(Hockey) Life is a Carnival

Yesterday, the Flyers celebrated 30 years of their Fight for Lives Carnival, with the usual multi-media barrage on television and radio that brought the sights and sounds of the annual event to fans at home or otherwise busied.

The anniversary apparently brought together the largest gathering of current and former players than any previous year's event - and since the club recently celebrated a flashback night to the 1980's, I think I'll do the same.

My first Carnival experience came in February, 1985. It was shortly after my first game experience, an 8-2 Flyers thrashing of the Penguins in a President's Day matinee at the Spectrum. Being so young (7 years old, first-grader) I barely had any concept of Flyers history beyond what occurred since the previous October, but when my dad came home from the office one day and told me he had tickets, I was pretty psyched to go somewhere special on a weeknight.

I remember how cavernous the Spectrum looked without 17,222 fans jamming every seat, and the floor where the ice surface was being so huge withouth the boards. The rafters looked a million miles away from ice-level, compared to the fact that you could pick out the spots on a pigeon hanging from the rafters in our seats (Section 54) during a game. The concourses were packed with people - fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, young girls and their friends - all trying to get a glimpse of their favorite players in the smaller booths. On the arena floor, things moved much more smoothly because of the space, and no matter where you stood - the dunk tank, the wheels of chance, the goal area, or in the middle where a stack of boxes 10-feet high were positioned - there was enough room and time to breathe in the atmosphere.

That is, until a large, booming voice from above cut through all the joyful buzz.

That stack of boxes, ten-feet high? Someone had to go up the ladder and pick one at random for the endless wave of youngsters eager to gain some new Flyers merchandise. That someone, I later found out, was Joe Watson, former defenseman and original Flyer. At the time, he was a stocky but spry middle-aged man, but that voice was like a rolling peal of thunder to a small fry like myself. When each kid came up to get one of those mystery boxes, someone on the floor yelled up to Joe on the ladder, and he'd grab one, come down, and fire off a bellowing but jovial "Here you go, son/little cutie. Enjoy it." It was almost like an order than a gesture of thanks, because he'd be going up and down those steps hundreds of times over the course of the night.

The two main attractions, and the things I wanted to do the most, were the dunk tank and shooting on a Flyers goaltender. Apparently, so did everyone else. But, since the line to the dunk tank was moving a lot quicker than the shooting gallery, it was an easy choice. I think the wait was about 20 minutes, during which time the players changed up twice. By the time it was my turn, Lindsay Carson (in the middle of a career-best 20 goal season) was the man on the hot (cold?) seat. For three throws, you had to shell out three bucks, and hit the round target 20 feet away for the player to sink into the drink. I knew how to throw a ball as I was a fielding pitcher in a T-ball league the year before, but how fast can a grade-schooler throw really? So, the first chance sailed wide of the target. The second try hit just above, and the third one just below as my arm turned to a wet noodle.

I never even tried to get in line for the shot on a goaltender after my turn at the tank - and besides, by the time I was done there, Bob Froese the back-up goaltender was on the spot. Even though the team was in second place and Bob had played well, nobody was chanting his name night-in and night-out from the upper levels. For me, it was Pelle or nothing - and that would be a sad epitaph for thousands of fans soon enough though nobody would know it then.

So, it was back to the concourse to try and get a handshake, a picture, or a signature from the better known and more popular players on the team. This was the truly magic portion of the night, the thing I'd been waiting for - the chance for a one-on-one with the guys I watched and cheered for on Channel 6 and 29 and the radio network through Gene Hart's wonderful wordplay. I recall Brad Marsh's face light up each and every time a new person came up and exchanged a few words, and how he'd pause to coo over babies wrapped head-to-toe in Flyers garb. Dave Poulin, the captain, greeting all comers and measuring each sentence with a smile and chuckle. Brad McCrimmon, flashing that gap-toothed devilish grin. Peter Zezel, Rick Tocchet and Murray Craven all looking overjoyed and overwhelmed simultaneously at their sudden popularity (particularly amongst the teenage girls).

The coup-de-grace came on our last run of the night down on the floor through the spinning wheels and other games of chance. I don't remember how it happened - whether he just spotted some cute kid or if my parents had just requested that someone free take some time out to meet me - but the chance was there for a picture. Derrick Smith, another one of the fresh young faces on the team in 1984-85, agreed to a snapshot before heading off to his duties for the rest of the night. Thinking it was going to be another pose picture like the ones in the photo booths, I was totally surprised when Number 24 picked me up so we were eye-to-eye for the shot.

The result is priceless: me, with my arm draped around his shoulders all wide-eyed innocence, him with a goofy, bewildered 19-year-old half-smile. Who knows if anybody else did the same thing then, or in other years? The bond I had with the team and the sport was cemented. Years later, after another family move, I dug out the picture and have kept it for myself as a reminder. Maybe one day, after a few beers on the golf course, I'll have enough courage to ask him for another photo opportunity to bring things full-circle.

Which brings me to the media coverage of the event in 2007: On both Comcast Sportsnet and 610 WIP, the Carnival appeared nothing more than a chance for all the corporate sponsors to get face/airtime, for the broadcasters to try and pump the players for information about their trade-deadline worries, and for the radio and TV talent to look like they were involved when all they had to do was stand in front of a camera and tell everyone at home what they were missing.

Once upon a time, not too long ago, television coverage of the Carnival showcased the players more, showcased how excited the parents and the kids were to meet their heroes, and went around to every station for personal interviews with Flyers front office, staff, and former players. You got a real sense of the civic responsibility for helping out Hahnemann University Hospital, and an even truer sense of how much fun everyone had to pause from the season and give back to the fans and community. Instead, things began to turn about three years ago, and this year, as the Flyers are nearing the end of their worst season in franchise history, media coverage was so shot through with corporate shills, merchandising, and pleas about the team's bright future that even a dead man could see through the ruse.

Standing Still is Another Option

The first volley of the NHL's impending trade deadline was fired this morning, as Keith Tkachuk was dealt from the Blues to the Thrashers for Glen Metropolit and a whole mess of potentiality.

Atlanta, recently faltering in the Southeast Division, acquired yet another veteran war-horse with scoring pop to season its already spirited lineup while giving away nothing in return to a Blues team now officially conceding the season.

Does it really have to be this way? Does every team which deems itself a non-buyer at the trade deadline for any number of reasons, have to sell off its top talent in vague hopes to get draft picks to build a "future?" Of course not.

But, since NHL general managers are positively obsessed with getting "value" in every deal they make, the cycle is perpetuated. Even the Flyers, who are at the bottom of the league standings, felt pressured to be a "seller" even though they have been out of the playoff race since Christmas because the chance of "losing" Peter Forsberg (an unrestricted free agent in summer) without compensation is judged to be far too damaging to the success of future seasons without something in return.

Never mind the actual humans (Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent), but isn't it bizarre that so many GM's are so willing to throw out warm bodies for the greatest of the Great Unknowns, the draft pick?

Sure, you can never have too many draft picks, and surely never too many picks high in either the first or second rounds, but at least half of these potentialities are dealt in turn - either for more picks, higher picks, or a throw-in forward or minor leaguer - without a real person at least donning a team jersey and posing for a picture on draft day.

Even under the new cap rules following the cancelled season, and despite the fact that a ton of these first-generation contracts with big names attached are about to end, the NHL is very much a "Future is Now" league. Although 16 teams ultimately make the postseason, no fewer than 22 teams have a shot to make the dance at this time of year. After 22 years of watching the NHL, I can't for the life of me understand why heads of these organizations are still willing to deal so willingly in the unknown - but a key to the answer does lay in a pastime of younger years.

Think of GM phone conversations at or near the deadline as trading baseball cards (we all did that in our youth, right?). If you solely judged a player based on stats on the back and the picture on the front, it's easier to fleece your trading partner based on a flimsy piece of cardboard plus your own skewed opinion. You haven't seen the player(s) or talked to him/them in person, so there's no concrete evidence to back up the claim. Still, if you're dangling three cards and professing your desire of just one (or the other way around) that the other person is holding, it's hard for the other person to pass it up, and it's hard for you to resist a snicker of satisfaction as you make the deal.

However, things really get murky when you deal with bodies, because the video evidence is splashed all over the satellite, every night from October to April. That's why, even now, there are precious few two-for-two or higher multiple deals any more. If you have a zombie in skates on your hands costing your team goals every night, you have to find another willing sucker to unload him. On the other hand, if you have a draft pick or even a prospect attached to a pick who has yet to set foot on an NHL rink, you can more easily manipulate someone's opinion by using their hope for the future as a bargaining chip.

So, to the point.

Why are teams so consistently divided into buyers or sellers, with nothing in between? Why can't doing nothing be a wise or viable option? Since there will be so much player movement due to the brevity of contracts under a moving cap in the new era, wouldn't a team that stands pat (out of playoffs or not at this point) stand as good a chance, or even better, to improve next season? Sure, sometimes low risk yields low reward, but what if the two players you traded at the deadline the previous season because the team was out of contention could have helped you this season?

Case in point: the New York Islanders. About to miss the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 seasons, the club dealt second-line scorer Mark Parrish and able defenseman Brent Sopel to the Kings for prospects Jeff Tambellini and Denis Grebeshkov at the deadline last year. Under that regime, the Isles were on a course to move towards a near-total youth movement, so the trade made sense. However, with the offseason shenanigans that stained New York this past summer, more veteran free agents were acquired, and the Islanders are playing well enough to sit on the cusp of the postseason in 2007.

You can't tell me that Parrish and Sopel couldn't have remained vital on a rebuilding team. You also can't say that Parrish and Sopel wouldn't be key positive veteran factors to push the club off the bubble this year. Instead, the remainder of this season will play out like Survivor: Eastern Conference, and the Islanders will have to scratch, claw, and fight to win an immunity challenge.

