Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that goaltender Michael Leighton cleared re-entry waivers and will report to the club later today. Leighton has made just one NHL appearance this season, allowing all four goals in a 7-4 victory at Los Angeles on December 30. He went 14-12-3 with a 2.22 goals-against average, five shutouts and a .923 save percentage for an awful Adirondack Phantoms club. Multiple sources in the region have reported via Twitter and other means that Leighton will accompany the Flyers to Buffalo for their game on Friday night. Several sources suggest the 29-year-old may start that …
Luukko speaks as Flyers plan to raise ticket prices
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Daily News Michael Strulson, a third-generation owner of a set of Flyers season tickets, never thought there would be a day that he would consider not renewing his center-ice seats at the Wells Fargo Center. That was until Strulson, 39, received a surprising notice in the mail from the Flyers on Saturday. That’s the first time, Strulson said, that he found out the Flyers are instituting a price increase of more than 21 percent for six sections in the lower bowl as part of a wider “rescaling” that will see almost every ticket increase in price …
RICE & MICE: Five for fighting and 6-8 weeks with a high ankle sprain
First overall selection in the 2010 entry draft and Edmonton Oilers’ star rookie, Taylor Hall, saw his season come to an end much earlier than the rest of his NHL counterparts. It isn’t over because of a dismal season that saw the Oilers miss the playoffs. Hall is out for the remainder of the season with a high ankle sprain. He wasn’t battling along the boards or crashing the net when he was injured. Hall was injured while falling awkwardly in a fight with the Blue Jackets’ Derek Dorsett. Reactions to Hall’s injury have ranged from applauding the young talent …
Holmgren Updates Pronger Status
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers Q: Can you give us an update on Pronger and his cast? “It’s just to help with the soreness and the healing. It’s the same as it was yesterday, day-to-day.” Q: Is he wearing a different cast than he has been? “No, it’s the same. He’s had this on for a couple of days now.” Q: He has had the hand x-rayed, right? “X-rayed, MRI-ed.” Q: Everything was negative, right? “So far.” Q: The fact that he is wearing a cast now, he can’t play with this kind of cast, right? “He was better today …
RICE & MICE: Is it really the Flu?
“A team without energy, if the physical part is there, the mental part goes, and there was just nothing yesterday. I think we were drained. To get a day off, even though it’s under the toughest of circumstances and a tough loss like that, I really feel that the benefits will be seen on Tuesday by not having to mentally and physically come in to the rink.” The comments above are those of Peter Laviolette when asked about his decision to give his team the day off following their 7-0 defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers. He …
RICE & MICE: Shoulder instability
Oskars Bartulis suffered a shoulder injury in last Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Phoenix Coyotes after a late hit when, then Coyotes forward, Scottie Upshall sent Bartulis head and shoulder first into the boards. Bartulis left the game and did not return. The next injury update on Bartulis left many fans scratching their heads when they heard that he was out indefinitely with left shoulder “instability” and would likely need surgery. What’s up with that, you ask? The shoulder is an awesome joint. It is blessed with incredible range of motion to allow you to raise it above your head, …
Trade deadline passes quietly for Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers were dormant as the 2011 NHL Trade Deadline passed as of 3 p.m. (et). Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren awoke from his slumber to make just one minor deal, acquiring prospect forward Tom Sestito from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for prospects Michael Chaput and Greg Moore. Sestito will be assigned to Adirondack of the American Hockey League. “Well, he’s a big kid, I think he’s got 30-some-odd points down there in the AHL…he was there last year on an entry-level contract. I like the fact that he’s got a chance to play at some point for …
RICE & MICE: Achilles tendon rupture
In Greek mythology, the legend of Achilles says he was dipped into the river Styx by his mother, Thetis, in order to make him invulnerable. However, she had to hold onto his heel in order to dip him in the water, thus missing a spot. The only way Achilles could be killed was by injury to his heel. The Achilles tendon is the strongest and thickest tendon in the body and can withstand large forces, yet it’s one of the most frequently ruptured tendons. Rupturing an Achilles tendon is a very serious injury that takes months to rehabilitate. Athletes who …
RICE & MICE: Blood clots, DVTs and PEs, oh my!
Anytime a highly conditioned athlete complains about shortness of breath after a normal “routine” workout there are eyebrows raised in the training room and action is taken. Less than 2 weeks ago the Colorado Avalanche announced that Tomas Fleischmann will be on the shelf for the remainder of the 2010-2011 season after blood clots, or pulmonary emboli, were discovered in both lungs. A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms most commonly in the lower leg, though it can also occur in the upper extremities. A DVT can pose risk to the affected limb, but …
Flyers reward Holmgren with three-year extension
Sometimes good news just can’t wait. Although earlier reports indicated that the club was going to wait until Thursday to make the announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers and general manager Paul Holmgren agreed to a three-year contract extension on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Delaware County Times reported earlier in the day that it will be worth approximately $4.5 million. Holmgren’s current contract was set to expire at the conclusion of the current campaign. “I’m particularly proud of the job Paul Holmgren has done with our hockey club and excited to offer him this three-year extension,” …