Sunday Skip’s Scramble

A Point for Losing
Invention of the post lockout three point game has allowed analyst to sum up one set of results in a variety of ways. The Flyers have 7 wins and 3 losses in their last 10 games. The Flyers have 7 wins, 2 ties, and a loss in their last ten games. The Flyers have earned points in 9 of their last ten games. The Flyers have lost two in a row. The Flyers have gotten only one point in their last two games. Depending on your mood you can say any number of things about how a team is playing when ties don’t exist anymore, even though they still do. For the losers. Regardless, the Flyers are still on pace to finish the season with 96 points, which is one less than last year. Considering that Danny Briere has missed over half the team’s games, the troubles on defense, and the extremely slow start, I don’t think anyone can be disappointed with where this team is right now.

Note: If you get a chance take a look at the Northwest’s overtime loss column compared to the rest of the league. The Atlantic has 14 OTL, the Northeast 21, the Southeast 18, the Central 17, the Pacific 13, and the Northwest amazingly only has 6. The Flyers are fifth in the league with 5 overtime losses – five points they’ve missed out on.

Claude Lemieux
If you’re a good Flyers fan or a lost Red Wings fan you’ll be disappointed to hear that his comeback attempt is getting scarily realistic as the 43 year old had a goal and assist in the AHL’s Worcester Ice Sharks 4-1 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last night.

Bryan Berard
Almost Flyer Update: Bryan Berard, who signed with the worst team in the KHL last week, Chekhov Vityaz, has 4 assists in 3 games so far. The other night he got in a bit of a mix up with 27 year old Ross Lupaschuk, a former 2nd round pick of the Caps with only 3 games in the NHL, which meant that later in the game Lupaschuk had to answer to Darcy Verot – which is not an enviable position to be in.

Ryan Callahan
It takes a lot for me to dislike an American hockey player. I usually like them no matter what. But Ryan Callahan is brutal to watch. He looks terrible out there, like his equipment is too big or something. Like in Big when Tom Hanks transforms back into a kid but is still in an adult suit. He’s a Ranger. He sucks.

Jay Bouwmeester
I was just watching some of the Rangers – Panthers game, as may have been obvious from my tiny Callahan rant, and let me tell you something – Jay Bouwmeester is a giant and would look great in a Flyers jersey. He’s listed at 6’4 214, but he looks a lot bigger than that. And not like that freak Chara. Like a big, bad, mobile hockey player. I know I said the Flyers should go after Brendan Shanahan and now I’m not so sure. But if Bouwmeester is available this off season it will pain me to see him go to the Maple Leafs.

Flyers Doing Good
This event took place on October 9th, but I have never seen anything on it. Last month the Flyers took some time to skate with Blind Children. I know these types of things are set up by the organization, and NBA and NFL players probably have similar events, but if you go to the Flyers website and check out the video under “off ice” you can see how nice these guys are when interacting with the kids. Danny Briere might be a saint. Sometimes it’s probably a little akward, and Lupul and Upshall are evidence of that, but the kid they’re helping seems to be having the time of his life. Let’s hope these guys leave their guns at home if they go out to the club tonight….

Flyers Gameday: Hockey Night in Toronto

After yesterdays narrow loss to the 'Canes, the Flyers get right back on the horse tonight with a game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Why they are not the "Leaves" I don't know. It's always special to play in Toronto. Although the Leafs aren't doing so well this year, the atmosphere for a Saturday night game in T-town is always top notch. Toronto is where hockey is meant to be played, where hockey is above all else, and I'm sure we're in for a good game tonight. The leafs are a young team who weren't really supposed to compete this year, and they're living up to that billing. The biggest thing the Leafs have going for them is Brian Burke. Sadly, he's not dressing tonight. Today, Burke is being introduced as the new GM for Toronto. I can't imagine that is really something that gets the boys fired up in the locker room. I can't see Jeff Finger yelling "Come on guys, let's win this one for Brian Burke!!!"

This is a team that is in transistion. Toronto will always compete, and never say they're "re-tooling", but thats what this team looks like its doing. They miss Sundin's scoring touch, Tucker's leadership and Brian McCabe's strip-teases. While the Leafs have a decent amount of reconizable names on their roster, they are a team the Flyers should beat. Even if Carter and Biron are scratched, the Flyers should be able to maintain their solid play and generate tons of scoring chances on this team. I wouldn't be suprised if another short handed goal gets tallied tonight for the Flyers. As long as Ryan Hollweg doesn't murder anyone out there, it will be a good battle, and the Flyers have the edge. Maybe Metro will go all "Mike Tyson" over someone again tonight and TKO another combatant. Dude looked like he'd been fighting forever when he took down Eaves. I'd love to see Gratton make Ryan Hollweg's mother cry, that would complete my thanksgiving weekend in style. I bet Lupul and Upshall continue bringing their energy to the rink, and the 4th line keeps stepping up and creating chances for our top line. I secretly really hope Carter plays, because the dude is on fire and helps everyone else play looser.

So sit back and enjoy some good hockey tonight. The place will be loud(Wachovia Center fans, take notes please) and Don Cherry will be funny. Flyers enter Canada tonight looking to start a new winning streak. That streak starts at 7pm.

Sidenote: Boo to this clown at the Inqy, Jeff McLane. His article calls our own Riley Cote a defenseman. I'm sorry Jeff...Really? This idiot is probably a Sixers beat writer ( I didn't give him the honor of googling him) who gets stuck writing "Flyers Notes". I mean, I know Cote isn't really even a forward, more like a punching machine, but come on man, do your homework before you go to print.

Hockey Night in Canada with Special Guests The Philadelphia Flyers

This has already been a big week in the U.S. It was a short work week with Thanksgiving on Thursday, people were traveling all over the country to spend a couple days with their families, and yesterday was the biggest shopping and store clerk killing day of the year. With Americans getting ready to settle back into their normal routines for a while and normal work week Canada is getting ready to be turned on it’s head tonight. Because tonight, for the first time in the organization’s history, an American is going to be named the General Manager and President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. All on what is a huge weekly event to begin with.

The roots of Hockey Night in Canada can be found in a radio program that began broadcasting Maple Leafs hockey games every Saturday night in 1933. In 1952 it became a television program that still remains one of the highest rated programs every week in Canada. Think all Sunday NFL games rolled into one. It’s that big.

Everything else aside, no matter what was happening with the Leafs on the ice or in the front office, Saturday night is big. Nothing else aside, the Leafs have been playing some pretty bad hockey lately and they're putting an American in the most influential role the club has. It’s going to be electric up there.

The Maple Leafs are really headed in the wrong direction. After a so-so start they’ve lost 5 games in a row and 6 out of the last 7. Earlier this week, in a move that many people think may have been engineered by incumbent GM Brian Burke, the Leafs picked up 40 point man Lee Stempniak for not quite reaching his potential defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo. They also brought up 6’4 217 pound AHL tough guy Andre Deveaux to increase the team’s toughness, which apparently wasn’t accomplished when teammates Dominic Moore and Jeff Finger had a good old fashion practice dust up on Wednesday.

