Well, according to Matt Carle on HBO’s 24/7 Road to the NHL Winter Classic last night, concussions are the flavor of the month. I think it’s safe to say that Claude Giroux has had enough of the current flavor. Giroux returned to game action last night, posting yet another impressive 4 point game. I know many people were concerned with his relatively quick return to the ice. Concerned that he would aggravate his concussion and miss even more time; concerned that he would somehow end up like Marc Savard, Sidney Crosby, or even Chris Pronger. What makes Claude different is …
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 …
Atlantic Watch: 12/14-12/20
The last two games for the Flyers haven’t been pretty, but there is good news related to the team’s point-leader. Claude Giroux is expected to make a return in the near future, the earliest being tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars, from his concussion. This is good news considering the status of Chris Pronger, who will not take part in another game at any point this season or for the playoffs. With his team going 2-2-0 in his absence, Giroux’s return will hopefully turn things around for the Orange and Black. As for Philly’s games this week, the Flyers extended their winning …
3 on 3 for the week of 12.18.2011
Welcome to 3-on-3,where we look back on the the week that was for the Philadelphia Flyers from a statical point of view. The Orange and Black went 2-1 last week, watching their seven-game winning streak come to an end against the Bruins, but maintaining the overall lead in the Eastern Conference with 43 points. A rash of concussions to key players like Claude Giroux and Chris Pronger has forced other players to step up and contribute. Let’s get to this week’s “hot” and “not”: 3 “hot”: Wayne Simmonds — The 23-year-old right wing had a good week, scoring two …
Flight Plan 12.18.2011
The Philadelphia Flyers had won seven straight and were rolling along despite missing their best forward, their best defenseman, and a few others. Saturday afternoon, that all came to a head. The Flyers were blanked, blown out by the Boston Bruins in the Flyers’ final home game of 2011, by a score of 6-0. If that wasn’t sobering enough, Philadelphia has almost certainly lost another center to a concussion as 19-year old rookie Sean Couturier took a shot in the back of the head from Kimmo Timonen. If, or more likely when, Couturier is diagnosed with a concussion that will …
The case for Ryan Suter
Allow me to preface this column by stating that I believe the Flyers have no urgent need to add a defensemen. Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle, Andrej Meszaros, and Braydon Coburn are more than capable of shouldering the load with the likes of Marc-Andre Bourdon, Kevin Marshall, and Erik Gustafsson eating up some minutes as well. However, if the Flyers do, indeed decide to pursue a defender at some — the trade deadline seems to be the most realistic option — then Ryan Suter could be the primary target for the Flyers. The 26-year-old defender for the Nashville Predators comes from …
Pronger out for the year
The inevitable has occurred. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren revealed on Thursday night that defenseman and captain Chris Pronger will be shut down for the rest of the year and the playoffs. “After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post concussion syndrome. It is the recommendation of Doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return to play for the Philadelphia Flyers for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that …
Atlantic Watch: 12/7-12/13
At this point in time, it looks like nothing can stop the Flyers. After winning their first two games in December last week, the Flyers went 4-0-0 this week winning a pair of games on the road and a pair of games at home. With their wins this week the Flyers are currently on a six-game winning streak, their first six-game winning streak since their undefeated run from October 26-November 6 early last season. Facing two Northeast Division opponents this week before traveling west, the Flyers look to keep their winning ways intact. Claude Giroux intercepted a pass in the defensive zone before depositing it past …
Gritty Flyers score 5-1 win over listless Caps
Marc-Andre Bourdon, Wayne Simmonds and Max Talbot tallied in the second period as Philadelphia extended its season-high win streak to six with a 5-1 decision over Washington at Verizon Center. Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek also scored for the Flyers, who have taken eight of their last nine contests. Matt Carle and James van Riemsdyk added two assists each. Beneficiary of a whopping 9 1/2 hours of sleep last night, Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 31-of-32 shots, improving to 14-5-2 on the year. Playing without the NHL’s leading scorer in Claude Giroux — revealed earlier Tuesday to be out indefinitely with a …
The need for D
Over the past 110 regular season games stretching back to the beginning of last season, Chris Pronger skated for a mere 63 of those games. A plethora of differing injuries kept him out of the lineup for long stretches. Now, he is out indefinitely with what is being called “concussion-like symptoms”. Or you know, as the rest of us call it, a concussion. Barely into the second season of his seven-year contract extension, he rarely looks like his typical, grade-A self. The older he gets, the more he cuts back, playing a less physical and less aggressive style, likely in an …