You know it’s one thing to use the word “gay” when you’re walking down the street with some friends, spot a puppy nibbling on a bone in the sunshine, cool breeze flowing over you and say “I feel so gay right now.” Maybe you’re playing frisbee in the park, picnic basket off to the side, barely legal teenagers prancing around in their bikinis off in the distance and you yell out to the heavens “This day is so gay and I can’t contain myself!”

Or maybe you’re a Chicago Blackhawk player who just won the team’s first Stanley Cup on the worst clinching goal in the history of sports, and instead of celebrating graciously in the showers with your lathered up, muscly teammates, you decide it would be cooler to call the opposing team’s least gay player “gay.” Wouldn’t karma be so much cooler if Chris Pronger walked into the locker room, dragged Patrick Kane by his cute, curly hair and pork plowed his anus with so much force his nose and mouth bled uncontrollably? Now THAT would be gay.  In a good way.

Here are a few pictures of what looks like Blackhawks fans partying with a solid 75 people in the streets of Chicago yesterday with some thing called the Stanley Cup. I say that because when reporters asked the fans in the streets if they were there to see the Cup, 80% of them looked at the reporter puzzled and said “nah, we’re just here for da brats guy, whatsa standley cup and wire all dees people in da streets?” It’s crazy to think that a good 50 of them probably had to call out sick from work just to go see this. What a sports city.

If this would have been in Philly, there would have been 100,000 wasted Italians in South Philly rioting for three straight days, surviving on a steady diet of beer and violence. The city of Chicago deserve this cup about as much as the Native Americans deserved murderous, greedy European settlers landing on the beaches of Plymouth.

City of Pain has long been known (and usually will be) for reporting and propogating despair and athlete hate. It’s in our blood, sorry. This website exists and was founded in 2007 because we needed a way to vocalize our anger. Like most things in life, it’s easier to focus on what isn’t working than what is.

This is one proverbial stitch in time that deserves our recognition.

Let me (and not the slouches at Philly.com who will continue to post us on their blogroll) be the first to say that the 2009-2010 Philadelphia Flyers will go down as one of the most important teams in the history of Philadelphia sports. The lessons of playing when it matters most and never giving up have frankly moved me more than I thought. Believing in the concept of destiny has never been what this city was about. We should have been the capital of the country (have fun with that DC) and were once the forefront of America in every sense of the word (good luck with that NYC, hope nothing ever bad happens to you…oh wait), but we’ve gotten over that. We have remained true to what we are, and that is a city which simply wants to fight and win. If you give us that (see Rocky I), we’ll love you forever, no matter what the result may be. Rarely we win, and often we lose.

There have been teams that have conjured up these same emotions. The 2001 Sixers, the 2005 Eagles, the 1987 Flyers, and the 1993 Phillies. Dates, names, seasons, it’s all the same bullshit. I often dream that any of these teams could have held a championship banner, but then I feel guilty depriving a seven year old Ivory Coast(ian?) boy of his 1997 Flyers Stanley Cup Championship t-shirt and the tears start falling. Those teams just couldn’t get the job done, and unfortunately, always as the underdogs. In a way these teams hold as much, if not more, mysticism than the championship teams. There is something about wondering what could have been that makes what wasn’t, more attractive.

I’d like to be the first person to welcome this season’s Flyers to the pantheon of teams that will never die in our blackened, bitter hearts. Honestly. With the exception of the 1993 Phils, I refuse to believe this city wanted a championship as bad as we did with this team. And again with the exception of the 1993 Phils, this is the only instance where I will be PROUD to wear a conference championship t-shirt acknowledging your accomplishments. I don’t give a fuck whether you were a #7 seed or a negative 20 seed….you gave it your best effort (except that last goal….i, i, what goal, i don’t know what you’re talking about?) We will never forget that.

The only thing I have to say to this team is this: keep your eyes on the FUCKING prize. The crowd, the parade, the Cup. Fraudulent or not, have you seen how this city all of a sudden rallied around you like you were the 1980 Olympic USA hockey team? There is a very logical reason you were so successful at home in the playoffs. However you want to quantify why you had the advantages you did, so be it. If you want to increase the chances of getting deeper in the playoffs you obviously know that it starts with more games at home, which ultimately means you need to take care of your shit during the regular season. You won’t be seeing too many 7-8 matchups in the Conference Finals FYI.

WE ARE PROUD OF YOU.

There is nothing at all wrong with finishing to a slightly more talented team. Afterall, Chicago is famous for many things: slaughtering the Chippewa Indians, being the forefather of American racial divide with the 1919 race riots where you drowned an African-American teenager on the South Side beach and set off the next 100 years of racism, and invented a”pizza” that tastes like fucking shit.

When the odds for game six opened on Monday, the Flyers were a -125 home favorite. This was a little shocking considering they have won seven straight home games in the playoffs and manhandled the Blackhawks in game four in Philly. A must win game, in front of arguably the best crown in the entire NHL, against a goalie who has not lost a game at home, and playing against a city that just publicly humiliated the best defensive player in the entire league.  I’m not buying it.

So what are the odds today? Vegas basically has the game dead even at -110 and -105 in most places. So not only were the Flyers a slight favorite in the beginning, but the line movement is telling us that the smart money has been pouring in on Chicago. The only thing that could possibly make this happen is believing Chicago is a superior team after a relatively easy game for them in game five. Other than that….you got me.

What the hell is this bullshit?

It’s never good to have any player be a -5 for a game because, at a minimum, your team gave up five goals. It’s a fucking disaster when your best defenseman is a -5 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup. It’s the worst plus-minus rating he’s ever had in a game. EVER. It’s hard to wrap your brain around how that could happen at such a pivotal moment. Here are couple reasons why it’s not all Pronger’s fault:

Goaltending: Michael Leighton, awful. Brian Boucher, awful. They had some flashes where they were getting some good saves, but it was mostly positioning not actual reaction (I’m sure someone who played goalie could tell me what percentage of being a good goalie is each trait…but positioning is only as good as the first shot). I think back to the early second period when the Blackhawks kept shooting into the mess in front of the Flyers net. Everything bounced out, but who knows off of what. Not even Boucher probably knows.

Matt Carle: Hot Carle was trying to be a hero and join the rush a little too much, even with the Flyers down 3 then 2 goals. It’s tough to gamble quite so much so early in the game because that next goal against is an absolute killer.

Chris Pronger: Perhaps Chris Pronger was Chris Pronger’s problem. He had a target on his back the whole night. He played old and worn down, like when he made a hit from Byfuglien look worse than it was by looking like a giraffe on skates. Maybe the 30 minutes of ice time a game was catching up with him, maybe not. The Blackhawks got energy from beating up on him and seemingly from scoring against him. They smelled blood.

Cute Passing: The Flyers tried to start their breakouts with cute passes out of the zone. Little touch passes and redirects. Rather than clear the zone, they wanted to recreate the OT winner…four guys tic-tac-toeing the puck up the ice for an easy goal. Guess what? Not on the road. Not on that shitty ice surface (seriously, what the fuck Chicago? Why is it 7 degrees warmer in your building?) And not against a team that forechecks like that. Stop dicking around and dump it in.