Case in point #2: The 1997 Stanley Cup Finals (Philadelphia and Detroit). In 1996, the Flyers made a flurry of at-or-near deadline deals to bolster their roster, bringing in Dan Quinn, Kerry Huffman, John Druce and Dale Hawerchuk, then bowed out in six games to Florida in the second round. The next season, they made no deals and with a solid, cohesive roster, reached the Finals. Detroit ripped the guts out of their roster early on, and the club meshed with that stability. The acquisition of Larry Murphy from Toronto for virtually nothing was the sole move for the eventual Cup winner.

Case in point #3: Every Western Conference club that didn't win the Cup from 1996 through 2002. Look back at Colorado, Detroit and Dallas, and you'll see the years they were the least active at gutting their minor-league system and wasting draft picks for veteran talent were the years they won their Cups.

With 48 hours to go before the 3 PM Tuesday deadline, you can be certain of more than a dozen smaller deals borne out of the frustration each general manager has with their counterparts who try to pry a blue chip prospect or a bona-fide scorer from each other's hands. One guarantee, though, is that any team which chooses to stay where they are and not deal in futures, will have the honor of being skewered thoroughly in the papers and on television for their indecision or lack of initiative.

Too bad nobody will see the wisdom when one or more of these clubs makes a deep playoff run.

I Don't Mean to Start a Fight...

But... how is the suggested easing of the instigator suspension rule going to truly prevent the game's stars from harm if their guards are still suspended in some way by protecting them?

The 30 Dark Lords of the NHL debated this issue down in Florida this week among several others, and a consensus was reached that a two-game suspension should only come after a player has accumulated five, not the original three, instigator penalties.

Just from the logic of the above rule amendment, the league is STILL not fully protecting their superstars. A suspension is a suspension however you slice it, and if a given team has only one designated "enforcer" on their roster, he basically has only five chances outside the rules to protect his teammate before losing two games to do so effectively. The ramifications are worse if a second-line goal scorer with a mean-streak takes matters into his own hands and sacrifices a pair of games since he's the only man for the job. Chances are there will be a point (maybe several if this player is brutally effective) during the season where your 50-goal player is left unprotected while flitting across the ice - during which opposing bruisers will lick their chops and size up their prey for The Big Hit.

The bridge to cross on the issue is far off, to be sure, but the resulting questions are relevant: Can the coach trust the role to a less-engaging skater? Can he trust the role to an excessively-exuberant AHL player looking to take a permanent roster spot? Does he do nothing and hope the honor system works?

I believe all forms of instigator penalty, save for a situation when one player clearly attacks another and engages in a fight without provocation or consent (such as when a 6'4, 230-pound Saskatchewan-bred fourth-liner decides to pummel a 5'10, 180-pound Swede or Finn just because he's there) should be abolished. Even if a player who is grabbed and pulled into a fight eventually sticks up for himself, no extra penalty should be called on the aggressor because his own defense constitutes consent to engage. Same should go for a fighter who engages another player due to a hit the latter put on the former's more skilled teammate - the fact that both men clinch and throw punches means consent to the action under The Code - and besides, the latter player knows a challenge is coming due to his recognition of The Code as well.

However, it's pretty clear that an old-school fan and student of the game like myself won't see those plans come to fruition, but short of that, let's get rid of the suspension for multiple instigators altogether. You want to send a message that a player can't get out of control? Give out a ten-minute misconduct for every two instigators a player receives in one game. A player accumulates five? An automatic game-misconduct. There's a lot of breathing room between no infraction at all and a multi-game suspension.

At worst, if a player receives a two-game suspension for headhunting say, Sid Crosby, how will it affect that player's role if all he's thinking about for three or more days is getting revenge? Even in this day and age of the supposedly more genteel NHL, a suspended player isn't going to sit in a darkened corner and think about what he did - he's going to spend his time plotting revenge beyond the referee's gaze - and that can only lead to more trouble down the road.

Lingering Effects

Although not unexpected, it is still jarring, the Thursday night trade which shipped team-captain-cum-franchise-savior Peter Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for two fresh bodies and a pair of hypotheticals.

However you slice it, the Flyers gave up the biggest reason to keep watching the team this season for four smaller reasons to keep interest in future years. They also gave up the player who made it easier for the rest of the team, injured or not, to go out and win games. Clearly, the Flyers skated like drunken zombies through two periods Thursday against Toronto because of the trade announcement and it showed. Clearly, they had to do everything they could to reverse that performance on Saturday, and they did by winning in New York.

However, the true effects of losing Forsberg for the remainder of the schedule are to be seen, and can only be one of two things: total disillusion that despite all best efforts and hard work, it won't be enough to win more than a handful of games; a closing of the ranks and all-f0r-one attitude in the face of continuing adversity which may thrust the Flyers into the role of spoiler for some playoff wannabes.

In Thursday's second-period intermission press conference given by GM Paul Holmgren, owner Ed Snider and Forsberg himself, a few things jumped right off the TV screen:

• Holmgren's stiff, jaw-clenching denial that Forsberg agreed to re-sign with the Flyers in the off-season as a condition for letting the Flyers deal him. Quoth the GM: "That would be tampering."
• His curious refusal to name any other team that might have been able to work a deal with the Flyers, choosing to do so "in fairness to the other clubs."
  
• Ed Snider's flat denial that the Forsberg deal signified any kind of downturn for the franchise by tersely venting "We don't understand what 'rebuilding' is."
• His dragging out of the old injury excuse as a reason for the club's misfortune, and his admittance that the Flyers are "not far away" from being a contender again with a few key signings.
• Forsberg shying away from any indication he'll play anywhere beyond the end of this season saying he "wouldn't commit to another year anywhere unless [his] foot feels right," and hinting he'd have no problem hanging it up and returning to Sweden if his skate issue is not properly resolved.

Given that Rule Number One of a European player's psychology is that it's all about comfort, I'd say Forsberg's priority, short of the skate issue, is to sign with the Flyers. He repeated that like a mantra over and over since the trade rumors began to swirl in late January, and he's got no reason to even tell a little white lie about that to an organization which atoned for its original mistake by bringing him into the fold two summers ago.

Plus, as he was clearly indecisive about wanting to leave in the first place, then forced to go by management which deemed every day he was indecisive as detrimental to trade talks, Forsberg won't be all that comfortable playing out the string as part of a powerful Nashville lineup. He looked very tentative in his first game Saturday night against Minnesota (a 4-1 Wild victory). Sure, he'll contribute to what figures to be a deep Preds playoff run, but after the trauma of being traded for the first time in his career is compounded by his departure under duress, it might take until the summer before he adjusts mentally - just in time to rediscover how much the Flyers may want (or need) him back.

Holmgren's refusal to mention the "other clubs" who wished to trade for Forsberg seemed to accomplish two goals - taking the heat off the front office if the beat writers deemed another potential deal as benefitting the Flyers more, and to keep the heat off Peter himself if cornered and pressed on where he would have liked to play if not Nashville. It was traumatizing enough for him to leave when he did; he didn't need the added pressure of a dozen microphones or tape recorders shoved in his face asking if he'd like to be in Carolina, Dallas, or wherever.

Also, regardless of whether the Flyers want to bring Forsberg back, whether he really will consider it, or whether he can find a skate boot in all the universe that will keep his foot and ankle stable, Snider is clearly setting the media and the fans up for another signing bonanza in the summer. In addition to Forsberg, Chris Drury, Sheldon Souray and Paul Kariya are three big names on the unrestricted market and would be killer additions to a lineup the organization feels needs only a few veteran voices to back-up a "stellar" young core.
Taken in the context of something like the Curt Schilling deal in 2000, the Forsberg-for-four deal on Thursday appears to be a move to reshape a roster with small future payouts.

But why would you need two players and two draft picks unless you're willing to deal one or more in the future for better gains? It's what the Flyers have done for years under the old system, and it's not likely that they won't try to work a steal under the new system. And why wouldn't they settle? Because to the Flyers, "the future" only means two years down the road, and "the future" also means constant reloading with roster tweaks to continue the illusion of a perennially-contending team.

Unfortunately, if the club chooses to view things through more practical eyes, re-signing an injury-prone Forsberg wouldn't really be a smart move. There are other players less talented, but built for the long-haul with more luck and longevity than Forsberg has displayed throughout his career. If nothing else, though, the Flyers have been an excessively loyal franchise, willing to give those who gave hearts and body parts to win, unlimited opportunity.

Sotto Voce

Philadelphia native Tony Voce has been released from the Phantoms due to a disagreement with head coach Kjell Samuelsson.

Judging from the little bit of information in Panaccio's article there is a lot more than meets the eye, since, well, when has a simple disagreement over a practice where the player's anger gets the better of him, result in a dismissal?

Voce has been known to be a fiery, temperamental sort on the ice. He has been benched for periods here and there over his three-year stint with the Phantoms in order to bring his competitive streak in check and to continue his adjustment to the pro game from the college ranks. From all accounts and from these two eyes, when he's on, he displays a sniper's flair with an eye for punishing contact. When he's off? That's another matter that apparently has only been dealt with away from the ice and within Phantoms management.

The 26-year-old developed from a clear work-in-progress with unlimited talent during the team's 2005 Calder Cup season, to a bona-fide two-way player and team-leading scorer last season, to a part-time skater who has been clearly frustrated and shackled under Samuelsson.

Why a player of his caliber, even with his sometimes unrestrained brand of passion, was sent home with no chance of returning to South Broad Street indicates only one of two things: that he has exhibited a pattern of discord with Samuelsson and the coaching staff before this point, or that Samuelsson's plan for the hometown lad was vastly different with where his talent and skill lay, and the argument was simply the catalyst to get Voce out of town.

In either instance, it is a sad ending for someone whom I legitimately pegged as having a chance to crack the Flyers lineup in future seasons as part of its youth revival. Aside from just being a native Philadelphian, Voce is equal parts venom and velvet, someone who has worked to become very Flyer-like, a second-line checker with some pop in the Peter Zezel or early-Rick Tocchet mold. He rose from a role playing freshman on Boston College's 2001 National Championship squad to captain and leading scorer in his senior season, so he knows how to handle himself and others both on and off the ice.

