Turn and Face the Strain

It has been a little over a week since the NHL free agency period officially began, but Flyers fans are left with more questions than answers. I've tried to guess at what Paul Holmgren is thinking with the moves he has made and with the rumors I've been hearing and I simply can't figure it out. Instead of writing a long, extended column on what has already happened, I'll just hit each thought step-by-step.

1) The Jody Shelly signing

The Flyers signed Shelly to a 3-year, 3.3 million dollar deal. He had 9 points (2 goals) in 57 games last season with the Sharks and Rangers. Some are comparing him to Carcillo who had 12 goals and 22 points last season in 76 games and made just under 1 million. If anything, Shelly is half a step above Riley Cote, not Carcillo.
My initial reaction: Terrible.

2) The Andrej Meszaros deal
I've been following Meszaros since 06/07 and his days with the Senators. He averaged around 37 points per season with Ottawa, but his numbers have dropped dramatically since he moved to Tampa Bay. He has 33 points in TWO seasons with the Lightning and is a -18 over that span. That could be a result of being on a poor defensive team down south and the Flyers hope he can regain what he was north of the border, and I think he will.
My initial reaction: For a 2nd round pick, a very nice 5th D-man.

3) The Sean O'Donnell signing
At 1 million per, O'Donnell is a solid veteran who is going to be a nice 6th/7th D-man along with Oskars Bartulis. He had 15 points and was a respectable +14 last year with the Kings. He won a cup with Chris Pronger in Anaheim and should bring some leadership to the Flyers locker room.
My initial reaction: Solid. Makes our already incredible blue line even better.

4) Resigning Michael Leighton
Here's the thing with Mike Leighton. He was great during the regular season filling in for Brian Boucher. He was great in the series against the Canadiens and in every game he played against the Bruins (except the 1st period of game seven). But when the Final came around, he simply did not show up. He lets in too many soft goals. As a backup for this team he's great, but I don't want to see him between the pipes in Pittsburgh on October 7th.
My initial reaction: If he's a backup it's good. If he's going to be the starter--hell no.

More moves are certainly going to be made in the coming weeks. There are number of rumors and I'll make a quick comment on a few without going too far in depth on any.

1) Nik Zherdev - Has a reputation of being a pest in the locker room and not a very good team player. Was good before he went to Russia, he may cost too much and in my opinion, is not worth it.


2) Marty Turco - If they shed some salary I like it. Apparently, Turco's people have been calling the Flyers daily, and not the other way around.

3) Jose Theodore - Please no.

4) Tomas Kaberle - The rumors of Kaberle being moved have been around for years now and I really don't see how he fits in Philadelphia with all the defensemen they already have.

5) Ilya Kovalchuk (1 year deal) - Not a Kovy fan. A better Carter but even poorer defensively. Would cost way too much and doesn't fit under the cap, in the system, or on the team. Say "hi" to Nabokov in Russia for me Ilya.

6) Bill Guerin - If they could move some guys and fit him in, I like the veteran presence but it's a slim chance.

7) Jonathan Quick - This is probably the guy who would come to Philly if Gagne is moved out west. I'd like to see Quick in the orange and black, nice young talent.

If there are any more rumors I remember (or hear of) I'll add them. I'm very excited, but at the same time scared, to see what this team looks like in a couple months. We may or may not have seen the last of Simon Gagne in a Flyers jersey. We'll see what happens.

The Next Roman Cechmanek/John Vanbiesbrouck/Tommy Soderstrom

Who do I want to see between the pipes for the Flyers on October 7th in Pittsburgh? A very interesting question indeed. There have certainly been enough rumors flying around as to who the Flyers are going after, who is available and what they or their respective teams are asking. But if I'm going to give my opinion on who should be the starting goalie for the Flyers in 2010/11, I can first tell you that I think the Flyers need to bolster up their defense before the start of next season. The Orange & Black should devote the majority of their cap space to improving their blue line by resigning Braydon Coburn and possibly signing a free agent or two. Dan Hamhuis (if he decides to grow a pair and sign in the East), Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder or Toni Lydman are a few who I think fit the mold of a "Flyers defenseman" and, at the same time, would be moderately inexpensive.

