponent. It must be an unintended consequence of keeping all 30 teams afloat now, not to tip momentum too much in one direction by actually officiating.
It's a shame every fan, broadcaster, writer and pundit complained bitterly over the incredible amount of penalty calls in the first half of last season. The league directive then, was to let the officials dictate flow of the game by making as many calls as necessary, to wean all players off the clutch, hook, and grab tactics which marked the previous 10 seasons. The resulting glut of power plays and power-play goals did much to boost the goals-per-game average, while also teaching players how strictly the rules would be enforced. However, after the New Year, the tide of rancor must have become too great for even Bettman and VanHellemond to bear, and the number of calls (and subsequently goals) dropped noticeably. The calls decreased, but it was not an indicator of how well players adapted to the new philosophy of more skating room on the ice.
This season, goals are down because coaches have found more ways to exploit the supposedly open ice for defensive purposes. There's more obvious hooking, holding, and tomfoolery after the whistle that is much-too-conspicuously going by the wayside without punishment. So now, we have four extra skaters in zebra gear on the ice with very little power, except when they confer to make calls that one or more of them did not happen to catch with the naked eye. That's what was so jarring about a game this week where the Blackhawks were whistled for nine consecutive penalties.
Without proper calls from the officials, games are already turning into the 2-1, 3-2 snoozefests where teams wait until overtime or the shootout to make their move. Please, go back to whistling six, seven, eight penalties per period. I won't be whining about messing up the flow of the game if the correct calls are made - I can afford to sit through an extra 15 minutes of game time to see the right things done. Don't be afraid to make calls that put one team in a deep hole - you're only punishing these teams who decide to cut corners. Don't make your lives easier by being a neutral arbiter just because the fans might complain, the league may call, or head coaches may want your head on a platter after their team lost a game - it's your job, and it's isolating and tough, but those are the breaks you accept when you take the job.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Revenge...Sweet, Sweet Revenge
Break out the champagne and the Fedoruk high-fives!! The Flyers have won two in a row.
Their three-goal rally in the third is poetic justice for this game, where Ron Hextall let Jozef Stumpel's 60-foot center-ice in go through his legs for the game-winning goal:
Flyers-Kings
Good on R.J. Umberger for being in the right spot twice in one period. For once, blind luck has produced results.
Bad on the officials, for waving off the Kings' "first" third goal midway through the third period, since Alexandre Picard's deflection of a centering feed into his own net on a delayed penalty call clearly does not constitute possession or control.
A new and difficult task awaits, in San Jose, which features an offense every bit as explosive as the Ducks. Jonathan Cheechoo, injured on Wednesday night, only has a b00-boo on his knee and will be back in action for Saturday night's game.
Their three-goal rally in the third is poetic justice for this game, where Ron Hextall let Jozef Stumpel's 60-foot center-ice in go through his legs for the game-winning goal:
Flyers-Kings
Good on R.J. Umberger for being in the right spot twice in one period. For once, blind luck has produced results.
Bad on the officials, for waving off the Kings' "first" third goal midway through the third period, since Alexandre Picard's deflection of a centering feed into his own net on a delayed penalty call clearly does not constitute possession or control.
A new and difficult task awaits, in San Jose, which features an offense every bit as explosive as the Ducks. Jonathan Cheechoo, injured on Wednesday night, only has a b00-boo on his knee and will be back in action for Saturday night's game.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Gobsmacked!
It was beautiful and shocking, done with lightning quick precision.
A five-goal first period by a team firing blanks against a team with plenty of firepower.
Watching last night's Flyers win over the second-best team in the NHL clouded my brain a little bit - was this 2006 or 1986?
Whatever - it shut me up, Mr. Negative himself.
It reminded me of the arse-kickings Mike Keenan's clubs laid on the hapless Kings and Canucks, when I was so young I had to keep both ears and one eye on the hallway, in case one of my parents figured out I was awake at 12:30 am, when they'd inevitably come in and shut the TV off.
12 Flyers posted at least one point. The reunited top line combined for six points. Kapanen recorded his first 2-goal game since November of 2003, coincidentally, in a game in Toronto where the Flyers also scored 7 goals.
But, with every ray of sunshine, there is some shadow in that amazing 7-4 triumph over the Ducks in Anaheim. After that five-goal explosion in the opening 20 minutes, the Flyers reeled off an equally dumbfounding four shots in the last two periods. The Ducks rebounded from a 5-1 deficit to cut it to 5-3 at the end of two, and, with some late-game power plays, even leads of 6-3 and 7-4 did not really feel safe.
The suddenness and timing of the goal spurt is troubling - from not scoring more than four games the whole season, scoring two against an offensive-minded Penguins team, then hitting seven. It's also troubling that the Flyers did this on the road, but it's not so surprising since that seems to be the M.O. of plenty of teams in pro sports - get away from home and with the "pressure" off, perform to or beyond all expectations.
The cynic in me also wonders "what next?" Tonight's game is against a bottom-feeding, but young Los Angeles Kings. This has 4-1 letdown loss written all over it. And what of the Sharks on Saturday? Even minus Johnathan Cheechoo, San Jose has plenty of weapons at their disposal. And what happens when they do well on the road, come home, and play inconsistently?
Until that all happens, I'm going to be content with this win, for once. There is still 6 1/2 hours left in that 21 1/2 hour glow between the end of the game early this morning, and the drop of the puck tonight at the Staples Center. We might as well enjoy it for all its worth.
A five-goal first period by a team firing blanks against a team with plenty of firepower.
Watching last night's Flyers win over the second-best team in the NHL clouded my brain a little bit - was this 2006 or 1986?
Whatever - it shut me up, Mr. Negative himself.
It reminded me of the arse-kickings Mike Keenan's clubs laid on the hapless Kings and Canucks, when I was so young I had to keep both ears and one eye on the hallway, in case one of my parents figured out I was awake at 12:30 am, when they'd inevitably come in and shut the TV off.
12 Flyers posted at least one point. The reunited top line combined for six points. Kapanen recorded his first 2-goal game since November of 2003, coincidentally, in a game in Toronto where the Flyers also scored 7 goals.
But, with every ray of sunshine, there is some shadow in that amazing 7-4 triumph over the Ducks in Anaheim. After that five-goal explosion in the opening 20 minutes, the Flyers reeled off an equally dumbfounding four shots in the last two periods. The Ducks rebounded from a 5-1 deficit to cut it to 5-3 at the end of two, and, with some late-game power plays, even leads of 6-3 and 7-4 did not really feel safe.
The suddenness and timing of the goal spurt is troubling - from not scoring more than four games the whole season, scoring two against an offensive-minded Penguins team, then hitting seven. It's also troubling that the Flyers did this on the road, but it's not so surprising since that seems to be the M.O. of plenty of teams in pro sports - get away from home and with the "pressure" off, perform to or beyond all expectations.
The cynic in me also wonders "what next?" Tonight's game is against a bottom-feeding, but young Los Angeles Kings. This has 4-1 letdown loss written all over it. And what of the Sharks on Saturday? Even minus Johnathan Cheechoo, San Jose has plenty of weapons at their disposal. And what happens when they do well on the road, come home, and play inconsistently?
Until that all happens, I'm going to be content with this win, for once. There is still 6 1/2 hours left in that 21 1/2 hour glow between the end of the game early this morning, and the drop of the puck tonight at the Staples Center. We might as well enjoy it for all its worth.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
The Case For Tim Kerr
Reading John Buccigross' columns, watching NHL2Night (RIP 1993-2004), and having lived in and now visited Boston many times, I'd say I'm pretty well versed in Cam Neely's career, statistics, and impact both on and off the ice.
When Neely was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005, in some quarters the relief over that fact was, in hockey terms, as if Mother Teresa finally gained entrance into Heaven after Saints Peter and Paul put up a nasty fight to keep her out.
No doubt, he turned a decrepit and oft-injured late 80's Bruins franchise around, being one of the two main pieces of the puzzle which led the B's to the 1988 and 1990 Cup Finals. He was fun as all hell to watch, because he'd beat you to the puck, beat you with a timely goal, and beat you with his fists if you dared to challenge. His amazing 50 goals in 44 games, playing on one good leg, after missing the balance of the last three seasons with leg and hip problems, stands as a momentous achievement. His retirement in 1996, coming after a solid 27-goal season in 1995, and a 26-goal campaign in 95-96, was a major shock to the team and to the hockey world, coming before his 31st birthday. I'll even give major props for his philanthropy, as his Cam Neely foundation does a tremendous amount to house and comfort young cancer patients across North America.
But I never felt that even his many accomplishments on the ice were of hall-worthy mention, even as he defined the forward posiiton and battled an injury-ravaged body. And I never did, don't now, and will never feel bad about pointing that out and believing that Neely should not be a Hall of Fame member. Instead of merely poking holes and engaging in some major schadenfreude, I offer an alternative, an answer to the debate of "if he gets in, then let in blank." Former Philadelphia Flyer (1980-91) Tim Kerr.
For comparison's sake, I will break down both men's careers in a couple vital categories: Early Career, Prime, Record-Worthy Accomplishments, Impact to Team, Impact on Opposition.
Early Career: Both Neely and Kerr had unspectacular first three seasons in the NHL. Neely was a third-liner for some bad Canucks teams, scoring 51 goals. Kerr started off on a good run, as a second-line bruiser with burgeoning offensive talent. He scored 54 goals (22,21, 11) in his first three years with the Flyers, but had his 1982-83 season wrecked by knee troubles.
Prime: Neely's trade to Boston for Barry Pederson in 1986 revitalized an aging Bruins roster. Neely quickly established himself in the rough-and-tumble Adams division with 36 goals, 72 points, and 143 PIMs in 1986-87. The following year he punched and scored his way through the league with 42 goals, 69 points, and 175 PIMs for the Bruins team who lost to Gretzky and the Oilers. His next three years, he racked up 37, 55 and 51 goals as the Bruins won the Adams (89-90 and 90-91) and made one more trip to the Finals and one to the Wales Conference Finals. The prime of his career was wrecked by an Ulf Samuelsson hit in 1991, and the resulting hip problems limited him to 22 games in the next two seasons. In 1993-94, playing at about 75 percent, he hit for 50 goals in his first 44 games, before succumbing once again to knee, leg and hip problems.
Kerr on the other hand, exploded for a team-high 54 in 83-84, and followed that up with 54 in 84-85, 58 (along with 34 on the power play) in 85-86, and another 58 in 1986-87 - second only to Gretzky in a down offensive year in the NHL. His 1987-88 season was ruined due to nasty shoulder problems resulting from a hit in the 1987 playoffs which limited him to eight regular season and seven playoff games, but he rebounded spectacularly with another team-high 48 goals in 1988-89. Unlike Neely, Kerr did not seek out altercations. Like Neely, when someone disrespected Kerr's space enough to challenge him, Kerr won battles with his fists. His area was a 30 foot semicircle around the net, and he did his fighting for the puck, often with two or more players gunning for him. He enjoyed deadly precision on the power play in the latter stages of his prime.
Record-Worthy Accomplishments: For Neely, it's only the 50 goals in 44 games, and even then, its an unofficial mark because the NHL counts the 50 in terms of team games, not personal games unless that number is under the team's 50th - and Neely did it in his 44th, but Boston's 66th game in 1993-94.