The Leafs have had defensive problems this season that the Flyers only joked about after hearing that Randy Jones and Ryan Parent would be lost for almost 3 months each. Just like the Flyers, the Leafs had to hold on to their first round (5th overall) defensive draft pick Luke Schenn. Mostly due to lack of supporting cast Schenn has not faired as well as Luca Sbisa and only has two points and is minus 8 so far this season. The Leafs have given up the most goals in the NHL at 80 as a result of their young, inexperienced defense and shaky goaltending from Vesa Toskala and CuJo.

But tonight’s not only a big night for the Leafs. It’s big for the Flyers. Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell, Joffery Lupul, Scottie Upshall, Arron Asham, Josh Gratton, Jon Kalinski, Braydon Coburn, Martin Biron – you guessed it, all Canadian. These guys grew up gathering in front of the tv with their families watching Hockey Night in Canada. And not only is Flyers enforcer Glen Metropolit Candaian, he’s from Toronto. Between the players and their wives there will be well over 250 Flyers friends and family members in attendance. And every middle school classmate and guy in the bar who claims he fought Scott Hartnell in peewees from Calgary to Moncton will be watching on tv.

There should be a lot of energy in tonight's game. This isn’t some team from the Southeast or from the desert. This is on original six team with all it’s players under the microscope of their new GM playing against a bunch of guys who might only get to play a handful of Hockey Night in Canada games.

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Both Jeff Carter and Luca Sbisa are questionable for tonight’s game. Riley Cote is off the LTIR but is not expected to play until Tuesday against the Bolts. All Flyers have been required by the coaching staff to add rearview mirrors to their helmets, as Ryan Hollweg is expected to be in the lineup for the Leafs tonight.

Here’s a clip of the Leafs new tough guy in action against the giant Scott MacIntyre. This guy looks like he’s dead before he hits the ice. Really never seen anything like it:

Future Flyer Watch: Zac Rinaldo

The Flyers certainly have a type.

Zac Rinaldo has had a couple spirited bouts already this season, but none has looked more like it was plucked from Steve Downie’s highlight reel then last nights’ against Tyler Hostetter. Just when you think the linesmen may have convinced Rinaldo to stop he throws a left that finds it's way right into Hostetter's neck hole – kind of like he was playing Punch a Bunch on the Price is Right.

Rinaldo seems eager to have the Broad Street Bullies label slapped on him. Don’t worry young Zac. Your impending suspension will be more than enough to get your name and “Flyers Prospect” in articles all over the internet.

Flyers Look Great in Loss

Just got back from today’s traditional Black Friday overtime loss, and I must say, those jerseys look great. If I were a jersey guy I might get in on that. But alas, I am not.

The game in and of itself was fairly entertaining. The first period was uneventful besides the Gratton Seabrook rematch. The second period was action packed to start, but those two crappy Hurricanes goals were kind of a buzz kill. And the third period felt more like a 20 minute wait for overtime than a period of hockey. Overtime was a disappointment, and then we left. That’s kind of how it went.

When I’m an old man I will, however, be able to tell random little boys in shopping malls how I was there for Glen Metropolit’s first NHL fight. A fight in which he seemed to know what he was doing. I was also there when the puck came out in slot number 2 during the cranberry sauce shuffle. I was there when the Flyers scored the prettiest non-goal I've ever seen. And I was there when Lasse Kukkonen had to dress up in his brand spanking new uniform for warm-ups only to immediately get undressed in front of his teammates while they prepared for the game.

The Flyers have now earned the last 16 out of 18 possible points. They’ve gone 9 games without losing in regulation. Which is still pretty darned good. The boys are already on a flight up to Toronto for tomorrow night’s game, where they hope to make it 10 in a row. But more on that tomorrow...

Happy Third Third Jersey Release Party Day!

Orange is back. Starting today the Flyers fans won’t be the only people in the building applying the Orange Crush – the Flyers will be as well. This afternoon the Flyers are going to be unveiling their 2008-09 retro alternate jerseys against the Carolina Hurricanes. The general consensus seems to be that these jerseys are among the best thirds in the league. There is some disagreement about the whether the white name plate was a mistake, but here at FGSB we’ve started putting them on all of our shirts. Because we love it. The more retro the better, and that’s retro baby. We’d actually prefer no names on the back. The original ’67 jerseys – that would be Lou Angotti baaaad ass.

I’ve always disagreed with the decision to adopt the black jerseys as the Flyers secondary uniforms. I’m also against wearing colors at home and whites away. It just doesn’t make sense at all. It was always whites at home. Never saw the benefit to changing that. That “home fans want to see the colors!” argument never flew with me. It’s not a fashion show out there and hockey fans know that when you were the home team growing up you always made sure to pack your whites – so I guess we’ll just have to wait until they reverse that stupid decision. Which is hopefully soon.

So the Flyers original third jerseys were black and the subsequent two have been orange. I was supportive of the previous thirds just because it got some orange back on the ice, not necessarily because they looked good. Because they did not. But these thirds are classic and reach into the history of the organization, which is always a good thing. These thirds, along with the Sabres and Oilers, are the best I’ve seen in years. No new logo, no black camo, no new mascot in a sexual position. Go with what worked and will instill a sense of nostalgia in the older fans while at the same time giving the younger fans a glimpse, all be it a slight one, at what things used to look like out there.

Metro in retro. Sign us up.

ps (xoxo) - That picture above is a shot of our main man buying and delivering Turkeys to the needy on Thanksgiving day. I like Josh Gratton but lets get this guy back in the lineup!

Flyers Goal Scored By to Open at 3AM Tomorrow!

What a race!

It's funny, no matter how hard you train sometimes I guess you'll just never get over that hump. Needless to say I've extended my Thanksgiving losing streak another year.

Fran touched on it already this morning, but last night's win was great. These are the ones you need to pick up. The Flyers timing is impeccable right now. It seems like they're usually playing teams that are hot, but right now they're playing teams in search of a big win that will help them find their identity - and the Flyers are not giving in. The last 5 games are games the Flyers should have won. 4-1 in those games would have been great but 5-0 is outstanding. If the Flyers want to be Cup contenders they have to beat these also-rans on a regular basis, and over the past 2 weeks they've been doing that. If they follow this up with a 7 game losing streak we'll be right back where we started from - and Brendan Shanahan will be back on the table.

Things are going well right now without one of their top scorers and a top four defenseman. Both of their goalies are playing strong in between the pipes. After tomorrow's Black Friday game they have the Maple Leafs and the Lightning. There's no reason this streak can't go 10 games.

In case you're looking to avoid playing with your cousins or talking football with your step uncle, here's a little extra for you. The Phantoms had quite the Thanksgiving eve game last night. Five goals and five fights, although to tell you the truth the goals were probably more exciting. Darroll Powe made a case for a recall last night with a Gagnesque effort.

I'm thankful for a lot. But I swear to Thanksgiving Santa Claus that if Donovan McNabb has a 300 yard, 4 TD, 0 Int performance tonight I'll never touch a turkey like that again.

6 in a row. Gratton's win, Sbisa's D, Carle's snipe, Gagne's dominance. Go Flyers.

Happy Turkey Day.

Flyers Gameday: Here's a story of the Hurricanes...