After Evgeni Nabokov and his agent realize that a) he's not worth the 5-6 million per that they're asking and b) if he wants nothing less than that kind money, he's going to be playing in the KHL next season over in Mother Russia, he may be a good fit for the Flyers. I was adamantly against Philadelphia picking up Nabokov before the Flyers announced that they began to speak with his agent. I was telling people I knew how he folds in the playoffs and he can't be counted on when the team needs him. But when you've gotten 44, 41, and 46 wins in the last three regular seasons and have a career 2.29 GAA in the playoffs, I think it's okay to "take a chance" on him. I was also saying before how he'll cost too much and take up too much cap space. And that may very well be true; thus making the possibility of Nabokov becoming a Flyer nothing short of impossible. But if the Flyers can get him for the right price, I'm going to completely change my mind and say yes, I want Nabokov to be the next Flyers goaltender.

Then there's Michael Leighton. Remember? That guy who had three shutouts in the same series against the Canadiens and brought the Flyers back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997? Yea, I think we all remember what he did to get the Flyers to the Finals; he was nearly unbeatable up until the Cup Final. But do you remember what happened in the Finals? That same Michael Leighton who had three shutouts in the Eastern Conference Finals was the same Michael Leighton who was pulled twice against Chicago and let up countless weak goals including Patrick Kane's Cup-clincher. So if you're asking me if I want Mr. Leighton to be the Flyers goaltender next season, I'd tell you no. He did great while he was here, but he's simply not someone who can take Philly to the next level.

Well if we're going to talk FA goalies, we have to talk Turco and Mason right? Now just to be clear, Nabokov is my No. 1 choice as the Flyers next goalie, but if the Flyers can't afford him, there are other less expensive options available.

1. Evgeni Nabokov - (for reasons stated above)
2. Marty Turco - (solid veteran with postseason experience and should be cheaper than Nabby)
3. Chris Mason - (another solid netminder but does have some effort issues and postseason jitters)
4. Dan Ellis - (another Nashville product who had his job stolen, should be cheap. Kinda like this guy)
5. Antero Niittymaki and Martin Biron - (No. Been there, done that. But it's becoming more and more possible)

Considering that the free agent signing period starts at noon tomorrow, we should find out very soon who the Flyers next goalie will be. There are a number of guys who I'd love to see Paul Holmgren get in Philadelphia. But there are also a number of guys who I would not like to see as the Flyers goalkeeper. I do know that this is Philadelphia, and the goaltending carousel here has been going round and round nonstop for over 30 years. There's no telling how good a goalie playing in Philly will be--no matter how good he was before he came or how good he'll be after he's gone. It's going to be interesting to see how this team looks in about 72 hours and I can't wait to start complaining about it once I see it.

Phillies (Near) Mid-season Report

I went to the Indians v. Phillies game Wednesday night and after all was said and done, I was quite pleased with the result. It ended with a walk-off two run homerun by the finally healthy (again) Jimmy Rollins. But the way the Phils got to that point showed some of the team's weaknesses.


Phillies Needs
 Bullpen - Following the Phillies 7-6 victory over the Indians Wednesday night, the team placed RHP Chad Durbin on the 15-day DL. Durbin has been solid for the Phils in the back end of the bullpen sporting a 3.31 ERA. With him going down, Danys Baez sucking big time, Ryan Madson still on the DL after getting pissed at a chair and unprovens such as Mike Zagurski and Nelson Figueroa in the pen, the Phillies need to add a pitcher to the back end of the bullpen at or before the trade deadline.

Starting Pitcher - Kyle Kendrick lasted only 4.0+ innings giving up five runs, four earned. He left balls over the middle of the plate and when you can't get Cleveland hitters out, that may be saying something.  The Phillies have been waiting for J.A. Happ to come back to the roataion for some time now and it looks as though he should be back within a couple weeks. But the thing is, you don't at all know how effective he's going to be after coming back from being on the DL for so long.

If Kyle Kendrick spots his pitches on the corners and stays away from deep counts, he can be a good pitcher. But when he doesn't, he becomes a batting practice pitcher. If the Phillies could get a starting pitcher at the deadline to help bolster their rotation, it would certainly make them a better team come playoff time. Usually in the postseason teams go with three starting pitchers. So the Phillies' would be Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and then...?

Bench - Greg Dobbs was a pinch hit machine back in the championship year of 2008. He broke the Phillies record for pinch hits in a season and every time he was called upon that year, you knew that you were going to get a quality at-bat. But pinch hitters are as unpredictable year-by-year as NBA draft picks. Dobbs was a whopping 1-for-25 this season as a pinch hitter and simply wasn't getting the job done.