The fact that Paul Holmgren went to the philosophical well and pulled out another old chestnut from venerated former head coach Fred Shero to explain Voce's release indicated an old-school mindset about the incident that is woefully out of line with today's athlete. So he had a blowup at practice, and he's frustrated about his role? So what? Even if it's not the first time it happened, did anyone on the coaching staff or front office talk to Voce before about his temper? Did Samuelsson or Holmgren or anyone else meet with Voce before the decision was made to dump him? Again, there's more to the story we're missing.

In any event, despite the brave front Holmgren may construct, the Phantoms are now missing their spark plug, and a huge impact player from their ranks. Where they will get offense from an already goal-challenged lineup is a total mystery. Where they will find any better marketable attraction than a hometown-boy-does-good story, is equally mysterious.

After this move, the real questions should be: Do the Flyers really care that much about the Phantoms as a hockey team, or are they nothing more than a conveyor belt for the big club, spare parts for inevitable injury bugs which strike the team each season? Do the Flyers care that their once-proud minor-league franchise is a shell (no pun intended) of its former self, catering to families and kids and half-empty houses? Can anybody even hear themselves think over the incessant din of the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song?

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Five games, a torrent of goals

Trading Places

There were two trades in the NHL yesterday, which heralds the initiation of the three-week speculative frenzy the accompanies the onset of the trading deadline - happening this year an absurdly early February 27th:

Carolina (re) acquires Josef Vasicek from Nashville in exchange for Eric Belanger.

The funny thing about these third-generation Eurpoean players is, it's still all about where they feel comfortable on and off the ice. Vasicek threw his weight around for five years, including one Stanley Cup, with the Hurricanes, then was the trade bait to pry Scott Walker from the Predators. All he did was blend into the scenery in Nashville during whatever playing time came his way, and he's much better off back "home" as it were, where Peter Laviolette locked him into a role (2nd-3rd line hard-hitting winger) where he could use his size and skill. Since the changes from last year's Carolina squad to this year's are minimal, it shouldn't take too long for Joe to fit right in.

On the other hand, this must be a nightmare for Belanger - plucked from a young, energetic core in Los Angeles to the defending Cup champions, only to be shuttled to yet another team in less than one season. My guess is, Carolina went with too many players with only a skill upside this year (Trevor Letowski, Scott Walker, Belanger) and since Belanger was the weakest statistically, a more even deal could be made. Since Nashville is already so deep at forward, Belanger might just fill the space Vasicek did, ready to play in case of injury or if Barry Trotz wants to set a different tone depending on the game down the stretch. Even at this point, it's rare for two top clubs to make a one-for-one, or two-for-two deal without cash or draft picks - but this one will ultimately benefit Carolina more.

NY Rangers ship Adam Hall to Minnesota for Pascal Dupuis.

Just from reading the names involved, Dupuis was either in head coach Jacques Lemaire's doghouse, or his physical play was not up to par with the Wild's game plan. Recently, I've expounded the fact that offensive power will be the difference in the Northwest Division, not defense/goaltending/gritty play, and it will hurt Minnesota to lose a skilled player like the Quebec native (10 goals, 13 points in 48 games shifting between 2nd and 3rd lines). If there's one thing the Rangers don't need, it's another strictly offensive-zone player, and if there's something New York does need, it is someone who can play with toughness and heart without being reckless. This may end up being a set-up deal for either club, because as it stands now, it's a complete wash for both sides.

Update: The Predators have traded Eric Belanger to Atlanta for defenseman Vitali Vishnevski.

Make that four teams in less than two seasons for "Suitcase" Belanger. I didn't have any indication that Hartley and the Thrashers were displeased with the Russian backliner, and Atlanta, perennially hamstrung by their defensive woes, aren't deep on defense again this season. This is a depth move for both sides, but the Thrashers will come out on the wrong end of this one, losing a solid defenseman with offensive capabilities while Nashville just gets one more good player to throw out when they need it.

Double Update: Boston sends Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart to Calgary for Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, in a statement regarding the deal, is sending a message that his team "is not throwing in the towel." Apparently, he, the rest of the front office, the coaching staff and the players are the only ones who think the B's can make the playoffs with some different cast members. This was a deal between two very desperate general managers. The Flames net Primeau, who fills the defensive stopper role that the injured Darren McCarty vacated, and Stuart, in need of a change of scenery after the Bruins decided "his time" was up. The Bruins get a forward who is no more than a middling second-line winger (who happens to have a broken elbow) and a defenseman who is a younger, less awkward looking, more assertive version of Stuart. For Calgary, the move might not make any difference in the standings, but that's OK as long as they don't slip. For Boston, however, they're just swapping the same players in the same roles - something which is guaranteed only to give a boost in the short-term, and is a harbinger of tough times and failed expectations in the long run when faced with an uphill climb towards the postseason.

Just Please Shut Up and Play...

Once again, a heinous crime has been perpetrated against an innocent abroad, inside one of hockey's hallowed halls:

Cry Me a River

I don't blame the referees for making a non-call if there were a torrent of penalties already whistled. I don't blame Downey for his actions and reaction - it's what has kept him in the NHL for as long as he's been in The Show. Crosby clearly is in the right for questioning why no call was made on something pretty obvious by this observer, who had the good fortune of watching and covering the game for work.

I take issue with the manner in which the youngster brushed himself off and returned to the bench at the end of his shift - which falls squarely on the shoulders of his mentor, Mario Lemieux. It shouldn't matter if you're the NHL scoring leader, or Matthew Barnaby, or Roman Vopat; when you've been wronged and nobody caught the offense, get up, get going, and move on. No need for showing up the zebras by prolonging your agony just to stick it to the referee for not blowing the whistle.

High-sticking is an equal-opportunity offender in this age of helmets and visors - everybody gets one from time to time, whether it's deserved or not. But where do you think Sid the Kid learned the art of pissing and moaning from? Number 66, of course, who used to do the same things throughout his entire career because the officials dared not to give him a break because of his 6'4" 200+ pound frame. It's just the latest in about a half a dozen complaints from the 2005 draft pick in a season-and-a-half of NHL play about fellow players or officiating crews not catering to His Royal Highness' every whim.

In such a short period of time, he's drawn criticism from a dozen NHL head coaches, Peter Forsberg, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Brodeur for his on-ice attitude and behavior. Hell, even his own teammate, Mark Recchi, voiced his displeasure to anyone with a microphone last year about Crosby's obvious lack of respect for the game, and considered himself fortunate to have left the team for a Carolina Cup winner.

We all know he's one of the two current Golden Boys, tapped to lead the NHL into a new era of glory, but he couldn't have picked a worse mentor than Super Mario in terms of decorum. Lemieux was famous in his pre-English seasons for whimpering and gesturing and shrugging shoulders and sinking into depression at perceived non-calls and other assorted slights. In his later seasons, after his back problems and his cancer treatments, he moaned incessantly about the league's move towards "white-on-rice" defensive play, trapping and careless stickwork. Let's be honest - he had many valid points. But it was pretty clear that his complaints were less about trying to move the league forward than it was a protest from deep within his soul that he wanted the space to work because he desperately wanted an end to the battering his body took.

Still, that doesn't mean you pass on your own peeves and slights to someone who seeks your guidance. It's the downside of a father-son/mentor-student relationship that when things progress to a deeper stage, the elder tends to pass on their own doubts, fears, and grudges along with the good and valued wisdom.

Master Crosby would be wise to take a page from the quiet professionalism of his current teammate Recchi, who returned to Pittsburgh this time around in part precisely because the absence of veteran leadership on the team, plus Lemieux's on-ice absence, really could have put a kink in his progress. Recchi's career reads like a palindrome in some respects - he's been shuffled back to Philly twice and Pittsburgh three times with Montreal in the middle, traded twice in the prime of his career simply because his stats were excellent bait - and thrived long enough to score 500 goals and 1300 points and win a pair of Stanley Cups.

The root of his actions go deeper than just needing an "enforcer" to watch his back. He needs to be sufficiently respectful of the game first before anyone will be able to stick up for him. Lemieux got lucky in that he was guarded from the start by a bunch of AHL call-ups eager to win a job as well as a series of never-weres (Warren Young, Dan Frawley, Mitch Wilson, et al) before Terry Ruskowski stepped in to be the Zen Master for Mario from 1985-87. Even Wayne Gretzky had to wait three years before he gained the services of Dave Lumley and Dave Semenko, who passed on the job to Marty McSorley and Jeff Beukeboom and so on.

From now on, when someone says they can't imagine Crosby playing for any other team than the Penguins, my nod in agreement will be a vicious backhand slap. After all, what other team leader or veteran would tolerate, or even promote such behavior? Mark Messier would have had Crosby wrapped around his finger, taking out his trash, and driving his kids to school. Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic would have just needed one long, cold, intense stare to get their point across. Mike Modano could have skated the kid into exhaustion to teach him a lesson, and Brett Hull would have shamed him with a barrage of verbiage akin to a high school bully torturing his mark in the cafeteria.

In the old days, in some quarters, one good prank in the locker room or one good hit in practice could also force Sid to see the light of day. But what else can you say to a 19-year-old whose been given the keys to the kingdom, more money than we'll see in a lifetime, and the adoration of millions?

Just please shut up and play.

This Date in Flyers History

This game, from the 1990-91 season was quite the experience:

Remember the Whalers?

First off, it was enough of a shocker that the Flyers lost to Hartford. At the Spectrum. Even worse, it was by shutout, pitched by a goaltender whose name I'm still hard-pressed to announce even now. I mean, eight shots through two periods against a team that would be buried in last place if it weren't for Quebec? Scandal. And this came in the midst of the second year of five the Flyers would not make the playoffs. It was a painful sight for an impressionable 13-year-old sitting in Section 67, Row 1, Seat 4. I think this was also their once-a-year 11:05 AM starts because they needed extra time to convert the ice surface for the Flyers Wives Carnival. Imagine that, a non-school day and I still had to be awake at 9 AM just to do something fun...