All that being said, I have some faith in this team recovering. It’s hard not to after all they’ve been through already. But they have to play smarter (looking at you Scott Hartnell, doing your best Dan Carcillo impression) and get back to physical play and shot blocking. It’s how they won games 3 and 4, and it’s how they’re going to win game 6.

And….the Flyers are back. Holy shit are we actually going to win this thing? This team is unreal right now.

In other news, Fox 29 is reporting that a shitload of Flyers fans are going to attack the Blackhawks team bus in Center City today. The thing that I don’t get is why Chicago is even still here. Shouldn’t they have flown back last night after we whipped their asses, dominated them for the third straight game, took back the entire momentum of the series, and once again shut down their top line? Just a thought.

So out of the blue in these playoffs Scott Hartnell has somehow learned how to play hockey at a high level again. Five goals, eight assists in 20 playoff games, and a seemingly unlimited energy source every time he is out there. Who knows why he decided to wait until the playoffs to wake up, but you won’t hear us complaining.

The guy totally dropped off the face of the planet this season. Scoring 30 goals last season, Hartnell only managed to score 14 this year.  Since the 2003-04 season with Nashville, Hartnell’s goal output was 18, 25, 22, 24, 30….and then this season happened. His assists remained consistent with last year (30), but the guy was taking shit penalties the whole year and looked like he didn’t have a clue what was happening on the ice. Maybe he was just part of an underachieving team in general, but rumors of a divorce from his wife Lisa pretty much sealed the deal for me.

Lisa is pretty hot. She looks like she should be living in a cottage in the mountains of Belgium milking goats and sowing tablecloths out of unicorn hair. Maybe the allure of dating a professional athlete clouded her vision from seeing she was marrying Carrot Top minus the steroids and plastic surgery. Or maybe she started banging Jeff Carter (allegedly). Either way, it had to be quite a year for Scotty going from Lisa to rotten bar slags in Old City each night.

At this point I’m still not sure the Flyers won that game because it felt like they should have given up about three goals in OT alone. Jesus Christ. I don’t think I even enjoy watching these games at this point. Is this what playoff hockey is about because my internal organs feel like they went 12 rounds with an enraged Tonya Harding after every goddam game. No wonder every Canadian male between the ages of 13-71 is a pathetic alcoholic.

Chris Pronger on the ice for 32:07? Is that a typo? The guy is like the T-1000, except less of a pussy.

Hockey is a weird sport. It’s almost like if the Flyers can win game 4, the series is all of a sudden theirs to lose.  And with the full growth of all of these playoff beards, who knew there were so many gingers in the NHL? It’s like an epidemic. Can someone please notify the Department of Homeland Security…we’re being invaded by fire hobbits.

So we’re still alive kids. The Flyers managed to find a way  to win a game that had me more excited than Miley Cyrus in the Knicks’ locker room. It wasn’t always pretty. Michael Leighton still scares me sometimes, sort of like every other Flyers goalie since Hextall (the early years). Consistent puck pressure was harder  to find than a Blackhawks fan in the crowd. And not stopping for a replay for 1:45 was about the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. Who made up that rule? BP?

Things to watch for in Game 4:

Orange You Going to Wear That? – You got a free t-shirt. You knew damn well that you we’re going to. Yet you wear some shade of orange that is more butternut squash and less orange. You look like a retard. Put on the damn free shirt so we look a little better on TV.

Just Like NKOTB, Danny is a Big Loser – I noticed this early in the 3rd. Lots of Leino. No Carcillo. Thank god. The whole team was hitting and flying around. We didn’t need a loose cannon with his pre-pubescent facial hair and utter lack of hockey IQ. Strike 1 was the BS charge call. Strike 2 was the hideous turnover. Coach, please leave him on the bench. Bring back JVR, or just keep double shifting players like Leino, Asham, Powe, etc.

Planet Fitness – This is around the time in the series that the Bruins started tiring from the pace the Flyers have been playing with. There were certainly signs of this becoming a factor for Chicago next game. You saw it in the weak change that led to Giroux’s goal. I think we’re going to see some more Friday. Thanks to Laviolette, this team is in superior shape. As of right now, the man is a fucking genius and I’d almost put him on the top of the Philly coaching list based on the Phillies’ slide.

We don’t often delve into the world of seriousness here on CoP, but when you talk about dead athletes who cares? Many people under the age of 30 who have lived in Philadelphia and followed the Flyers may have heard of Pelle Lindbergh every so often. Many people probably know that he died. City of Pain wants everyone to take a walk down memory lane and show who this mystical, and often forgotten, Philadelphia sports legend was.

From www.theloveofsports.com writer C.G. Morelli:

“He was the last piece of the puzzle for a team, and a city, that had their hearts set on hoisting another Stanley Cup. He was a savage acrobat, a new-age Bernie Parent and, with his signature full-face hockey mask, he was a possible stunt double for Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th. Tragically, it was on a drive home from the Flyers’ practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. that ended it all for the great Pelle Lindbergh.

Pelle was only five years old when he learned how to skate on an iced-over soccer field just south of Stockholm, Sweden. By the time he was seven, his agility had already been recognized by Swedish national coach Curre Lindstrom, who urged Lindbergh to begin playing organized hockey in the Hammarby Youth League.  It was at this early stage that young Pelle began formulating a plan for himself, and he wasn’t shy about it. As a 10-year-old boy, he had already discovered his talent as a net-minder and vowed to his friends that someday he’d become the greatest goalie in the world. By the time Pelle was 12, he was playing for Hammarby’s traveling pee wee team, which routinely made trips to Leningrad and Moscow, and even Canada. It was on a trip to Toronto where he further solidified his living blueprint.

While all his teammates were soaking in the classic confines of Maple Leaf Garden, wearing newly-purchased items all embroidered with the hallowed blue leaf, Pelle took the road less traveled. He, instead, went to the souvenir shop and purchased a black and orange jersey with a curious insignia sewn to the front. It was the first time he’d ever wear a Philadelphia Flyers jersey, but certainly not the last. Pelle never played a game thereafter without the Flyers’ logo stamped somewhere on his helmet. He wore it throughout the ‘70s as he minded net for the Swedish Junior Nationals, where he played alongside future NHLers Thomas Eriksson, Hakan Sodergren and Mats Naslund.

In 1975, Pelle was named the best junior goalie in Sweden, and in 1978 led his team, Smakrongorna, to the Junior League championship. After the tournament, when asked why he wore a curious black and orange logo on his helmet, he told spectators simply, “I’m going to play for the Philadelphia Flyers.” Of course, most people scoffed at Pelle’s early prediction.  It would be hard enough just to make it to the NHL, but it would take all kinds of luck to land on one of the league’s elite teams.

But that luck would come.

