from chicitysports.com

One Win

…but it’s so relieving. I didn’t even think I was going to watch Thursday night. I had a faculty party to attend at a coworker’s house and they had NHLN and were nice enough to let me watch anyway. Now my jumping up and down or maintaining the fetal position while watching hockey is known to all who were there. At least I didn’t curse like a sailor like I usually do. Although I was still taunted because the Blackhawks are 4-0. And I have to repeat, I don’t hate the Blackhawks, I just like the Flyers better. It’s like …

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Then and Now: Nolan Baumgartner

After the New York Islanders picked Brett Lindros ninth overall in the 1994 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals selected defenseman Nolan Baumgartner. The four players picked after the Canadian d-man were former San Jose Shark and New Jersey Devil Jeff Friesen, Wade Belak, Mattias Ohlund, and Ethan Moreau. All four of those players turned out to play more seasons in the NHL than Baumgartner, who totaled 10 years at hockey’s highest level. Baumgartner suited up for the Caps, Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, and the Pittsburgh Penguins before he became a member of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2006. The blue liner signed …

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Then and Now: Jon Sim

Jon Sim became a member of the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization during the 2004-2005 season, when he became a member of the Philadelphia Phantoms in exchange for Peter White. After he played in 10 games alongside Keith Ballard, Kiel McLeod, and Fredrik Sjostrom for the Utah Grizzlies in their final season in the American Hockey League, Sim joined the 2005 Calder Cup winners for the final 63 regular season games of the title year. He recorded the second-most points for the Phantoms with 35 goals and 26 assists for 61 points, four shy of R.J. Umberger’s total. The difference was Umberger …

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Then and Now: Freddy Meyer

In May of 2003, the Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Freddy Meyer to an entry-level contract. The mobile d-man was coming off a season at Boston University where he had five goals and 16 assists in 38 games as the Terriers’ captain. During the 2003-2004 season with the Flyers’ organization, Meyer spent the majority of the campaign in the AHL with the Philadelphia Phantoms. He had the second-most goals for a blue liner on the team with 14 goals in 59 games, while John Slaney led the team with 19 goals in the same number of tilts as Meyer. The American defender also had 14 helpers, 50 PIMs, …

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Then and Now: Triston Grant

Jannik Hansen hasn’t missed a single game for the Vancouver Canucks since the start of the 2010-2011 campaign. After he posted 16 goals and 23 assists in the 2011-2012 regular season, Hansen notched a goal in Vancouver’s Western Conference Quarterfinals’ match-up with the Los Angeles Kings before they were dismissed in five games. Hansen was picked 287th overall by the Canucks in the ninth round of the 2004 NHL Draft, one slot after the Philadelphia Flyers selected left winger Triston Grant. After his final season with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, Grant signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flyers’ organization …

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Then and Now: Jared Ross

Jared Ross may not be a name every Philadelphia Flyers’ fan remembers for his performance on the ice or his activity off the ice, but many will remember where Ross was born and raised. Several NHL players have been born in the United States of America, but Ross became the first player born in Alabama to play in the National Hockey League, as he comes from the city of Huntsville. Since his time in Philadelphia, this Southerner has played for two different clubs and has posted almost a point-per-game average. Going undrafted out of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, Ross joined the …

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Then and Now: Josh Gratton

Tim Ramholt never played a game for the Philadelphia Flyers. In fact, the only NHL game Ramholt ever took part in was as a member of the Calgary Flames in the club’s  4-1 defeat to the Anaheim Ducks on November 29, 2007. In the 2008-09 season, Ramholt was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers organization, taking part in seven games for the Philadelphia Phantoms before being shipped to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Chris Gratton’s cousin, winger Josh Gratton. Potting two goals and three assists in seven contests to start that season with the Milwaukee Admirals, Gratton split time between …

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Then and Now: Niko Dimitrakos

Before suffering a groin injury in the middle of February this season, Tom Sestito had played in 14 games for the Philadelphia Flyers posting an assist and 83 PIMs. The Orange and Black obtained Sestito in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets in February of 2011, where the Flyers shipped Greg Moore and Michael Chaput to Ohio in exchange for the hulking forward. Columbus was able to draft Sestito with the third-round pick they acquired in a draft-day deal with the San Jose Sharks in 2004, which sent a fourth-rounder in 2006 and a second-rounder in 2007 San Jose’s …

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Then and Now: Matt Ellison

In the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers in six games for their first title in 49 years. The team from The Second City had nine players record at least 10 points in their 22-game playoff run. One of those players was forward Patrick Sharp, who tied Dustin Byfuglien for a team-high 11 goals and finished third in points behind Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Sharp used to be a member of the Philadelphia Flyers until December of 2005, when he and Eric Meloche were traded to the Blackhawks for Matt Ellison and …

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Then and Now: Eric Weinrich

Many players will be remembered for their leadership, whether or not they could perform in the clutch, or if there were unique aspects to their game. For Eric Weinrich, he’ll most likely be remembered for a piece of equipment. The former Flyers’ defenseman that sported a yellow visor throughout his career went on to play for five different teams after his stay in Philly and is currently a scout for another NHL club. Signed by the Flyers in the summer of 2001, Weinrich was a strong presence on the back line for the Orange and Black over three seasons. In …

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