Kerr holds the NHL mark for power-play goals in a season, with 34 in 1985-86 - shattering Phil Esposito's (another HOFer) record. He set, and is now tied for, the NHL postseason record for goals in one period (4), in 1985. In the unofficial arena, Kerr's 14 goals and 25 points through three rounds in thr 1989 playoffs led the NHL in both categories until the Finals. He is one of only eleven players in NHL history to score 275 goals in a six-year span. Eight of them (Gretzky, Lemieux, Kurri, Lafleur, Esposito, Dionne, Bossy, and Hawerchuk) are already Hall members. Hull and Yzerman will be in 2008 or 2009. Neely never came close. Neither did Messier, Gartner, Gordie Howe or Bobby Hull. And, well, Kerr did it in five seasons, having sacrificed the one year in his prime to injury.
Impact to Team: Quite simply, Neely was indispensable from 1986-91. Other than Ray Bourque, Neely is most often quoted as the second biggest driving force to the Bruins' late 80's surge. He was the heart and scoring threat while Bourque was the soul and defensive rock. He fought, he scored, he checked and he talked it up on the bench and in the locker room. His surprise retirement was one of many major reasons the Bruins slipped from a playoff berth in 1996 to the bottom of the league in 1997.
Kerr, meanwhile, was an indispensable part of the Flyers' mid-80's run, but, by no means irreplaceable. The 1987-88 season demonstrated such, as the team, when healthy in the middle part of that year, lost only nine in a 40-game span. In that run, Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, Ilkka Sinisalo, Rick Tocchet, and Peter Zezel posted 30-goal seasons as they all benefitted from defenseman swarming in pairs over #12. However, the playoffs truly demonstrated Kerr's worth to Keenan and Holmgren's teams. Kerr missed the most important games in 1985 (knee) and 1987 (shoulder), in the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals, and it showed, as everyone else who had to pick up the offensive slack did not enjoy the freedom to roam which his presence provided. His injury-free 1989 postseason was a major factor in the .500 regular-season team making it to the third round.
Impact on Opposition: You'd never know how Neely would beat you until either the fist was in your face, or the red light went on for the game-winning score. Sometimes it was one or the other, sometimes both in the same game. Line matching became a bigger part of the league because of Neely's versatility. Because of his early take-no-prisoners approach, he became one of the most respected players in league history, and it was rare if anyone dared to take him to task as his career wound down.
While Neely was a force of nature, Kerr took the time to kill 'em softly on more than one occasion. While Neely was a pure goal-scorer, Kerr could fire off touch passes through small seams, and surprise the defense with one-armed passes to teammates. By standing still and attracting multiple defenders, Kerr opened up passing and shooting lanes for his teammates, which helped the Flyers win plenty of games on the rare times he himself was held scoreless.
If Neely is recognized as having defined the "power forward" position, Kerr at the least should be recognized for laying the groundwork from which Neely continued the task.
Sympathy Vote: I'm dead certain the two main reasons Neely got the Hall Vote: his relentless dedication to keep his career alive through debilitating injury, and his humanitarian work. Other than having a few chronic aches and pains which significantly shortened his playing days, I'm none too moved by Cam's plight.
Kerr sacrificed one year (82-83) with a broken leg. One year (87-88) with a shoulder that resisted almost a dozen operations. A half-season (89-90) with the opposite shoulder. Oh yeah, and the real clincher - missing significant time the next season (90-91) after his wife died following childbirth. I'm convinced Kerr stuck around for two forgettable seasons (with the Rangers and Whalers) because he became the sole provider for his three kids. His wife's death pretty much destroyed his spirit on what had begun as another healthy breakout season, and the ravages of chronic shoulder and knee problems limited his worth and playing time in both places. Unlike Neely, Kerr played in an era where players were well compensated, but not set for life. Kerr still plugs away in real estate down in Avalon, while Cam basks in the glow of the public eye. Like Neely, give Tim Kerr those years back, and he's a lock to score 500 goals.
So, there you have it - instant ammunition against any starry-eyed hockey fan blinded by someone's star turn as Sea Bass, or relentless media fawning. Get it out there - spread the word. Maybe the rising tide of sentiment will eventually be enough for the right people to notice.
When Neely was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005, in some quarters the relief over that fact was, in hockey terms, as if Mother Teresa finally gained entrance into Heaven after Saints Peter and Paul put up a nasty fight to keep her out.
No doubt, he turned a decrepit and oft-injured late 80's Bruins franchise around, being one of the two main pieces of the puzzle which led the B's to the 1988 and 1990 Cup Finals. He was fun as all hell to watch, because he'd beat you to the puck, beat you with a timely goal, and beat you with his fists if you dared to challenge. His amazing 50 goals in 44 games, playing on one good leg, after missing the balance of the last three seasons with leg and hip problems, stands as a momentous achievement. His retirement in 1996, coming after a solid 27-goal season in 1995, and a 26-goal campaign in 95-96, was a major shock to the team and to the hockey world, coming before his 31st birthday. I'll even give major props for his philanthropy, as his Cam Neely foundation does a tremendous amount to house and comfort young cancer patients across North America.
But I never felt that even his many accomplishments on the ice were of hall-worthy mention, even as he defined the forward posiiton and battled an injury-ravaged body. And I never did, don't now, and will never feel bad about pointing that out and believing that Neely should not be a Hall of Fame member. Instead of merely poking holes and engaging in some major schadenfreude, I offer an alternative, an answer to the debate of "if he gets in, then let in blank." Former Philadelphia Flyer (1980-91) Tim Kerr.
For comparison's sake, I will break down both men's careers in a couple vital categories: Early Career, Prime, Record-Worthy Accomplishments, Impact to Team, Impact on Opposition.
Early Career: Both Neely and Kerr had unspectacular first three seasons in the NHL. Neely was a third-liner for some bad Canucks teams, scoring 51 goals. Kerr started off on a good run, as a second-line bruiser with burgeoning offensive talent. He scored 54 goals (22,21, 11) in his first three years with the Flyers, but had his 1982-83 season wrecked by knee troubles.
Prime: Neely's trade to Boston for Barry Pederson in 1986 revitalized an aging Bruins roster. Neely quickly established himself in the rough-and-tumble Adams division with 36 goals, 72 points, and 143 PIMs in 1986-87. The following year he punched and scored his way through the league with 42 goals, 69 points, and 175 PIMs for the Bruins team who lost to Gretzky and the Oilers. His next three years, he racked up 37, 55 and 51 goals as the Bruins won the Adams (89-90 and 90-91) and made one more trip to the Finals and one to the Wales Conference Finals. The prime of his career was wrecked by an Ulf Samuelsson hit in 1991, and the resulting hip problems limited him to 22 games in the next two seasons. In 1993-94, playing at about 75 percent, he hit for 50 goals in his first 44 games, before succumbing once again to knee, leg and hip problems.
Kerr on the other hand, exploded for a team-high 54 in 83-84, and followed that up with 54 in 84-85, 58 (along with 34 on the power play) in 85-86, and another 58 in 1986-87 - second only to Gretzky in a down offensive year in the NHL. His 1987-88 season was ruined due to nasty shoulder problems resulting from a hit in the 1987 playoffs which limited him to eight regular season and seven playoff games, but he rebounded spectacularly with another team-high 48 goals in 1988-89. Unlike Neely, Kerr did not seek out altercations. Like Neely, when someone disrespected Kerr's space enough to challenge him, Kerr won battles with his fists. His area was a 30 foot semicircle around the net, and he did his fighting for the puck, often with two or more players gunning for him. He enjoyed deadly precision on the power play in the latter stages of his prime.
Record-Worthy Accomplishments: For Neely, it's only the 50 goals in 44 games, and even then, its an unofficial mark because the NHL counts the 50 in terms of team games, not personal games unless that number is under the team's 50th - and Neely did it in his 44th, but Boston's 66th game in 1993-94.
Kerr holds the NHL mark for power-play goals in a season, with 34 in 1985-86 - shattering Phil Esposito's (another HOFer) record. He set, and is now tied for, the NHL postseason record for goals in one period (4), in 1985. In the unofficial arena, Kerr's 14 goals and 25 points through three rounds in thr 1989 playoffs led the NHL in both categories until the Finals. He is one of only eleven players in NHL history to score 275 goals in a six-year span. Eight of them (Gretzky, Lemieux, Kurri, Lafleur, Esposito, Dionne, Bossy, and Hawerchuk) are already Hall members. Hull and Yzerman will be in 2008 or 2009. Neely never came close. Neither did Messier, Gartner, Gordie Howe or Bobby Hull. And, well, Kerr did it in five seasons, having sacrificed the one year in his prime to injury.
Impact to Team: Quite simply, Neely was indispensable from 1986-91. Other than Ray Bourque, Neely is most often quoted as the second biggest driving force to the Bruins' late 80's surge. He was the heart and scoring threat while Bourque was the soul and defensive rock. He fought, he scored, he checked and he talked it up on the bench and in the locker room. His surprise retirement was one of many major reasons the Bruins slipped from a playoff berth in 1996 to the bottom of the league in 1997.
Kerr, meanwhile, was an indispensable part of the Flyers' mid-80's run, but, by no means irreplaceable. The 1987-88 season demonstrated such, as the team, when healthy in the middle part of that year, lost only nine in a 40-game span. In that run, Brian Propp, Dave Poulin, Ilkka Sinisalo, Rick Tocchet, and Peter Zezel posted 30-goal seasons as they all benefitted from defenseman swarming in pairs over #12. However, the playoffs truly demonstrated Kerr's worth to Keenan and Holmgren's teams. Kerr missed the most important games in 1985 (knee) and 1987 (shoulder), in the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals, and it showed, as everyone else who had to pick up the offensive slack did not enjoy the freedom to roam which his presence provided. His injury-free 1989 postseason was a major factor in the .500 regular-season team making it to the third round.
Impact on Opposition: You'd never know how Neely would beat you until either the fist was in your face, or the red light went on for the game-winning score. Sometimes it was one or the other, sometimes both in the same game. Line matching became a bigger part of the league because of Neely's versatility. Because of his early take-no-prisoners approach, he became one of the most respected players in league history, and it was rare if anyone dared to take him to task as his career wound down.
While Neely was a force of nature, Kerr took the time to kill 'em softly on more than one occasion. While Neely was a pure goal-scorer, Kerr could fire off touch passes through small seams, and surprise the defense with one-armed passes to teammates. By standing still and attracting multiple defenders, Kerr opened up passing and shooting lanes for his teammates, which helped the Flyers win plenty of games on the rare times he himself was held scoreless.
If Neely is recognized as having defined the "power forward" position, Kerr at the least should be recognized for laying the groundwork from which Neely continued the task.
Sympathy Vote: I'm dead certain the two main reasons Neely got the Hall Vote: his relentless dedication to keep his career alive through debilitating injury, and his humanitarian work. Other than having a few chronic aches and pains which significantly shortened his playing days, I'm none too moved by Cam's plight.