In the 1979 draft, the Flyers selected Lindbergh, to the surprise of many. Before reporting to the Flyers, Pelle was selected to compete for Sweden at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, where he managed to bring home a bronze medal. The Swedes were the only squad who didn’t lose to the Miracle on Ice team.

That summer, Lindbergh reported to Flyers training camp to begin learning the North American style of goaltending from long-time idol Bernie Parent. With Parent’s tutelage, Pelle developed amazing quickness and led Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Portland to the Calder Cup. The team didn’t bring home the championship, but Lindbergh made a name for himself in a big way by bringing home an armful of hardware. He had won the Red Garrett Award as Rookie of the Year, the Hap Holmes Award for the best goaltender and the Les Cunningham award as the AHL’s MVP.

But for the next few years, Pelle was up and down between the big club and the AHL. He was inconsistent and, at one point, even asked to be traded from the team he once dreamed of playing for. In 1985, however, his dream finally took shape. The Flyers traded goalie Pete Peeters for defenseman Brad McCrimmon, officially paving the way for Lindbergh. This time he made the most of his opportunity, leading the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals against Edmonton with a sparkling GAA of 3.02 and a record of 40-17-7.

The Flyers weren’t able to overcome the play of Wayne Gretzky, but the fans of Philadelphia were uplifted by the future promise of their team with Lindbergh at the helm. At season’s end, he was awarded the prestigious Vezina Trophy to go along with his first-team All-NHL designation. He had become one of the NHL’s biggest stars almost overnight. In ‘85-’86, the Flyers picked up right where they left off. They shot out to a 6-2 start. Lindbergh was doing his best impression of Bernie Parent in goal, and the outlook was good for a team that was generally regarded as one of the tops in the NHL. The quick start was reason enough for coach Mike Keenan to reward his players with a rare, early-season night off.

Pelle and a few others went out for the evening, eventually finishing off the night with a few drinks at a lounge inside the Coliseum, which is the Flyers’ practice facility in New Jersey. In the early hours of the morning, he and two passengers set off in his new Porsche. He never noticed the sharp, winding curve in the road which culminated in a set of concrete school house steps, until it was too late. The two passengers survived the crash with minor injuries, but Pelle was not so lucky. He was declared brain dead a few hours later at John F. Kennedy Hospital. Two days later, after seeing no change in their son’s condition, his parents were faced with the ultimate decision. They elected to stop the respirator and spare Pelle any further suffering.

And with that, the fortunes of a future NHL legend were erased … but not from the minds of his teammates, his favorite hockey club, or the millions of fans from the Philadelphia area who had quickly grown to love their adopted Swedish son.

To them, somewhere in the backs of their minds, there will always be a lightning fast goaltender in a Friday the 13th mask making heart-stopping glove saves. To them, the memories of Pelle’s one shining season will never be lost.”

If you get a chance, go to the official site of Pelle and read about him.

The thing that really grabs me the most after reading all of this, is that you really get the sense that he would have been an absolutely amazing goaltender for many years. He had it. He was an All-Star and a Vezina Trophy winner. He was already one of the best in the league when he died, and who knows how much better he would have gotten. He was a flashy goalie with a lifestyle that included a Mercedes and a customized Porsche. He won the hearts of Philadelphia fans, whose cheers of “Pel-le, Pel-le, Pel-le”, regularly filled the Spectrum. Due to Pelle’s death, the Flyers moved on to a guy named Ron Hextall eventually. Crazy shit.

Although the Flyers never officially retired Pelle’s jersey (#31), no Flyer has ever worn that number to this day. The picture below shows all you need to know about Pelle. His teammates loved him. My guess is there isn’t a day that goes by where they don’t think about him.

One year ago, Jeff Carter was a good, but not great, player for the Philadelphia Flyers. He was sort of bunched in with Mike Richards and other former Philadelphia Phantoms who were supposed to be the youth movement for our young team. He’s been living in the shadows of Mike Richards and Simon Gagne even though Carter was the Flyers first round draft pick in 2003, being selected 11th overall. He showed glimpses of potential, but nothing more. Shit, at the beginning of last year people were creaming their jockeys talking about the potential of players like Joffrey Lupul, Scottie Upshall, and newcomer Danny Briere. Jeff Carter was on the outside looking in, with nowhere to really go. Does anyone remember the name of the player, right before last year’s trade deadline, that was being thrown around in every possible trade scenario involving the team? Yep, Jeff Carter. Let’s not overreact here though…. The guy was only 23 and still a few years away from starting the potential prime of his career, but he wasn’t producing. We didn’t need a Jeff Carter anymore because we already had five of the same player.

Then, sometime during the month of May last season, Jeff Carter transformed. He became a fucking rapist monster in the playoffs, finishing with six goals and five assists in 17 games. Not bad for a team who spreads the wealth around and produced zero offense during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Penguins. Something tells me that if Sidney Crosby wasn’t having his period during that series Jeff Carter would have raped him too. He’s 6’4″ and probably hung like a beluga whale.

His career stats are as follows:

Year        GP   G   A   Pts
2005-06    81  23  19   42
2006-07    62  14  23   37 
2007-08    82  29  24   53 
2008-09    19  14   4    18
 
Totals:     244  80  70  150

I hate projections, but right now Jeff Carter is on pace to finish with 61 goals, 16 assists, and 77 points this season (not including playoffs). Looking at his career thus far and assuming improvement, you can expect Carter to have at least 25 assists to go along with his 50-55 goals. Through 19 games he’s already halfway to his career high for goals in a season. Something has changed. 

It’s unfortunate that he’s going to have to contend with ugly Eastern European players like Malkin and Ovechkin, and Canadian closet homosexuals like Sidney Crosby for the MVP, but right now keep Carter on your radar. Something special is happening. 

The Flyers have finally done the right thing concerning their alternate jerseys. They went back to the championship days. Name plate, electric orange, and a larger logo. Awesome. This is what they will be wearing this season as their alternate jerseys and they should be commended for it. A work of art really. I’m almost speechless actually.

Not that I mind the alternate jersey they’ve been using off and on for he past 5 years, but this new look is in a whole other realm.

So this begs the question: since retro is so fucking cool, why haven’t the other teams decided to do it? I keep seeing the new Elton Brand ads where he’s wearing the early 80s Sixers unis, but it’s not their main jersey. Even when they had his first press conference he held up this same jersey for the cameras.

What about this Sixers jersey? This is the greatest of all time. Why not wear this shit? Even I’d buy one fully knowing that only wiggers wear basketball jerseys.

And why aren’t Eagles using a cool retro like the ones they wore in the early 1980s? Or even the Reggie White era kelly greens, silver pants, with black shoes? Can I please work for the Eagles marketing department and tell them how to make some money. It’s simple.

Let’s just quietly try to forget the Phils game last night and focus on more positive things around here….like Flyers hockey! Hey maybe they can win a game one of these days. I mean Jesus Christ.  Yes, it’s still early, but half of all the experts on ESPN, CNNSI, Hockey News, you name it, have the Flyers at least reaching the conference finals. This makes their 0-3-3 start especially frightening. Do they even play defense anymore? There are guys on the team who I’ve never heard of before in my life. Arguably in the hardest division in hockey, the Flyers are already 10 points behind the first place Rangers, and have the worst record in the NHL. Great.