Well it's Thanksgiving eve. The offices are emptying out as everyone runs back to their parents house for an intense gorging of turkey and accessories. But before you dash off to Penn Station, remember that tonight...the puck drops! That's right Flyers fans, reschedule your flights, trains and elephant walks around the Flyers-Hurricanes tilt tonight. The Flyers are down in North Carolina(come on and raise up, take yo' shirt off, twist it around yo' head like a helicopter!") to take on the 11-9-2 Hurricanes. Tonight's game is almost like the Flyers ARE going back home, to see all those wierd high school friends that you don't keep in touch with, but have to make small talk with while sucking down Yuenglings. Carolina has 4 former Flyers in Rod-da-Bod, Justin Williams, Joni Pitkanen, and, I shit you not... Dennis Seidenberg. I'd say Brind'Amour is the only Flyer I wish was still with the club. Sure, we already have 50 centers, but the guy has never felt like a Hurricane to me, he's always been a Flyer. Can you imagine a dirty deadline trade to get Rod back to Philly to center our 4th line as we make a run to the playoffs? Talk about a feel good Thanksgiving rumor to start...

Danny Breeze still isn't ready to go. His injury would be of greater concern, except his offensive output is being picked up by Gagne, Carter, Knuble. Is there anyone who has benefited more from Gagne's return that Knuble? It reminds me of LeClair & Lindros. Put together, the two were unstoppable. Take away the main weapon in #88, and all you're left with is a big man from Vermont who drives drunk. Knuble is proving that old dogs can still bury the puck, and I hope he keeps it up. Not to sound flimsy, but his smile after he scores goals reminds me of good ol' Jimmy Dowd.

The Flyers are going for 6 wins in a row. That is impressive. Their offense is in a groove and their defence is doing everything they can to just "not fuck up". Nitty is in net tonight, and hopefully he can shut down Eric Stall, Ray Whitney and Brind A'mour. We know what the Flyers need to do to win. Basically play the way they have been for the past two weeks. Get the second and third line to grind away. Get the 1st line in a position to score, and get the 4th line out there for some good forechecking and energy. I know I keep saying this, but a sexy clapper from Metro would be awesome tonight. The guy is due. Look for the Canes to really pressure Carter tonight, and try to shut Zues down. If we can get a goal from either Lupul, Hartnell or Upshall and keep Gagne and Richards rolling, the Flyers will set themselves up to win this game. Also, if Andreas Nodl pops his goal cherry tonight, I'll take six shots of cranberry sauce straight to the dome on Thanksgiving night. That's a promise.

Home-and-home are always fun. You don't have to wait long to get your "vengence now". Carolina only has 8 fights on the year, to the Flyers 17, so don't look at tonight as a slugfest. Look at it as a way to keep the streak going, and crush the 'Canes. Let's Go Flyers.


Sidenote: Eric Staal, along with FGSB's friend, Kurtis Foster both played with our officially-sponsored-professional-hockey-pro, Matt Herneisen. Word from our sources is that Staal really likes the film Steel Magnolia's and is dying for a punch to the face from Josh Gratton...

Team Nicknames

"Happy Thanksgiving" is safe to say. You don't need to fall back on the a more general gesture of good will, such as "Happy Holidays" because there's no one who can get offended. Everyone celebrates Thanksgiving. Almost. I would like to take this time to thank a group that is often overlooked this time of year. A group that was kind enough to share their land and retreat to enclaves that were then designated by us to get drunk, build dream catchers, and erect multi-billion dollar gaming resorts. I would like to thank the Native Americans. And the Indians. And the Blackhawks. And the Redskins. And the Braves. And the Chiefs. Thank you all.

This year I would like to avoid another Thanksgiving rant on the subject and instead ask you to go here instead.

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Ever find yourself wondering "What the hell is a Flyer?" You get it I'm sure. But could you define it? There are interesting (the Devils) and not so interesting (the Browns) nicknames out there for professional sports teams. Some are decided by contests, some are decided by franchise owners' drunken, over botoxed wives, and some were decided 90 year ago because the team needed uniforms and solicited a packing company to provide them.

The NFL seems to be set with the more traditional, in my opinion, nicknames for sports teams. They dominate the Animal category while leading the People group as well. 25 of their 32 teams have nicknames that belong to one of these categories. They were also not afraid to have the only sports team named after a form of transportation. Really ground breaking stuff.

If the NFL owns the more traditional sports team nicknames the NHL dominates the Nature/Weather group. There most be some sort of correlation to playing on frozen water and wanting to name your teams after the elements . The Avalanche, Flames, Wild, Stars, Lightning, Hurricanes, and Maple Leafs - sounds like a Thomas Kinkaide painting waiting to happen.

The MLB is the only professional sport that has named teams after something that their players wear. It's only a matter of time before baseball decides to expand and we're blessed with the Salt Lake Pants and the Tulsa Blue Helmets.

The NBA has really spread the wealth among the categories. They don't have the most teams in any of them, but they do have the most dangerous of all of them. The Buffalo Sabres of the NHL could kill you, but the Houston Rockets will kill your whole village. And don't give me that NASA crap either. I know what's going on. This is the same league that brought you the Washington Bullets for 20 seasons and then replaced them with the possibly more dangerous Wizards. Not all wizards are good you know, Harry.

If anyone reading this post is thinking about bringing a team into one of the four major sports here's my advice: stick to animals. It's clear and easy to understand. It doesn't have to be some crazy, rabid animal with giant teeth and a look like it's going rip your nipples off either. Just something people can organize around and have fun with. The Penguins, the Dolphins, the Orioles - these are nicknames, and more importantly mascots that people can enjoy. My vote for the next new team in any of these leagues? The Turtles.

Definitions:
Animal - a duh.
Concept - The Flyers, Nationals, Twins, Browns, Pacers. These are team nicknames that are either a play off of the city's name itself or the city's history. These are intangible and mostly undefinable.
People - Current groups of people who exist such as the Steelers or historic groups of people, like the 49ers. This is where the racism comes in.
Nature/Weather - These ones are almost concept but they are more specific: Avalanche, Flames, Heat, Hurricanes, Lakers, Lightning, Maple Leafs, Rockies, Stars, Suns, Thunder, Wild. You get it.
Supernatural - The silliest group there is, a lot of them hint at religion: Angels, Devils, Giants, Magic, Saints, Titans, Wizards. (All Hogwarts teams would fall under this category.)
Inanimate Objects - Basketball equipment, cowboy accessories, car parts, and little pieces of chicken.
Clothing - Baseball seems very interested in their socks....
Weapons - These two teams will kill you. Literally.
Vehicles - The New York Jets. At one point were almost the New York F Trains.

Former Flyer Watch: Michal Handzus (and by default Kyle Calder)

As the summer of 2006 drew to an close Bobby Clarke saw the opportunity to get a guy that had put up 193 points over 302 games for the not so great Chicago Blackhawks. That player was Kyle "I'm worse than dressing an actual piece of horse poop in a Flyers jersey" Calder. The price - Michal Handzus. Handzus had scored 146 points in 237 games for the Flyers over the previous three seasons but was 2 years older than Calder and (sorry Bobby) not Canadian. So Calder came in and lasted almost an entire, disappointing season here in Philadelphia until he was traded away for Flyers swing man Lasse Kukonen and a third round pick (Garrett Klotz). Handzus went on to tear his ACL after 8 games with the Hawks and miss the remainder of the 2006-07 season. Whether that is actually a worse fate than remaining with the Flyers and having to play out that season is debatable.