Kerr sacrificed one year (82-83) with a broken leg. One year (87-88) with a shoulder that resisted almost a dozen operations. A half-season (89-90) with the opposite shoulder. Oh yeah, and the real clincher - missing significant time the next season (90-91) after his wife died following childbirth. I'm convinced Kerr stuck around for two forgettable seasons (with the Rangers and Whalers) because he became the sole provider for his three kids. His wife's death pretty much destroyed his spirit on what had begun as another healthy breakout season, and the ravages of chronic shoulder and knee problems limited his worth and playing time in both places. Unlike Neely, Kerr played in an era where players were well compensated, but not set for life. Kerr still plugs away in real estate down in Avalon, while Cam basks in the glow of the public eye. Like Neely, give Tim Kerr those years back, and he's a lock to score 500 goals.
So, there you have it - instant ammunition against any starry-eyed hockey fan blinded by someone's star turn as Sea Bass, or relentless media fawning. Get it out there - spread the word. Maybe the rising tide of sentiment will eventually be enough for the right people to notice.
Here it is, Your Moment of Zen...
Todd Fedoruk has returned from Anaheim, for a fourth round draft pick.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
"A" for Effort Still Doesn't Translate to a "W"
I'll start off with a touch of sour grapes: the longer a team like Buffalo goes on a season-opening streak, the more likely they are to toss in a clunker due to fatigue or carelessness.
That said, the Flyers turned in their second best performance of the season last night, and clearly their best at home. They seized momentum early. They rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie, then lead. Three Phantoms call-ups (Nedved notwithstanding) provided much-needed spark in both ends of the rink. They had three fights, each of which elevated the level of emotion and finally created a sense that the players have each others' backs. There was even a touch of the old "we wuz robbed by da crooked refs" floating around afterwards, since Buffalo's tying score happened as a result of a "questionable" bench minor.
But it still wasn't enough, even though coach Stevens expressed elation, and Tim Panaccio wrote his column in today's Inquirer as if the moral victory of an overtime loss point was both akin to a true win, and also an indicator that Old Time Hockey may be the key to shaking the Flyers out of their deep funk.
I never thought I'd see the day that a one-goal, come-from-ahead loss would be heralded as such a positive, but there we have it, folks. I guess all of us fans and critics, who've never played a shift in the NHL, and never saw a minute in "the room" have it all wrong, daring to spread our doom and gloom, calling for a full-on rebuild. Nobody can ignore the intensity of the positivity springing from this overtime loss, as if it were a cover for just how badly things are going internally. It would do a world of good, I think, for the players and the coaches to downplay games like this as the first step in a thousand needed in the right direction, not act as if the peak of the turnaround is in sight.
The Flyers still lost. They are still at the bottom of the league with a 3-11-2 record. Key young players are still not translating good, hard work into points. The defense is porous, the coaching too distressingly close to a minor league mindset, and the injuries the wrong kind to the wrong people. Even if the work ethic becomes smarter as well as harder and produces more results, there is still a long way to go between "competitive" and "winning."
Give me a solid five-game winning (NOT point) streak, and maybe I'll begin to change my opinion.
That said, the Flyers turned in their second best performance of the season last night, and clearly their best at home. They seized momentum early. They rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie, then lead. Three Phantoms call-ups (Nedved notwithstanding) provided much-needed spark in both ends of the rink. They had three fights, each of which elevated the level of emotion and finally created a sense that the players have each others' backs. There was even a touch of the old "we wuz robbed by da crooked refs" floating around afterwards, since Buffalo's tying score happened as a result of a "questionable" bench minor.
But it still wasn't enough, even though coach Stevens expressed elation, and Tim Panaccio wrote his column in today's Inquirer as if the moral victory of an overtime loss point was both akin to a true win, and also an indicator that Old Time Hockey may be the key to shaking the Flyers out of their deep funk.
I never thought I'd see the day that a one-goal, come-from-ahead loss would be heralded as such a positive, but there we have it, folks. I guess all of us fans and critics, who've never played a shift in the NHL, and never saw a minute in "the room" have it all wrong, daring to spread our doom and gloom, calling for a full-on rebuild. Nobody can ignore the intensity of the positivity springing from this overtime loss, as if it were a cover for just how badly things are going internally. It would do a world of good, I think, for the players and the coaches to downplay games like this as the first step in a thousand needed in the right direction, not act as if the peak of the turnaround is in sight.
The Flyers still lost. They are still at the bottom of the league with a 3-11-2 record. Key young players are still not translating good, hard work into points. The defense is porous, the coaching too distressingly close to a minor league mindset, and the injuries the wrong kind to the wrong people. Even if the work ethic becomes smarter as well as harder and produces more results, there is still a long way to go between "competitive" and "winning."
Give me a solid five-game winning (NOT point) streak, and maybe I'll begin to change my opinion.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Frauds? Or, How I Learned to Start Hating What's in the Third Column
Anaheim sits atop the Pacific Division, and the Western Conference, and the entire NHL with 28 points this morning, following a 6-0 thrashing of a crippled Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver.
They have the league's best record, 12 wins, zero losses, and four in the "other loss" column. Their win last night caused a minor ripple by breaking a 22-year-old record for consecutive games from the start of a season without a loss in regulation. And therein lies a problem.
When the Edmonton Oilers opened the 1984-85 season on a 12-0-3 tear, it was under the old (and if I may say so, the correct, and non-confusing) system. A win equals 2 points, a tie is one point, and a loss gets you nothing. Not only did Gretzky and the boys not lose in regulation, they crushed teams on their way to the standing NHL record. As luck would have it, the Flyers, in Game 16 at the Spectrum, November 11th, 1984, stopped the streak with a come-from-behind 7-5 win.
Under the old system, the one that was unspoiled before the 1999-2000 season offered a fourth column for overtime loss points, Anaheim would have had their current streak stopped in their fourth game, a 5-4 overtime defeat at home to the New York Islanders. In modern times, the next best season-commencing streak would be the 1996-97 Florida Panthers, who opened up 8-0-4 before those streak-busting Flyers ended that run in Game 13. Since then, only the 2000-2001 Colorado Avalanche, who started 9-0-2, put together anything comparable.
Disregarding the vagaries of the standings column, the Ducks are "only" 11-4-1, with all four losses occurring in overtime, and one shootout win (over St. Louis) which should have been a 5-5 tie. Anaheim is still a formidable force, but far from record breakers, and light years from the Edmonton squad which holds the true record in any respect.
The idea that a loss is not a loss is truly ridiculous. Back in '99, the league tried to solve the problem of the avalanche of ties in recent years by awarding a point for teams that went all out in the OT, only to lose. And it bit them that next April, when Buffalo made the playoffs as an eight-seed with a winning percentage below .500, when Carolina missed out despite a record two games over .500. The reason? Buffalo had four overtime losses and the Hurricanes none.
Coming off the lockout last year, with ties eliminated, overtime and shootout losses were morphed into one spot, where ties used to be. As if anyone would, consciously or unconsciously regard non-overtime losses as non-losses simply because a point is awarded and a team's win-loss record looks suspiciously like the old win-loss-tie breakdown. A loss is a loss is a loss, and the Flyers finished last year 45-37, not the more comfortable appearing 45-26-11.
There is enough excitement back in the NHL now, even with the sudden explosion of shutouts in the early going this year, that you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to admit that they didn't get their money's worth in a 4-4, 5-5, or 6-6 tie after overtime. Gimme back my ties. Gimme back my reality, without the spike of rationalizations.
Most importantly, give the Oilers back their record.
They have the league's best record, 12 wins, zero losses, and four in the "other loss" column. Their win last night caused a minor ripple by breaking a 22-year-old record for consecutive games from the start of a season without a loss in regulation. And therein lies a problem.
When the Edmonton Oilers opened the 1984-85 season on a 12-0-3 tear, it was under the old (and if I may say so, the correct, and non-confusing) system. A win equals 2 points, a tie is one point, and a loss gets you nothing. Not only did Gretzky and the boys not lose in regulation, they crushed teams on their way to the standing NHL record. As luck would have it, the Flyers, in Game 16 at the Spectrum, November 11th, 1984, stopped the streak with a come-from-behind 7-5 win.
Under the old system, the one that was unspoiled before the 1999-2000 season offered a fourth column for overtime loss points, Anaheim would have had their current streak stopped in their fourth game, a 5-4 overtime defeat at home to the New York Islanders. In modern times, the next best season-commencing streak would be the 1996-97 Florida Panthers, who opened up 8-0-4 before those streak-busting Flyers ended that run in Game 13. Since then, only the 2000-2001 Colorado Avalanche, who started 9-0-2, put together anything comparable.
Disregarding the vagaries of the standings column, the Ducks are "only" 11-4-1, with all four losses occurring in overtime, and one shootout win (over St. Louis) which should have been a 5-5 tie. Anaheim is still a formidable force, but far from record breakers, and light years from the Edmonton squad which holds the true record in any respect.
The idea that a loss is not a loss is truly ridiculous. Back in '99, the league tried to solve the problem of the avalanche of ties in recent years by awarding a point for teams that went all out in the OT, only to lose. And it bit them that next April, when Buffalo made the playoffs as an eight-seed with a winning percentage below .500, when Carolina missed out despite a record two games over .500. The reason? Buffalo had four overtime losses and the Hurricanes none.
Coming off the lockout last year, with ties eliminated, overtime and shootout losses were morphed into one spot, where ties used to be. As if anyone would, consciously or unconsciously regard non-overtime losses as non-losses simply because a point is awarded and a team's win-loss record looks suspiciously like the old win-loss-tie breakdown. A loss is a loss is a loss, and the Flyers finished last year 45-37, not the more comfortable appearing 45-26-11.
There is enough excitement back in the NHL now, even with the sudden explosion of shutouts in the early going this year, that you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to admit that they didn't get their money's worth in a 4-4, 5-5, or 6-6 tie after overtime. Gimme back my ties. Gimme back my reality, without the spike of rationalizations.
Most importantly, give the Oilers back their record.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Bright Future Coming for Avalanche
After nine solid years of Stanley Cup contention, the vagaries of a new CBA and salary cap laid waste to the Colorado Avalanche roster. In the summer of 2005, Peter Forsberg left, signed by the Flyers. Adam Foote departed, due to financial and youth-oriented reasons, to Columbus. They were only the first steps toward tearing down the old and raising up the new in the Mile High City.
This past summer, long-time GM Pierre Lacroix stepped down, and the team struck an unbalanced deal with Calgary, giving up 2nd line winger Alex Tanguay for the yet-to-play-because-of-injury Jordan Leopold. Rob Blake departed for Los Angeles, leaving a huge gap in experience and leadership on defense. Most shockingly, Steve Konowalchuk, fresh from wrist surgery and ready to be the jack-of-all-trades, was forced to retire in training camp due to a congenital heart defect related to an irregular heartbeat.
All these changes have had a minimal effect on the Avs' youth movement thus far. After 15 games, Colorado is 7-6-2, third place. No worse than last season at this point. Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski, and Brett McLean, three of the new kids, scored and Paul Stastny and Brett Clark picked up assists in last night's 6-5 loss at home to the Kings.