Doesn’t get any easier tonight with a trip to New Jersey against the 5-1 Devils.  The last time the Flyers won there, I think Gerald Ford was president. They own us. If the Flyers don’t start getting some wins, changes will come and they will come fast.

“i’m gonna drop that puck on saturday you betcha. gonna see if i can riley cote to beat up levi for knocking up bristol. also. that marty beeron is sorta mavericky. i wonder if he’d my ambassador to all those frenchie canadians who don’t say eh? like i do. also. do you think they ever put moose in a cheesesteak? that would be delish.”

so the flyers season starts saturday night at home against the dreaded new york rangers and the even more dreaded (by some of us) sarah palin is dropping the puck as part of ed snider’s promotion to find amurica’s best hockey mom. although by the looks of things, he’s already found her and he can’t wait for all the secret service to go away so she come up to see the “69th floor” of the comcast building:

as far as, you know, the actual hockey season, i’m feeling like we’re going to easily make the playoffs and probably face off against pittsburgh again. and without hossa, we win. 

claude giroux for president!

and so, it ends. this flyers team was a good team. it had talent and scrap and edge. it also took dumb penalties and got in horrible streaks that it couldn’t pull out of fast enough. but enough about this season…let’s take a look ahead like all philadelphia sports losers like to do. 

Unrestricted Free Agents

Jim Dowd
Riley Cote
Vaclav Prospal
Jason Smith
Rory Fitzpatrick
Jaroslav Modry

Other than Prospal, no big deal losing all of them…which we might have to do because

Restricted Free Agents

RJ Umberger
Jeff Carter
Patrick Thoresen
Stefan Ruzicka
Ryan Potulny
Randy Jones
Nate Guenin

well, in a perfect world, you’d like to keep all these guys. but i think carter and jones come first. umberger and thoresen have a lot of potential, but at some point, we’re going to run out of cap space. we pick up 4 million in space or so from the list above, another 2 for vinny and another 3.5 if mike rathje officially retires. that should go a long way to getting these guys signed. there are a lot of players out there on the market this summer, but i fully expect holmgren to tweak rather than tear down. 

good season fellas. don’t go gambling with rick tocchet this summer.

Reports are that we may see both Coburn and Timmonen back for Game 5.  Does this change anything?  Maybe.  Does it mean we have a shot to win two games in Pittsburgh, a place where they have won 15 straight?  Doubtful.

Sunday should be interesting though.  A win then suddenly makes this series interesting.  Real interesting.

With the Flyers on the verge of a sweep, it’s time to step back and put this all into perspective here.  Since the Sixers raised their championship trophy back on May 31, 1983, there have been 96 successive team seasons ended without a championship (this is taking into  consideration there was no World Series in 1994 and no Stanley Cup in 2005).  96. This time next year we will be celebrating the 100th straight season ended without a trophy.  It is hard to grasp to be perfectly honest with you.  There are probably cities such as Cleveland who have more consecutive losing seasons than Philadelphia, but let’s be frank here, nobody gives a shit about Cleveland.  Even Cleveland doesn’t care about Cleveland. Jesus doesn’t care about Cleveland.

This Flyers season isn’t over officially, but them coming back to win this series is about as likely as Brett Myers not growing double D tits by August. And it’s painful. We started to believe that maybe this team was capable of going all the way.  They were underdogs in two series, and won both.  They were 5-3 vs. the Penguins this season (4-0 at home) and we saw hope.  We knew the Penguins were hot, we knew they had two great players in Malkin and Crosby, but we didn’t care because we knew deep down that Sidney Crosby is a closet homosexual.  We knew he loved men.  Shaved European men like the ones who first introduced him to the dark and painful world of anal sex back during his overseas trip in Junior hockey. We had a chance, and we ended up being the ones bent over a sink, screaming instead. 

Is there hope anymore? Does hope keep us alive or does it prolong our agony?  Rooting for these teams is like having terminal cancer.  You hope the cure comes and you stay strong mentally….but deep down you know you’re going to die someday, in pain, and trophyless.

Just one more small post about this amazing series.  Bitch all you want about hitting the post, outshooting us every game, or whatever else you need to tell yourselves to make you feel better, Montreal fans.  When you go to bed at night just think about this Scottie Upshall deflection that ended your overrated season.  Thanks for playing.  Next.

it’s on now bitches. i’m hoping for flyers in six, but it really comes down to biron vs. fleury, so who the hell knows?

Game 1: Friday: Flyers at Penguins
Game 2: Sunday: Flyers at Penguins
Game 3: Tuesday, May 13: Penguins at Flyers
Game 4: Thursday, May 15: Penguins at Flyers
*Game 5: Sunday, May 18: Flyers at Penguins
*Game 6: Tuesday, May 20: Penguins at Flyers
*Game 7: Thursday, May 22: Flyers at Penguins 

Close your Eyes.  The Flyers have got a big suprise.  Bye bye Montreal you French Canadian homos.

Same old story.  Flyers go up 2-0, Flyers blow the lead, Flyers win.  I’m actually somewhat encouraged by this because getting an early lead in a playoff game is never a bad thing.  I guess it’s better than climbing back from an 0-2 deficit every night. 

And Biron.  He has been the hero of these playoffs, and he is making this team even better.  It’s time for the Flyers to finish these guys off and move one step closer to the Cup.  It is time.  It’s Marty’s time.

The Flyers pulled one out of their asses last night, and if they continue to play like a bunch of pussies and get out-shot and out-hustled almost every game, then Montreal is going to come back and win this series. No doubt. The Flyers absolutely need to stay out of the penalty box and they need to continue to hit for SIXTY MINUTES, not forty. They have Montreal right where they want them, on the ropes. Land the knockout punch in Game 4 and these pathetic French fucks go home on their last legs. The Canadians will head across their fraudulent border with the same confidence that a 19 year old girl has during her first morning walk home from a frat sleepover. Confused, hazy, trembling, bleeding……

Of Montreal.  Seriously. 

Did the Flyers completely blow that game last night?  Pretty much.  Was Kovalev’s first goal a bad call by the refs?  I’m not sure.  Was that a penalty on Richards at the end of regualtion?  I think so.  Should the refs have kept their whistles in their pockets like they do 99% of the time in playoff third periods?  Probably. 

It’s ok though, because I’m not scared of Montreal.  I now know that if the Flyers can steal Game 2, this series is going to be a good one.  How can it not?  All I hear is how the Flyers were 0-4 against Montreal this season.  Yea, well Boston was 0-8 against Montreal and they just went the full seven games in their series.  If I’m Montreal right now I’m counting my blessings that Jeff Carter’s stick broke on that face off, and that league officials in Toronto were kind enough to give you a borderline high-sticking goal.  If the Flyers can stay out of the penalty box this series, they can beat this team.

