With the magic of my Kindle Fire, I have gotten my next book to review. Due to my lack of hockey history, I’ve decided that it’s time to educate myself. Should I start with general hockey history or narrow it down? Enter 100 Things Flyers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Adam Kimelman. Yes! Right? I have to defend myself constantly as a Flyers fan up here in Northern Illinois, I ought to know my stuff. The book came out in 2010, so that might mean it’s dated, but we’ll see if that hinders it at all. …
Five Reasons I Love the Flyers: Filip Strych
Filip Strych is a 24-year-old Flyers fan from the Czech Republic. He’s currently a PhD. candidate in Ethnology in the field of African Studies. Ice hockey and mountain biking are his biggest hobbies. He is a diehard fan of the Flyers and is the European correspondent for Flyers Faithful. You can follow him on Twitter. Below, he gives the top five reasons he loves the Flyers. 1. 1997 Stanley Cup Finals This was the first time that I saw my Flyers on TV in the Czech Republic. I was 10 and every game was broadcast from 1 to 5 PM …
Defense…we don’ need no stinkin’ defense
We all know what happened the last time the “Winnipeg Jets” came to Philadelphia…and if you’ve burned out that part of your brain, here’s a reminder: But while you’re complaining about lack of defense and goaltending, check out these highlights from games roughly 30 years ago between the Flyers and original Jets at the Spectrum.
The top ten Flyers storylines of 2011
Now that 2012 is nearly a week old, we will take one last look at some of the biggest events that occurred during the 2011 calendar year. Ahhh, nostalgia. 10. Flyers fail to show up for 2011 playoffs Injuries limited Chris Pronger to 50 regular season and three playoff games during the 2010-2011 season. Nikolay Zherdev was a riddle wrapped in an enigma and battered in an average 1.29 goals per 60 minutes. The team was plagued with alleged locker room issues, tales of hard-partying stars, and the lack of a clear-cut starting goalie (despite the fact that both Sergei …
How I learned to stop worrying and love the Alumni Game
When Mario Lemieux, Dino Ciccarelli, and company hit the ice for the 2011 “Legends Game”, I could barely muster enough energy to shrug my shoulders in apathy. As a hockey fan, it was nice to see some of the game’s great players — including a couple of former Flyers — gather from different generations to play together but my interest did not extend much further than that. I had no connection to the game. These were players who battled against the Flyers and their most notable accomplishments generally held some correlation to Philadelphia’s shortcomings. The game felt contrived, a bunch …
Our 2011 Christmas wish list
Amid the gift-buying hype of the holiday season, we would like to step back for a minute and continue our tradition of compiling a list of our top ten Flyers-related Christmas wishes. It goes without saying that we want the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup. So, we will just leave that one off the list and assume we are all on the same page there. 10. Continuation of improved communication between players and fans Two events that occurred on Twitter this season reaffirmed my belief in humanity. Neither was particularly Earth shattering but both deserve recognition. The first was …
RICE & MICE: November is national diabetes month
In case you were wondering, November is national diabetes month and the blue circle is an international symbol for world diabetes day on November 14 – so if you happen to see a blue circle, chances are it is tied in some way to diabetes awareness. People also may be wearing blue on Fridays to support the cause. Yes, I know it’s also Movember and I’ll get to that in another piece, but today I’m discussing diabetes. More specifically, I’m talking about Type 1 diabetes (commonly referred to as juvenile diabetes, insulin dependent diabetes, or my personal favorite: the sugar) and what …
Five Reasons I Love The Flyers: Kevin Keating
Kevin Keating is a knowledgable hockey fan who I had the pleasure of meeting at development camp. He runs the site What the puck? and you can also follow him on Twitter. He’s a huge fan of the Flyers. Below, he gives up the top five reasons why he loves the organization. 1. The History I’ve found this to be the most intriguing recently. While other teams have a rich and historic back catalogue (see: Canadiens, Maple Leafs etc etc), no one else in this league is still defined by a nickname they earned 40 years ago. Just a few …
A constant in post-lockout Flyerville
In the book, Hockey Dad, Bob McKenzie discusses a concept he calls the “Hard Work Fairy”. “I only know I have an unwavering faith that if an individual works hard enough long enough at anything, good things will happen and there will be a reward,” writes McKenzie. “But the problem with the philosophy is that every hockey player of any age or ability always thinks he’s working hard, and most of them aren’t. Not even close.” McKenzie admits that the term is comical but the concept is a solid one. Work hard and your efforts will pay off eventually. No …
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 …