Sure, in the old days if the Kings came into McNichols or the Can and put up a 4-goal second period, the Avs might have comeback to win, and if they didn't, they'd routinely take it out later on a Vancouver or San Jose. Last night, the significantly weaker Los Angeles club blew through the Avs in that second period, leading 5-2 after 40 minutes. But this year's model didn't fold. If it weren't for a blown defensive assignment allowing Sean Avery to score, Colorado would have ended regulation with a 5-5 tie and chance to win in overtime. Down 5-2 and 6-3, the Avs closed the gap to 6-5 before time simply ran out.
With Paul (son of Peter) Stastny, Clark, McLean, Wolski, Svatos, Liles, Brunette, McCormick and Richardson, a young core with tons of potential is in place. An extra advantage that will do them well down the stretch is that the defense, in spite of losing Blake, still has veteran presence. Having Theodore as the starter ain't bad either.
What may not bode well for the next couple years is the eventual retirement of Joe Sakic. He is the Avalanche.
Simply put, no combination of players who are tapped to step up could equal the presence Sakic brings, even in his 18th season. Maybe he'll go for a point of pride and pack it in after his 20th year in 2009. Right now, it's year to year and even Joe admitted he won't know how he'll feel until the 82nd game. It's evident from the Forsberg saga unfolding in Philadelphia, nobody will get to become the leader simply by spending years basking in Joe's reflected glow. He's going to have to roll up his sleeves and take a hands-on approach to passing the torch. But that's a ways away. In the present, his steady influence may be keeping the Avalanche near the top of the mountain.
One thing is for certain, Colorado is fun to watch. They've always been, even in the days when Claude Lemieux and Mike Ricci prowled the ice waiting for their next victims while Sakic, Forsberg, Kamensky and company lulled the opposition to sleep with their quick transition game. Those teams were marked by a cool veteran savvy. This team is marked by youthful exuberance, and the smiles that come from learning how to lose, and turning those lessons into exciting wins.
This past summer, long-time GM Pierre Lacroix stepped down, and the team struck an unbalanced deal with Calgary, giving up 2nd line winger Alex Tanguay for the yet-to-play-because-of-injury Jordan Leopold. Rob Blake departed for Los Angeles, leaving a huge gap in experience and leadership on defense. Most shockingly, Steve Konowalchuk, fresh from wrist surgery and ready to be the jack-of-all-trades, was forced to retire in training camp due to a congenital heart defect related to an irregular heartbeat.
All these changes have had a minimal effect on the Avs' youth movement thus far. After 15 games, Colorado is 7-6-2, third place. No worse than last season at this point. Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski, and Brett McLean, three of the new kids, scored and Paul Stastny and Brett Clark picked up assists in last night's 6-5 loss at home to the Kings.
Sure, in the old days if the Kings came into McNichols or the Can and put up a 4-goal second period, the Avs might have comeback to win, and if they didn't, they'd routinely take it out later on a Vancouver or San Jose. Last night, the significantly weaker Los Angeles club blew through the Avs in that second period, leading 5-2 after 40 minutes. But this year's model didn't fold. If it weren't for a blown defensive assignment allowing Sean Avery to score, Colorado would have ended regulation with a 5-5 tie and chance to win in overtime. Down 5-2 and 6-3, the Avs closed the gap to 6-5 before time simply ran out.
With Paul (son of Peter) Stastny, Clark, McLean, Wolski, Svatos, Liles, Brunette, McCormick and Richardson, a young core with tons of potential is in place. An extra advantage that will do them well down the stretch is that the defense, in spite of losing Blake, still has veteran presence. Having Theodore as the starter ain't bad either.
What may not bode well for the next couple years is the eventual retirement of Joe Sakic. He is the Avalanche.
Simply put, no combination of players who are tapped to step up could equal the presence Sakic brings, even in his 18th season. Maybe he'll go for a point of pride and pack it in after his 20th year in 2009. Right now, it's year to year and even Joe admitted he won't know how he'll feel until the 82nd game. It's evident from the Forsberg saga unfolding in Philadelphia, nobody will get to become the leader simply by spending years basking in Joe's reflected glow. He's going to have to roll up his sleeves and take a hands-on approach to passing the torch. But that's a ways away. In the present, his steady influence may be keeping the Avalanche near the top of the mountain.
One thing is for certain, Colorado is fun to watch. They've always been, even in the days when Claude Lemieux and Mike Ricci prowled the ice waiting for their next victims while Sakic, Forsberg, Kamensky and company lulled the opposition to sleep with their quick transition game. Those teams were marked by a cool veteran savvy. This team is marked by youthful exuberance, and the smiles that come from learning how to lose, and turning those lessons into exciting wins.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Catalogue of Sins
Things are so bad with the Flyers, I can't really pick on them game to game anymore. Besides, when you've still only won three games, and its November, more problems become evident when the games and losses start to blend together.
The first and most pressing problem, even before the obvious defensive deficiencies, is the level of play throughout any given game. Forget the cliche'd "full 60 minutes." Forget 40, or even 20. The Flyers go in spurts from one shift to the next in intensity, for periods no longer than a few minutes, then lapse back into their general state of catatonia. I give them credit for hanging in last night in Toronto - even then, it was Niittymaki's effort that kept the game tied 1-1 rather than the rest of the team taking it to the Leafs. Like any game in the late 90's, having a 40-shot game doesn't necessarily mean any kind of dominant play. They seemed to pack it in until the third in the Capitals game, only played in small spots in the first and third periods against Tampa, and were outplayed save for two world-class Forsberg goals in the Chicago game. If John Stevens is powerless to provide the necessary jolt, trades are required to alter team chemistry.
The second problem is one that has dogged the team for centuries - the game plan to generate offense. Judging from the parts of the game I was able to see when I wasn't covering Ottawa-Washington, the 40 shots didn't exactly come from 2-on-1's, slick passing, and open men within 10 feet of the net. Since the Lindros Era, the plan has been to either dump and chase, relying on speed and muscle for puck possession, or generate a rush, but head for the goal line and cycle endlessly until some space somewhere opens up. With Knuble on the shelf for another two weeks, that's one less free-thinking forward with sniper ability, and his absence throws a severe monkey wrench in the first line's ability to catch the opposition off-guard. Even with the benefit of the new rules last year, the Flyers refused to use the two-line pass to generate chances. They refused to use the skill from the top two lines in the bigger offensive zone to create space within the zone from which to shoot, instead relying on a hard-fought possession game to try and generate chances. Well, it took until Christmas for the other 29 teams to figure out Philly was up to their old tricks, and teams began to outskate, outpossess and outchance the Flyers, culminating in the Buffalo series where it seemed the Flyers couldn't hold onto the puck for more than 10 seconds.
Now, we get to the defense. I was never a fan of Freddy Meyer, and forget all the nonsense about me being a BC graduate and Meyer playing for Boston University. I can't get over Clarke's (or Holmgren's or whomever's) cold feet back in March, when he passed on dealing Umberger to Pittsburgh for Mark Recchi, and Meyer in any number of possible deals after both kids were instrumental in a home win over Carolina right before the trading deadline. Randy Jones is pretty much a non-factor, but it's only a matter of time before he becomes a full-on liability. Rathje, Baumgartner, and the enigmatic Lars Jonsson are failures. Derian Hatcher gets a boost from an F to a D because he looks like he's really trying, and Joni Pitkanen has largely been a disappointment as he has not grown as expected after a promising 05-06. If you listen close enough, you can hear Kim Johnsson laughing through the snow and ice fog all the way from Minnesota.
Next, the captaincy. Peter Forsberg is not the guy. Period. The end. I had severe reservations about his abilities as the team leader on and off the ice, and it's not working. It has nothing to do with the Tampa game "meltdown" where he left the arena without answering questions. It has to do with his laconic Scandinavian nature. Unlike Mats Sundin, who has been captain in Toronto for nearly a decade, Forsberg does not wear his emotions on his face, and he really doesn't do it with his body, either. Sure, he relishes physical contact, but when was the last time you saw him fired up after scoring a big goal? I don't remember him in a fiery mood after either goal against the Blackhawks. Sundin? You can tell by looking at him, that he burns with desire to win, to succeed, to correct problems. Even when Forsberg does stick around after practice, or after games, there is no hint of deeper emotion with microphones in his face. Even Canadians, who usually spout nothing but time-tested cliches to the media, you can tell with the eyes and with the brow, that there's fire lurking just beneath the surface. I peer into Forsberg's icy blue Swedish eyes, and see no hidden spark. He didn't learn enough all those years with Joe Sakic, who, although gentlemanly on the ice, has come up with some fiery sermons in the locker room with that crazy Croat temper.
Finally, the kids. Anybody with about six ounces of critical thought and insight while attending any Phantoms game in this millennium can tell, the Flyers farm system is unprepared at best, a joke at worst. It doesn't help that the Flyer organ-eye-zation has misused most of whom they've "brought up" from across the parking lot. As mentioned before, Meyer and Jones are not-ready-for-prime-time on the backline. Stefan Ruzicka has predominantly looked lost without the structure of having a specific job on every shift. Ben Eager, while a good temporary addition because of his energy and slight scoring touch, may be too big for the speedier NHL. Umberger, Carter, and Richards, the current crop of forwards who made the big club off the Phantoms' 2005 Calder Cup victory, are lagging far behind the curve. Last year's goal and point inflations haven't helped their cause this year, where, although goals have been harder to come by league-wide, consistent hard work won't cure their scoring slumps. Wherefore art thou, Sharp and Sim? We surely could use you now. Hell, we could have used both of them in the second half of the season last year. Since the inception of the Phantoms, each and every Phantom called up to the Flyers, with the exception of some long-time veterans (Mark Freer, Peter White among others) has been shipped out for veteran talent or draft picks after a brief audition. Many, like Vaclav Prospal and Ruslan Fedotenko, have gone on to fame and fortune and recognition with other teams.
The rest have been rushed up, shoved into the lineup and shipped off, leaving the Phantoms scrambling for fresh young talent, and the Flyers deprived of any chance to let any of those players grow.
So why keep Umberger, Eager, Carter and Richards, even if they have a Calder Cup to their credit? Part of it is the front office's hyper-literal take on the NHL being a young league, so I guess they feel obligated now to constantly work in new talent. It's still about the right young players, not just about a total roster overhaul that dropped the mean age on the roster from 29 in 2004 to 25 in 2006. As a scout, or GM, or president, you still need to be discerning on which AHL players can hack it in the Big Time. Sharp (in Chicago) and Sim (in Florida and now in Atlanta) are putting up great numbers, and are on their way to staying in the NHL. All the kids seeing time on the Flyers now? Well, they might have some big time in them somewhere, but it's not there yet, especially since during John Stevens' tenure as Phantoms coach (04-05 excepted), the team was nothing more than a factory for learning Ken Hitchcock's rigid offensive and defensive systems.
All in all, we'll have to wait a few more weeks before other teams besides Phoenix are itching to make deals and remake horrible starts into playoff contention. Trades are not the cure-all for this disaster, but it is the biggest step in the right direction the Flyers can make between now and the merciful end to the season, now only 5 months away.