Without stating the obvious, I’m starting to get the feeling that this Flyers team is coming together at the right time.  The chemistry just seems to be there.  I look at the four games they’ve lost so far in the playoffs and I see THREE games in which they led 2-0, and another game in which they were down 2-1 in the third and were playing like dog shit.    Their balance and their goaltending is going to keep this team alive. 

Oh yea, and Fuck Canada!

If the Flyers hadn’t pulled that game out, I would have been even more angry at the fact that I had to clean shit out of my underwear after the game. Thank you Joffrey Lupul. Thank You. And to all those classy Caps fans who threw shit on the ice after your team grabbed their ankles and let the Flyers ass rape your season from you, enjoy the summer. I love how Philly fans continually get the ‘worst fans in sports’ label while DC ass-clowns throw pizza boxes on the ice and nothing is said.

And fuck you NHL for making Game 1 of the Montreal series tomorrow night. The Penguins won their series 4-0, and the Rangers won their series three days ago. Wouldn’t the logical choice be to take the two teams (Flyers and Canadians) who just went a full seven games, and give them an extra day of rest? And to make matters worse, at least Montreal played their Game 7 at home and will have an extra day’s rest over the Flyers. A total disgrace.

It is happening again.

The feeling of doom has officially blanketed the city of Philadelphia once again. We’re going to lose tonight, and we’re going to blow another 3-1 series lead to a team that we’re probably better than. It’s just going to happen. I think I’m going to vomit blood. Blowing a two goal lead for the second time this series is bad enough, but blowing the game last night at home is completely unacceptable. They fell asleep. They stopped hitting. They stopped skating. They stopped playing.

Something the Flyers (and every other team in Philadelphia over the past quarter century) still haven’t learned is that when you have your opponent on the ropes, you knock them the fuck out. You put your foot on their throat and you press down harder. The Caps are down 2-0 with 17 minutes left in the second period, with their season on the line, and you don’t think they are going to go all out and make one last gasp attempt to salvage their season? They were a desparate team, and the Flyers began to play like the game was already over. Fucking pathetic.

So now the Flyers have to go on the road for a Game 7, in an arena that is dying for a win, and against a team that is hungrier and just happens to have the best player on the planet. And close your ears Flyers fans: Marty Biron is 0-5 with a 5.95 Goals Against Average and a .822 save percentage in back-to-back games this year.

The city of pain will live up to it’s name tonight. Pack your bags John Stevens.

I found it amazing that only a handful of ‘experts’ picked the Flyers to beat the Caps before this series started.  Gee, I mean I guess when a team has a top 10 power play and penalty kill, seven 20 goal scorers, more depth, and more points during the season than their opponent, they should definitely be the underdog.  Yea, makes sense to me.  It must have been all that playoff experience the Capitals have had in recent years that pushed them over the edge.  Please.

I’d sit here and tell you (knowing full well that the Flyers should be up 3-0 in this series) that the series is over and that the Caps have no shot of winning a single game in Philadelphia, but I’m having flashbacks of the cheap shot put on Kimmo Timonen last night and a small amount of fear consumes me.  If we don’t have Timonen in to blanket Ovechkin, we have a serious problem.  If we don’t have Timonen, you can expect what you saw Ovechkin doing in the final five minutes of last night’s game to happen for an entire game.  And we don’t want that.

And what we also don’t want is bullshit officiating like we witnessed last night.  The calls that were made were horrendous (the goalie interference call, the matching penalties called after Huet cross checked Briere from behind three feet from the official, the goal allowed after it was touched by a high stick) and the calls, like the Ovechkin dive, that weren’t made were equally as bad.  The league wants a Crosby-Ovechkin matchup next round so badly it’s nauseating.   I can’t figure it out though….who would want to watch a Russian sniper go head to head with a homosexual? 

And a note to all Capitals fans:  we don’t hate you like we hate Rangers fans or Devils fans, and it’s not even that close really.  You don’t have any players we really hate, and you aren’t a big rival of ours anymore.  You have one of the best jerseys in the league, yet you reside in one of the worst cities in America, Washington DC (or even scarier, Maryland) and that makes us sad for you.  In fact, should you come back and beat us in the series, we’ll probably end up rooting for you…..but, for now understand this very clearly.  You’re not going to beat us no matter how many cheap shots you get away with and no matter how much bullshit the refs let you get away with.  Each successive game you play in our building will be louder and more difficult to prevail in.   The more power plays you give us, the more we will score.  Every time you fall behind in the game it becomes that much harder to get even.  Your lack of depth is being exposed right in front of your very eyes.  So get ready.

And one more thing.  I suggest you teach your goalie to cover the short side because we burned you last night for four goals in that very spot.   

well, i don’t think anyone saw this coming. both the flyers and sixers have clinched berths in playoffs for the first time together since the 2002-2003 seasons. at the start of their seasons, you probably would have gotten better odds on them both finishing last in their divisions than both making the playoffs.

the sixers seem to have the stronger team, at least on momentum alone. problem is, that unlike hockey, there are some great teams at the top of the conference that the sixers will likely have to face. and if they don’t get a great team, they get a great player, either dwight howard or lebron. the cavs still remind me a little of the early jordan-era bulls. the supporting cast is a steaming pile of mediocrity, that without lebron, would have trouble matching with the heat or the knicks.

the flyers, on the other hand, are limping their way into the playoffs. they could finish anywhere for sixth to eighth at this point. that means montreal, pittsburgh or likely washington. if washington loses and carolina sneaks in, we want the hurricanes like bob clarke wants his job back. if not, i want no part of washington because huet’s been playing well and ovechkin is a beast that could single-handedly beat this team. they don’t have much line depth, so maybe we’d have a chance. in the end, there’s no team to beat in the east and, like always, a hot goalie can win you a round or two. watch marty tomorrow for signs of him standing on his head.

we’re excited here at city of pain for the double-playoff spring…just because it distracts us from the phillies bullpen and thoughts of self-mutilation. i’m thinking one of them gets out of the first round, but i’m not making a prediction until i see who’s on the other bench.

For the majority of the game last night the Flyers skated around the rink with the vitality of Laci Peterson. Not hustling, not winning the 50/50 battles, and generally not caring. I’m not sure what happened during the second intermission, maybe John Stevens played “Blood, Sweat, and Cheers: The Story of the 1986-87 Philadelphia Flyers” for a couple of minutes to get the guys pumped (or maybe he played a clip of Anal Island 4 to show the boys what the rest of the world had just witnessed the previous two periods), but regardless, the team responded in dramatic fashion, winning the game and putting themselves closer to a playoff spot. Mike Richards is God. No, seriously. And let’s all give Daniel Briere his credit. The guy is playing like a fucking animal.

