Let’s talk about Allentown. Really, it’s OK.

By Tim McManus
Posted on 11/16/2012 at 8:00 am

The Phantoms made a major announcement Wednesday afternoon about the future of their franchise. Once they move to Allentown at the start of the 2014-15 season, they’ll be known as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. There’s a new logo, some tweaked colors, and of course, merchandise for sale. Wait, you missed the big hullabaloo? Me too. As far as I can tell, the news release went out to an Allentown-specific media list that bypassed the usual sources to disseminate information. I find no mention on the team’s official Twitter or Facebook or web pages, and none of the reporters I checked …

Crashing the Crease: Buyout Plan B’s

By Kevin A
Posted on 11/15/2012 at 9:55 am

Yesterday, Kevin Christmann discussed the possibility of an amnesty buyout clause being introduced in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that would allow teams to buy out one contract without any cap hit penalties. He, and many others, have suggested the possibility of using that buyout on Ilya Bryzgalov, ridding the Flyers of what is undoubtedly a bad contract no matter how one may look at it. While the merits of choosing to use this buyout on Bryzgalov are up for debate, one thing is fairly clear: if Paul Holmgren were to exercise this buyout on the Flyers’ starting goaltender, he …

Plucky number seven: Royals nip Jackals in OT

By Bob H
Posted on 11/14/2012 at 9:45 pm

On a night where Sovereign Center could have doubled for the back section of Bed, Bath and Beyond (you know, where the beds are), the Reading Royals continued their recent roll with a 2-1 overtime decision against the Elmira Jackals on Wednesday. Ian O’Connor put home the winner off a Brett Flemming chance at the 2:36 mark, a score which provided a final jolt of jubilation to the reported 2,665 in attendance. The win was the club’s seventh in a row, most since early in the 2005-06 season. “All I did was wait for (Ian) to drive through the middle,” …

The time for talking is over... c/o Dispatch

Negative Nancy

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 11/14/2012 at 1:00 pm

This time last week, cautious optimism surrounding the NHL lockout was flowing like a geyser from a liberated fire hydrant, drowning the fans with sweet dreams of the sport that once was, but might still be. Suddenly, the feelings of optimism are gone, and once again those who remain powerless are left feeling power-played. The “secret meetings” (which were only a few blocks away from NHL HQ) have concluded with little ground gained. The perfunctory daily meetings between the second-in-commands appear to be happening with less frequency. Those on the outside looking in have been left to wonder how the …

To amnesty, or not to amnesty: and who, is the question

By Kevin Christmann
Posted on 11/14/2012 at 8:00 am

Last week, Larry Brooks reported that the NHL and NHLPA were discussing the possibility of allowing an amnesty clause. For those that may be unaware, an amnesty clause would allow an NHL team from buying out a player without any salary cap repercussion; effectively eliminating a bad contract. It’s been discussed in many hockey circles for some time; in fact it was something we asked in an older iteration of our Five Questions series. However, I don’t intend to rehash the argument for or against the amnesty clause. For my purposes, let’s speculate what might make sense for the Flyers …

The Wackness: Pelle’s death and the odd start to the 1985-86 season

By Bob H
Posted on 11/12/2012 at 1:00 pm

For the third straight year, Flyers Faithful will honor the memory and impact of Pelle Lindbergh with a piece dedicated in his honor. This time around, a reflection on the odd set of circumstances that surrounded the start to the 1985-86 season and how Pelle’s accident and death contributed to the surreal feel of what should have been a triumphant return to form in Mike Keenan’s second year at the helm. The front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday, November 11, 1985 announced the simple, but chilling news: “Flyers star ‘brain-dead’ after crash.” Below that, the first sentence in …

Lindros to enter Philly Sports Hall of Fame

By Bob H
Posted on 11/08/2012 at 12:00 pm

While his enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame will be a widely-debated subject, Eric Lindros will take the first steps towards legitimacy in our town later this evening. That’s when the 39-year-old Oshawa, Ontario native will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, one of 15 people from across the sports world who have made an impact here. The ninth inducted class also includes Phoenixville native and catcher Mike Piazza as well as former Sixers player and current head coach Doug Collins. A walking, talking lightning rod ever since he spurned the Quebec Nordiques, who selected him …

Crashing the Crease: Sailing No More

By Justin Brennan
Posted on 11/08/2012 at 9:00 am

This week, we’re going to spend a little time talking about a subject near and dear to my heart: the struggling goaltender and the fear of failure after an unsuccessful stretch of games. I’ll use myself as the example and build from there. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve gone from feeling very fluid and natural in net to slow, overly reactive and ultimately ineffective. It’s resulted in some pretty ugly games, none of which I want to remember. On Tuesday, I finally had a game I would consider to be “okay,” in that we won and I stopped …

Positive Vibes

By Marc Siciliano
Posted on 11/07/2012 at 1:00 pm

I apologize for my absence last week. Hurricane Sandy left my house powerless for a few days, and I know many of us had far greater things to worry about than the sport of hockey. I hope everyone made out safely and securely, and wish nothing but the best to those who may have been affected by the tragedy that struck our Northeast community. – The NHL and NHLPA met for almost a full working day yesterday. They are also doing so today. After canceling the crown jewel of the NHL regular season in the Winter Classic, it’s about time there were …

This Week in Flyers History 11/4-10

By Bob H
Posted on 11/04/2012 at 2:00 pm

Welcome to the next installment of the second series of “This Week in Flyers History,” which aims to dredge up old memories, good and bad, of Flyers feats in the recent to distant past and to provide good fodder for trivia buffs. As it was during the second half of last season, we’ll be here every Sunday through what would have been the first part of this season, choc full of facts, figures, names and dates you need to know to gain that true depth as a Flyers fan. November 4, 1967: Flyers 4, Canadiens 1 – The expansion franchise’s …

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