The first and most pressing problem, even before the obvious defensive deficiencies, is the level of play throughout any given game. Forget the cliche'd "full 60 minutes." Forget 40, or even 20. The Flyers go in spurts from one shift to the next in intensity, for periods no longer than a few minutes, then lapse back into their general state of catatonia. I give them credit for hanging in last night in Toronto - even then, it was Niittymaki's effort that kept the game tied 1-1 rather than the rest of the team taking it to the Leafs. Like any game in the late 90's, having a 40-shot game doesn't necessarily mean any kind of dominant play. They seemed to pack it in until the third in the Capitals game, only played in small spots in the first and third periods against Tampa, and were outplayed save for two world-class Forsberg goals in the Chicago game. If John Stevens is powerless to provide the necessary jolt, trades are required to alter team chemistry.
The second problem is one that has dogged the team for centuries - the game plan to generate offense. Judging from the parts of the game I was able to see when I wasn't covering Ottawa-Washington, the 40 shots didn't exactly come from 2-on-1's, slick passing, and open men within 10 feet of the net. Since the Lindros Era, the plan has been to either dump and chase, relying on speed and muscle for puck possession, or generate a rush, but head for the goal line and cycle endlessly until some space somewhere opens up. With Knuble on the shelf for another two weeks, that's one less free-thinking forward with sniper ability, and his absence throws a severe monkey wrench in the first line's ability to catch the opposition off-guard. Even with the benefit of the new rules last year, the Flyers refused to use the two-line pass to generate chances. They refused to use the skill from the top two lines in the bigger offensive zone to create space within the zone from which to shoot, instead relying on a hard-fought possession game to try and generate chances. Well, it took until Christmas for the other 29 teams to figure out Philly was up to their old tricks, and teams began to outskate, outpossess and outchance the Flyers, culminating in the Buffalo series where it seemed the Flyers couldn't hold onto the puck for more than 10 seconds.
Now, we get to the defense. I was never a fan of Freddy Meyer, and forget all the nonsense about me being a BC graduate and Meyer playing for Boston University. I can't get over Clarke's (or Holmgren's or whomever's) cold feet back in March, when he passed on dealing Umberger to Pittsburgh for Mark Recchi, and Meyer in any number of possible deals after both kids were instrumental in a home win over Carolina right before the trading deadline. Randy Jones is pretty much a non-factor, but it's only a matter of time before he becomes a full-on liability. Rathje, Baumgartner, and the enigmatic Lars Jonsson are failures. Derian Hatcher gets a boost from an F to a D because he looks like he's really trying, and Joni Pitkanen has largely been a disappointment as he has not grown as expected after a promising 05-06. If you listen close enough, you can hear Kim Johnsson laughing through the snow and ice fog all the way from Minnesota.
Next, the captaincy. Peter Forsberg is not the guy. Period. The end. I had severe reservations about his abilities as the team leader on and off the ice, and it's not working. It has nothing to do with the Tampa game "meltdown" where he left the arena without answering questions. It has to do with his laconic Scandinavian nature. Unlike Mats Sundin, who has been captain in Toronto for nearly a decade, Forsberg does not wear his emotions on his face, and he really doesn't do it with his body, either. Sure, he relishes physical contact, but when was the last time you saw him fired up after scoring a big goal? I don't remember him in a fiery mood after either goal against the Blackhawks. Sundin? You can tell by looking at him, that he burns with desire to win, to succeed, to correct problems. Even when Forsberg does stick around after practice, or after games, there is no hint of deeper emotion with microphones in his face. Even Canadians, who usually spout nothing but time-tested cliches to the media, you can tell with the eyes and with the brow, that there's fire lurking just beneath the surface. I peer into Forsberg's icy blue Swedish eyes, and see no hidden spark. He didn't learn enough all those years with Joe Sakic, who, although gentlemanly on the ice, has come up with some fiery sermons in the locker room with that crazy Croat temper.
Finally, the kids. Anybody with about six ounces of critical thought and insight while attending any Phantoms game in this millennium can tell, the Flyers farm system is unprepared at best, a joke at worst. It doesn't help that the Flyer organ-eye-zation has misused most of whom they've "brought up" from across the parking lot. As mentioned before, Meyer and Jones are not-ready-for-prime-time on the backline. Stefan Ruzicka has predominantly looked lost without the structure of having a specific job on every shift. Ben Eager, while a good temporary addition because of his energy and slight scoring touch, may be too big for the speedier NHL. Umberger, Carter, and Richards, the current crop of forwards who made the big club off the Phantoms' 2005 Calder Cup victory, are lagging far behind the curve. Last year's goal and point inflations haven't helped their cause this year, where, although goals have been harder to come by league-wide, consistent hard work won't cure their scoring slumps. Wherefore art thou, Sharp and Sim? We surely could use you now. Hell, we could have used both of them in the second half of the season last year. Since the inception of the Phantoms, each and every Phantom called up to the Flyers, with the exception of some long-time veterans (Mark Freer, Peter White among others) has been shipped out for veteran talent or draft picks after a brief audition. Many, like Vaclav Prospal and Ruslan Fedotenko, have gone on to fame and fortune and recognition with other teams.
The rest have been rushed up, shoved into the lineup and shipped off, leaving the Phantoms scrambling for fresh young talent, and the Flyers deprived of any chance to let any of those players grow.
So why keep Umberger, Eager, Carter and Richards, even if they have a Calder Cup to their credit? Part of it is the front office's hyper-literal take on the NHL being a young league, so I guess they feel obligated now to constantly work in new talent. It's still about the right young players, not just about a total roster overhaul that dropped the mean age on the roster from 29 in 2004 to 25 in 2006. As a scout, or GM, or president, you still need to be discerning on which AHL players can hack it in the Big Time. Sharp (in Chicago) and Sim (in Florida and now in Atlanta) are putting up great numbers, and are on their way to staying in the NHL. All the kids seeing time on the Flyers now? Well, they might have some big time in them somewhere, but it's not there yet, especially since during John Stevens' tenure as Phantoms coach (04-05 excepted), the team was nothing more than a factory for learning Ken Hitchcock's rigid offensive and defensive systems.
All in all, we'll have to wait a few more weeks before other teams besides Phoenix are itching to make deals and remake horrible starts into playoff contention. Trades are not the cure-all for this disaster, but it is the biggest step in the right direction the Flyers can make between now and the merciful end to the season, now only 5 months away.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
This Date in NHL History
November 1st, 1995. at Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 10, Tampa Bay 0
Mario Lemieux's goal and six assists power the Penguins past the totally defenseless Lightning.
It's gotta be the last time anyone's scored seven points in a game, but it was only the first time all season that #66 would post at least 7 points in a single contest. Ron Francis played second fiddle from the center position, racking up a mere two goals and three assists.
The game got so out of hand, Tampa head coach Terry Crisp pulled starter J.C. Bergeron out of the net, only to put him back in when the Pens didn't ease up on Daren Puppa.
The Penguins were a fun team in 1995-96, featuring a roster stacked with offensive talent. Lemieux. Jagr. Francis. Nedved. Sandstrom. Smolinski. Zubov. 362 goals in 82 games - a total nobody has even come close to since.
Mario Lemieux's goal and six assists power the Penguins past the totally defenseless Lightning.
It's gotta be the last time anyone's scored seven points in a game, but it was only the first time all season that #66 would post at least 7 points in a single contest. Ron Francis played second fiddle from the center position, racking up a mere two goals and three assists.
The game got so out of hand, Tampa head coach Terry Crisp pulled starter J.C. Bergeron out of the net, only to put him back in when the Pens didn't ease up on Daren Puppa.
The Penguins were a fun team in 1995-96, featuring a roster stacked with offensive talent. Lemieux. Jagr. Francis. Nedved. Sandstrom. Smolinski. Zubov. 362 goals in 82 games - a total nobody has even come close to since.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Finally, Some Valid Points
Vancouver Canucks' general manager Dave Nonis put forth one heck of a rant about free agency and the state of the league schedule today.
Read all about it here:
Nonis on the Warpath
It does nobody good if the fresh young talent the league is dependent upon to boost interest and attendance throughout the league play the free-agency merry-go-round at age 25. In Crosby's case, he'll luck out by giving the Penguins (Pittsburgh/KC/Hamilton?) seven years before the magic date. Kids coming out of junior get a shorter span, and those coming into the NHL with college degrees really get the shaft. Secretly, this is the other intended consequence of King Bettman's plan to keep the small markets just as competitive with the big ones. Hypothetically, if Ovechkin decides to leave Washington at his (and the Caps') peak, voila! - there's bound to be a Nashville, Columbus, Calgary, or St. Louis who just so happens to have some room under the cap, ready to accept the next blue-chip guy to boost their profile. Thus, there's always constant marginal shift between teams, without the devastation of several teams having to do a firesale at the expense of the top playoff-bound teams. This plan means that 20-22 teams remain competitive consistently, always vying for the final 16 playoff spots. Does it work? It seemed to last year, but long-term effects can only be measured four, five years down the line. Eventually, enough players and GM's will get sick of having to retool their roster every three years, or get sick of retooling but finding out their group of players suddenly go from certified postseason to struggling through Game 82.
On the scheduling, I can only guess that Nonis started to suffer from lack of oxygen to the brain during his diatribe. There's no bleeping way Western teams fly as much as ever without going to the Central or Eastern time zones like they used to. In fact, the league specifically returned to the "two-games, one-city" plan they used to ease Winnipeg's travels in the Smythe division in the 1980's, to lessen whatever travel burden there is when you play your division rivals eight times a season. I wonder, are there any MIT or CalTech grads who read this who can explain to me how NOT traveling 6,000 miles round trip from Vancouver to New York and points East at least once a year means more flying and more travel? Make sure to show your work.
Anyway, he is totally correct on the schedule plan as it exists. I've been ranting and raving over the numerous things wrong with it ever since the plan was announced. A little background: When the Owners/League offered a compromise to the Players in '05, the deal that was struck was, in exchange for the 24 percent rollback on all salaries, players (who constantly bitched in the late 90's about having to go East or West from opposite ends of the continent) got the wish for a schedule that concentrated their travel better. Thus, the league invented the eight divisional games and four games against conference rivals. What suffered is the opposite conference plan, which only allows one game each on a rotating home-away plan in alternating years, and omits one whole division each year. Again, I suspect that Bettman's not-so-secret plan was to get as many Atlantic Division games on NBC and Versus, since the league offices are in New York. It just so happened to work in his favor that the three best hopes for the future (Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin) are in the East as well. It is positively counter-intuitive, if the plan was to keep all 30 teams in the league, not to showcase each team's talent in all other arenas. I'd gladly take more Washington-Calgary (Ovechkin-Phaneuf) and Pittsburgh-Columbus (Crosby-Nash) games or Dallas-Philly games (Lindros saga) in exchange for dropping one conference game per team per year.
The best way I can figure, is to keep the 8 games in the division (32), but cut the conference games down to three per team (30). The remaining 20 games is tough to divide with 15 teams, but it can be done better. How about one opposite conference division gets two games (one home, one road) and the other two alternate home and road among their teams. This way, every team plays every other team at least once, and the opposite conference plan can be rotated so that every three years, one division gets to play another twice, and the other two once each. The optimal plan may be to cut down inter-division games to 22 (2 teams 5 times, 2 teams 6), conference games to 3 per team (30), and play every opposite conference team twice (30,for 82 total). I'm not a fan of that, since you play more conference games than division games, and more opposite conference games than even division ones. It also creates the most problems and mileage with travel, and if our boys are playing with 24 percent less pay, how can we expect them to tolerate long flights?