Five games left, four points up on the #8 seed (and three points out of the #4 seed), the Flyers are close. The dream scenario has them sneaking into the #6 seed and playing Carolina while the rest of the conference rapes each other. The nightmare scenario shows two games left against the Devils and Penguins each, the Flyers losing all of them, and either missing the playoffs or getting powerblasted by Montreal in the first round. Five games left, the Flyers need at least five points to stay out of the #8 seed. Can we please win one at New Jersey? Doing that may give the team all the confidence they still need.

there’s nothing that makes me happier than a good hockey fight. i had the honor of being at flyers/penguins earlier this year when two hat tricks were scored. was that awesome in and of itself? of course. when the “where’s crosby?” start at the end of the game, did i get the giggles like a young homosexual watching american idol? you bet. but what really made that the best game ever was the amount of fights and glimmer of hope that a goalie fight was in the cards.last night against the tampa bay devil lightening, there were some fights and some throat slashing gestures and enough f bombs to make steve coates blush. and we won thanks to the new mike richards, jeff carter.but the moment that shall live on forever is the video above where riley cote lands a clean left that would make a klitschko brother proud. and yes, andre roy may have a right to be miffed that he only had one arm free, but i don’t see the marquis of queensbury lacing up his skates anytime soon. guess what, bro, it’s a fight not a square dance. if you’re not ready to fight, don’t just stand there like a douchebag. and maybe next time, don’t let the guy grab your jersey. have fun being suspended for the throat slashing gesture too genius.

City of Pain is proud to present its top four teams, in order, that are most likely to hoist the next trophy. Have no fear though, we don’t see any team winning anything within the next 80 years so this list is completely meaningless considering anyone reading this will be dead by the time any of this happens. Unless they have HDTV in hell, in which case most of us will get to watch our teams in between getting branded with an iron by some big devil monster like the one in “Legend” while his vampire troll assistants vomit acid on our skin, we’re screwed. Grab your ankles because here we go!

FLYERS – Hard to believe the Flyers would make the top of the list considering just a year ago they had the worst record in the NHL. Well, it’s true. The funny thing is that if you asked this question anytime over the last 20 years, the majority of people would also have the Flyers at the top. The Flyers are the next champion for two obvious reasons: First, they have an unbelievably young and talented roster that should be able to stay intact for the next five years minimum. We’re specifically talking about Richards (22), Carter(23), Lupul(24), Umberger(25), Hartnell(25), Coburn(22), Upshall(24), Kukkonen(26), and Gagne (27). Many of these players are playing together for the first time this year and already look pretty cohesive. Secondly, hockey is the one sport out of the four majors where a #5+ seed can win it all. Just two years ago in the playoffs, after the first round the Eastern Conference had its #1, 2, 3, and 4 seeds remaining, while the West had its #5, 6, 7, and 8 seeds remaining. If a team gets hot in the playoffs they can win it. The other obvious reason that the Flyers have an advantage is that they always attempt to put the best product on the ice year in and year out. This is evident in the fact that they have been to more Finals (three) and more Conference Championships (seven) since 1983 than any other Philly team. The Flyers have also only missed the playoffs eight times in their 40 years of existence. We don’t care what anyone says, the three other Philadelphia teams accept losing more than the Flyers do.

PHILLIES – It’s hard to put a team that has won one world championship in 120+ years of existence in the #2 spot here, but it’s the right call. Without getting caught up in last year’s playoff appearance, the Phils have a young enough nucleus to stay competitive over the next 5-7 years. We know where they are strong and who their playmakers are, but what we don’t know is what their long term plan is going to be. We still do not know how they plan on addressing third base (either this year or next), another solid B+ starter to go with Hamels, Myers, Kendrick, and hopefully one of our minor league prospects (Carrasco, Savory, Drabek, Outman), or who their Manager, General Manager, and owners will be in three years. We know nothing. The positives remain our long term viability at SS, 2B, 1B, CF, and hopefully two starters in Hamels and Kendrick. The negatives are always going to be the half assed moves we make every year to acquire the remaining pieces of the puzzle, and until that philosophy is replaced with a desire to spend a little more cash, we may be looking at a franchise that is ok with remaining on the second tier of baseball’s elite forever

EAGLES – You didn’t think we were actually going to put the Sixers here did you? What can even be said about this football team? They are so old in some areas and so young in others. Half the locker room has the average age of the cast of High School Musical while the other half has the average age of the cast of Cocoon 2. Probably not a good mix in the long run. Like the Flyers, the Eagles play in a sport where you can get hot at the right time of the year and conceivably win a Super Bowl, but like the Phillies, the Eagles often seem to never want to hit the home run in free agency. Some may argue this point (see the acquisitions of Runyan and T.O.), while some may see the passing over bigger name players (Moss, Muhammad, Porter, Mason, Jordan, to name a few) over the years. Some moves would have worked, some would not have. The Eagles slip below the Phillies for the simple reason that they have too many players that are past their prime and/or have injury issues (McNabb, Sheppard, Dawkins, Akers, Spikes) and a few players, namely Westbrook, who are currently in their prime who can help us win now, but don’t have the team around them to go all the way. The historical factor? The Eagles don’t exactly have the most stellar record in big games. And will they ever win a championship under this coaching staff? Factor in the fact that within two years they are handing the ball over to a brand new quarterback and this team comes in at #3 on this list.

SIXERS – If the Philadelphia Soul, Phantoms, or Kixx were considered major teams we’d put all of them above the Sixers at this point. Actually we’d have to exclude the the Phantoms and the Kixx since they have both won championships within the past three years. We can talk about the roster moves the Sixers are making, the cap space they are clearing, the new GM they have hired, the young talent they have currently, all of that….. but let’s be honest here. The Sixers have no shot at a title within the next five years minimum, and that’s being generous. Watching their games now is like viewing a beheading video. Watching Samuel Dalembert flop around the court, half of the time not knowing where he is, what basket he’s shooting at, or what color jersey his teammates are wearing is embarrassing. Anybody notice every time this asshole jumps for a ball he has to pull up his pants up when he lands? Can someone teach him how to tie the string on his shorts so he can pay more attention to the game? Jesus Christ. Watching Mo Cheeks sit on the bench wishing he was coaching a middle school team with better fundamentals is painful; however, the sole reason that the Sixers don’t stand a chance to win a title is because the NBA is a complete graveyard for teams that aren’t in the upper echelon in the league. If you’re not one of the six best teams in the NBA, you have ZERO chance to win. Think about it. Name one NBA champion over the past 30 years that came out of nowhere to win. Shit, name a team that was an above average team but not an elite team that won it all. You can’t. So until the Sixers get themselves into a #1 or #2 seed in the East, forget about it.

Welcome to City of Pain’s first ever State of the Union address. Sit back, crack open an Icehouse, gather your friends around the computer, smoke some weed/heroin/PCP/crystal meth/ice/crank…whatever you want. You’re going to need it when you actually start thinking about the lifelessness of the Philadelphia sports landscape. There’s more hope in finding Natalie Halloway at this point.

The Eagles

There is a very distinct possibility that the start of the Eagles official free fall happens in New England this weekend (ed note: as opposed to the costly fall of the last 2+ years). When people are doubting your inability to cover a game as opposed to being competitive, you’ve got a serious problem. When every statement about this team begins with “with the exception of the Lions game…”, something is not right.