Through a twist of fate the Kings signed both of these guys as free agents in 2007 - Handzus for 4 years at $4M a year and Calder for 2 years at $2.7M a year. Handzus managed 21 points last season and Calder managed to fit 20 into his schedule. So for the exact price of Pavel Datsyuk the Kings managed to squeeze out 42% of the production. Handzus is off to a more promising start this season with 10 points in 20 games so far but Calder is still sucking butt with 4 points in 14 games.

Both of these wastes of salary cap space will be in action tonight against the Calgary Flames. You can bet the farm that their combined effort tonight will produce a point line that looks something like this: 0-0-0.

Stars Fade Into You

Last night it almost seemed as if the Flyers for some reason wouldn't, not couldn't, put the Stars away. It was as if they took the lead and while they were thinking about how to apply their "finishing move" the Stars would sneak one past Marty the One Man Party. Thinking back on it now that was surely only a matter of my own perspective. Because the Flyers were outplayed in the second and third periods, after a great first. But apparently if the Flyers can overcome Matt Carle's inclination to pass the puck up the middle and hang in there for 55 minutes, their big guns have decided they will come in at the last moment and whisk them away to victory on their giant orange horse. Don't question my metaphor use or you'll be looking at 2 minutes in the box. Right next to Braydon Coburn, who is tied for 4th in the league with 15 minor penalties in 20 games. Something's not right with him, maybe he misses Randy Jones' pecs next to him on the bench. Whatever it is he needs to get his head on straight.

Simon Gagne had his second sneaky two point performance in a row and is now tied for second in the league in scoring with 27 points in 20 games. His touch passes on the breakout, in transition, and in the offensive zone were magnefique last night. Speaking of lead leading performances - Jeff Carter is leading the NHL in goals heading into December? Bill Meltzer's going to have to set fire to all his pre-written posts about how streaky Jeff Carter is. Simon Gagne is tied for 8th in the league in goals and Mike Knuble of all people is tied for 16th. When you have 4 forwards a night who literally cannot and will not score (except for after the whistle), your top players are going to have to increase their own productivity - and right now they are. If you're going to score 4 goals a game I guess your defense can do pretty much whatever they want.

I'm glad Sean Avery was insignificant last night. I was even a bit disappointed that the fans gave him the satisfaction of booing him, but it would be impossible to get a collective effort not to boo him. Like my idea to get every driver to agree that when there's a traffic jam due just to congestion everyone should drive 35 mph and really try not to use their breaks by giving the car in front of them some significant space. Sounds great but it wouldn't work. Because of people like Sean Avery. My question is this: Referee's are familiar with the game of hockey, correct? Like, they know the tricks that NHL players try to get away with, right? Because when Kimmo Timonen is thrown down to the ice after the whistle, and Sean Avery is the only guy standing there, it's obvious that he was slew-footed. And I'm not saying that I'm for historically profiling players like Alex Burrows, Ryan Kesler, Jarkko Ruutu, and Avery, because any player out there might earn a penalty at ay given moment. But if you're a ref and your job is to call penalties you might want to focus 90% of your attention on the impending scrum in front of the net and 10% on Sergi Zubov doing triple axles at the blue line.

So what happened last night is what often happens. The refs catch only the retaliation. Except in this case there was none. Josh Gratton, a player with a reputation all of his own, comes in and lands one half-punch to Avery, and in fact is one of about 4 black gloves that grab Avery's head, and you give him a penalty? Did both of you really just miss that entirely?

Luckily, I've figured out what happens, I'm pretty sure. When you guys get back to the hotel you head over to Pierre Champaux's room and watch the game that you just reffed. And every time you missed a penalty, or called one errantly, you have to take a shot. Which leaves you drinking until about 11 AM when you have to board a plane and head to the next night's game. When you get there you're in that half feeling like a wet fart and half drunk stage. So you have some hair of the dog at about 6:30, right before you hit the darkened ice surface for your 6 speedy laps, and right before you drop the puck you take a quick peak at the jersey's in front of you and think "What the hell am I doing in Buffalo? I have to keep an eye on that Matthew Barnaby. He's trouble."

* Can anyone explain to me what that sign means in the picture above?

Bring Out the Telescope for a Closer Look

The Dallas Stars are a mess right now. It's significantly worse than a team in a slump. Shit's fucked up:

- The face of the franchise, and the only player that will have his Dallas jersey retired any time soon, had this to say after his team lost 5-1 to Boston in a game where Sean Avery and Steve Ott disgraced the entire sport with their cowardice and unprofessionalism:

"Tonight, it was idiotic and stupid," Stars center Mike Modano said when asked what the team identity was. "It was one of the most embarrassing things I've seen. If that's what we're going for, then they need to find me an office job."

- Last week the Stars lost their Captain for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. They're not going to appoint a Captain to replace him but role with three Alternate Captains for the rest of the season.

- Jerre Lehtinen is out for the remainder of the week. Not that it matters but Steve Ott is out for a month with a broken hand. Must have injured it fake dropping his gloves...

- The Stars went dumpster diving three weeks ago and picked up Mark Parrish for a litle over the league minimum. This might be the only bright spot for the club, as Parrish has 5 points in 7 games.

- Marty Turco blows this year for some reason. The Stars are one of only two teams to have reached the 70 Goals Against mark already this season. Turco has a 3.49 GAA and .872 SVP. Those are numbers that make the Devils current goaltending wonder team proud.

- The Stars just traded shitty defenseman Phillipe Boucher for possibly shittier defenseman Daryl Sydor. Both are older than VH1 Pop Up Videos and both have managed to be minus players for the Stars.

- They have Sean Avery on their team. Avery is a plague. Every where he goes, everything he touches, turns to shit. He is T.O. times 16. Even Stars fans, and probably some of his teammates, want to see someone lay the hammer down on him.

The Stars are not a team that got 97 points last season and is in a slump. They are a team that is irrevocably headed down hill. Their Captain, who was also their 2nd leading scorer last year, is out for the season. Their veteran leader and 3rd leading scorer last year is not happy. For the first time in his career he publicly bashed his own teammates. They're missing key players from last year - Hagman, Halpern, Miettinen, and Jokinen. And they replaced them with a virus in the form of the most disliked player, by opponents and teammates, in the league. Niskanen is playing like a turd in a punch bowl. Daley and Robidas are not playing strong either. Sergi Zubov, coming off an injury, is logging 30 minutes a game and is 38 years old. It's just a mess.

Now when they come out tonight they're going to give it one of those "come on boys, let's band together!" efforts for about 5 minutes. If the Flyers can get an early goal or at least weather that storm they should be able to beat these clowns like they did Atlanta last month.

Flyers Gameday: The massive, luminous balls of plasma

What's up Monday? Thought you could punk me by making we wake up early and going to work? Well I got news for you... I'm drunk on coffee, and we have Flyers hockey on tonight, so your plan of ruining my weekend has failed. Because tonight the surging Flyers take on the Dallas Stars. The Flyers have won 4 in a row and are playing some real cohesive hockey. Solid goaltending, good team defence and our stud offensive weapons burrying the puck have lead the team.