Read all about it here:
Nonis on the Warpath
It does nobody good if the fresh young talent the league is dependent upon to boost interest and attendance throughout the league play the free-agency merry-go-round at age 25. In Crosby's case, he'll luck out by giving the Penguins (Pittsburgh/KC/Hamilton?) seven years before the magic date. Kids coming out of junior get a shorter span, and those coming into the NHL with college degrees really get the shaft. Secretly, this is the other intended consequence of King Bettman's plan to keep the small markets just as competitive with the big ones. Hypothetically, if Ovechkin decides to leave Washington at his (and the Caps') peak, voila! - there's bound to be a Nashville, Columbus, Calgary, or St. Louis who just so happens to have some room under the cap, ready to accept the next blue-chip guy to boost their profile. Thus, there's always constant marginal shift between teams, without the devastation of several teams having to do a firesale at the expense of the top playoff-bound teams. This plan means that 20-22 teams remain competitive consistently, always vying for the final 16 playoff spots. Does it work? It seemed to last year, but long-term effects can only be measured four, five years down the line. Eventually, enough players and GM's will get sick of having to retool their roster every three years, or get sick of retooling but finding out their group of players suddenly go from certified postseason to struggling through Game 82.
On the scheduling, I can only guess that Nonis started to suffer from lack of oxygen to the brain during his diatribe. There's no bleeping way Western teams fly as much as ever without going to the Central or Eastern time zones like they used to. In fact, the league specifically returned to the "two-games, one-city" plan they used to ease Winnipeg's travels in the Smythe division in the 1980's, to lessen whatever travel burden there is when you play your division rivals eight times a season. I wonder, are there any MIT or CalTech grads who read this who can explain to me how NOT traveling 6,000 miles round trip from Vancouver to New York and points East at least once a year means more flying and more travel? Make sure to show your work.
Anyway, he is totally correct on the schedule plan as it exists. I've been ranting and raving over the numerous things wrong with it ever since the plan was announced. A little background: When the Owners/League offered a compromise to the Players in '05, the deal that was struck was, in exchange for the 24 percent rollback on all salaries, players (who constantly bitched in the late 90's about having to go East or West from opposite ends of the continent) got the wish for a schedule that concentrated their travel better. Thus, the league invented the eight divisional games and four games against conference rivals. What suffered is the opposite conference plan, which only allows one game each on a rotating home-away plan in alternating years, and omits one whole division each year. Again, I suspect that Bettman's not-so-secret plan was to get as many Atlantic Division games on NBC and Versus, since the league offices are in New York. It just so happened to work in his favor that the three best hopes for the future (Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin) are in the East as well. It is positively counter-intuitive, if the plan was to keep all 30 teams in the league, not to showcase each team's talent in all other arenas. I'd gladly take more Washington-Calgary (Ovechkin-Phaneuf) and Pittsburgh-Columbus (Crosby-Nash) games or Dallas-Philly games (Lindros saga) in exchange for dropping one conference game per team per year.
The best way I can figure, is to keep the 8 games in the division (32), but cut the conference games down to three per team (30). The remaining 20 games is tough to divide with 15 teams, but it can be done better. How about one opposite conference division gets two games (one home, one road) and the other two alternate home and road among their teams. This way, every team plays every other team at least once, and the opposite conference plan can be rotated so that every three years, one division gets to play another twice, and the other two once each. The optimal plan may be to cut down inter-division games to 22 (2 teams 5 times, 2 teams 6), conference games to 3 per team (30), and play every opposite conference team twice (30,for 82 total). I'm not a fan of that, since you play more conference games than division games, and more opposite conference games than even division ones. It also creates the most problems and mileage with travel, and if our boys are playing with 24 percent less pay, how can we expect them to tolerate long flights?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Speechless, with Mouth Agape
Of all the indignities, small or large that have been visited upon the Flyers in just the first month of the season, Saturday night's loss seemed to be just about the worst.
Losing to the Penguins at home? Bound to happen every once in a while (twice in the last three years, not in 10 before that). Losing to the Penguins with a bunch of kids who have no expectations (surprise 2-1 loss in January, 2004)? OK. But scoring the game's first goal, then giving up the next six on the way to an 8-2 defeat is absolutely inexcusable.
Not even in Mario Lemieux's rookie year, when the Penguins and Flyers both sported youthful rosters, and enjoyed a season without the burden of contention hanging over their heads, did this happen. In fact, by the end of that 1984-85 season, tight-checking one-and-two goal games became 8-2 and 11-4 finals in the Flyers' favor. Maybe it's some kind of weird karmic curse - the 8-2 Flyers win over the Penguins on February 18th, 1985, signified that their group of youngsters under Mike Keenan had finally separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the Patrick Division. The reversal of that result may point to the fact that the 2006 edition of the Penguins are ready to reach for the heights and leave the weakened Flyers in the dust.
Record matching was the name of the game Saturday on South Broad: the loss tied the biggest at home to Pittsburgh in franchise history (6 goals, last time a 9-3 loss on 11/29/91). The Pens also tied the record for most consecutive goals scored in one game (6, in the same game).
Sadder still, is those records came in a time when the Penguins were loaded with talent on their way to back-to-back Stanley Cups - names like Lemieux, Francis, Stevens, Mullen, Murphy, Coffey, Jagr, etc...
This year's model features four teenagers, a couple of ancients in Recchi and LeClair, and some marginal but interchangeable talents.
What's unsettling, is that somehow, even the Bruins managed to hold the Senators to one goal in a 2-1 win at the New Garden. Ottawa had exploded for 21 goals in their previous three games.
Even worse, these losses harken back to the five-year playoff exodus, when those not-quite-good-enough-to-hang Flyers teams would eventually wear down an mix in some real stinkers with the usual one-and-two-goal scratch n' claw games.
The one ray of hope in all this, is that Flyers fans won't have to go through the season wondering where their beloved Winged P's will end up. Even if there are willing trade partners, and even when roster and attitude adjustments are made down the road, they are one step ahead of the Islanders, who figure to be the dregs of the division. There should be some comfort, albeit a severely uneasy one, that you won't have to be late for the bar or some party you're invited to at 9 PM on Friday or Saturday night. You won't have to anxiously request that the bartender put the Flyers game on the mega-watt plasma screen while you sink your wings and Coors light. Those of us who have the promise of tickets, or a free luxury box won't have to think twice about refusing, choosing instead to balance that pesky checkbook while Philly's version of Ice Follies plays in the background.
Losing to the Penguins at home? Bound to happen every once in a while (twice in the last three years, not in 10 before that). Losing to the Penguins with a bunch of kids who have no expectations (surprise 2-1 loss in January, 2004)? OK. But scoring the game's first goal, then giving up the next six on the way to an 8-2 defeat is absolutely inexcusable.
Not even in Mario Lemieux's rookie year, when the Penguins and Flyers both sported youthful rosters, and enjoyed a season without the burden of contention hanging over their heads, did this happen. In fact, by the end of that 1984-85 season, tight-checking one-and-two goal games became 8-2 and 11-4 finals in the Flyers' favor. Maybe it's some kind of weird karmic curse - the 8-2 Flyers win over the Penguins on February 18th, 1985, signified that their group of youngsters under Mike Keenan had finally separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the Patrick Division. The reversal of that result may point to the fact that the 2006 edition of the Penguins are ready to reach for the heights and leave the weakened Flyers in the dust.
Record matching was the name of the game Saturday on South Broad: the loss tied the biggest at home to Pittsburgh in franchise history (6 goals, last time a 9-3 loss on 11/29/91). The Pens also tied the record for most consecutive goals scored in one game (6, in the same game).
Sadder still, is those records came in a time when the Penguins were loaded with talent on their way to back-to-back Stanley Cups - names like Lemieux, Francis, Stevens, Mullen, Murphy, Coffey, Jagr, etc...
This year's model features four teenagers, a couple of ancients in Recchi and LeClair, and some marginal but interchangeable talents.
What's unsettling, is that somehow, even the Bruins managed to hold the Senators to one goal in a 2-1 win at the New Garden. Ottawa had exploded for 21 goals in their previous three games.
Even worse, these losses harken back to the five-year playoff exodus, when those not-quite-good-enough-to-hang Flyers teams would eventually wear down an mix in some real stinkers with the usual one-and-two-goal scratch n' claw games.
The one ray of hope in all this, is that Flyers fans won't have to go through the season wondering where their beloved Winged P's will end up. Even if there are willing trade partners, and even when roster and attitude adjustments are made down the road, they are one step ahead of the Islanders, who figure to be the dregs of the division. There should be some comfort, albeit a severely uneasy one, that you won't have to be late for the bar or some party you're invited to at 9 PM on Friday or Saturday night. You won't have to anxiously request that the bartender put the Flyers game on the mega-watt plasma screen while you sink your wings and Coors light. Those of us who have the promise of tickets, or a free luxury box won't have to think twice about refusing, choosing instead to balance that pesky checkbook while Philly's version of Ice Follies plays in the background.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your...um...Season...
The John Stevens Era begins on South Broad tonight, and the test will be a tough one.
The Atlanta Thrashers come to town, a team that's half-a-beat away from being the Buffalo Sabres. Yep, they can score too, and feature two more brilliant forwards, Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa.
I'm not looking for a brilliant 30-save shutout. Let's face it, that ain't gonna happen. I'll settle for the pylons on defense to recover a small amount of motion back there, just a few good hits to disrupt Atlanta's offensive rhythm.
Something tells me this will be a night that we steal one. Maybe it's the 6 hours of sleep I got after working until 1:30 AM. Maybe it's the delirium of yet another coaching change. I'm thinking a 4-3 overtime win that sends the 19,000-plus home in renewed frenzy.
Ed. note: I wrote the last paragraph in a very facetious manner. I was pleased that the game almost turned out how I predicted, with a shootout win in lieu of an OT winner. Sadly, the love hangover from Game 1 of the Stevens era lasted all of two days.
The Atlanta Thrashers come to town, a team that's half-a-beat away from being the Buffalo Sabres. Yep, they can score too, and feature two more brilliant forwards, Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa.
I'm not looking for a brilliant 30-save shutout. Let's face it, that ain't gonna happen. I'll settle for the pylons on defense to recover a small amount of motion back there, just a few good hits to disrupt Atlanta's offensive rhythm.
Something tells me this will be a night that we steal one. Maybe it's the 6 hours of sleep I got after working until 1:30 AM. Maybe it's the delirium of yet another coaching change. I'm thinking a 4-3 overtime win that sends the 19,000-plus home in renewed frenzy.
Ed. note: I wrote the last paragraph in a very facetious manner. I was pleased that the game almost turned out how I predicted, with a shootout win in lieu of an OT winner. Sadly, the love hangover from Game 1 of the Stevens era lasted all of two days.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sold 'Em Down The River
Waking up from a long alcohol-induced night's sleep, still bleary-eyed and trying to get into a killer mindset for work, I hear something strange coming out of my clock radio.
Breaking News...The Flyers decide to blow up their front office...General Manager Bob Clarke resigns, and head coach Ken Hitchcock is fired following a franchise worst 1-6-1 start...Owner Ed Snider has called an afternoon press conference...