The loss wasn't the most memorable thing about that game, though. It was a week into Gulf War One, and America was whipped into a patriotic frenzy because Our Troops were going to bomb those Saddamite Camel Jockeys back to the Stone Age. Safety and security concerns were at an all-time high (even more so than the height of the Cold War I'm told) because the prevailing theory was that Iraqi spies and sympathizers could be lurking everywhere, to strike at any time. For the first and only time in my life at a major sporting event, I was the subject of the old pat-down security check, as were every single person, man, woman, or walking child who attended the game. I remember everyone talking and joking when gathered around the Rocky Statue outside the gates, but when the doors were opened and everyone lined up to get in, it got eerily quiet. You come to the Flyers, or any sporting event to forget your troubles, and here was a reminder of the times even before you got into the place.

At this time, tickets to a hockey game were still relatively cheap, and a good cross-section of humanity who didn't work behind a desk or in a board room could afford to go - so the sell-out crowd was in full (profane and vulgar) voice when the National Anthem was played before the opening face-off. I remember chants of U-S-A!, U-S-A! and a big American flag waved during the game. The Arena Vision board called attention to the mini American flag stickers on the backs of each player's helmet, and the crowd went nuts.

However, the patriotic frenzy of the day was not enough to keep the masses entertained - as the Flyers played one of the most passionless games I can remember. By the middle of the second period, cheerful and staccato war whoops were replaced by the somber bellowings of paid customers who realized they had been cheated. It was the first Flyers game where I practically begged my father to leave before the game's last two minutes, win lose or tie. People in our sections made none-too-subtle comments about how Iraq should aim several scud missiles at the Flyers bench and clean out the whole team. Something was in the wind, and it wasn't furtively lit Winston or a stale beer belch...

Pacific Division

Anaheim - Chris Pronger's injury is, thankfully, now just a memory, but the difference in how the Ducks play and the emotional jolt they get from their hulking defenseman is obvious. Anaheim can beat you in so many ways, it's almost criminal. One night it'll be Bryzgalov or Giguere. On another night it will be because the opposition is ground down by the defensive physical game. Offensive blitz? Dial up any one of the top three lines for contributions. They can even win the tugs-of-war and the hot opposing goaltender nights, evidenced by Wednesday's 2-1 win over Phoenix with a two-goal burst in just over one minute in the third period. Nashville may have kicked it into high gear recently to overtake the Ducks for first place in the Western Conference, but I give the edge to Anaheim since they have done it with the same group of players the whole year, unlike Nashville which, even when not hit by key injuries, keeps the line open between the Music City and their AHL team in Milwaukee. Teemu Selanne's continued success under the Southern California sun proves two things: that European players, for better or worse, are all about comfort with their surroundings; and that Selanne doesn't need Paul Kariya to be a menace coming into the offensive zone. They should be one year wiser, and if they somehow don't finish with that top seed, they'll be a very dangerous two.

San Jose - It's been used to death, but the Sharks literally are lurking just beneath the surface waiting to bite some playoff hopefuls down the stretch and then cause trouble in the postseason. Because the Ducks have been so good, the Sharks are looking at a four-seed and only one round of home-ice advantage, but that really should not be a daunting task for this club. Losing Nils Ekman, Tom Preissing and Niko Dimitrakos, all important role players, has done nothing to take the edge away. Cynics might look at the stat sheet and see that Thornton, Marleau, Cheechoo will all post less points this year than last; don't be fooled, it's because goals are down across the board this season and the West is particularly more hard-nosed than the East. If Ryane Clowe, Joe Pavelski, Matt Carle and Steve Bernier continue their excellent years, that youth will serve the Sharks well when they need some young lungs and enthusiasm to push through. Right now, they are the five-seed and Detroit is the four: that's one hell of a series in anybody's book - and even if the final 30 games of the year do nothing more than to either swap those teams or keep them where they are, the Wings may have their third-straight first-round upset on their conscience.

Dallas - Ever hanging on as Dave Tippett has become one of those coaching renegades who insists on squeezing points beyond the game's first 60 minutes. Someone's gotta remind Jussi Jokinen that the playoffs don't have shootouts, and the likelihood of him having an uncontested breakaway in a postseason contest are infinitesimally small. The Stars are not in danger of missing out on the postseason, six-seed that they are, but they will not surprise anyone with their game plan, and it is not likely they'll advance past the first round - as Calgary, a carbon-copy squad in third position, has more weapons offensively and are not afraid to use them. Marty Turco is a pleasure to watch on any given night, but he may just not have it in him to be the goaltender who can take the rest of the team on his back and carry the Stars deep into the playoffs - which is not a knock, but in the goaltending-rich Western Conference, that will be a major factor in separating pretenders from contenders.

Phoenix - Somebody's gotta float to the bottom in the Pacific, and the Coyotes will be frantically pushing down on the collective necks of the Kings to avoid the abyss. This team is another in the Penguins-Blues mold, where the gameplan for winning is based around a yearly merry-go-round of formerly-proven, slightly-over-the-hill players. It's a thrill to read all the names on paper, but the puzzle pieces don't often fit. That burst around the turn of the New Year, not surprisingly while on the road, saved this club from a much worse fate. Trading away the rumored whiner Mike Comrie to Ottawa seems like a wise move right now, since The Great One's team does not need malcontents as they try to stay above the waterline. They're 10 points out of eighth in the West, and although they might feel like there's a legitimate shot to make a run, there are too many teams waiting to step on them on their way to the top. Even though the veterans are what helped pull the club out of their horrid start, Gretz should use the remaining time to rest some of his older goats in favor of the young talent (Roche, Sjostrom, Saprykin, et al.) and see who's for real and who could be dangled for bait in the offseason.

Los Angeles - Perhaps the only struggling team in the entire NHL that looks like they're sticking to their guns about the rebuilding process. Nobody I've read or heard seems to understand that the Rob Blake signing was little more than a token gesture, which will give the kids the benefit of a Cup-winning veteran's perspective, plus provide Blake an easy transition when he decided to hang up the skates. It's a paradox, I know, but Alex Frolov, Anze Kopitar, Mike Cammalleri and the rest of the young cast will develop so much quicker, and so much for the better out in LA, where they're not bound to be recognized or bothered either by fans or by the press. That is, unless Sean Avery goes and does something very stupid in his relationship with Elisha Cuthbert...but I digress. The goaltending situation is about as horrendously unfortunate as any we've seen in years - and exposed just how far the netminders in the Kings' system have to go before they're NHL-ready. Sean Burke may not even be a guy to steal you a couple points anymore, but the Kings aren't going to be a team who will play spoiler as the Stars, Sharks and Ducks all jockey for playoff position down the stretch. If, at least, the defensive corps stays intact for the remainder of the schedule, LA won't be blown out of many games for the rest of the season, and the skilled players will throw in a thrill or three for the Staples Center faithful. Marc Crawford should have virtually free reign to mold his team to his winning philosophy, and almost all the time and space in the world to do it.

Northwest Division

Vancouver - Defense and goaltending are a total wash in the hypercompetitive Northwest, where seven points separate first and last place. If Markus Naslund has been purposely holding out until the run for the playoffs, he better start weaving some magic because there's no consolation for losing games 2-1 and 3-2 and hoping Roberto Luongo has some 40-save nights to keep the Canucks in the postseason picture. I knew losing Todd Bertuzzi would be a huge blow to their offensive flow and goals-per-game, but who knew how much Anson Carter contributed last year would be missed so much, too? Unless the Sedin family has a cloning device, the Canucks will be on shaky ground. Robert Luongo has been everything advertised (28-16-2, 2.36, 3 ShO) and it's not likely he'll fold up down the stretch. If anything, the fusillade of shots he faced all th ose years with the Islanders and Panthers will steel his resolve now that he's backstopping a contender. Right now, they're a 3-seed, but only four points out of the last playoff spot. At the very least, if Vancouver plays as they have been they won't miss the postseason, but they'd be advised to step it up in all aspects of the game to ensure a spot.

Calgary - 151 goals in 49 games, fifth most in the Western Conference. Maybe Duane Sutter and Jim Playfair got the message after all these years? You have to question how the Flames will hold up the longer Jarome Iginla is out of the lineup., though. He's been the team's catalyst for the last six seasons. Like Vancouver, the Flames are hanging by a thread with little margin for error - currently one point behind the Canucks in the Northwest, but all the way down at a seven-seed. They'll need to win a ton of tough division games just to stay afloat, and I'm not sure they won't be edged out by Colorado and Edmonton, despite Miikka Kiprusoff's acrobatics in net. Eastern Conference teams beware - if a scheduling change ever goes into effect where there's more interconference play, you'll come face-to-face with the chaos and mayhem that is Dion Phaneuf. He's an explosive presence on defense, and every bit a catalyst that Iginla is on both ends of the rink. How he handles his duties under the pressure of a playoff race is every bit as important as Iginla or Kiprusoff's roles. The Flames will have some very interesting games over their last 33.

Minnesota - Will be fighting tooth and nail (pun intended) with the rest of the division. The fact that they are in third right now with 51 points is attributable to the extra games they have played, and that will hurt them a bit in the division and playoff races. Miraculously, Minnesota has scored 140 goals, but it still seems like they're the old, boring trap team because they've played an inordinate amount of overtime and shootout rounds. A 19th-ranked power play does not help much, and is all that much more confusing given the amount of firepower the club has even when certain players are out of the lineup. The Wild are a team that must come to grips with the fact that playoff games don't go to shootouts, and that you better learn how to play 65 minutes of hockey first - something Dallas didn't understand last year before they were bounced in the first round. The broken record will be played again - unless Minnesota can score, there's only so far they can reach.

Colorado - OK, so it's not about contending anymore. Still, the Avalanche play so cohesively one game, then play like they're chasing an unwoven ball of string the next that it's maddening to watch. However, it won't take long for the kids to grow comfortable in their roles. Currently ninth-seed in the West, again, it will come down to the young players' maturity whether or not Colorado can sneak into a playoff spot. It sure won't be because of the goaltending situation, because Jose Theodore is proving how much of a fluke 2002 and 2004 was, while Peter Budaj is locked into the role of being a revelation when the pressure's off, but being nothing more than a solid backup otherwise. It's always murky when you start talking trades, but I can't imagine that Colorado would be either buyers or sellers, because they've invested so much in putting the younger players up front into big roles that altering the chemistry for the sake of one or two rent-a-players might be damaging to their collective psyche. Still, there's always a chance as long as Quiet Joe remains the consummate leader both on and off the ice.