I mean, let's all get serious...Jeff Carter is unreal right now. "Zues" as we like to call him here at FGSB is playing out of his pants, generating scoring chances, killing penalties and shouldering alot of the offensive load as of late. He's on pace for 60+ goals. Think about that. Last year, he had a career high of 29 goals. He looks like he's going to shatter that record. All this, and he's playing with a rookie in Nodl, and a kid who ate to many pixie sticks in Upshall. Hell, even if he cools down a bit and only gets 45 this year, its still a huge jump. I think this is the year we all take notice that Jeff Carter is a absolute stud, and will be scoring goals for the Flyers for the rest of his career. Another player to watch tonight is Simon Gagne. I think he goes off tonight in a big way. Phoenix did a good job of of not letting him score, but he still collected 2 apples in the OT winner. With the way Gagne and Carter have been playing, I can't see the Stars being able to shut both of them down. It's only a matter of time that our PP consists of Gagne, Briere, Carter, Richards and Timonen. That is on par with any PP in the league, and will make even the toughest defence pee a little in their pants.

This Stars team is not short on talent, yet their record shows a team struggling to find itself. Some blame the Avery presence, others blame Turco's shitty play. Either way, you can't count this team out of any game. Not with Modano, Brad Richards, Ribiero and Erikson all lacing them up tonight. Brendon Morrow, their captain, is gone for 6 months due to injury, and his presence will be missed. I think Avery will be matched up with Richards line all night, with the line of Carter going againt Modano's all night. This game has some awesome matchups and will be a great game to forget Monday too. If drinking 10 beers on Monday night is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Let's Go Flyers.

Former Flyer Watch: Ben Eager

Ben Eager was up to his old antics Saturday night in Toronto with a questionable hit from behind on Mikhail Grabovski. I'm not sure the hit was as bad as it looked, and in fact Eager was not given a penalty on the play as Grabovski turned right before he was going to get it - and was pretty far from the boards at that.

The classic Ben Eager happens after the hit when he talks to the Toronto bench, being his usual tough guy self, and doesn't seem to get a chance to back it up during the game.

Eager had gone 13 games with one goal until he recently had a string of luck, picking up 2 goals and an assist in the Blackhawks last 2 games. He is now half way to his career high of 6 goals in an NHL season after only 15 games. I hope the NHL brass is making preparations to rename the Rocket Richard Trophy.

I think his primary role as enforcer may be suffering due to his new penchant for putting the puck in the net. He's had 3 fights this year in which he has one loss, one tie, and one win. But more importantly, none of these fights has surpassed the 4 mark for entertainment value at Drop Your Gloves. Four being, on a scale of one to ten, "Just below average for an NHL fight."

Way to go Ben. We miss you.

Surprise Flyers Fans

I find I have to keep reminding myself that the Philadelphia is now a city of champions when watching the Flyers. Last night when Todd Fedurok snuck a goal past Martin Biron with only 5:14 left in the third it may as well have been overtime. The game was over, and after a so so effort the Flyers had lost to the struggling Coyotes. And even worse, to Todd Fedoruk specifically.

And then like it was a different team in a different town the Flyers pulled their goalie and scored a goal to tie it. Jeff Carter finished off a stellar third period with a game tying goal - what luck! At least the Flyers will get one point before they lose. So how's it going to happen? Just make it to overtime and get that point. And then, sure enough, Mike Richards gets an interference penalty with only 50 seconds left. The universe falls back into place and I await the slapshot from the point that gets deflected by Braydon Coburn into the Flyers net with 4.5 seconds left. But it never comes...

Overtime is like the guy sitting alone at the bar telling about how he was a minor league pitcher - unbelievable. Not only do the Flyers kill the penalty, the Coyotes don't even get in the zone. And then 25 seconds after he breaks free from the penalty box Mike Richards is reenacting his preseason goal against the Hurricanes. And he scores. And the Flyers have come from behind and won in overtime. All in the span of 10 minutes.

Now that the Eagles season is effectively over, and the Sixers are off to a 6-6 start, the Flyers can expect to move under the microscope of all Philadelphia sports fans. Hopefully this peak is the prelude to an upcoming valley. Consistency is the name of the game at this point. Just because we have a six game unbeaten streak going doesn't mean we need to loose ten in a row again. After being back last season their back again this season. For the sake of Philadelphia fans who get further from their World Series win on a daily basis let's hope that things continue in this direction.

Josh Gratton: Flyer or Desert Dog?

Although Josh Gratton spent the better part of two seasons with the Phantoms, and actually broke into the NHL with the Flyers during the horrid 2005-06 season, we actually traded him and a couple of draft picks for Dennis Gauthier that March. So while Gratton's played 9 games in the Orange and Black (sans purple), he's actually played 64 games dressed in maroon and uh....white.

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Last year he spent the entire season in the AHL (except for one game with the Coyotes), but during the 2006-07 season Gratton dressed for 52 games under the direction of Wayne Gretzky. There are only 9 players on the current Coyotes roster that were also part of that club, most notably Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, and Daniel Carcillo, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that his blood flows maroon. Which would actually make sense. If he's a human.

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I've always wondered what it's like for a tough guy to face off against his former teammates. It's widely known that fighters are always among the most likeable guys on a squad. They tell great stories, are always jokers, and best of all are willing to take punches in the face for you. But then they get traded and all of a sudden there they are on the opposite side of the face off. And this isn't like squaring up against Mike Knuble after he gets traded and tapping him on the shin pads. These guys are hired guns. Killers who try to break opposing players faces with their fists. It's gotta be a little weird.

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So tonight might be the night that my colleague, the Froin, has his dreams come true - Gratton will fire a puck past Nitty and then rip his black jersey off to reveal a white Coyotes jersey underneath. Or he'll try to remain employed. And have a hug fight with Todd Fedurok or let Daniel Carcillo try to get out some of his pent up frustration over being pointless in 14 games.

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That guy, on the left. Yeah, he's a Flyer:

Flyers Gameday: The Yotes

After last night's impressive win in Buffalo, the Flyers caught a quick zeppelin back to souf Philly to play the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at the Wach. Sure, the Flyers shutout the Sabres last night, mostly due to great team defence and a little bit of luck. The Flyers have now won 4 straight and face a team tonight that has dropped four straight. Last year these two teams met and the Yotes won in Philly. Tonight, the Flyers will look to continue their strong play as of late. They are doing a great job of getting the puck out of their own zone and winning small battles in the offensive end. It's amazing how a team's confidence can snowball with these small moments in the game. Metro, Carle, and Sbisa were moving the puck so well last night, and Upshall, Hartnell, and the entire 4th line were good at generating a forecheck. Once a team starts doing these small things well confidence grows as well as scoring chances.

Same lineups tonight, except Nitty gets the start against the Coyotes, and Mikael Tellqvist will be between the pipes for Phoenix. Keep your eye on Olli Jokinen. The ugliest man in the NHL can score goals with the best of them, and he'll be generating offense for Gretzky's club all night. Kyle Turris is also on the ice, and we here at FGSB will be watching the young phenom with a critical eye. He hasn't shown a lot of ability to score yet this year, but we bet he'll be right in the middle of the action tonight. Peter Mueller is a threat, and I wouldn't be suprised if he finds his name on the scoresheet. Dude has a shot that's nastier than my coldsore. Phoenix has a bunch of young players, tough vets, and tonight has all the making for a full throttle tilt.

