Image courtesy of Flyers.nhl.com

Then and Now: Sami Kapanen

In the middle of the 2002-2003 regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers shipped defenseman Bruno St. Jacques and winger Pavel Brendl to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a pair of players. Ryan Bast was one player Philly acquired in the deal, a defenseman who only played a pair of games in the NHL, both of which were with the Flyers. The other was Sami Kapanen, a veteran left winger in his eighth season in the NHL. After several seasons with the Hartford Whalers’ organization, who became the Hurricanes in his third season with the club, Kapanen became a member of his …

Image courtesy of Flyers.nhl.com

Then and Now: Luke Richardson

Defenseman Luke Richardson joined the Philadelphia Flyers in the summer of 1997, as he signed a five-year contract where he earned $2.5 million in the first four years and $2.6 million in his final season. After reaching the postseason just twice with the Edmonton Oilers in his six-year span with the club from 1991-97, Richardson helped the Flyers reach the playoffs each of the five seasons he was in Philly. In his initial campaign, the Flyers finished third in the Eastern Conference with 95 points, as only the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins finished with more. Richardson played in …

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Then and Now: Steve Eminger

The Philadelphia Flyers had their dreams of acquiring Shea Weber crushed yesterday, as the Nashville Predators matched Philly’s offer sheet to keep the elite defenseman in Tennessee. One reason why this is so painful to the Flyers’ faithful is due to the fact that Matt Carle signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier in the month. Carle spent parts of four seasons with the Orange and Black thanks to Philly’s trade with the Lightning back in 2008, where the Flyers acquired the blue liner in exchange for Steve Downie, a fourth-round pick in the 2009 draft (drafting Alex Hutchings), and Steve Eminger. …

Thanks to SI.com

Weber report reminiscent of Gratton deal

The Flyers had just fleeced the Tampa Bay Lightning in their quest to return to glory mere weeks after being bounced from the Stanley Cup Finals by the Detroit Red Wings in a shocking four-game sweep. It took nearly an entire Summer to do it, but in the madness that was the Offer Sheet scramble of the 1997 offseason, Bob Clarke had apparently just increased his chances to return to the title round ten-fold. He acquired the services of Group II restricted free agent and hulking center Chris Gratton from the Bolts on August 20, but not by the traditional …

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Then and Now: Kyle Greentree

Kyle Greentree has played in 373 AHL games, but has only taken part in four NHL games. Two of his four games in the NHL were with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2007-2008 season. Although he has yet to register a point in the NHL, Greentree has four 20-goal seasons in the AHL. After his third season at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Greentree joined the Philadelphia Phantoms for the end of the 2006-07 season. The left winger deposited two goals in eight games, as he scored in back-to-back contests. Greentree’s presence on the team didn’t matter much, as Philadelphia …

Podcast

Podcast: Episode 31, “Shea”meless

On this edition of the Flyers Faithful podcast, Steve and Hal talk to Bill Meltzer about Flyers prospect camp, the departures of Matt Carle and Jaromir Jagr, and which young Flyers we can expect to step up next season.  Steve and Hal also discuss Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signing in Minnesota and the possibility of Shea Weber in Orange and Black. Flyers Faithful Podcast Episode 31 You can also download it from iTunes here!  If you’re enjoying the show via iTunes we would very much appreciate it if you could rate it and leave a review on there!

mc hammer

He’s Taking His Talents to Tampa

The Lulz feature was originally inspired by the lolcats site but features hockey pictures with funny, quirky, ironic or just plain mean captions. This feature should run weekly on Fridays; TGIFWL (Thank Goodness It’s Friday With Lulz).

Thanks to Getty/Bleacher Report

Carle headed back to Hockey Bay

Despite earlier reports from multiple sources which seemed to reveal that Matt Carle wanted to remain with the Flyers and wanted to sign here and that the Flyers wanted him, Carle instead pulled a switcheroo on America’s birthday. The powers of persuasion from Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman were too great, and Carle was signed to a six-year contract. Multiple media reports, including NHL.com, revealed the deal is worth a total of $33.5 million for the duration, with an average annual value of $5.5 million. And so, one of the more polarizing figures in recent club history will no …

From left to right: Alex, Matt, and David Carle (and Gus!)

Behind the Crest: Matt and Alex Carle & James and Brendan van Riemsdyk

Young hockey players learn and are guided by a number of different people throughout the course of their careers. They are aided by coaches, teammates, and fellow players as they develop and pursue their dream of making it to the NHL. For a majority of players, though, the help and the coaching starts at home, long before they join so much as even a peewee league. For some, they’re learning from someone who truly does know best — either a current player or a veteran of the sport. This is the case for Alex Carle and Brendan van Riemsdyk, brothers …

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Then and Now: Jaroslav Modry

During the 2008 playoffs, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled off a pair of upsets before ultimately falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals. Eight different defenseman suited up for the Orange and Black during their unexpected run. Aside from Ryan Parent, who only took part in four postseason games in 2008, Jaroslav Modry played in the fewest number of playoff games with nine appearances. Since that playoff run, Modry has been a member of two different clubs in the Czech Extraliga. In February of 2008, the Flyers made a pair of trades that made an immediate impact on …