Out of all four major sports teams in this city, the murkiest future belongs to the Eagles. No one has a clue who’s going to be under center next season, and whether that’s a good thing (Kolb) or a bad thing (McNabb, Feeley), it’s the lack of apparent direction that’s troubling. Something tells me the Eagles have no idea who their quarterback is going to be either. The good news is that the greatest head coach in franchise history doesn’t have two sons who are shooting up heroin, ramming an entire pharmacy’s worth of pills up their salad shooters, parading around with rifles and driving like maniacs, rotting in jail, and not creating any distraction whatsoever for the team.

Thank God as sports fans who shell out hundreds of dollars watching these guys, that none of that is happening right now because it would probably not be good for the team in general. Teams have figured out our offense. Teams have figured out our defense. We don’t have any special teams play for the opponents to worry about, so basically all we have left is a huge home-field advantage playing in an old, dilapidated, loud, out of date, concrete toilet. Oh wait…

The Solution: end the Mcnabb era, draft for defense (corner, safety, DE), get Westbrook some help if you think Tony Hunt can’t do it (we wouldn’t know because they don’t play him for some reason), get a kick returner, change the jerseys back to Kelly green, send Mornigweg, Baskett, and Mahe to Iran, and rebuild the Vet and play there.

The Flyers

Two schools of thought concerning this franchise…first, their success this season in luring good players to last year’s NHL cellar dweller and their success on the ice makes them seem better than they really are when comparing them to last season’s disaster….or secondly, they may actually be a good team capable of consistent play the entire year.

One thing you know is the Flyers are always going to put the best product on the ice. Looking at this season, I see only one team (Ottawa) that is far and away better than us. Are you scared of the Rangers, Penguins, Canadiens, and Hurricanes? Maybe not, but the Flyers are a small losing streak from being on the outside looking in. While they are currently two points out of first place, they are also five points from being out of the top eight in the East. The most positive signs? Special Teams. The Flyers have the #5 ranked power play and #12 penalty kill in the NHL. Success in the NHL these days won’t happen with shit special teams. There have been lapses in play and it could be because they are still learning how to play with each other, but that could also be due to the fact that John Stevens is changing line combinations every four minutes.

The Solution: maintain home ice dominance, get Gagne back completely healthy, and keep special teams consistent. This is a playoff team right now, and you’re most likely looking at the #4 or #5 seed. The goal should be to take the division and hope you’re hot going into the playoffs. The reality is: just make the playoffs. The players love each other, Stevens appears to have their respect, the fans will fill the seats all year, and they have the skill players. Their upside seems limitless at this point.

The Phillies

We’ve spent a lot of time chronicling the Phillies off season moves recently, and they continue to capture the attention of this city six weeks after getting gang-raped by the Rockies (ed note: proving this really is a baseball town in case any of you forgot…it’s hard to remember when they’ve been pissing on our dreams since 1993). The problem with this team is this: they have a hole, both offensively and defensively, at third base and they also need another lefty in the bullpen. The lefty in the bullpen will be addressed. How effectively it will be addressed is a different story.

Everyone knows the Phillies made a push for Mike Lowell, but the rumors surrounding the actual contract numbers are still officially unknown. Lowell’s agent was quoted on Comcast saying that the Phils offer came “too late”. Awesome. Phillies management is like the Illuminati minus the illusions, secrecy, power, and intelligence.

The problem that the Phillies seemingly fall into every year is the fact that they often have too many holes to fill. Last year it was third base, three starting pitchers, and bullpen help. They addressed those holes with Wes Helms, Freddy Garcia, Jon Lieber, Adam Eaton, and nothing in the bullpen and still made the playoffs. How much do you give away to fill the hole at third, and if you don’t, are you targeting someone next year with the mindset that we will do whatever it takes to get him? Are they really going to sign Randy Wolf? What is the mathematical probability that Ruben Amaro Jr. is not our GM after this year? Has everyone forgotten that the Phils would have been sitting home this postseason if that Mets didn’t take a big dump on their season?

The Solution: without giving away Savory, Carrasco, or Outman, fill the void at third. Somehow. Spend money to make money. Kill Eaton. Sell his organs to the Philippines for cash and a free ball boy.

The Sixers

Not even worth of a review. This team is an abortion. If your best player is Andre Iguodola (that’s debatable) then you have SERIOUS problems. When your best attribute is that you ‘play hard’, then I have to question the talent that you are investing in. Honestly, I like Louis Williams. Jason Smith looks like he actually has brains and skill. Thaddeus Young seems to give you decent minutes and effort when he’s in there. After that what do you have?

Kyle Korver? Sammy Dalembert? Willie Green? Please. The Sixers did the right thing in saying they’ll address the Iguodola contract at the end of the year because I think that allows them to explore the possibility of trading him. There is no way this guy deserves a maximum contract. When they traded Iverson away, Iguodola mistakenly thought he was the heir apparent when he and his agent turned down that contract. There is a reason the Sixers are dead last in attendance. Just watch them play some time.

The Solution: trade Miller midseason (ed note: trade him now. he’s lost a step and we need to trade him before the league notices), entertain offers for A.I., teach Korver to play defense, give your rookies more minutes because you aren’t winning anyway, and secure a top five pick through your continued horrible play.

Stay tuned for the State of the Union Part 2, featuring the Philadelphia Soul, Widener Men’s lacrosse, the brief history of the Philadelphia Charge, Fran Dumphy’s mustache, Comcast’s ugliest female broadcaster, and a look back at the Brian Boucher era.

If you look at Briere, Gagne, and even Forsberg, how can you not see the Mike Richards is the one true Flyer? He’s a fighter, he’s a tough guy, he’s a sniper, he’s a hustler, he’s a faceoff machine. He’s going to be one of the favorites of the city for a long time. And he’ll be wearing the C soon (although I have no problem with Jason Smith).

We’ll see what the rest of this year brings, but I’m a lot more excited for the Flyers this year than I have been at any point in the last couple of years. They’ve got balls. Finally.

Taking a look at the Flyers’ overall record (9-6-0), sitting atop the Atlantic division after last year’s complete abortion of a season, you’ve got to be excited. The team, the youth, the speed, and the goal tending….it’s almost impossible for this group to not be dominant in years to come. They are loaded with B+ players. This is a compliment. Briere, Lupul, Carter, Richards, Hartnell, Upshall, Gagne, Umberger, Knuble, Smith, Kapanen, Kukkonen, Coburn….every single one of these players could easily play on a top 3 line on any team in the NHL. So this is why, when I look at what they’ve been able to do this year with so many new players, I am hopeful. I didn’t expect the Flyers organization to accept losing for very long. I don’t think anyone did.

One of the areas in which the Flyers needed drastic improvement was home ice performance. I’m still unsure how they only managed to win a franchise low ten home games last year (10 wins-24 losses-7 OT lossses). Probably because they sucked or something. Even worse, the Flyers even had a better road record then they did home last season. The team with the second worst home ice record was the LA Kings with a 16-16-9. Big difference.