I'd love to see Carcillo drop the gloves...probably against Gratton. Of the few people who I think "Man, I wish that guy wore Orange and Black..." With Carcillo, he'd be a fan favorite, in no time. Also on the ice tonight is the Fridge. Philly fans know Todd Fedoruk. He was fun to watch for a few years, but he's just a joke. His face is made of glass and he didn't contribute at all really. While he did provide some leadership, I think the best thing that happened to the Fridge is that he got sober with Holmgren's help. I could see Asham turn him into miso soup tonight.

Jeff Carter is on a tear, as is Gagne. I'd love these two to keep lightin' the lamp and look for them to keep the win streak alive. I could see a dirty Metro goal tonight, the dude deserves one. A Richards PP goal wouldn't be out of the question either. This is a game the Flyers should win, tired or not, as they are a better team than the Coyotes. They should win....if they play the way they've been playing. I predict a high scoring game with multiple fights, lots of crab fries eaten, lots of laughing at Steve Coates, and the win streak to keep going. Let's go Flyers.

Downie Can't Escape Flyers Image

I'm not surprised that Steve Downie received a suspension. As soon as I read 5 minute major - boarding I anticipated the moment I would first read of the news. What I am surprised at is that Paul, the owner of Kukla's Korner, subconsciously labeled Downie as a repeat hit-from-behind offender. Downie was suspended last preseason for a charging penalty. Randy Jones was suspended last season for a hit from behind. Steve Downie was boarded by BGL last season. Braydon Coburn received a boarding major against Ottawa 2 weeks ago. I know everyone's quick to jump all over this kid, but let's at least be accurate when we persecute him! "Steve Downie Gets Suspended Again" would have been fine. And accurate.

Just because you are or were a Flyer , Paul, and you get suspended for a hit from behind, doesn't mean you're Ryan Hollweg all of a sudden.

Gratton - Kalinksi - Asham

Tonight I'm going to be paying extra attention to the Flyers fourth line. I'm not sure why, but when I saw these guys in the morning skate today I got excited at the thought of what they'd do in tonight's game. It's always fun to watch a kid get his first NHL game under his belt. It's even more fun if that kid is going to run around like a human wrecking ball winged by two guys who won't hesitate to protect him - which I think we can expect of Kalinski.

Of all the Flyers rookies that played against the Caps in mid-September Kalinski was the one that stood out the most. He was crashing the boards, digging out pucks, and flying all over the ice. What he brings that Ross, and to a lesser extent Powe, did not is that scrappy energy that an AHL call-up should bring to the NHL game. Tonight Kalinski should hit veterans you're not supposed to hit, talk shit to guys you're not supposed to talk shit to, and never stop moving on the few shifts he's going to get. A good call-up should know that they're a small fish in a huge pond and play like they're over compensating for this insecurity. Make people take note of your number by being noticeable out there. Not in the way that Steve Downie proved would get you the top bunk with Steve Eminger in Tampa Bay, but the way that makes fans start wondering when you're going to get called up again.

There are a lot of guys who come so close and never actually make it. They spend their careers in the AHL, having almost touched their childhood dream. And it probably drives them insane on Sunday nights when they lay in bed, wondering if it may have been better not to get so close. After tonight Jon Kalinski will be able to say that he got there and he touched it. And it was everything he dreamt it would be.

Flyers Gameday: Buffalo (light)Sabers

Tonight, after a long boring week of work, philly puck heads get a Friday night full of action as the Flyers take on the Sabres. Buffalo is a streaky team that has a lot of offensive depth, but some questions on their blue line...remind you of anyone? The Flyers have been playing good hockey so far and this tilt will be another challenge as playing in Buffalo is never an easy assignment.

Now that Philly has gotten over the Championship hump, all that's left is Buffalo and Cleveland to see which city will commit mass suicide first. Their fans are going to be loud, and even though Danny Breeze isn't playing, you can bet your buffalo nickles that there will be signs from people expressing their love for the little man.

I do have to give props to a team that names itself after an instrument of death. Wonder if the Detroit Knives or the Los Angelas Glocks would every fly. Also, Ryan Miller is a good goalie, but not Roberto Luongo good. I think a good dosing of knucklepucks from Metro and snipes off Carter's blade will send Miller batty. I don't really like this team. Vanek, Pominville, Roy....get used to these names, awesome stars in the making that will eventually leave Buffalo for a bigger paycheck. If the Sabres have a chance tonight, these 3 will be responsible. Hopefully that little russian rocket is kept off the score sheet. Find me one person that says "You know, I really love Maxim Afinogenov" and I'll punch that person in the face. Jaroslav Spacek looks like he should be pouring beers at a South Jersey Applebee's, not playing the NHL. And last but not least, Andrew Peters joins Colton Orr, Ryan Hollweg and David Clarkson on the "All-Sphincter" team. You know Peters is mucking it up tonight with either Gratton or Asham. These two teams always drop the gloves, and the bad blood still remains from playoffs battles from long ago.

Honestly, whenever the Flyers play the Rangers, Devils, Pens, Sabres or Sens, you know the game is going to be awesome. So send your lady to the salon, buy 18 yuengling's, a dozen soft pretzels and get your Flyers jersey on. Tonight is game night, and it's the freakin' weekend!

Future Flyer Watch: John Kailinski

Change that 37 to a 46 and lace 'em up. Kailinksi will be making his NHL regular season debut tomorrow night in Buffalo. I've only ever seen Kalinski play once, but I like what I saw. He scored a goal, boarded someone, and got in a fight against the Caps rookies way back in September.

Kailinski will become the 17th Phantom not named Claude Giroux to play for the Flyers this year.

The Carles

This morning I set out to write a post with the headline (are they called headlines on blogs?) "Big Brother" in which I was going to tell you all about the brothers of current Flyers. I even had a really long sentence where I acknowledge that the "headline" was more likely to conjure thoughts of the Orwellian nightmare depicted in the pages of the summer reading classic 1984 than a list of where the Flyers brothers played or play hockey. As I have a tendency to do I somehow started to discuss 1985, the critically abhorred sequel to 1984 in which Winston's re-education is actually undone by a Cindi Lauper song and he goes on to invent snap bracelets. And how if you don't count school related reading it actually outsold 1984. I was feeling sexy and about to rip my tear-aways off when I stumbled upon this article about Matt Carle's brother, and I was suddenly having less fun.

It turns out Carle's younger brother, who was projected to go in the 3rd round of this past June's draft, was diagnosed with a heart condition that means he cac never play competitive hockey again. As far as sob stories go this doesn't rank that high up there. But the kid's perspective on the whole thing is great. Too few of us are happy just to be alive. It's a precious thing and must be remembered. Especially in times like these, with wars raging, layoffs looming, and your roommate constantly moving his desk into your room claiming that if you're all going to pay the same amount of rent your rooms are all going to be the same size regardless of walls.

It's a good story that almost had a serendipitous ending. In an act of kindness Lightning owner and former WHL point machine Oren Koules (who knew?) drafter David Carle with one of the last picks of this years draft even though he knew Carle could never play. He then traded for his brother, Matt. Could the two have been connected? Who knows. But if you read this blog, our you've figured out how to read the name on the jersey in the picture above, you know how this story ends. Nice while it lasted....

The Chief is wise

Good article today in the Daily News regarding Flyers assistant coach Craig Berube's view on how the NHL can limit the amount of dangerous hits to its players. The Chief sums it up perfectly...