That's about as far as I got before everything behind my eyes went white.
Ten seconds later, when I came to my senses, I could almost smell the guano being shoveled by the South Broad Street PR machine in preparation for the end of this charade. Since I was covered wall-to-wall at work watching the NFL at 1 and 4 PM, I didn't get to see how it all played out on radio and TV until late last night. This morning's papers made it all the clearer, though.
Bob Clarke is the valiant warrior whose time had come, and didn't realize it until it was too late to stop malaise from creeping in. The burn-out got so bad, he couldn't even bring himself to fire a trainer this summer after the decision was made. He also wasn't geared up enough to deliver the bad news to Ken Hitchcock. So, Ed Snider's favored son was able to come out of this with a resignation, basically having fired himself. Hitch, however, bore the full brunt of a firing, the major scapegoat for a moribund season, shown the door in a terse and shocking end to a relatively successful three-plus season stint.
With a day between and several off-hours to assess the situation, I find both men were to blame, victims of the very same character traits (and some might now say major flaws) that propelled them to success.
Clarke, ever the valiant fighter, basically turned into a clinically-depressed Nero fiddling while Flyerdom burned. It is a testament to his personality, built on nothing but relentless hard work and ability to flesh out loopholes to use for his advantage, that submarined him. He knew nothing but to soldier on, either blind to the symptoms of his self-described burn-out or convinced it was a phase he could quickly pass through. Knowing his state of mind, it becomes all the more disturbing how the last two off-seasons played out. Not only was the two-time GM unable to comprehend how the new rules affected his player choices, but it also seems like he was too willing to pass the buck, or go home and hide under the covers until the right move presented itself. What is all the more shocking, is that Clarke's position within the organization became so entrenched, and his demeanor so nondescript in the face of such an inner crisis, that no one could have recognized the signs, or no one who did could have gone to a higher level of management to let them know. In effect, his realization became more of a blessing that the 57-year-old came to his senses when the Flyers were a league-worst 1-6-1, instead of drawing out the drama further until the Flyers punctured the floor of the Seventh Level of Hockey Hell.
The head coach bears more immediate blame. In spite of the misguided moves the front office made to the on-ice product, it was Hitchcock's job to turn the mishmash of new kids and seasoned vets into a Cup-contending force. He failed miserably. Frankly, I'm not surprised. He came to Philly in 2002 with the promise of a willing bunch of veterans trying to get a shot at the silver chalice, and the total backing of the front office to do what he will to make that happen. However, as Clarke swiftly remade an aging team into one that's barely out of diapers, Hitchcock's coaching style and demeanor did not change to suit the times. Nobody seems to voice the fact that his Cup team, the 1999 Dallas Stars, had five potential Hall-of-Famers on the roster, guys who would have killed their own mothers to win the title. Players who have seen the grind of countless seasons with plenty of playoff disappointments will willingly put up with an abrasive personality like Hitchcock's for one shot at glory. It took less than three seasons post-Cup for that approach to flame out in Dallas, as virtually the same group of players rebelled against the constant friction. Hitchcock, a winner since juniors, did not come ready-made with his brand of biting, sarcastic verbiage intended to motivate his players, but he did sharpen it as Dallas rose from also-rans to Best in the West. He transferred it successfully to a hungry 2003-2004 Flyers team, who nonetheless could not reach the Cup finals.
However, with the swift roster transition, Hitchcock's approach remained unchanged, and its mind-bending effect on his new players' psyches totally backfired. With veterans, you trust they buy into your system and philosophy, and throw in some barbs when they perform below expectation. With youth, a successful coach needs to know when to use the velvet touch as well as the whip, to know when to dig in and teach in a hands-on manner while hammering home the need for discipline and focus. It is obvious that Ken Hitchcock applies a more regal, detached, and aloof approach behind the bench. It is also obvious that the youth did not, and probably could not process whatever was taught, and translate whatever was said effectively into on-ice performance. It is also obvious that when subtle mindgames become increasingly more obvious and public, like that with goaltender Robert Esche, the seeds of discord are ready to bloom. This unfortunate episode should not tarnish Hitchcock's reputation, nor should it bring about any stigma on his value as a winner. It should, though, be a lesson for the man to take to heart - that while prior reputation may give you the keys to the kingdom for a team that needs a stern hand to learn how to win, it does not absolve you from gaining the wisdom and insight to change when necessary. Almost 15 years ago, Hitchcock began his meteoric rise by crafting a formula to be a winner in the Western Hockey League, coaching 16-20 year olds. He parlayed that into a Stanley Cup and two high-profile coaching jobs. With the new-NHL so youth-oriented, he may do well to adjust his formula (along with attitude and philosophy) again to ensure success in what the league hopes to become.
Breaking News...The Flyers decide to blow up their front office...General Manager Bob Clarke resigns, and head coach Ken Hitchcock is fired following a franchise worst 1-6-1 start...Owner Ed Snider has called an afternoon press conference...
That's about as far as I got before everything behind my eyes went white.
Ten seconds later, when I came to my senses, I could almost smell the guano being shoveled by the South Broad Street PR machine in preparation for the end of this charade. Since I was covered wall-to-wall at work watching the NFL at 1 and 4 PM, I didn't get to see how it all played out on radio and TV until late last night. This morning's papers made it all the clearer, though.
Bob Clarke is the valiant warrior whose time had come, and didn't realize it until it was too late to stop malaise from creeping in. The burn-out got so bad, he couldn't even bring himself to fire a trainer this summer after the decision was made. He also wasn't geared up enough to deliver the bad news to Ken Hitchcock. So, Ed Snider's favored son was able to come out of this with a resignation, basically having fired himself. Hitch, however, bore the full brunt of a firing, the major scapegoat for a moribund season, shown the door in a terse and shocking end to a relatively successful three-plus season stint.
With a day between and several off-hours to assess the situation, I find both men were to blame, victims of the very same character traits (and some might now say major flaws) that propelled them to success.
Clarke, ever the valiant fighter, basically turned into a clinically-depressed Nero fiddling while Flyerdom burned. It is a testament to his personality, built on nothing but relentless hard work and ability to flesh out loopholes to use for his advantage, that submarined him. He knew nothing but to soldier on, either blind to the symptoms of his self-described burn-out or convinced it was a phase he could quickly pass through. Knowing his state of mind, it becomes all the more disturbing how the last two off-seasons played out. Not only was the two-time GM unable to comprehend how the new rules affected his player choices, but it also seems like he was too willing to pass the buck, or go home and hide under the covers until the right move presented itself. What is all the more shocking, is that Clarke's position within the organization became so entrenched, and his demeanor so nondescript in the face of such an inner crisis, that no one could have recognized the signs, or no one who did could have gone to a higher level of management to let them know. In effect, his realization became more of a blessing that the 57-year-old came to his senses when the Flyers were a league-worst 1-6-1, instead of drawing out the drama further until the Flyers punctured the floor of the Seventh Level of Hockey Hell.
The head coach bears more immediate blame. In spite of the misguided moves the front office made to the on-ice product, it was Hitchcock's job to turn the mishmash of new kids and seasoned vets into a Cup-contending force. He failed miserably. Frankly, I'm not surprised. He came to Philly in 2002 with the promise of a willing bunch of veterans trying to get a shot at the silver chalice, and the total backing of the front office to do what he will to make that happen. However, as Clarke swiftly remade an aging team into one that's barely out of diapers, Hitchcock's coaching style and demeanor did not change to suit the times. Nobody seems to voice the fact that his Cup team, the 1999 Dallas Stars, had five potential Hall-of-Famers on the roster, guys who would have killed their own mothers to win the title. Players who have seen the grind of countless seasons with plenty of playoff disappointments will willingly put up with an abrasive personality like Hitchcock's for one shot at glory. It took less than three seasons post-Cup for that approach to flame out in Dallas, as virtually the same group of players rebelled against the constant friction. Hitchcock, a winner since juniors, did not come ready-made with his brand of biting, sarcastic verbiage intended to motivate his players, but he did sharpen it as Dallas rose from also-rans to Best in the West. He transferred it successfully to a hungry 2003-2004 Flyers team, who nonetheless could not reach the Cup finals.
However, with the swift roster transition, Hitchcock's approach remained unchanged, and its mind-bending effect on his new players' psyches totally backfired. With veterans, you trust they buy into your system and philosophy, and throw in some barbs when they perform below expectation. With youth, a successful coach needs to know when to use the velvet touch as well as the whip, to know when to dig in and teach in a hands-on manner while hammering home the need for discipline and focus. It is obvious that Ken Hitchcock applies a more regal, detached, and aloof approach behind the bench. It is also obvious that the youth did not, and probably could not process whatever was taught, and translate whatever was said effectively into on-ice performance. It is also obvious that when subtle mindgames become increasingly more obvious and public, like that with goaltender Robert Esche, the seeds of discord are ready to bloom. This unfortunate episode should not tarnish Hitchcock's reputation, nor should it bring about any stigma on his value as a winner. It should, though, be a lesson for the man to take to heart - that while prior reputation may give you the keys to the kingdom for a team that needs a stern hand to learn how to win, it does not absolve you from gaining the wisdom and insight to change when necessary. Almost 15 years ago, Hitchcock began his meteoric rise by crafting a formula to be a winner in the Western Hockey League, coaching 16-20 year olds. He parlayed that into a Stanley Cup and two high-profile coaching jobs. With the new-NHL so youth-oriented, he may do well to adjust his formula (along with attitude and philosophy) again to ensure success in what the league hopes to become.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The Hockey Version of Pearl Harbor
Another bad loss to a better team.
To Buffalo. In Buffalo.
9-1.
It is our day of infamy, worse than the five-goal home losses to Ottawa in the early goings of 2001 and 2002. Worse even than the oft-quoted 11-2 loss to Montreal in November, 1981. That team was expected to barely hold on against the Rangers and Islanders in the Patrick Division. This team, in certain circles, didn't even seem worthy of a playoff prediction out of the gate.
I hope the waivings of Petr Nedved, Nolan Baumgartner and Niko (don't call me Nicholas) Dimitrakos are only the first steps in a complete overhaul. Calling up Phantoms Ben Eager, Stefan Ruzicka, and Alexandre Picard are only stop-gaps to a dam that's almost totally burst. Eager fought hard every shift to earn a spot on the Flyers last year when injuries hit. This year, the audition is no joke - especially since R.J. Umberger hasn't seen his work turn into points.
The worst part of this early season collapse, is that it's too early to get another GM on the phone ready to deal. If the flame-out came around Thanksgiving, I tabbed Nedved and one of the young defensemen or forwards as part of a two-for-two deal to wherever. Never mind that Clarke's idea of "what's best for the organ-eye-zation" consists of finding a bona-fide sucker to take Flyer cast-offs, or that the Bruins ripped their post-lockout roster to shreds almost as early last year - these waiver moves are pretty much the most extreme measures Ca-larkie could make only six games in.
Things are getting desperate in our home, living in the parish of the restless folks I know. Let's hope nobody gets the brilliant idea to lead a fan revolt and threaten to burn down the mission.
Not yet, anyway.
To Buffalo. In Buffalo.
9-1.
