It became known as the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, a Saturday afternoon on South Broad Street between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers on February 14, 2004. Two days earlier, in the opener of the home-and-road set at Madison Square Garden, a Flyers 2-1 win came at a heavy price. Jeremy Roenick’s jaw was destroyed when he got in the way of a slap shot, and Keith Primeau was felled with a concussion. Both would be out for significant time. But a deep veteran club under Ken Hitchcock was just a little bit deeper thanks to a pre-raided Philadelphia Phantoms, …
Then and Now: Pavel Brendl
Eric Lindros, at one time, was the face of the Flyers’ franchise. Unfortunately, health issues in addition to an ugly dispute with GM Bob Clarke led to a big trade in August, 2001, shipping Lindros to the division rival New York Rangers. Since Lindros meant so much to this organization, and since other teams in the league were aware of his capabilities, the Flyers had the opportunity to land key players who may one day become the new face of the franchise. In exchange for Lindros, the Flyers received Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson, and Pavel Brendl as well as a 3rd round pick in the 2003 …
Howe finally heads to Hall of Fame
Well, sometimes the hockey gods answer your prayers — even if it’s not the answer you’re expecting. On the heels of my lengthy post about which former Flyers greats should be the next in line to have their number retired, comes even better news: Mark Howe has been selected among the class to be honored in the Hockey Hall of Fame this coming November. One of the three sons of “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe, Mark lived up to his father’s name in a professional career that spanned two leagues and 22 total seasons. “I was elated to have this dream …
On “Radical” Realignment
By now, we all know about the weird situation that exists with Atlanta’s move to Winnipeg and the Jets remaining in the Southeast Division for one more year. This temporary geographical unacceptability harkens back to 1980-81, when the Flames departed Atlanta for Calgary, or when the Norris Division contained Montreal and Los Angeles. With the hot rumors swirling about the National Hockey League’s plans to realign the divisions after the upcoming season, why not examine some of the possibilities? As we have reported before, the Red Wings have had an informal deal in place since the last major re-alignment in 1998, that they …
Offseason questions
After shocking the hockey world with the blockbuster trades of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, the Flyers created a number of questions that need to be answered before the regular season starts. Many of these questions will be answered during free agency and training camp. It’s too difficult to answer many, if not all, of these questions now. Nevertheless, it is important to identify them to make better sense of unexpected moves if and when they happen. Here, we will try to identify as many of the major questions as we can. Will Brayden Schenn and/or Sean Couturier make the …
On Stamkos and Gagne
The rumor that the Flyers were interested in Steven Stamkos seemingly came out of thin air soon after fans perceived that the Flyers had some cap space and weren’t opposed to taking drastic measures to revamp the team this offseason. The rumors spread so rapidly that the line between fact and fiction soon blurred. To find out if there was any legitimacy to these rumors, I asked Erik Erlendsson, a Lightning beat writer for the Tampa Bay Tribune to respond to some of the ideas that have been floated around recently. We also discussed the future of former Flyer, Simon Gagne. …
Poll: Which free agent winger would you sign?
If you had your choice, which free agent winger would you sign for the Flyers and why? If you choose the “Other” option, make sure to leave a comment with the player’s name.
Nodl and Sestito signed, Powe traded
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they have come to terms with forwards Andreas Nodl and Tom Sestito. Per Bob McKenzie, Nodl’s contract is a two year deal worth $845k per year, a dip from the his entry-level deal worth $850k per year. However, his previous contract included about $115k in bonuses. The terms of Sestito’s deal have not been announced. ___ In a surprising move, the Flyers dealt center and penalty killer, Darroll Powe, to the Minnesota Wild for a 3rd round draft pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
An open letter to Paul Holmgren II
Hey Paul, I hope you’re doing well. Did you get my last letter? I understand if you haven’t had time to read it. After all, you’ve been a busy man. I’m writing you again today to express another concern of mine. In recent years, you’ve made Scottie Upshall cry, shocked R.J. Umberger, broke Simon Gagne’s heart, saw Nikolay Zherdev escape giddily after being waived, and sent Jeff Carter into seclusion. Including Joffrey Lupul, you’ve signed three players to significant deals and traded them before the no-trade clause kicked in. You also shipped out at least that many players who were …
Prospect Profiles: Sean Couturier
Position: Center Shoots: Left Height: 6’4″ Weight: 197 lbs Birthdate: December 7, 1992 Age: 18 Hometown: Bathurst, NB Acquired: 8th overall pick of the 2011 Entry Draft Sean Couturier is described by scouts as a two-way forward. He has good size, good vision, and good hockey sense. He protects the puck well and has the ability to play in all three zones. He had a solid character and is a competitor. He needs to work on his skating and needs to get stronger. Scouts took notice of Sean Couturier when he was only 13 years of age. Once considered a …