So the Phillies find themselves one lefty bat short on the bench and are going to need to fill that hole by the end of the season if they have plans of going anywhere in October. Valdez, Castro and Fransisco are all right-handed and the only lefty bats are Schneider who, as the back-up catcher, won't be available to pinch hit on most nights and Ross Gload. The Phillies need a left-handed bat off the bench.

Before the Phillies begin thinking about who they're going to play in the NLCS or the World Series in 2010, they need to get into the playoffs. As of today, the Phils are 2.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. I have no doubt that by the end of the regular season the Phillies will be the ones atop the division, but in order for that to happen some changes need to be made.

Back to Earth

After Patrick Kane slid that final goal of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final through the Bermuda Triangle that was Michael Leighton's five hole, I received multiple text messages and personal greetings from friends offering me their heartfelt condolences. I got the usual "there's always next year" and "stay away from sharp knives, tall buildings, and thick rope." But the one that upset me the most and the one I had the most trouble responding civilly to was the "it was a good season" comment.

Sure it was a good season. I think we all can agree that with the way the regular season unfolded and how the Flyers had to get into the playoffs, for them to make it to game six of the Stanley Cup Final was a great achievement. But the fact that they came this far only to be in the same position as the other 28 teams in the NHL is nothing short of heartbreaking.

From April 14th to June 9th the Flyers took their fans on a roller coaster ride that had the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. They pulled off the upset over future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur and the Devils in five easy games. They became only the fourth team in sports history to come back from a three games to none series deficit to win a series. And in the final game of that series, they became only the third team in NHL history to come back to win a game seven after being down by three goals. They beat the unbeatable Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens in short series that saw Michael Leighton record three shutouts. All the while through their run to the Cup Final they saw key players such as Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, and penalty killer extraordinaire Ian Laperriere go down and come back from injuries. They lost their goaltender Brian Boucher to knee injuries during the Boston series and many wondered if Michael Leighton would be able to resurrect himself to the player he was towards the end of the regular season. He did. They went down 2-0 in Chicago and most counted them out, then they won both in Philadelphia and they were right back in it.

I probably lost years of my life during this playoff run. I now know exactly what Roger Maris felt like in '61. It was one of the most exciting two month periods of my life...but it ended too soon and left the Flyers without a championship for a 35th straight season. It ended without a parade down Broad Street. It ended with Jonathan Toews hoisting Lord Stanley instead of Mike Richards. It ended with Michael Leighton in despair, not Antti Niemi.

It's going to be difficult to go back to the Finals for the second consecutive year. The Penguins and Red Wings did it last year but neither stood pat. They both made moves, signed players and improved their teams. If the Flyers are going to return to the NHL's final series they need to do the same thing. They made the first step in trading Ryan Parent for Dan Hamhuis, but that's only the beginning. They need to look to acquire a netminder during the offseason either through a draft day trade or a free agent signing.

This may be my final Flyers post for a while unless they make a trade that deserves to be talked about. For the time being I'll move on to the Phillies. A team that struggles to score when the pitchers are dealing and struggles to get outs when the hitters are raking. I'm going to the game Wednesday against Cleveland. So if I don't post beforehand, I'll have a Phillies mid-season report shortly following the game.

This is the Stanley Cup Final

This is the Stanley Cup Final. The place where every stick-wielding boy from Canada dreams of going. The place where every hockey mom across North America dreams of eventually driving their hockey-smelling minivan full of hockey-playing kids to. The place where Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke and Bobby Hull made dreams come true.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. Regular season statistics are irrelevant. You may have been through two or three (or seven) goalies to get to this point. It doesn't matter what number pick you had in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, what you did with it or who you drafted. It doesn't matter if you cruised into the playoffs or had to win the final game of your season in a shootout to get in.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. A place where will can triumph over skill. A place where desire can transcend size. A place where wanting it more can best needing it more. A place where the unknown and unheralded can beat the greatest of the great.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. Kate Smith lives here, the cheering lives here.There are no underdogs, there are no favorites. There are only two teams--the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers.

This is the Stanley Cup Final. We've heard the analysis, we've listened to the predictions. But when it all comes down to it, the only thing that matters in the end is who's hoisting that illustrious trophy, that be-all, end-all trophy. I want it to be the Flyers. I get goosebumps simply imagining it being the Flyers. But it's up to those wearing the Orange and Black to give the chills of exuberance or the chills of despair to the countless fans who, for whatever reason, love this team much more than they should. This is the Stanley Cup Final.

Conference Finals Predictions

It has been one hell of a postseason so far. I went 2/4 in the second round but could have just as easily gone 4/4 (or 0/4 for that matter). We have a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed in the west and a No. 7 and a No. 8 in the east. If what has happened so far is any indication, these two series should be anything but boring.


