Ben Holmstrom leaves the ice after a morning skate the day of the AHL Outdoor Classic in January.
Photo by Tim McManus

Holmstrom’s loss a serious one. So now what?

By Tim McManus
Posted on 12/14/2012 at 8:00 am

After covering the Phantoms for three years, I thought I had a pretty good idea of how they go about their business. But the organization surprised me Thursday by issuing a statement addressing Ben Holmstrom’s knee injury and upcoming surgery. I can’t speak for the Philadelphia years, but that’s an unprecedented step since the move to Glens Falls in 2009. I can’t recall the team making any official comment on injuries, and there have been a few significant ones. Johan Backlund, the team’s 2009-10 MVP, missed large chunks of time. Krys Kolanos — don’t laugh, he was a big AHL deal …

Robert Esche was a key part of the memorable 2003-2004 team. Courtesy Flyers.NHL.com

Crashing the Crease: Unsung Heroes Part 2, Robert Esche

By Kevin A
Posted on 12/13/2012 at 9:00 am

Between 2000 and 2010, the Flyers have been notorious for losing control of the so-called “goaltending carousel” and sending it spinning out of control in an endless search for a sure hand between the pipes. However, during that period the Orange and Black have gotten admirable goaltending that, in retrospect, may have gone under-appreciated at the time. Over the next few weeks, Crashing the Crease will take a look at these unsung heroes. The second mainstay in the Philadelphia crease between 2000 and 2010 — and the second goalie featured in the Unsung Heroes retrospective — is none other than …

New Life for Silver Foxes

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 12/12/2012 at 1:00 pm

It is tough to find things to like about the lockout. With no hockey to be played, players are left to go as hard (or as soft) as they please in order to maintain an NHL physique. However, this lack of games can actually be a silver lining to some of the more resilient silver foxes of the National Hockey League – if play were to resume. This gives the Flyers some options to fill out the roster in free agency that they might not have considered if the full season were still intact. So what might those choices be? …

New sked for New Year? NHL cancels slate through December 30

By Bob H
Posted on 12/10/2012 at 4:05 pm

In a move that should come as no surprise, the National Hockey League decided to blow out 99 percent of December games, this time in a 15-day block between the 15th and 30th, making the announcement on Monday afternoon. Despite the work done by the NHL and NHLPA this past week in New York to close significant gaps in philosophy and how billions of dollars should be divided, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement has not been struck, but is closer than ever to being fashioned. With games only wiped out through December 14th, it was inevitable that a lack of …

Public address announcer Dan Miner and his wife, Lisa, work in the press box late in the third period of Saturday's game.

Going for the hockey, staying for the people

By Tim McManus
Posted on 12/07/2012 at 8:00 am

By the time I made it to the front of the line outside of the Glens Falls Civic Center box office, my nose was cold, my boots were covered in a layer of slush, and I could have really used a beer. Then I found out I was in the wrong line. Will call was inside. When I finally got my ticket, I handed the whole package — stapled envelope included — to the guy at the door. If there was any doubt I’m new to this ticket stuff — translation: I’m used to being a spoiled reporter — that …

Image Courtesy of Paul Bereswill / Getty Images North America

Crashing the Crease: Long-term Shootout Shortcomings

By Justin Brennan
Posted on 12/06/2012 at 9:00 am

We’re all Flyers fans here. Given that, we know the areas where the Orange and Black have consistently come up short. One of those, pardon my French, most damnably obvious areas has to be the shootout. The reality of just how bad this team is after the 65-minute mark may not be grasped by all, but a quick look at the stats reveals that the Flyers are very comfortable basement dwellers here. Thanks in large part to Winnipeg’s only having played in eight shootouts since re-expanding into the league, the Flyers sit firmly in 29th place in shootout wins. Their …

Second period kind to Royals in win over Everblades

By Bob H
Posted on 12/05/2012 at 10:00 pm

If a team that leads the Atlantic Division plays on home ice and hardly anyone’s around to see it, does it really matter? The Florida Everblades came north to start a seven-game road trip on Wednesday, and must have felt at home with temperatures better suited to the Southeastern USA in December rather than the Northeast. Too bad the Reading Royals felt even more comfortable despite a sparse crowd visibly less than the 2,281 announced, and walked away with a 4-2 victory thanks to a three-goal second period. Adam Comrie, David Marshall and Denny Urban lit the lamp in the …

Be More Offensive?

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 12/05/2012 at 1:00 pm

It appears the latest round of negotiations between the National Hockey League and the NHLPA to solve the lockout might lead to some positive results, finally giving the fans a team back to root for. But if the Flyers were to take the ice in the immediate future, would the fans even be happy with what they saw? This has been a relatively disappointing offseason for the Flyers. The bread and butter of the Orange and Black last season was their offense, but it doesn’t appear on paper to have improved. Diving in deeper only causes more concern. The Flyers …

The Day Before Tomorrow

By Bob H
Posted on 12/04/2012 at 10:00 am

Today is the day. As a consortium of six owners and 18(?) players meet at 2 PM in Times Square, they hold the power to either advance Collective Bargaining Agreement talks or give up and move toward canceling the 2012-13 season. “We have confirmed with the Union that we will attempt to schedule a players/owners-only meeting for some time on Tuesday afternoon in New York,” NHL Deupty Commissioner Bill Daly said a Tuesday morning statement. “No further details have been confirmed at this point. The expectation is, depending on the outcome, that the Board of Governors will either delay an …

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Are Fehr and Bettman unnecessary problems to CBA solution?

By Nick D
Posted on 12/03/2012 at 1:00 pm

Today is December 3, 2012. Day 79 of Lockout, Part III. Today…we consider ourselves…the unluckiest fans…on the face…of the Earth… There has not been one single game of National Hockey League action contested since the Stanley Cup Finals concluded in Los Angeles on June 11. There have been a slew of negotiations between the NHL and the NHL Players Association with little to no progress made on a new collective bargaining agreement. Even federal mediators, poor babysitters that they are, were unable to talk some sense into these two sides and get them closer to settling this labor dispute. NHL …

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