"I didn't say a word to that guy. But I went up to their best guy and said, 'You see that guy. If he hurts someone on my team, I'm coming after you. It's not him that's going to pay the price. It will be you. So you better calm him the heck down.'"

Listen to the Chief. He knows what he's talking about. Heck, he can let his career 3000+ penalty minutes speak for him too.

Obviously Berube is referencing the Instigator rule. Nowadays, as Berube mentions, being the 3rd man in, or dropping the gloves without a willing opponent will get you a major penalty, a game misconduct, or suspension. Teams can't afford players running around and doing their best Terry Tate impression on the other teams star player.

I think, along with many others, that the NHL needs to alter thier instigator rule. I don't recall watching hockey in the 80s and seeing tons of guys going down with concussions, knee on knees or elbows to the head. (I did see Tie Domi once try to kiss a man on a penalty kill....true story). If the NHL really wants to limit these dangerous hits, certain steps need to be taken. I'm not calling for a full-out abolishment of the rule, that would be bad for business. But I can't see why certain levels of it have to be soo intense. Game misconduct for punching Sean Avery after he checks your star Bruin? Punching Ryan Hollweg after he boards your 3rd teammate of the night? Scott Hartnell just rippin' into AK-47 for his elbow on Gagne? Just fighting Steve Ott because of his douchey-ness? Do away with the game misconducts, re-work the instigator rule, and bring the enforcers role back to prominance...instead of just a casual fight in the 1st period.

NHL, take the Chief's advice, and let the players police themselves.

Former Flyer Watch: R.J. Umberger

It's not clear if R.J. Umberger knew that he was no longer a Philadelphia Flyer at the beginning of the season - for the first 9 games anyway. Because as the Flyers struggled so did Umberger. During his first 9 games Umberger managed only 2 assists. Since then he's added 7 goals and an assist in 10 games to get back on track. His ice time has been fluctuating as much as my opinion of whether Ken Hitchcock looks more like Paul Bearer or Paul Bearer after consuming Brian Dennehy, so it's safe to say Umby really hasn't settled into his role in Columbus yet.

Umberger is on pace to hit the mid 40's in points on a Blue Jackets team that has one point on the Flyers while the Flyers have two games at hand. So he's doing about the same on a team that is doing about the same as the Flyers. Whether they can keep pace with the Flyers, only time will tell.

The bottom line is this: I need to find a profession where I can do almost as well as I did last year and get an almost 300% pay increase.

Tea with Allison Staffin?

You would think that as an 18 year old NHL player making $850k a year you'd want to do one of two things regarding your living situation: live on your own around the guys on the team or live with one of the guys on the team. You'd also think the last thing a young superstar athlete would want to do is move in with an Assistant Principal. Unfortunately for phenom Luca Sbisa he's doing exactly that.

In a move that defies logic (yet again) Paul Holmgren is having Sbisa move in with Cherry Hill West Assistant Principal Allison Staffin. So now not only has Sbisa achieved his dream of playing in the NHL at the minimal cost leaving his buddies in Lethbridge he will also be missing out on comradery and good times that come with that. At least if he were to stay with a teammate in Old City he'd be "with the guys." If he were on his own he'd be free to come and go as he pleased.

Yes it's true, Junior players live with billet families. But they all live near eachother and their billets let them get away with murder. It's just the way it is. Beer, girls, hot tubs, parties. What happens in the basement of a billet house stays in the basement of a billet house. Well that's not exactly true, but the billets turn a blind eye. Sbisa was primed, as a first round draft pick, to have an incredible year in Lethbridge both athletically and socially. He was going to have the time of his life, basically. And now he's going to be shacked up with some (I can only assume) single older lady trying to act like he doesn't have to drop giant heaters, eating her meat loaf surprise, and having someone taking note if he drives home a little buzzed at 1 AM. If he were living across the hall from Scottie Upshall and Jeff Carter he would have been guaranteed to at least have the great times that this year, regardless of where he was going to end up, promised him.

Unless....

We here at FGSB are not so secret fans of the epic hockey film Youngblood. And so should you be. Not just because Peter Zezel was in it either. If you''ve never viewed it, let us sum up the situation as we see it without giving anything away - sometimes staying at a boarding house with a single hostess isn't a bad thing. As long as she makes a decent cup of tea....

We have a new favorite color.

Everyone is linking to this, and for good reason, it's a great look at the Flyers orange jersey history. Sorry, no Cooperalls in sight. What do you, the best readers in the world think? Do you go with a Richards, Carter, Briere? Do you go old-school and get a Dornhoffer, Howe, Schultz, Clarke? Do you go zany and get a "Matt Stairs" or a Griswold? If you're getting one of these, what name are you getting on the back?

Someone alert Visa and tell them I'm going in the red.

KGB Posts Memo. Holmgren Takes Heed.

In the wake of a memo posted by the NHL this past Friday the KGB posted a memo of it's own on the bedroom door of all General Manager's early Sunday morning:

"If you think there was any hits to head this yesterday the knife that is holding note will be later found in your scrotum."

This may explain some of the recent actions by Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. Filling his car up with gas, having coffee with his breakfast, refusing to admit that a dirty little Russian nailed his best player, who happened to miss 2/3 of last season due to concussions, right in the face with his elbow when he didn't even have the puck. Those sorts of things. Ignoring how obviously dirty a play it actually was, ignoring that Russians are required to go to the Darius Kaspiritus School of Head Hunting, ignoring the bruises and cuts and Canadien 100th anniversary emblem on Simon Gagne's face, Holmgren found the strength to deny that Alexi Kovalev was able to make a hit Saturday night in which he made contact with only Gagne's head and sent him hurtling towards the ice.

Holmgren says he knows better than to mess with a Russian.

"I saw Rounders. I saw Snatch. I saw Rocky IV. I know what those guys are capable of. Don't you forget that I was I kid during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And I've been scared shitless ever since."

Holmgren has announced a press conference for Wednesday morning to make sure that the Russians know that "Simon Gagne is a whining French Canadian. And although he is a Flyer and we will walk together forever, I in no way support him in anything, nor will I even keep my mouth shut if I disagree with him on something. And if you have to stab someone's balls off please let it be him. And if you have to missel someone, please remember that he is French Canadian. From Ste- Foy specifically."

Decent Start. Who Knew.

Fran touched on it earlier, but what a difference the last week's games have made for the Flyers. The Flyers, who have been shuffling Phantoms in and out of the lineup, who have missed Danny Briere's services for 9 games, who have been without 2 of their top six defensemen all season, who started out winless in six, are 4 points behind where they were when they exploded out of the gates last season after 17 games played. They even have the same number of regulation losses this season after 17 games at 6. Surprising right?

Last year at this point of the season the Flyers were 11-6 with 22 points. This year they are 7-6-4 with 18 points. Last year the Flyers would go on to lose game 18 to the Rangers when Brendan Shanahan beat them in the shootout and also game 19 in regulation to the Devils. If the Flyers can keep their momentum over this long week and win their next two games they'll be one point behind where they were after 19 games last season. That would be pretty amazing seeing as most of us were ready to write the Flyers' season off after their slow start.
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Simon Gagne is 4th in the NHL in points with 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 games. Next person who looks at his head should be the recipient of an Arron Asham vigilante double elbow to the head. Some other guys, if they keep up their current pace stand to put up some pretty decent numbers this season:

Gagne - 56 goals, 111 points
Richards - 24 goals, 92 points
Carter - 53 goals
Knuble and Lupul are both on pace for 34 goals.
Briere - if he can stay healthy starting Friday could still hit 46 goals.
Coburn and Timonen look to be aiming at the 40 point mark.
Metro is on pace for a career high 35 points.