#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #2 Chicago Blackhawks
Season Series: 3-1 Chicago

The Sharks disposed of last year's Western Conference champions, the Detroit Red Wings, in five fairly easy games. They were getting scoring from both Joes (Pavelski and Thorton) and Evgeni Nabokov has been solid in net. They've had a long layoff between games and it remains to be seen if it will hurt them early in the series like it hurt the Flyers last round. The Sharks are running on all cylinders right now and look like a team different from the ones who have failed to live up to expectations in previous years.

The Hawks stumbled early in their second round match-up against Vancouver, but rebounded nicely and ended the Canucks season in six games. Chicago was one of the top teams in the west all year because of their balanced scoring--they had six players with at least 20 goals. And throughout the series against Vancouver, they had nine different forwards score their 23 goals. Antti Niemi and the defense in front of him had--with the exception of game 1--a very good series. The Sharks have never been to a Stanley Cup Final and the last time the Blackhawks were there was in 1992 where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games. Chicago hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1961 and are looking to end the longest Stanley Cup drought of all the Original Six teams, can they do it?
Prediction: San Jose wins the series in 7

#7 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens
Season Series: Tied 2-2

There's really not much more that can be said about the Flyers that hasn't been said already. They did something that only three other teams have ever done in professional sports history (twice in the NHL)--They came back from a three games to none series deficit. But not only did they do the impossible in that comeback, they came back from three goals down in a game seven to win (only two other teams have ever done that). What Philadelphia did was truly remarkable. The Flyers didn't lose a game to the Bruins after Simon Gagne returned to the lineup and they were getting huge contributions from their big boys. Danny Briere had 10 points (5G, 5A) against Boston and the Mike Richards line, although they were constantly playing against the Bruins' top D-men, was playing very well. Michael Leighton has come in to replace Brian Boucher and aside from a shaky first 15 minutes of game 7, has been solid.

This is the first ever match-up between a seventh and eighth seed in the conference finals. And the biggest reason the Montreal Canadiens are going to be at the Wachovia Center Sunday night is because of their goaltender Jaroslav Halak. He has been nothing but spectacular so far in the postseason. He has made the routine saves look like nothing and the great saves look routine. Mike Cammalleri has been the offensive MVP for the Habs with 12 goals and 18 points.

Hall Gill and Chris Pronger are both showing why they have Stanley Cup rings and have both been great veteran presences for their respective teams. Sadly, one of these two Cinderella stories will come to an end. Whose will it be?
Prediction: Philadelphia wins the series in 6

Game Seven, It's Here

The day has come.

The Flyers went down 3-0 to begin the series and are already the first team since the 1975 Islanders to force a game seven after being down 3-0. But that isn't enough; they're trying to be the first team since those same '75 Isles to win a series after being down three games to none.

The Bruins haven't scored a goal with Tuukka Rask in net since the 3:49 mark of the third period of game 4. That's 150 minutes and 51 seconds of game play that Boston hasn't scored without having the goalie pulled and the extra attacker.

The Flyers, on the other hand, haven't lost since Simon Gagne returned to the lineup. They're getting scoring from unlikely sources (Ville Lieno) and perennial playoff scoring machines (Danny Briere). Michael Leighton has played superbly in net having a 0.63 GAA with the only goal he allowed coming in the final minutes of game six.

The last time the Flyers won a game seven was in 2008 against the Washington Capitals (in Washington). The last time the Bruins played in a game seven was a year ago to the day, where they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Conference semi-finals.

I'm going to the Wachovia Center tonight to watch game seven on the big screen with about 20,000 other Flyers fans. As the NHL has asked throughout the playoffs--Will history be made? That remains to be seen. But what we do know is that the big house will be rocking and the Flyers have the ability to lift the spirits or break the hearts of thousands of Flyers fans tonight.

Mick Billmeyer - The Sign Thief

Most of my focus has been on the Flyers lately. As a matter of fact, all of my focus has been on the Flyers. I may be watching every Phillies game, but I'm thinking about the Flyers. Game seven of the Eastern Conference semi-finals is Friday and I'll be at the Wachovia Center watching it with about 20,000 other Flyers fans. But the Phillies are still playing and are being accused of doing it illegally.

The Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer, during the first game of their series against the Rockies, was seen with a pair of binoculars focusing on home plate. The Colorado Rockies filed a complaint with Major League Baseball accusing the Phils of stealing their catcher's signs and relaying them to the batter. Later on in the game, Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino was seen talking on the bullpen phone in the Phillies dugout (the MLB has reprimanded the Phillies for their apparent sign stealing).

Let's take a quick look at what sign stealing actually is. It has been done in baseball for decades. Usually there is a man on second who figures out the opposing catcher's pitch signs and quickly and discretely relays them to the hitter. But how is Shane Victorino supposed to get Mick Billmeyer's relayed signals all the way from center field?

All of this relaying has to be done very quickly. It's literally impossible for Billmeyer to have his binoculars on, see the catcher's sign, relay some sort of sign to the hitter, and have the hitter recognize it from 400+ feet away in center field. All of this needs to happen  in the matter of seconds between when the pitcher sees the catcher's pitch sign and when he throws the ball to home plate.

Why would the Rockies accuse the Phils of sign stealing if they didn't actually do it? Coach Charlie Manuel said, “Because we beat ‘em. That’s why.’

Winning the Fifth

It happened in the 1942 Stanley Cup Finals. It happened in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. The Maple Leafs did it to the Red Wings and the Islanders did it to the Penguins. It hasn't been done in the NHL in 35 years, but it has been done before.

Only two teams have ever come back to win a series after being in a three games to none series hole in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers are trying to be the third.

They won game four on a goal by Simon Gagne in overtime in a game that should have never made it to OT. But they won and extended the series at least one game, and that's all that matters at this point. But winning game four at home in front of your home crowd is much different than winning game five on the road in front of the opposing team's raucous fans.

Winning game five will be the toughest task of this series so far for the Flyers. Nothing is over until it's over, but if the Flyers get into a 2-0 hole early on in the game they might as well leave the ice and start prepping their golf clubs. The Flyers have to come out with a vengeance tonight and show the Bruins that they're not going to go quietly. They have to win ALL of the board battles and force Boston to make mistakes.

The Bruins are going to be fueled by their home crowd early on in the game, and if the Flyers want to win, they're going to have to not only match Boston's energy, but surpass it.

It has been said as long as the playoffs have existed, but anything can happen in the playoffs. If Philadelphia can find a way to win game five and bring this series back home for a game six, who knows? And if it gets so far, game sevens are an entirely different monster.

My prediction for game five? It will be like games one, two and three--it will be back and fourth the whole game and no team will have a lead of 2+ goals for very long. The team who takes advantage of powerplay opportunities and wins the important faceoffs will have a definite advantage.

My Prediction: I hope it's wrong but, the Bruins win 5-4 to clinch the series.

Bean Town Blues

As I try to muddle the sounds of my tearful sobs from waking the dog after a second consecutive postseason defeat, I begin to ponder why it is that the Flyers are in a two games to none series hole.

Is it because they're being outworked by the Bruins? It can't be, right? I mean that's exactly how the Flyers beat New Jersey in the first round. They out worked, out hit, and eventually out won the Devils. They beat NJ to every loose puck by out-hustling them. Philadelphia was willing to take the hit to make the play; something the Devils didn't seem to be willing to do.

Well then how is it that Boston is up 2-0 with what seems like inferior offensive and defensive talent? Brian Boucher has played solidly in the first two games (except for the Bruins' second goal in game two--a definite softie) and Tuukka Rask surely hasn't been Jaroslav Halak in net.

Take a look at both of Boston's game-winning goals in this series...both can be considered quite lucky. Marc Savard's goal in game one was a puck bouncing on edge that somehow hit his blade at the right angle and shot up past Boucher on the short side. Milan Lucic's game-winner in game two was a puck that bounced high up in the air and Lucic happened to turn around and golf the puck past Boucher on the left post.

These may have been lucky outcomes, but what got the Bruins in the situation to score these lucky goals was anything but. In overtime of the first game, Boston was on a delayed penalty because the Flyers were forced to take a penalty due to the fact that Philadelphia couldn't get the puck out of their own zone. And the same thing happened in game two--the Flyers failed to clear the puck out of the defensive zone and the puck ended up on Lucic's stick and eventually in the back of the net.

If the Flyers want to have any chance of coming back in this series, they are going to need to win more one-on-one, one-on-two battles along the sideboards and work towards getting more pucks deep in the Bruins zone. They're going to need to stay out of the penalty box and show Boston that they're not going to ever give up on a play. And if they don't do this and they continue to let the Bruins control the pace of play, the Flyers are going to be doing more tee shots than slap shots.