Edmonton - There's a lot of hand-wringing and false expectations over Edmonton's struggles this year, but it's all nonsense, especially when you lose one of the most dominating defensive forces in the game. Remember, the Oilers were an eight-seed when they made the finals, just the luckiest of all the clubs vying for that last playoff spot. This year, they play in THE most competitive division in hockey, and, well...someone's gotta be left out. Ten, 20 years ago you might say that their championship pedigree would kick in and raise them from last place, but who can really tell? Their whole season hinges on some key breakdowns - they wouldn't have gotten a point if it weren't for Patrik Stefan's empty-net gaffe, and both Roloson and Markkanen came up small in a recent 7-6 home loss to Colorado. These things can't continue to happen if the Oilers expect to make the postseason, but 2006-2007 will not be a horrid failure if they don't. However, certain rumors paint St. Louis in sell mode, and the hot topic of discussion is Doug Weight's return to the prairie. Even hypothetically speaking, he alone could make a huge difference in Edmonton's chances. At this stage, I equate the Oilers to the 1997-98 Flyers, whose year after their Finals appearance was torn apart by the Chris Gratton deal which cost them two solid players. They are the most-likely team to be odd-man-out come late March and April.

Central Division

Nashville - They've been the steady rollin' train of the league thus far. As Buffalo has hit a rough patch, the Preds have kept chugging through their opponents, to the tune of seven shutouts, a defense which has given up the fourth-least goals in the conference (they would be second only to the Devils in the East), and an offense which boasts eight goal scorers already in double-digits. All this, and they have suffered through the same disruptive injuries as other top clubs (missing Tomas Vokoun and Jason Arnott for significant stretches) and still rose above Anaheim and Buffalo for the Presidents' Trophy lead. Detroit may have the white-hot Hasek, the Ducks may have an explosive offense, the Sharks may have the best transition and passing games, and the Flames may sneak up on you with a combination of all three, but Nashville can turn on the tap when they need for all of the above at different spots to win games, and do it with expert consistency. Last year was a learning experience. This year, even if they don't keep the Number 1 seed, potential playoff opponents must beware. Who cares if "no one" is watching or going to games? Even if nobody except for the truly dedicated inside and outside Music City are interested, winning, and winning big and winning important games always puts rear ends in the seats. They are a legitimate Cup contender, but I'm still not totally convinced they can fend off a challenge from an underdog and make a deep run to the Finals.

Detroit - I am absolutely shocked at how cohesive the team is despite the loss of the second best leader in the game, as well as his bruising, skilled counterpart. However, the Wings need to score more consistently because they'll need a couple 5 and 6 goal nights when Hasek inevitably succumbs to his over-40 body or his frequent mental vacations. Although Detroit is a 4-seed now, and San Jose is only one point behind, I give the edge in that race to the Sharks because of their younger legs, and a more-mentally-focused goaltending corps. That said, would I be surprised if they make a run this season? No. Yzerman, Shanahan present or not, this franchise is a proud one, too proud to let last year's flameout cause a letdown this time around. Remember, the Wings won 62 games in 1995-96 and didn't even make the Finals, while the following year's club won only 38, and upset Colorado and Philly to win the Cup. It ain't broke, so there's no need to fix it.

St. Louis - Once again, third place in the division is home to the first of the second-division clubs in the conference. For all the hoopla of new ownership and better management, the Blues failed to learn from the mistakes of last season's Penguins team, which faced similar circumstances of trying to breathe new life into a sagging franchise by throwing money at established talent. They have enjoyed a good run under new head coach Andy Murray to jump from absymal to just plain bad. The Blues, like the Flyers, Panthers, Lightning, Coyotes, Blue Jackets and Kings, are a franchise that are in dire need of a total dismantling and rebuild - yet the prevailing idea is that people won't come even if the front office is honest about tearing the whole thing down. Instead, Checketts and Davidson decided to go for broke right away, and they'll be picking through the rubble to find what parts to save, and it will needlessly set the plan back a while. It'll be a long two years in the Gateway City until the new bosses stop thinking like the old bosses and engineer a complete turnaround. It's sad to see so many venerable pros unable to shake the team out of the doldrums. Murray, at the very least, will keep the Blues a step and a half above Columbus and Chicago, but it's a pale shelter for a team that had higher expectations for this season.

Columbus - Ken Hitchcock is no fool. He's perfectly willing to sacrifice the remainder of this season to mold next year's model closer to his image -which means there will be a lot of screwdrivers applied to nameplates above lockers in Nationwide Arena come early April. In that way, the Blue Jackets are light years closer to improving themselves than the Blues or Blackhawks are. And this time, there's an exponentially better chance that the 2007-2008 season will produce better results than this failed season has - provided the front office recognizes that it is time to chuck the likes of David Vyborny, Sergei Fedorov, Nikolai Zherdev, Manny Malhotra, Gilbert Brule, send Adam Foote out to pasture, as well as all three of their goaltenders. Start building around Rick Nash, Freddie Modin, Anson Carter, Ron Hainsey, Rusty Klesla, and go after some good free agents. This season is a total wash, but they will be engaging in taut little wars with St. Louis and Chicago to avoid another last-place finish. There's no chance the Jackets can even be considered in the role of spoiler for Western teams on the playoff bubble for the rest of the season - those teams will feast on a Columbus team that may already be a bit tired of Hitch's autocratic manner.

Chicago - What else can you say? This year, devastating injuries at the worst possible time to their two top free agent signings put this team in the psychological doghouse almost from the start. However, since Martin Havlat came back, he has lived up to expectations, but even his skill and smarts and scoring are no panacea for a perpetually damaged franchise. Nikolai Khabibulin's tribulations in net since he came to Chicago is damning to his reputation, in that even he can't come up with enough good performances to save the Hawks when the defense falters. Signing Peter Bondra midseason was a nice gesture, but does nothing to improve their offensive troubles. Martin Lapointe is treading the line between disappointing and total bust (10 goals, minus-11, lost without the ability to wreak havoc on every shift), and the legions of kids that slip in and out of the lineup don't appear to be learning anything. And what is to become of Eric Daze, lost in the netherworld between chronic injury rehab and refusal to retire at such a young age? At least Denis Savard has the Hawks moving slightly in the right direction, although the shine from the coaching change has all but worn off. They should, at least, be something to watch, alternately scoring and giving up 6-7 goals on some nights. Pride, at least, has returned to Madison, but pride alone isn't anything close to hang your hat on, or to produce enough wins.

Southeast Division

Atlanta - The Thrashers are definitely the quietest and most unassuming division leaders in the entire NHL. After years of bucking the trend and endless predictions of their arrival in the league, this year's model has risen to the top of the standings like a thief in the night. Which is completely surprising, given that they possess two of the top five scorers in the NHL (Kovalchuk and Hossa), two old-school veteran leaders (Mellanby and Holik), finally a solid defense, and goaltending (Lehtonen and "Moose" Hedberg) which has thus far steered clear of the mystifying injuries and horrid play which characterized the team since its inception. However, all I see is fragility on this club. Who could pick up the slack if Ilya or Marian get hurt? Glen Metropolit? Jon Sim? Marc Savard signing with Boston left a huge hole up the middle. Mellanby, Holik, Rucchin, DeVries - all guys that will be leaned upon down the stretch - who could step up if they get hurt (again)? I'm not predicting doomsday, but a few key losses will mean the difference between a strong 2-or-3 seed and a dicey 5-or-6 without home ice. In the meantime, if you're worried about the club's prospects, try not to let the voices in your head get the better of you and just be amazed at the offensive talent flowing out of Philips Arena.

Carolina - If ever there was a time to rise to the challenge, the final 32 games are that time for the Hurricanes. Not to say they have been disappointing, but it's amazing that the defending Cup champions, with very few alterations, are not the well-oiled juggernaut of a year ago and find themselves six points behind Atlanta in the division, just a six-seed in the playoff picture. Up and down the stat sheet, the numbers look good, but swapping Gerber for Grahame in net is a slight minus, and the combined effects of Aaron Ward's departure for Broadway and that inexplicable early-season trade with Los Angeles has exposed how old Glen Wesley is and how green the rest of the defensive corps are. Having Cory Stillman back at full strength from surgery and with more jump than the rest of the roster because he missed so much time is a big X factor, because the Canes will have to fend off a fierce challenge from the suddenly resurgent and desperate Lightning.

Tampa Bay - The light at the end of the tunnel which is an oncoming train. That's John Tortorella's job status as of the All-Star break. Is he capable of whipping into shape his charges one more time? As someone who has lived and returned to New England many times in the last 11 years, I say yes. He's a stubborn loudmouthed Chowderhead who can get the most out of his players through sheer force of will and the shrillness of his voice. The real question is, can his boys take the verbal punishment and translate it to wins one more time? The lockout, the new rules and salary structure were a built-in excuse for the Bolts' less-than-stellar season last year. This year, you can point to goaltending, defense which is not as in-your-face, and the loss of Freddie Modin as the fourth pillar in a multi-faceted attack. In a way, Tampa's middle-of-the-pack standing comes because of the Panthers' failure, the Capitals being a year away from contenders, and Carolina's laying in the weeds. Change any of these factors, and the Lightning would be worse off than they are. They will be in a serious dogfight with the Rangers, Hurricanes and Maple Leafs for that last playoff spot in the East.

Washington - The Caps have surprised me in the first 50 games. They have a shoestring budget, no discernable veteran talent or leaders save for the ageless Olie Kolzig in net, but a hell of a lot of heart, grit, and youthful enthusiasm to carry them. Plus, it's been virtually the same group of kids meshing together since the fire sale in 2003 and 2004 - and, as the Oilers of the 80's, the Stars of the 90's and the Devils of the new millennium prove, you're on the right path if you give the right kids the chance to grow and mature together. Signing Donald Brashear to protect Alex Ovechkin was pure genius, making utter fools out of the Flyers in the process. Still, to take the next jump to respectability and playoff contention, they need someone other than Chris Clark to be the captain and leader. They need better goaltending than Kolzig and Johnson. However, since there is still over a third of the schedule to play and the Caps still have that magic of a team that doesn't know it's not supposed to be this good this fast, they can make trouble for their division rivals. We'll also have fun watching Number 8 battle Sid the Kid, Hossa, and Heatley for the scoring title.

