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 …
Spectrum Memories: Cat Whistles
To celebrate my 25th year of hockey fandom, I will occasionally step into the way-back machine and write about events in the Flyers’ past. For the balance of the season, I will be dipping into the well to ruminate about some things related to my love of the Philadelphia Flyers, and in general about the fan experience as a youngster. This is the ninth in the series of Spectrum Memories. Chris Therien and Jaromir Jagr were just a match made in hockey heaven in the late 1990′s. Therien, the hulking defenseman out of Providence College, who broke in with the Flyers during the lockout-shortened 1995 …
Cooke suspended for rest of regular season, first round of playoffs
The National Hockey League on Monday afternoon issued its sternest warning yet to players who seek to make contact with an opponent’s head. It has suspended Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke for the final 10 games of the regular season plus the entire first round of the playoffs. Cooke delivered an elbow to the side of the face of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh at the 4:36 mark of the third period of Sunday’s 5-2 Penguins loss. He was given a major for elbowing and a game misconduct. The total length of the penalty will end up lasting between …
Spectrum memories: Paul must go
To celebrate my 25th year of hockey fandom, I will occasionally step into the way-back machine and write about events in the Flyers’ past. For the balance of the season, I will be dipping into the well to ruminate about some things related to my love of the Philadelphia Flyers, and in general about the fan experience as a youngster. This is the second in the series of Spectrum Memories. …and Paul eventually went. In most years my family bought tickets, the first game in the matinee plan was the semi-regular Friday-after-Thanksgiving afternoon contest. The opponent always varied, as these …