It is our day of infamy, worse than the five-goal home losses to Ottawa in the early goings of 2001 and 2002. Worse even than the oft-quoted 11-2 loss to Montreal in November, 1981. That team was expected to barely hold on against the Rangers and Islanders in the Patrick Division. This team, in certain circles, didn't even seem worthy of a playoff prediction out of the gate.
I hope the waivings of Petr Nedved, Nolan Baumgartner and Niko (don't call me Nicholas) Dimitrakos are only the first steps in a complete overhaul. Calling up Phantoms Ben Eager, Stefan Ruzicka, and Alexandre Picard are only stop-gaps to a dam that's almost totally burst. Eager fought hard every shift to earn a spot on the Flyers last year when injuries hit. This year, the audition is no joke - especially since R.J. Umberger hasn't seen his work turn into points.
The worst part of this early season collapse, is that it's too early to get another GM on the phone ready to deal. If the flame-out came around Thanksgiving, I tabbed Nedved and one of the young defensemen or forwards as part of a two-for-two deal to wherever. Never mind that Clarke's idea of "what's best for the organ-eye-zation" consists of finding a bona-fide sucker to take Flyer cast-offs, or that the Bruins ripped their post-lockout roster to shreds almost as early last year - these waiver moves are pretty much the most extreme measures Ca-larkie could make only six games in.
Things are getting desperate in our home, living in the parish of the restless folks I know. Let's hope nobody gets the brilliant idea to lead a fan revolt and threaten to burn down the mission.
Not yet, anyway.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
This Date in Flyers History
October 17, 1991: Rick Tocchet surpassed Paul Holmgren for first place all-time in franchise penalty minutes with 1,601. It was a call for holding in the second period of a game at the Spectrum against the Quebec Nordiques. The Flyers won, 5-3.
Tocchet finished his Flyers career (1984-92; 2000-2002) with a total of 1,817 penalty minutes in just 621 games. He currently still holds the top mark, with Holmgren (1976-84) still in second place.
Heading into tonight's game in Buffalo, the Flyers have not won a game on October 17th since 1999, when they beat Buffalo, 5-2, at the then-named First Union Center.
Tocchet finished his Flyers career (1984-92; 2000-2002) with a total of 1,817 penalty minutes in just 621 games. He currently still holds the top mark, with Holmgren (1976-84) still in second place.
Heading into tonight's game in Buffalo, the Flyers have not won a game on October 17th since 1999, when they beat Buffalo, 5-2, at the then-named First Union Center.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Keep Yer Head Up
We had another scary moment Saturday night revolving around the testy budding rivalry between Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Canes forward Trevor Letowski had just sent a drop pass to one of his teammates, and still had his head turned in that direction, away from where his forward motion would take him. About a second or two later, a blur of Vegas Gold and Black dressed as Penguins forward Colby Armstrong slammed a glancing elbow across Letowski's head, causing the Carolina player to lose control of his body and fall to the ice with a concussion.
Although my job these days is to sit at a desk and skip through the satellite channels to check on hockey action throughout my shift, I missed the actual incident, but watched for a good 5 minutes as the stretcher came onto the ice to lift Letowski up and take him to the hospital. Replays eventually showed that Letowski couldn't have known Armstrong was there with his head turned, and that Armstrong's shoulder-elbow was not premeditated, since Armstrong's body was turned to the side, not directly facing, Letowski when the hit occurred.
Still, Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette had to engage in a little whining, calling Armstrong's hit a late one. The implication is that the hit was a dirty one on an unsuspecting player. Maybe he was engaging in a little bit of gamesmanship to get inside the young man's head, but the implication is unwarranted.
Let's not forget, every player goes through their paces in their early years before earning their reputations. Even the great Scott Stevens, whose shoulder-to-head hit on Eric Lindros in 2000 permanently changed Lindros' career, was called a dirty little kid when he first came up with the Capitals. Let's also not forget that the first incident between these teams, Brooks Orpik's blatant cross-check to the back of Erik Cole's head last year, caused Cole to miss a big chunk of time with a broken neck.
Letowski committed the Second Cardinal Sin of a forward: Even with your head up, turn your head in the direction you're skating. He paid for it, on the receiving end of a shoulder that I defy a 15-year veteran not to pass up. But it was not dirty in the least. Just unfortunate. Armstrong merely followed one of the rules of backchecking: always follow through on a hit. He'd do well to get himself in better position from now
on - getting his whole body turned into the check instead of only an arm.
Aside from the obvious effects of a concussion for Letowski, the other unfortunate part of the incident is that Armstrong will go through an undefined period of questioning himself on and off the ice. You'll start to notice a bit of hesitation, maybe some shying away from contact. Sometimes the toughest thing a young player can do is train himself mentally to shut out any subtle digs and play the game that got him to the Big Show.
Until the NHL begins to draft skilled and speedy players more in the Brian Gionta mold, these incidents will be more and more prevalent. Adding speed to the game only intensifies the impact of shoulder-to-head contact on players that still run in the 6-foot-plus, 200-plus pound range. The league didn't have this problem 20 years ago when games were high-scoring with plenty of hard hits and fighting. Maybe it's asking too much of league general managers on down to junior coaches to encourage smaller players to get a shot at the big time.
Canes forward Trevor Letowski had just sent a drop pass to one of his teammates, and still had his head turned in that direction, away from where his forward motion would take him. About a second or two later, a blur of Vegas Gold and Black dressed as Penguins forward Colby Armstrong slammed a glancing elbow across Letowski's head, causing the Carolina player to lose control of his body and fall to the ice with a concussion.
Although my job these days is to sit at a desk and skip through the satellite channels to check on hockey action throughout my shift, I missed the actual incident, but watched for a good 5 minutes as the stretcher came onto the ice to lift Letowski up and take him to the hospital. Replays eventually showed that Letowski couldn't have known Armstrong was there with his head turned, and that Armstrong's shoulder-elbow was not premeditated, since Armstrong's body was turned to the side, not directly facing, Letowski when the hit occurred.
Still, Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette had to engage in a little whining, calling Armstrong's hit a late one. The implication is that the hit was a dirty one on an unsuspecting player. Maybe he was engaging in a little bit of gamesmanship to get inside the young man's head, but the implication is unwarranted.
Let's not forget, every player goes through their paces in their early years before earning their reputations. Even the great Scott Stevens, whose shoulder-to-head hit on Eric Lindros in 2000 permanently changed Lindros' career, was called a dirty little kid when he first came up with the Capitals. Let's also not forget that the first incident between these teams, Brooks Orpik's blatant cross-check to the back of Erik Cole's head last year, caused Cole to miss a big chunk of time with a broken neck.
Letowski committed the Second Cardinal Sin of a forward: Even with your head up, turn your head in the direction you're skating. He paid for it, on the receiving end of a shoulder that I defy a 15-year veteran not to pass up. But it was not dirty in the least. Just unfortunate. Armstrong merely followed one of the rules of backchecking: always follow through on a hit. He'd do well to get himself in better position from now
on - getting his whole body turned into the check instead of only an arm.
Aside from the obvious effects of a concussion for Letowski, the other unfortunate part of the incident is that Armstrong will go through an undefined period of questioning himself on and off the ice. You'll start to notice a bit of hesitation, maybe some shying away from contact. Sometimes the toughest thing a young player can do is train himself mentally to shut out any subtle digs and play the game that got him to the Big Show.
Until the NHL begins to draft skilled and speedy players more in the Brian Gionta mold, these incidents will be more and more prevalent. Adding speed to the game only intensifies the impact of shoulder-to-head contact on players that still run in the 6-foot-plus, 200-plus pound range. The league didn't have this problem 20 years ago when games were high-scoring with plenty of hard hits and fighting. Maybe it's asking too much of league general managers on down to junior coaches to encourage smaller players to get a shot at the big time.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Semi-Random Ramblings
OK - I've cleared the decks with the division previews and it took longer than I expected, now on with the rest of the show...
Some observations about the first 10 days of the regular season:
Some observations about the first 10 days of the regular season:
- Scoring is down slightly from this time last season. Even in the early going, about 80 percent of the games are within two goals. The lone blowout was Detroit netting nine against a Phoenix team that has a pathological inability to win on the road. Teams playing it even this close to the vest so early on is a harbinger for the middle part of the season and the squeeze near the end. In the pre-lockout NHL, goals per game looked like a reverse hourglass - skinny at the top and bottom, fatter in the middle. The trend should continue this year, but there won't be many more 6-5, 7-6 games in January than there are thus far. The number of shutouts already has raised a red flag as well.
- The Flyers-Rangers 13 round, 26 man shootout only reinforced my belief that this little invention to keep fannies in seats is completely inane. By the 7th round, shooters pretty much stopped being creative, and it looked by the end like fatigue had set in from 65 minutes of high-octane play plus those breakaways. Even though a fluke goal tied the game and gave the Rangers a point right away, I would have been fine seeing a well-played 4-4 tie. Ditto with Toronto-New Jersey from Thursday night. I don't know any half-brained fan who would be or should be crying for a definitive result after the Devils scored six, and the Devils gave up six. I can't repeat this enough, people. Ties are not "Un-American." Ties are not cheap anymore, especially since the league is one step away from awarding a point just for showing up at the rink on time. Wins are wins, ties are ties with each team getting a point, so why force yourselves to think a loss with a point is anything but a loss?
- The following quote should be laughed at by fans, questioned intensely by beat writers and columnists, and players subject to electro-shock if uttered: "We were tight all game because there's pressure from the home fans to do something to get them into the game." ANY system, whether it's forechecking, backchecking, power play, penalty kill, or line changes, automatically forces a team to think and act like automata who cannot seize the opportunity to use emotion, drive, and creativity to beat the visiting team. It's amazing to me how many teams still employ rigid systems and expect to win with more speed and skill - the two are direct opposites. Ken Hitchcock and Jacques Lemaire are the chief examples of this failed philosophy. No wonder the Flyers can't get past the second round, and Minnesota can't find its way past fourth place, despite the talent that each team possesses. Meanwhile, the Devils keep winning 25 games a year on the road.
- For the love of the Hockey Gods, let's stop using the AHL as the guinea pig for every potential rule change in the NHL. The mother bringing her three little kids for a night out of alternative entertainment is always going to be less aware and less impressed with the tweaks in the rules than they are at the three-ring circus that goes on between face-offs, timeouts and intermissions. Young kids in Omaha, San Antonio, or Milwaukee who may not have a grip on the history of the sport will be suckered in for new rules if it's couched as anything "for the good of the game," or if it's done "to boost the excitement of the game." These are the only people the AHL poll because they're asked by the NHL to gauge these specific fan bases. We need to get a poll together of grizzled oldheads in Hershey, Winnipeg, Chicago or Providence to say the game would be improved if the opponents were executed in the Aztec tradition (the losers would be sacrificed to the gods, en masse, in a large ceremony). That would definitely make arguments over the trapezoid moot, huh?
- Former Flyer Watch: Jon Sim (ATL) 4 goals; Eric Lindros (DAL) 1 goal, 4 assists; Patrick Sharp (CHI) 2 goals; Michal Handzus (CHI) 2 goals, 6 points; Kim Johnsson (MIN) 2 goals; Justin Williams and Rod Brind'Amour (CAR) 3 assists each, team co-leaders in scoring. Who needs 'em anyway?
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