Florida - Floating limp, like an 11-year old plastic rat down the canals of outer Broward County. The club has paid a huge price for trading Roberto Luongo for Todd Bertuzzi, Bertuzzi's seven games plus back surgery, the retirement of Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts now on injured reserve. The likely next moves for the Panthers will be to pour the bronzer over Martin Gelinas, have Jozef Stumpel condemned with Dutch Elm disease, and humanely put down Chris Gratton. Poor, poor Olli Jokinen. He's the best thing this crumbling franchise has going for it, and nobody knows who he is outside the "Insert Corporate Name Here Center," much less how to pronounce his name. As head coach and general manager, Jacques Martin must feel like Jacques Cousteau - constantly fighting under water, surrounded by sharks. And it was all so good after Game One, an 8-3 demolition of Boston. The best psychological ploy the organization can have in their pocket will be a look at the standings from now until April, showing the Flyers two steps below.

Northeast Division

Buffalo - At the break, all of a sudden there is so much talk and hand-wringing in columns about the struggles the Sabres have had in the last two weeks. As if the already cold, gray, low hanging Niagara Region sky would suddenly come crashing down through the HSBC Arena roof because Buffalo took until now to go through a rough patch. So Nashville overtook them for first overall - so what? This week of rest is exactly what Buffalo needs to get back on track. 33-12-4, a league-leading 185 goals for, second overall in the NHL, and a #1 playoff seed is nothing to worry about. However, a 2.82 team goals against average, a power play ranked in the bottom third of the league, and a pair of goaltenders who have been solid but unspectacular are things to cause some concern. Nonetheless, if Buffalo somehow plays .500 hockey from here on out, they'd still be looking at a 50-win season and first place in the Northeast, assured of either a #1 or #2 seed and two rounds with home-ice advantage. This is their time to seize the moment, with free agency ready to tear the fabric of the club apart come July 1st.

Montreal - Nobody's sleeper pick in the division, but I can take some pride in calling it right that the Canadiens would trump the new-look Leafs. Nearly everyone on the team has performed at or above expectations, but is that a function of a relatively healthy team, or the upturn the franchise took because of Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau at the controls, or a little of both? Whatever it is, it's working like a charm, and the Habs have taken good advantage of Buffalo's downturn, Toronto's injuries and Ottawa's struggles to earn 2nd place and a 4 seed. Their schedule is not division heavy down the stretch, with plenty of games with the ripe-for-the-plucking Senators and the inconsistent Bruins. Look for this team to continue it's ride on the crest of their icy wave and stay in the middle of the playoff pack.

Ottawa - Smoke and mirrors and a hell of a lot of goals at key times are the only things keeping the Senators afloat. They lost an incalculable amount of points when Martin Havlat departed for Chicago, and an invaluable punishing force in Zdeno Chara to Boston. You can't blame Wade Redden for not holding up his end of the bargain with injuries, because it could have happened the other way around if Chara had stayed and Redden gone to Boston or Philly. I'm not sure that Ottawa can hang tough and grit out some 3-2, 4-3 wins in the final 32 games to keep their five-seed standing. It's more likely the tap will be stuck on deluge for a precious few games and then plugged up for far too many. No blame should rest on Martin Gerber or Ray Emery, who are basically a pair of backups doing the best they can for doddering old man Muckler. If Mike Comrie is as much of a whiner as some people paint him to be, he may be the first card to crumble and bring the whole flimsy house down in Canada's capital. Ottawa will make the playoffs, but they may have to beat several teams off in the process.

Toronto - There's a curse going around the Hockey Capital of the Universe, in that a good Leafs team on paper is always felled by major injuries, infighting, incessant media pressure, and an overload of veterans acquired at the trading deadline, ad nauseam. The fact that Toronto is tied with the Rangers and Penguins for 8th spot in the East is a testament to how much good talent is on the ice when everyone is healthy. I really hate to say it, but Darcy Tucker's sudden offensive prowess and usual scowl are the Leafs' trump card in the fight for the postseason. If he can continue to intimidate with his checking and provide some clutch goals, the last month of the season will get very interesting in Hogtown. That is, if Andrew Raycroft can avoid a mental meltdown after admitting the boos cascading from the Air Canada Centre rafters get to him. Jean-Sebastien Aubin's achilles heel has always been that he can't carry a full load - he was (and is) always best used in a sparing save-the-day backup role. Their margin for error is razor thin, but Paul Maurice endured some tough years with Hartford/Carolina, and he will do everything he can to keep equilibrium no matter what happens. This team may be well adjusted for a long run next season, but this year is a crapshoot.

Boston - Well, physically, the B's sit in the Northeast Division basement - like a lot of people, including myself, pictured them. However, nobody knew just how competitive the division would be, with the myriad trades and injuries and unexpected performances pretty much levelling every other team except Buffalo. Are they playoff contenders? Nope. However, the fact that the Bruins are just two points from eighth place will fool a lot of people into thinking the club has a shot. Good thing the 3,000 or so fans disguised as empty seats each game in the New Garden aren't fooled. The Joe Thornton trade gutted this team and set them back three years, so expectations were already lowered coming into this season Chara signing notwithstanding, and the fact that the Bruins are in 11th place is nothing more than false dawn. The Bruins are eternally also-rans because of their goaltending situation - Tim Thomas and Hannu Toivonen have already hit the ceiling in terms of talent, but how much further can they go with hard work? A free agent signing is in order. All that said, Dave Lewis' club may be the linchpin to the Eastern playoff picture, because they can rip off a couple key wins just for pride and as the spoiler, even if their ultimate destiny is a last-place finish.

Mid-Season Review

For the first time since February, 2004, the NHL pauses for an All-Star Game. Also, for the first time since January, 1999, the game will be played in the first month of the new year, and for the first time since 1989, it will happen in the middle of the week rather than on a Saturday or Sunday. The Hockey Stop does not condone any of the above choices by the NHL, most notably its failure to give Atlanta the game this season after it was left in the cold due to the 2004-2005 lockout. NBC is still struggling to find an American audience, and putting the game on a weekday evening on an obscure cable channel instead of a weekend day for the network to celebrate the game like it should be is another in a long line of killer mistakes.

In any case, this is a perfect time to review where each of the 30 teams sit during this six-day break from game action. As in my preseason previews, the analysis will be limited to one division a day, this time starting with the Atlantic and progressing Westward.

New Jersey - As usual, they have clawed to the top of the division squeezing every mother-loving point from every game from the first of December until now. I know the team has no qualms about letting its success depend almost solely on Martin Brodeur's shoulders, but what does he really think? Does it ever occur to him to suggest, even for once, that the team use more of its speed and skill to win games by more than one or two goals? Furthermore, why hasn't any other team in the league figured out how to break the spell the Devils have cast over the league for 11 years? Whatever - as usual the formula is working, and proves that it's not how you start that matters, it's that you get hot at the right time and stay consistent for a long stretch to stay at the top. Jersey has an incredible 13 point lead over Pittsburgh and the Rangers right now, and hold the #2 playoff seed. Their goal differential (+15) and record (10 games above .500) don't mesh, but if Gionta, Elias, Gomez and Brodeur are firing on all cylinders, there's no reason not to think the Devils can't stay atop the division, especially since the Rangers, Penguins, and Islanders all have major weaknesses that can be exploited in a late-season push.

Pittsburgh - Let's not even talk about all the moving and arena rumors and whatnot. It's the kids who are going to make or break this team, and the fact that the Penguins are in a second-place tie at the break is more a testament to the skill of Crosby, Malkin, Staal and the rest than the relative weakness of the division. Nonetheless, even when you give the kids the keys to the kingdom, they still have a steep learning curve, and all the Recchis and Gonchars in the world can't stop the inevitable fall when playoff spots are on the line. Pittsburgh's rise in the last two years is analogous to Mario Lemieux's first two seasons in the NHL, where the Pens went from 51 points and a sixth place finish in 1984-85 to as high as fourth place and a playoff spot in February 1986 only to collapse down the stretch and finish fifth. Given the right circumstances, this team is still one year away from serious playoff contention, but they have so much to build on, plus they are just a flat out fun team to watch on TV or in person. I'm sure if Marc-Andre Fleury could play the Flyers 40 times he'd win 40 games a season, but he needs to find more consistency in order to become a success. He was barely tested in last night's 8-2 win against Toronto because the Leafs were done halfway into the game, and will have to win some harrowing 3-2 or 5-4 games on the road for anyone to take him seriously as a great goaltender.

NY Rangers - Apparently, Shanahan can't do it all. All he's done this season is score 24 goals (12 PP), 46 points, half a dozen fights, and try to give New York a sense of purpose and heart on the ice. And still, it's not enough. The Enigma himself would waste plenty of hours trying to parse this club. Jagr and Straka keep putting up their mounds of points, but there's something missing without the services of Martin Rucinsky (St. Louis) and Petr Prucha wandering around in a daze most nights. The defense, even with the addition of the gritty, multi-Cup winning Aaron Ward, is porous, and worse, lacks teeth. Darius Kasparaitis, formerly Public Enemy #1, is a shadow of his former self, and even the shadow is limping around with a groin problem. How this team is alternately able to skate stride for stride with Buffalo and Atlanta, then let the Islanders and Senators open up leads of 4-0 and 5-0 at the Garden is a total mystery. Henrik Ludqvist and Kevin Weekes haven't made many mistakes in goal, but their combined performances just don't cut it. Even though they are not at fault for New York's multiple defensive breakdowns and lack of backchecking, neither has made many key saves to erase those mistakes. Keep in mind, though, that even Pelle Lindbergh struggled through his second NHL season before a spectacular third. If all the Blueshirts do is perform no worse than they have thus far (9th seed, tied with Pittsburgh and Toronto) they will make the postseason and cause some problems as a low seed in the East because they have the veteran edge over the Pens and the health factor over the Leafs. If anything, Shanny was made for the postseason.