Gagne's current career high in point is 79, so 111 would be out of this world. Just to put it in perspective, AO led the NHL in points last year with 112. Could you imagine the Flyers having two 50 goal scorers in one season? I'm pretty sure that's never happened. With offensive stats like these, if the Flyers could just hunker down defensively, they could turn into a serious cup contender.

Flyers have a magical weekend, post pics to Snapfish proving it.

For what it's worth, I wasn't optimistic about the Flyers chances after they narrowly defeated the Islanders last Tuesday. I looked ahead on the schedule, saw a game on Thursday against the Pens, Saturday at the Habs, then a quick flight back to play the now upstart Thrashers at home on a Sunday night. (Note: Sunday nights at the FGSB office is generally reserved for crying, fort-making and trying on a lot of wool socks....not hockey)

The Flyers played some really meaningful hockey the past week, and we've seen a glimpse of what this team can accomplish when they are checking hard, passing efficiently and performing sexy PKs. Thursday night saw the team rally from 3 goals down to almost beat the Pens. Gaining one point after being down by 3 goals on the road is a small accomplishment, and they built on it. They went into the stinky city and really dominated the Habs. Kovalev had a dirty hit on Gagne, and no one said a word. It was bullshit, and I bet he gets his due next time he's in Philly. What a cock Kovalev is. Besides the 3rd period which saw the Flyers look a bit sluggish, I'd say the Flyers really handled Montreal, and both goals were excellent snipes. Gratton got manhandled by BGL, but you have to give a AHL-lifer props for dropping with a guy thats knickname is "Big". Gratton got punched alot, yet still contributed. Seriously, our 4th line with Gratton-Alabama Slama - Asham is really generating alot of energy right now, even getting shots on net! I'd like to see Riley Cote do that!

Last night, the Flyers took care of what they needed to do. They let the Thrashers hang around, and their fatigure was noticable, but Kimmo, Gagne, Nitty and Lupul all stepped up and deliverd a home victory to those wierd people who like to party on Sunday nights.

Lupul's goal last night was dirty. Gagne only has one move on a breakaway...and it works everytime. Matt Carle looks good out there, as does Sbisa...every single game. Nitty and Biron looked solid all weekend, hopefully their early season rust is gone. Bottom line is that the Flyers got 5 points out of a possible 6 for the weekend. Sign of good things to come.

Thanks to Icethetics for the logo artwork.

Riley Cote's Job Security

These are crazy times. Not great depression crazy and not even recession crazy. Not yet anyway. But I've never heard of so many people from so many industries being "reduced" at one time. Why would it be any different in the NHL. The possible reduction in force I am thinking of, however, is not specifically motivated by dollars but more due to a redundancy that has been exposed in the Flyers organization. Watching these two Flyers wins over the weekend, and especially the game tonight against Atlanta, I've begun to wonder if Rockin' Riles job security might be in question.

Riley Cote is a good fighter. He is by no means top tier, but he can hold his own against those guys. Laraque, Boogard, Parros, Shelley, Ivanas, Orr - these guys are feared. And Cote will fight all of them and eve beat some. But so will his current stop-gap Josh Gratton. Gratton got worked by BGL over the weekend but a lot of decent fighters do. Cote, in fact, lost to him twice last season. But just a quick look into one stat show's you what John Stevens and the Flyers coaching staff think of Gratton's overall play. If we look at both players' Time On Ice over their past 5 games there is a significant difference between the two enforcers.

Gratton 8:31 against Atlanta
Gratton 5:35 against Montreal
Gratton 4:00 against Pens (11 forwards after Kukky started at center)
Gratton 4:31 against the Isles
Gratton 5:39 against the Bolts

Cote 2:56 against Oilers
Cote 2:43 against Isles
Cote 6:38 against Thrashers (7-0 blowout)
Cote 1:34 against the Devils
Cote 3:30 against the Devils

There are definitely some events that have affected ice time in particular games but it's hard to ignore the overall trend. Gratton and his linemates (Ross, Asham, Lupul, Metro, etc.) are earning the type of ice time that Riley Cote has only ever dreamed about. Gratton brings a level of skill to the table, specifically puck control, that Cote lacks. He can gather the puck in the neutral zone and do what it takes, including stick handling, to gain the red line and get the puck in deep. Tonight they had a bit of sustained pressure and even managed two ok shots. It's glaringly obvious that the coaching staff is more likely to get the 4th line regularly involved with Gratton out there as opposed to Cote. Hopefully Cote's injury is just a front for his two week trip to Darren Turcotte's stick handling school.

My suggestion to Riley Cote. Gain confidence with the puck and really annihilate a couple of middle weights when you get back into the line up or you might find yourself wearing purple and black instead of orange and black. If he can't demolish the leagues heavy weights and can't contribute to the actual hockey aspect of a hockey game dressing him in Gratton's place would only be a result of the Flyers unwillingness to admit that signing a fan favorite fighter to a three year contract may have been a mistake.

Just Wasting Time

It the words of Mac: Listen up bitches. I've just spent some time looking around the Flyers website - no not for sexy pictures of the teens and pre-teens who comprise the Flyers Delta Dental Ice Team (which incidentally they do not have) - but playing some of the time wasting games they have under their Fun & Games Section. There are five online games that don't involve coloring and I played, and beat, them all. Below are links to each game with my first run time or score. If you can beat my time or score we'll send you a 1996 Eastern Regional High School yearbook autographed by 7 of the 500 people in the freshman class and a pair of super tight, form fitting sweat pants. No cheating. God and, more importantly, Santa Claus are watching. If you want that Michael Jackson telephone this year for Christmas then make sure to submit first attempt times and scores only.

Game 1 - Flyers Memory Game
In this game you'll be asked to flip a bunch of cards over until you get matches. Yep - just like Super Mario Three. First Time: 1 minute and 13 seconds - flip count 52.

Game 2 - NHL Match Game
There's no time limit on this one. But I could still only get 5 out of 9. It's pretty difficult. I thought this was supposed to be for kids.

Game 3 - Building Blocks Game
Is Tetris not copyrighted? Needless to say I couldn't complete this one. It could have gone on for hours....like a long trip somewhere. Boo yah!

Game 4 - Hall of Fame Hangman
Hey kids! Want to hang your favorite Flyer? Well you can't because every time you choose a letter there's an error on the page and all that comes up is a white screen that says File not Found. Pretty sure mine was Denis Tolpeko.

Game 5 - NHL Team Hangman
Why would hanging a team be any different? I'm pretty sure my team was the Philadelphia Junior Flyers Pee Wee Team that I scored 52 goals on. Pretty pretty sure about that one.

So all in all. This Fun & Games section is neither fun, nor does it have games. I'll give the coloring section a 10. The games section was the equivalent of a hobo turd.

Update - check out my new score above suckas!