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 …
Lindros, LeClair join forces for a cause
Eric Lindros and John LeClair are as much a study in contrasts as they are a study in similarities — but both men do not betray their roots and are still prime examples of how playing the game of hockey has molded their personalities. Lindros is 38. LeClair is 42. One is Canadian, one is American. One has returned to his native country and the other is still a resident of the area. Lindros took great pains to show how pained he still is that his Canada squad lost to the USA in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey on …
Lindros, LeClair (and Bob H) to attend CHOP luncheon
Visit our own Bob H, who will be in attendance at this fundraising event. Via CHOP: Join former Philadelphia Flyers Eric Lindros and John LeClair, as they team up to support The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Presented by TD Bank in partnership with 97.5 The Fanatic. Enjoy an intimate lunch at Morton’s The Steakhouse and hockey talk with two of the most popular players to ever wear orange and black. Ticket Price: $250 per person Date: Thursday, December 15, 2011 Time: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Address: 1411 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19102
Five Reasons I Love the Flyers: Matthew Brigidi
Matthew Brigidi is a dedicated fan of the Flyers and a season ticket holder in section 223. He writes for The Checking Line and you can follow him on Twitter. Below, he gives us the top reasons he loves the Flyers. 5. The Legion of Doom I was born in 1988, so by the time I was old enough to comprehend the names of players, John LeClair, Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg had come together as the Legion of Doom. As an eight-year-old in 1996 I didn’t understand that this was a new thing; I had thought that the three …
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 …
Thoughts on the preseason opener, brotherhood
As the Philadelphia Flyers began their 2011-12 preseason on Tuesday night with a 4-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, it got me thinking about the close-knit nature of the sport in direct contrast to its international reach. Despite a pool of talent now stretching from Kelowna to Kazakhstan, some things never change. Skating for the Flyers, Blake Kessel and Brayden Schenn. Skating for the Leafs, Phil Kessel and Luke Schenn. Thus, a rivalry was born. Or is it? When I started watching the NHL, back in 1985, its population was almost totally homogeneous: White North Americans made up roughly 95 percent …
What about Kimmo?
Early reports speculating about the potential 18th captain of the Philadelphia Flyers show that it is down to a two-horse race between veterans Chris Pronger and Daniel Briere. Conspicuously missing from that race is veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen. Timonen, one of the longest-tenured Flyers, is a shining example of what a team should look for in a captain. He plays hard and through injuries. He’s honest and not afraid to speak up to say what he feels, even if the sentiment is unpopular. He’s a dark horse and an often overlooked star who gives 100 percent every night, although the spotlight is …
Hard Choices Always Have to be Made
While us penguins continue to wilt in the usual Northeastern Summer heat, pining for the days when a cool iceberg awaits our collectively scorched behinds, thoughts about the upcoming (and too far off) season still seep their way into our Sun-addled brains. This is the first in a five-part series which intends to examine the ways the Flyers front office, though publicly professing to want to win the Cup by any means necessary, just ends up conducting business as usual year in and year out. It could have been said any time over the last 25 years: At the end of the painful …
Then and Now: Janne Niinimaa
What do Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, and Janne Niinimaa all have in common? They were all drafted in the 1993 NHL Entry draft. How many were drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers? Only Janne Niinimaa. Pronger went second, to the Hartford Whalers, while Timonen could be considered the hidden gem of the draft going 250nd to the Los Angeles Kings. Well, we know what Pronger and Timonen are doing with their careers now, but what about Niinimaa? Before the aforementioned question is answered, let us remember Niinimaa’s brief time spent in Philly. Spending three seasons with Jokerit in the SM-liiga after …
The Numbers Game
October 7, 1990. An otherwise unremarkable day in the history of the universe. In hockey circles, It was the Philadelphia Flyers’ 1990-91 home opener, played against the Detroit Red Wings after opening the year with two straight losses at Boston and New Jersey. In and of itself, that 7-2 victory played out in front of a sell-out crowd wasn’t notable, unless you count falling behind 2-0 early and then scoring seven straight goals. What did make it special was, it was the official retirement ceremony for Bill Barber’s #7. Honored first towards the tail end of the 1985-86 season for his 13 years …