Image courtesy of Bleacher Report

NHL proposal, as is, hurts Flyers

On Tuesday, the NHL made a new proposal to the NHLPA in which they offered a 50/50 split of Hockey Related Revenue, down from their initial proposal of 57/43. It was seen by many to be the first step towards some real progress in coming to an agreement on a new CBA, and saving an 82-game season. Yesterday, NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr sent a letter to all players and agents in which he explains why he is less than thrilled with the proposal. Personally, I’m not the least bit surprised by the response. In fact, I think anyone who …

Photo courtesy of Philly.com

The Downside of the “Big” Guys Playing for the “Small” Club

As the chances of the lockout coming to an end anytime soon get smaller and smaller, NHL players are flocking to other teams left and right. Some are going overseas to play in European leagues, while others have the opportunity to play for their team’s AHL affiliate, such as a few of the Flyers. I touched briefly on the downside of having NHL players joining other teams abroad in last week’s Point/Counterpoint, but now I’m going to focus on the effect it may have on players in the minors. The AHL is a stepping stone, the last stop before a …

Eric Wellwood

Bruise or Bust: Filling the Forwards Pt. 2

Last time, we looked at some of the guys on the Flyers roster that might be vying for the 12th and final spot within the forward group. With half of the list already complete, it’s time to complete the list and breakdown who might have the upper hand. Zac Rinaldo: 66 NHL GP, 9 pts, 232 PIM, 22 yrs old, 5-11 / 169 lbs Rinaldo spent most of his rookie season with the Flyers, accumulating 232 penalty minutes in the process – just 3 shy of the league lead, despite averaging the third fewest time on ice per game amongst …

Tom Sestito

Bruise or Bust – Filling out the Forwards

When cross-referencing the Flyers official roster on their website with Capgeek’s breakdown it looks like there are six forwards that will be vying for the final 2 spots within the 12-man forward committee. So who would you like to see filling out the bottom of the bench to provide the occasional spark for your team (assuming there is a season)? Let’s take a look at some of the candidates. The list (by alphabetical short name order – how weird is that?): Ben Holmstrom, Tom Sestito, Zac Rinaldo, Eric Wellwood, Jody Shelley, Harry Zolnierczyk Ben Holmstrom: 7 NHL GP (over 2 …

Photoshop courtesy of the awesome Geoff Mang.

Lockedupations

You know those polls at sporting events that they put up on the jumbotron where they ask the athletes what they’d do if they weren’t an athlete? We all laugh with glee at the thought of alternate universe Bernie Parent hosting a variety show or Dan Carcillo as a high school janitor. With a lockout looming on the horizon, Kim and Steve have speculated what the current Flyers will end up doing with no hockey to play. Scott Hartnell & Kimmo Timonen: Fighting crime as The Orange Hartnell and Kimmo When Scott Hartnell decides to take the law into his …

Bikini Hockey League

On a lockout, the offseason, and more

After the Minnesota Wild signed both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, a trend became apparent: small-market teams were spending big money while traditional big spenders remained relatively quiet. At first, this seemed to be because teams like the Flyers and Rangers were not only making big bids for the aforementioned All-Stars but were also tied up in trade talks for Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan. Now that the Collective Bargaining Agreement talks are underway, one has to wonder if the owners of big-market teams kept GMs on a short leash to see how the negotiations played out. Last offseason, many …

Image Courtesy of The Associated Press

Flyers’ season ends with 3-1 loss at home

Although they came out with more energy and effort, the Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Devils for a fourth straight game with a 3-1 defeat at the Wells Fargo Center tonight in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, ending one of the most interesting playoffs in recent memory. New Jersey now awaits the winner of the Rangers/Caps series and will begin the Eastern Conference Finals some time next week. Peter DeBoer’s club reached the third round for the first time since 2003, when the Devils won the last of their three Stanley Cups. The head coach echoed some key …

swine flu

Watch Out for Swine Flu!

The Lulz feature was originally inspired by the lolcats site but features hockey pictures with funny, quirky, ironic or just plain mean captions. This feature should run weekly on Fridays; TGIFWL (Thank Goodness It’s Friday With Lulz).

Captain Patch

The Big C

Leadership, leadership, leadership. It’s a broken record but always up there on the list of things Flyers fans will always want to talk about, second only to the goalie situation. When things are bad, it’s at the forefront of discussion, but when things are good, it fades to the background. The loss of captain Chris Pronger to injury had fans and analysts questioning what the team was going to do as far as replacing him. Would they give the “C” to either Danny Briere or Kimmo Timonen, the alternate captains? Or would they look towards the future and give it …

Image courtesy of content.usatoday.com

Flyers-Penguins Rivalry Reaching Breaking Point

This isn’t a game anymore. This isn’t a series anymore. This is a battle between two teams that hate each other. This is not the type of hate that is used by ESPN to promote a Red Sox/Yankees game. No, this is a hate that is visible on the ice. This is a hate that is spoken about publicly by the players. This is a hate that the NHL has no control of. Game 3 started out like Games 1 and 2 – Penguins score early and the Flyers fight back. Except there was something different in the air at …