NY Islanders - Seriously, this team should be so much worse off than it is. They're the late 80's-early 90's version of the Hartford Whalers, forever propped up by the woeful Quebec Nordiques, given a false shot of confidence because they should be the worst team in the division. Not to totally dis Ted Nolan, who has done a good job behind the bench so far, but where would the Isles be if not for the Flyers (2 road wins) and Rangers (4-0, two wins at MSG) playing so awfully against them? As soon as the Devils and Rangers start beating on each other, the Islanders, and the rest of the East for postseason berths, the Isles will bear the brunt of it, despite a nice balance of young and old. Mike Sillinger, Chris Simon and Brendan Witt have all been pleasant surprises, but the top half of the scoring list (with the exception of Jason Blake) reads like a list of old soldiers on their last rest stop before retirement. Mike Dunham and Rick DiPietro haven't turned any miracles in goal, nor will they down the stretch. Maybe Garth Snow can use his old Hockey East connections to work a couple deals to bolster the roster for next season, because the remainder of this year will offer nothing but empty promises and curses over what could have been. Islanders fans should just enjoy the ride, and lust after a couple more wins over the Rangers.

Philadelphia - The only silver lining in this whole ordeal is that the entire organization will have to be rethought, top to bottom. Ed Snider and Paul Holmgren ave hinted very strongly that this offseason will be one where money will be leaving the Wachovia Center coffers like a blizzard. That's OK to build some fan confidence, but the act of simply spending money to get good is just as counterproductive as, oh...say...revamping your roster in the space of two seasons from an entirely veteran club to one almost exclusively young. That said, there are only five players on this current squad who have been consistent the whole season - Gagne, Forsberg, Knuble, Sanderson and Niittymaki. Unfortunately, three of the five have been hit by injury, leaving the other two to frantically hold up the proverbial tent after the air has been let out. You can also say, with the exception of the Buffalo game, two Pittsburgh games, one each with San Jose, Washington and Ottawa, that the Flyers had a shot to win every night. Even if, hypothetically, everyone returns to the lineup and no significant injuries occur the rest of the way, the team won't climb out of the Eastern Conference basement. They are 19 points behind second-to-last Florida with 35 games left. No shot. Just enjoy what little morsels of goodness that come along - a nice play, a surprise comeback win, or either goaltender stealing a game here and there, and hope the kids who have been forced up to the big club start thriving under a very steep learning curve.

Consider The Possibilities

Imagine if you will, a couple scenarios that have made their way into the news in these hockey-mad parts recently:

#1: According to the man himself, Peter Forsberg is going nowhere once the February 27th trade deadline hits.

Rampant rumors, mostly churned out from the gossip-laden hockey center of Toronto, have Forsberg going to Montreal, simply because the Canadiens are flu-ridden, slumping, and are in need of that offensive spark which catapulted them to second place in the Northeast at the turn of the new year. The idea has raised a few eyebrows in my little corner of the universe, but I always end up asking him/her the same question: can you take a rumor seriously even one iota if there's no player(s) attached on the other end? Thus far, no Habs have been mentioned in the rumor, and it is completely unlikely a player of Forsberg's caliber (supposing he waives his no-trade in the first place) could be dealt without at least two bodies in exchange. One of those, unfortunately, will not be Saku Koivu, a man who can teach Forsberg and the rest of the Flyers a thing or three about leadership among hardship.

Despite his groin problems and this ongoing skate boot controversy, it's at least admirable that Forsberg has come out and said he doesn't want to go anywhere, that he really hasn't done what he's supposed to as a captain and as the best forward on the club, and intends to see this miserable season to the end in Philadelphia. But his two-year tenure here has become so pockmarked with roadblocks, potholes and false starts, you wonder just where his value lies - and it's about even at this moment - that's he's neither really impacting the team on ice converting his skill to goals and victories, nor is he valuable trade bait for two or more players which might add real depth to the club (not just in terms of how many Phantoms can be called up on any given night, which passes for "depth" this year).

Perhaps the best option for all involved is to wait until the offseason, then decide what Forsberg is worth, even though he's a free agent because his two-year deal would be complete. As horrid as the team is even with his presence on ice despite his points, it would be exponentially worse if he were traded. He exhibits a burning desire to prove himself in Philly, which is worth serious re-signing consideration. Even if that does occur, the Flyers have about $18 million to mess with to totally revamp the roster. Still, a burning heart and desire to prove what you're worth doesn't preclude a man from suffering the same type of injuries which have cut short an already stellar career.

#2: According to the Flyers organ-eye-zation, the waiver acquisition of Michael Leighton as a third goaltender is a preventative move, since both Antero Niittymaki and Robert Esche could go down with hip/groin/hamstring issues at any time.

On the surface, I can see how legitimizing the move is. Back when Ron Hextall had his groin troubles between 1989-91, the Flyers carried Hextall, Ken Wregget and Pete Peeters on their roster. It should be noted, though, that those years were in the thick of the worst set of seasons in franchise history, and even three goalies with decades worth of ice time couldn't prevent a slip into fifth and sixth place.

Leighton barely qualifies though, having been passed through the Blackhawks, Ducks, and Predators organizations on his way here. He's more of the Bruce Hoffort/Neil Little backup ilk than a legitimate veteran third choice. However, the questions begin to fester with juicy unsubstantiated rumors that Robert Esche had been slowly clearing out his locker during the five-day break the team had between the Penguins and Islanders home games. Earlier this week, talk was bandied about at work and at home, about whether it could signal a move for one goaltender to another city - namely Los Angeles, whose top two netminders are in the MASH unit. Again, I applied the rumor rule to the situation - and since no player(s) were mentioned on the other end of any deal, there couldn't be much credence lent.

That was until yesterday, when the plot thickened considerably...

Due to the Kings' net loss, veteran Sean Burke, having been unceremoniously dumped by the Tampa Bay Lightning, was signed for at least the remainder of this season. Where's the beef, you might ask, in this morsel of information?

It's twofold: One, Burke and Esche struck up a personal friendship from a professional one when Esche came up with Phoenix seven years ago, and Esche was instrumental in convincing whoever filled the Flyers' GM chair in the spring of 2004 to pick up Burke as veteran insurance for that great playoff run. Two, Ron Hextall and Dean Lombardi, both former Flyer employees, hold high rank within the Kings front office these days. Hexy knows from goaltending, and how a good net gain can be the difference in so many ways. Lombardi, a super scout with previous GM experience that serves him well as LA's president and general manager, presides over a team with loads of good young talent.

In short, the Kings may be the Flyers best, and most beneficial trading partner. That depends, of course, on the internal opinions about the arc of success for one Mr. Esche.

True, wheeling and dealing on a team which is 11-31-4, sitting an uncomfortable 12 points out of second-worst in the NHL, is like putting a big red ribbon on a pile of bat guano. But it needs to be done since this franchise, if nothing else, has not lost its pride and its unwavering belief that image is everything.

Even if they're guided by the maxim of "the worst move to make is no move at all," do the Flyers have any power at all to turn these fleeting rumors into reality?

Flyers Tidbits

According to Tim Panaccio's Sunday game recap in the Inquirer of the Flyers' 4-3 loss in Boston on Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers are hotly pursuing defenseman Joni Pitkanen for young forwards Joffrey Lupul and Raffi Torres.

This proposal should be in a red leather-bound binder stamped "Warning! Idiot Alert!" in bright yellow paint - it would be a rare feat in that it would end up being wrong for both sides.

Case in point#1: The Oilers gave up Chris Pronger for Lupul and Ladislav Smid this past offseason in a deal which simultaneously strengthened Anaheim and weakened the Oilers. Why they would go ahead and trade two young forwards with bright futures to the Flyers (who are positively stocked with young "talent") for a single defenseman? Defense and goaltending are pretty much a wash in the uber-competitive Northwest Division - the only thing separating first and last is the potential to score goals. And they want Pitkanen, who has lit the lamp a grand total of zero times this season? No doubt, the skilled and speedy Pitkanen is ready-made for the best ice surface in all of hockey, but he is certainly not worthy of a two-for-one. He, paired along with Jason Smith or whomever Craig MacTavish decides, would not constitute anything close to what Pronger and his partners on the back line produced last season.

Case in point #2: The Flyers, still unsure whether they need to acquire more talent for a hypothetical playoff run or to tank the season completely, would completely obliterate a defense already crumbling to its foundations if Pitkanen would go to the Oilers. As of today, the young Finn is fourth in scoring (21 points) and leads the team in assists (21). I don't understand how the front office expects him to "pick up his game" when the coach who brought out the best in him and allowed his offensive gifts to blossom is now at the helm in Columbus. And since when is it a crime not to score, especially on a team that is so abysmal, a player's defensive worth should be measured in goals prevented or lack of goals given away instead of actual goals scored? There are enough young forwards on the team now, whether they are tagged as future team leaders (Carter, Umberger, Eager, Richards) or of the deer-in-the-headlights ilk (Ruzicka, Picard, Jones, Calder) that a trade for two more would only necessitate the unfortunate tragedy of benchings, demotions, and more trades.

Also, does anyone notice a subtle pattern of impatience and misuse with European defensemen throughout the Flyers' history?? Thomas Eriksson (serious knee injury aside) had his career derailed because of Pat Quinn's indifference and Mike Keenan's refusal to play anyone other than Mark Howe, Brad McCrimmon, Brad Marsh and Doug Crossman. Jiri Latal? First scapegoat on a sinking ship during the 1991-92 season. Janne Niinimaa's crime was he learned from Paul Coffey and expressed himself too much offensively for Wayne Cashman and Roger Neilson's liking, so he was shipped to Edmonton for Dan McGillis. Dmitri Tertyshny? Well, bless his immortal soul, he passed on before that drama could play out.

