There’s a whole generation of hockey fans in this technological age who have no idea what the stakes used to be every time international teams took the ice. Until very recently, the Russians were not our friends. The Soviet Union, paragon of the Communist system, wanted to prove superiority by any means possible. Whether it was Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe on a table at Disneyland in the 1950s, questionable practices which aided their athletes in the Olympics, or the massive parades intended to showcase military might every May 1, the Russkies wanted us to know they’d be ready and …
Flyers win in Detroit for first time since 1988
History had already been made earlier in the road trip, all the way back on the final Tuesday of 2010, when the Flyers lost in Vancouver for the first time since 1989. On the first Sunday of 2011, an historic occurrence of a more positive note unfolded. Brian Boucher celebrated his 34th birthday by stopping 25-of-27 shots as the Philadelphia Flyers erased more than 22 years of frustration in Detroit with a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. "It’s nice, but I don’t think it was on our minds to get the win for that reason," Boucher said about losses in …
Christmas Eve: A time for reflection
By now I think you get the idea that I’m the historical standard-bearer for the site as I’m required to write about childhood experiences with hockey, or I’m dashing off the occasional piece comparing the plight of current athletes in the city to old-school Flyers. I want to continue in that vein this Christmas Eve, and lay out my own state of mind, as a fan, regarding how the 2010-11 Philadelphia Flyers season is progressing. The buzz around this team after playing less than one-half of their schedule is one that I don’t think has been as constant and as …
Panthers take down Flyers in rare lackluster Philly effort
It would be easy to see how the best team in the NHL playing at home, and one mired in last place in its division on a road swing, might produce record-setting results. The only problem is, the last-place Florida Panthers set the records, as 26 saves from Tomas Vokoun plus a late two-goal surge in the first period sent them to a shocking 5-0 victory over the Flyers on Monday night. Vokoun posted his first career shutout against Philadelphia, while Bill Thomas, Evgeny Dadonov, Shawn Matthias, Mike Santorelli and Dmitry Kulikov tallied for the visitors. It was the Panthers’ …
Richards finally gets OT redemption as Flyers clip Bruins
Mike Richards notched the deciding score with three seconds left in overtime to lift the Philadelphia Flyers past the Boston Bruins, 2-1, at TD Garden. As time wound down in the extra session, Richards found a loose puck in the neutral zone and worked one-on-one with Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg towards the Boston net. As he cruised down the right wing, two more Flyers forwards joined the rush, but the Philadelphia captain whipped a wrister through Tim Thomas to end the contest. “I just, you know, I just threw it back to the point and obviously, it was my fault …
Bobrovsky wins NHL Rookie of the Month
So what about “Bob?” Well, he’s been named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November! The 22-year-old Russian went 7-1-2 in 11 appearances during November, allowing two goals or less in eight of those games for a 2.03 goals-against. For the season, the rookie has compiled a 12-4-2 mark with a 2.18 GAA and .926 save percentage. He is the first Flyers rookie netminder to win a Rookie of the Month honor this early in the season since Ron Hextall took home top rookie honors for October and November in 1986.
Flight Plan: Week of 10.17.2010
Flight Plan is a new column that will take a more in depth look at the Flyers’ upcoming opponents every week here at Flyers Faithful. The Philadelphia Flyers will face two teams this week going in opposite directions: the Anaheim Ducks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams are gritty and fast, but are supposed to be rebuilding. The Ducks had a tough opening week whereas the Maple Leafs are the only team in the Eastern Conference that remains undefeated through their first few games of the season. The Flyers look to finish up their longest home stand of the …
Flight Plan: Week of 10.10.2010
Flight Plan is a new column that will take a more in depth look at the Flyers’ upcoming opponents every week here at Flyers Faithful. This week the Philadelphia Flyers open the same old building with yet another brand new name: The Wells Fargo Center as they are set to start a five game home stand. The Colorado Avalanche, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are all due to visit Philadelphia and try to give the Flyers their first regulation loss. Of course there have only been two games, but still, getting three out of four points on …