I saw a statistic somewhere (and I’m paraphrasing because I can’t for the life of me find this stat online) that from something like 1972-1992 the Flyers had the best home winning percentage in the NHL. I might have the years off (and if anyone can find this exact stat please post), but I think I’m close.

Flyers Home Record

2000/2001 – 26-11-4-0

2001/2002 – 20-13-5-3

2002/2003 – 21-10-8-2

2003/2004 – 24-11-3-3

2004/2005 – strike season
2005/2006 – 22-13-6

2006/2007 – 10-24-7

Not counting last season, the Flyers home record since 2000 has been 113-58-33-8 (they obviously replaced the tie with the shootout after the strike season). What is currently impressive to me is that they Flyers have managed to stay atop the division despite only playing four home games out of 15 total. And of course they are 4-0 in those four games. The hope here is of course that this team regains the dominance on home ice that they have normally possessed. As they saying goes, you win at home and play .500 on the road and you’re gonna be in great shape…..

The Flyers next four games are all at home vs. division rivals who we just played within the past week (thank you NHL for the conference heavy schedule, no seriously). Penguins, Islanders, Rangers, and Devils. The feeling here is that 5+ points after these four games will show me enough to realize this team is back. For good.

Flyers (1st in the Atlantic, 7-3-0, 14 points) at Canadiens (2nd in the Northeast, 6-2-3, 15 points)

– From Kevin Kurz – philadelphiaflyers.com

“Scottie Upshall, who has been sidelined all season with a fractured left wrist he sustained in a preseason game, will be back on the ice when Philadelphia travels to Montreal to face the Canadiens on Thursday night. Upshall has been practicing on a line with Jeff Carter and Sami Kapanen, and his trademark enthusiasm was evident after Tuesday morning’s team practice.

“It’s a good feeling to get back into playing some games, getting to put on the jersey again with the guys, and do the whole ritual which I haven’t been able to do in four weeks,” he said. “I’m ready to try it out and I feel great.”

Upshall will continue to wear protection on the wrist in the form of a soft cast, but that doesn’t appear to hamper any of his abilities, according to one of his linemates.

Upshall, who was acquired by the Flyers in the Peter Forsberg deal with Nashville last February, made an immediate impact on the club after the trade. He finished with 6 goals and 7 assists in 18 games as a Flyer, and his jubilant celebrations made him a fan favorite almost overnight.

He also made an impact on his head coach, who is looking forward to seeing Upshall back in game action.

“If you look at what he did last year, he came in and gave us all kinds of enthusiasm,” said Stevens. “He played in all situations for us. He’s got great quickness, he’s a responsible player without the puck, and he can see the ice and make plays. He’s a really well rounded, versatile guy that can be moved around.”
– end of reprinting

This is yet another positive for the team heading into the tough remaining five games on this road trip:

Tonight 11/1 @ Montreal

Fri 11/2 @ Washington

Mon 11/5 @ NY Rangers

Wed 11/7 @ Pittsburgh

Thu 11/8 @ NJ Devils

5 games in 8 days…..I’d say getting 6 out of 10 points in this stretch would be a huge victory for this team, along with a massive boost to their seemingly growing confidence and cohesion. We’ve had a couple days off so we’ll see what type of good start we can get off to tonight. These guys seem to be great with the lead. I think Upshall is a difference maker and will end up being one of the best players, in terms of points per game, on this team at the end of this season.

Fuck Canada !

…has anyone been watching the Flyers? Holy Shit. This is one cohesive team right now. They look better in all 5 games so far this year than they did in any of the 82 games they played last year. The first thing I notice: speed. Gone are the days of dump and chase North American hockey, replaced by lightning quick counter attacks meshed with the precision of an OJ throat slice. Maybe it’s the new metro-sexual fitting Reebok jerseys (which I love by the way) or maybe it’s the fact that we dumped losers like Calder, Zhitnik, Ratje, Sandersson, and replaced them with players like Lupul, Briere, Hartnell, and Timonen. That might have something to do with it. The second thing I notice: zero lapses in intensity. Look, I fully understand that we are only five games into the season, but considering the Flyers started out last year 1-7, this has to catch your eye, no? This team that won a franchise low 10 home games last year is 2-0 so far at the Wachovia Center . This team has the look of a team that is not going to be giving up too many two goal leads going into the third period. They just keep coming at you and are continuously on the offensive. We score more than you, we win. Or how about: goaltending. Is Martin Biron the answer to our goaltending woes we’ve had since the days of Ronnie Hextall? So far he is. How can you argue with a 4-1 record, 1.81 GAA, .939 save %, and one shutout?

How did Paul Holgrem manage to rob other teams blind with these trades?

• From the Oilers – Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith (our captain) for Joni Pitkanen, Geoff Sandersson, and a 2009 third round pick?
• From the Predators – Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell for a 2007 first round pick which was theirs to begin with when we initially inquired it for Forsberg?
• Bradon Coburn (the Thrashers best young defenseman) for 51 year old Alexei Zhitnik? Laughable!
• From the Blackhawks – Lasse Kukkonen AND a 2007 third round pick for Kyle Calder? Am I on candid camera?
• Signing Daniel Briere. Period.

How does the worst team in the NHL in 2007 pull in a free agency class that Sports Illustrated ranked as an A+? Why do players want to come here?

Answer: Because the Flyers, and namely Ed Snider, do not accept losing. Because the Flyers, and namely Ed Snider, are willing to spend the money on players that they believe will give them the best shot to win. Because the Flyers, and specifically Ed Snider, have promised to play the free agency and team building game the way the new NHL dictates is should be played. Build through the draft, don’t trade away prospects for quick fix playoff band aids, and acquire speed and brains. And finally, and every new member of the Flyers says this speaking as a former member of an opposing NHL team, we have the best and most intimidating arena and fans in the league.

I like what I see so far, and I like the fact that we get a Devils team tonight who played last night. How far can this team go? Ask me 20 games into the season, but don’t expect anything worse than a 14-6 record. They have the ‘it’ factor. Just watch for yourselves.

i’m sure we’ve all heard the story by now: paul holmgren has been talking to peter forsberg about signing up with the flyers once his feets are in order. it seems like the perfect time to introduce dr. philly, our little look at the fragile psyche of athletes and how seemingly innocuous goings on (like bringing back an all-time top 20 player) are filled with strife and pain.

while it sounds like a fantastic idea, the re-addition of forsberg creates some dangerous psychological situations. if you like it all the “leaders” that were already on the team (hatcher, gagne, richards) and all the new “leaders” we brought in (briere, timmonen, smith), the last thing we need is a former alpha dog coming back. while he may not try to carry any mantle of leadership when he comes back with 30 games to go, some level of deference is inevitable. after all, this is fucking peter “my beard has more hockey sense then you” forsberg.

this team is set up for a major bounce back. let’s not literally go back and put #21 back on the ice. it’s just not worth the mental confusion for our once and future stud players. yes, he was a point a game player last year, but you know what? guess who else sat at home for the playoffs?