OK, so we know it was a bit of a mistake that Bob Clarke traded Ruslan Fedotenko to Tampa for Joni's draft slot, but let's not think even for a second that two wrongs could possibly make a right in this case. The Flyers already have two Lupul and Torres-like players, and the likelihood of having two more at the expense of the Flyers best defenseman (relatively speaking) would not improve their fortunes in the last 39 games.

Tuesday night's 6-2 loss to Washington got the wheels turning inside the ol' noggin, and there are a few stats of note which result:

• It was Washington's first-ever sweep of the Flyers since their 1974 inception.
• It was the first time since 1993-94 that the Capitals beat the Flyers four times in one regular season.
• It also the first time since that 93-94 campaign that the Capitals won twice in Philadelphia - that year Washington won three times at the Spectrum and once at a neutral site where the Flyers were the "home" team.
• It is the first time since 2000-2001 that the Capitals have won a season series over Philly.
  
• Washington scored 20 goals in the four games, the highest number since they scored 21 in a seven-game season series in 1992-93.
• The Flyers held the lead on only one occasion, scoring the first goal of the game at the Verizon Center in an eventual 4-1 loss.
• Alex Ovechkin scored 11 points (6G, 5A) in those four games.
• The record for goals and points in one season in the rivalry is Tim Kerr's 12 goals and 13 points in seven games during the 1984-85 season, where the Flyers went 5-1-1 against the Caps.
• It would really, really suck if the Penguins moved to Kansas City and the Central Division, forcing Nashville to move to the Southeast, and Washington to the Atlantic, so the Flyers would have to deal with Ovechkin et al. eight times instead of just four per season.
  

Eric Desjardins will have his "night" tonight as the Flyers host the Montreal Canadiens. Quite simply, Desjardins was the best Flyers defenseman of the last 10 seasons, and should be placed second in the Pantheon of Defensemen next to Mark Howe.

The Quebec native came to Philly in a February 1995 trade already a Cup winner and two-time Cup participant, and stayed until injuried cut short his career at the end of last season. He possessed equal parts finesse, grit, skill, patience and leadership which blended so seamlessly I'm not sure most fans can truly appreciate what he brought to the table - instead turning him into sports radio callers' second favorite whipping boy after Chris Therien when in fact "Rico" became a liability only because the collective toll his injuries suffered in the line of duty caught up to him all at once.

Finally...I'd gladly dress as a waiter and serve up the dishes of crow which everyone who thought that three-game winning streak last week was the turnaround point for this team should be eating about now. In fact, things have gotten collectively worse than at any point previous - being outscored 19-8 and facing continued accusations from coach and veterans alike that the team has quit. Let's hope they can at least squeeze a point out of a flu-ridden Canadiens club.

Video Review, Part 2

The review concludes with the Top Five:

• December 22, 1979 Flyers 5, Bruins 2 @ Boston Garden: Philly sets a new NHL record in their 29th game without a loss in one of their least-favorite places to play. It's amazing to see the leap backwards in the style of the game between 1985 and 1979, how slow everything develops, and how goofy some of the goals are. Also amazing that you'd recognize half the Flyers as the good ol' Broad Street Bullies, and the other half will leave you scratching your head or reaching for the keyboard to look up the names online. Flyers fans might get a thrill at seeing a rookie Brad McCrimmon in a Boston uniform and future teammate Brian Propp also in his rookie season, and hockey fans will see how young Ray Bourque looks in his first NHL campaign. Game Excitement: 5 - even though it was a league-record setter, the game itself was a surprisingly ordinary pre-Christmas matinee on Causeway Street. Six of the seven goals come in the first 25 minutes of the game, then you get to fast forward through until the celebration at the final buzzer. Emotional Content: 5 - It's not a playoff game, there are no divisional implications, the Flyers basically dominate except for a brief stretch early in the second period. What the Game Lacks: Local broadcast. Don't know if there actually was one, or if CBS picked it up as game of the week or what, but Gene Hart calling the game definitely would have added a bit more grandeur to the occasion. Only astute historians of the game would appreciate that the DVD broadcast was from Boston's WSBK, with Hall-of-Famer Fred Cusick on play-by-play.
  
• January 11, 1976 Flyers 4, Soviet Red Army 1: Part of the agreement between the NHL and USSR hockey, where the Soviets sent Moscow Dynamo and the Red Army squad to face NHL teams in various exhibitions throughout the middle part of the 1975-76 season. Up to that point, the Red Army had only failed to win against Montreal, a 3-3 New Year's Eve tie. The Flyers were called upon to defend the honor of the league, and put together one of their most inspired performances for a world audience. Game Excitement: 8 - lowered because it's not an NHL contest, but this was the Flyers at the height of their intimidation and offensive skill playing the unstoppable machine of the Soviet military. At certain points, they seemed to fly around the ice just as in sync as their well-practiced opponents. Emotional Content: 10 - Cold War, anyone? Picketers demonstrating their hatred for the Iron Curtain? Russians leaving the ice because they disagreed with the Flyers' rough style of play? The Flyers' first goal only seconds after the Soviets returned to the ice? Joe Watson shorthanded? A 45-13 shot advantage over a team that dominated International play? Until their Cup Finals loss to Montreal, the Flyers held the title of best hockey team on Planet Earth. What the Game Lacks: NBC's broadcast with two sports giants at the mic: Marv Albert and Gene Hart. The DVD features the CBC version with Dick Irvin - and while no one disputes Canada's claim to the game, once again, local flavor and good old fashioned American shock and outrage (Marv's incredulous call of the Soviets leaving the ice and going to the locker room) would have made this a sure-fire must-watch.
  
• May 27, 1975 - Flyers 2, Sabres 0 - 1975 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6: Cup #2 is won in another emotional, gut-wrenching clincher. Scoreless through two periods but with Buffalo knocking on the door through some tense moments, Philly comes up with two-third period goals (Bob Kelly and Bill Clement) and Bernie shuts the door on a potent Sabres offense. Game Excitement: 9 - scoreless tie through 40 minutes, but Bernie was called upon to make some spectacular stops. Orest Kindrachuk getting creamed as he passed the puck to Clement for the breakaway insurance goal is a quintessential Flyers moment. Emotional Content: 9 - For those who were alive, the second time around you were a little more comfortable, no? Plus, in those days, Earle got the play-by-play in the first and third periods, so his game-ending call wasn't chock full of drama and pathos. What the Game Lacks: Nothing, except it wasn't the first and sweetest win.
• May 9, 1974 - Flyers 3, Bruins 2 (OT) - 1974 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2: Staring down an 0-2 hole to the vastly more talented Bruins, Moose Dupont ties the game and Clarkie wins it with a joyous celebration matched only by the #1 moment. I tell you what - all that footage of Orr, Esposito and the like in stock films must have been sped up quite a bit, because they all seemed to be moving so slowly compared to what we know as the NHL today. The 1979 and 1974 games look and move just about the same, but that may have been a tribute to the checking job the Flyers had to do just to contain the league's best offense in 1973-74. Parent comes up huge again in a moment outshone by the game-winning goal: 2-on-1 break in the Flyers zone leading to Ken Hodge breaking in alone on Parent, but he closes up the pads just in time. Seconds later, Clarke puts his own rebound off the post an instant before Terry O'Reilly dives across, and the rest is history...
• May 19, 1974 - Flyers 1, Bruins 0 - 1974 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6: Everybody knows the deal by now, young and old alike. Desperately needing a win at home to end the series following a 5-1 drubbing in Boston two days before, and to avoid the grim spectre of a Game 7 in Boston, everybody pulls it together and Philadelphia's championship drought is broken. Of the ten games on the list, it is the only other game besides the Flyers-Oilers 1987 tilt that was so well-played by both teams as to be truly worthy of consideration. They basically transferred the old VHS copy of "Stanley Cup I" with the NBC call from Tim Ryan and Ted Lindsay over to DVD, the smartest decision made on all ten games. Game Excitement: 10+ Will the Bruins explode at any minute for a tying or go-ahead goal? Can Bernie hold them off? What happened to Bobby Orr? Can the seconds tick off any slower?? Emotional Content:
  10+++ Kate Smith...McLeish's first-period goal...Parent's toe save...Orr impotently sitting in the penalty box with 2 minutes left... "The Call" 'Nuff said.

Some thoughts on the Final Ten: I'm not shocked at all that Game 6 of the 1985 Wales Conference Finals didn't make it onto the list, because what's so special about the youngest team in professional sports reaching its championship round by shutting down the offensive juggernaut that was the Quebec Nordiques? So, Pelle giving up five goals in a first round game with the Rangers takes precedence over his series-clinching 3-0 shutout just because Tim Kerr scores four goals? News for ya - twice as many people watched or listened to the Quebec game (lest we forget Dave Poulin's electric tw0-man disadvantage shorthanded goal in the 2nd period) than the Rangers game.

It's also a damn shame that the organ-eye-zation chose to do a damnatio memoriae on the entire Lindros Era, whether the fans voted for it or not. I can think of four games in the 1995 playoffs alone that could have beat out Flyers-Maple Leafs in '04, not to mention a half-dozen other games (East Finals Game 3, 4, or 5 with the Rangers in 1997 or that Montreal game in 1997 where the Legion of Doom set a team record for points in a game from one line come to mind immediately) which could have or should have made the list.

Maybe the 2004 games were a bow to the younger fans, who I gather, pretty much view Eric Lindros as ancient history, and the times previous as nothing but primordial ooze, but 10 is a nice round number for a compact set to merchandise. But then again, so is 20. Three games in this millennium alone with a gap of 13 years in between is something any casual fan will sniff out as suspicious and unsatisfying. Nonetheless, there is something for everyone in the collectors' set, which ultimately is the goal of releasing the games in the first place. I just wish the Flyers would take a page from the music world, and have this initial set as the "A" side and games 11-20 which didn't make the original cut packaged as the "B" sides.

For most, I believe this will be a great trip down memory lane, as well as a teaching tool for the next generation of young fans who wear the colors but know nothing of history. For me, it will be an enjoyable, but bitter reminder that the philosophy which catapulted the Flyers to their greatest moments is now nothing but hollow words ringing in the ears of those who stand by powerless as the team slides into continual chaos.