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Flyered Up!
This amazing/insane Mike Richards goal from last night's clincher against the Canadians kinda sums up the Flyers' remarkable run in the playoffs so far. It's all about brute force, smarts, self-sacrifice, stretching your limits, getting a little lucky, staying aware, being the first guy to the puck and just plain wanting it more. Once you watch the video, check out this photo. Look at the faces of the people on the other side of the glass. Stanley Cup Finals. I mean, seriously.
I'm shocked, even though, you know, John Buccigross personally told me this would happen.
The Daily News broke the story. They also say this: No official word on a successor but indications are that assistant Craig Berube will take over on an interim basis. Everybody fights!
C'mon Flyers! Ship Boucher to Tampa Bay in exchange for Rick Tocchet. Tocchet and Berube behind the bench would be awesome! I'm thinking Slap Shot Paul Newman as player-coach awesome. Unstoppable.
For this week's cover story, I listed what I consider the Top 10 Spectrum Sports Moments. Disagreements are welcome — but first let's look at the footage:
1. The Flyers Win Their First Stanley Cup 5/19/1974
You can watch the entire game here. I recommend you at least check out the last few minutes, when the fans storm the ice and the Flyers basically have to fight them off to protect the Cup. Dave Schultz, especially, takes things too far.
2. Flyers vs. Russian Red Army 1/11/1976
Yep, that's Gene Hart and Marv Albert with the call.
3. The Sixers Win It All, 5/26/1983
See Also: "Fo Fi Fo" by Pieces of a Dream
4. Christian Laettner Takes "The Shot," 3/28/1992
See Also: Chris Farley's Laettner impression
5. Flyers vs. Oilers, Stanley Cup Finals, Game Six, 5/28/1987
6. Wilt Chamberlain's Double-Triple-Double, 2/2/1968
Footage not found. Instead, please enjoy this tribute to Wilt's entire career, to the tune of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" (of course).
7. Hextall Scores, 12/8/1987
See Also: Hexy scores again.
8. The Streak, 10/16/1979-1/6/1980
Footage not found. The Flyers went 35 games without a loss that season but there doesn't seem to be a video celebrating that online. So enjoy this Zapruderish footage of a bench-clearing brawl footage from the same era.
9. Daryll Dawkins Brings Down The Rim, 12/30/1979
Video includes lots of interviews with Dr. J, Shaq and more, and footage of Chocolate Thunder's road game rainmaker from three weeks earlier.
10. Phantoms win the Calder Cup, 6/10/1998
Footage not found. So watch this video of former Phantoms captain/current Flyers coach fight with Dan Smith of the Hershey Bears. Gene Hart and Steve Coates call the shots.
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Let's break down the week ahead.
Tomorrow night there's an Eagles Monday Night Football game against divisional opponent the Redskins. That normally would be about as big of an event on the radar here, but this week it's small potatoes. Nonetheless, we'll be watching and we'll be tired on Tuesday morning.
Just in time for Pearl Jam to begin their 4 night stand to close up shop at the Spectrum. Lots of fond memories there. If you think PJ doesn't know about the Spectrum's place in rock history go back to last summer. While launching into a Baba O'Reilly encore to cap a two night run in Camden Eddie says, "Say goodbye to the Spectrum for us." Little did they know they'll be saying goodbye to it for us.
[audio:http://movingpaperfantasy.com/music/mp3s/2-12%20Baba%20O'Reilly.mp3]
The next night, Wednesday, Pearl Jam continues their shows. And oh yeah, the Phillies play game one of the 2009 World Series at a site yet to be determined. Are you tired yet? Don't be, cause there's more.
Thursday night is game two of the World Series. Pearl Jam is off that night. No worries here on what to do. I may be wringing my liver out for a brief respite.
Friday, it's the reverse. No Phillies game that night, but Pearl Jam brings us show #3 of the Say Goodbye to the Spectrum For Us run.
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Thank the lord that week is over. What? We're just getting going? OK...
Saturday. D-Day. Last night of the Spectrum, home Flyers game at 1 and a World Series game at Citizens Bank Park. And it's all happening on Halloween.
Now, let's sandwich this bonanza with an Eagles game at home against the Giants on Sunday afternoon at 1. Then another home World Series game that night.
OK, now I'm tired.
What happens next is yet to be written by the Phillies. Could be more games, could be another celebration.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to take a nap now.
(Go Phils)
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| pic from bleacherreport.com |
"I'd be shocked if John Stevens is the coach by the end of the season."
Now, I like Bucci. He knows a lot of things about things. But I was like, no way, dude you been listening to too many Guster songs (which is to say: any Guster songs). Then I saw the comments his column inspired and holy crap. A lot of people think Stevens sucks. Like Flyersfan 1981, who says:
"I really hope Bucci is right about Stevens...I've been praying for his firing for about 2 seasons now...time for a coach in Philly, not a babysitter!!"
Praying? I was and am shocked, so I wrote to Buccigross and asked him to elaborate. He replied with two simple words, as I told my brother ...
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[...] I'm shocked, even though, you know, John Buccigross personally told me this would happen. [...]
i have not thought that john stevens was an nhl-caliber coach since day 1. i don't know if i would call him a babysitter, but he has no verve or inspiration. he is intelligent though, but that relegates him to an assistant coach at best. he is not a leader and the flyers will NEVER win a cup with him at the helm. to be honest, i am so glad the bucci said something about this. for whatever reason, no one talks about stevens' flaws even though he has many (any bozo could manage the players we've had into a wining record). when the young flyers were all getting wasted and partying too much last season, what did he do? traded upshall. when they were doing it during the playoffs, what did he do? nothing! they were out partying before game 6 v the pens, what kind of coach is even remotely tolerant of that kind of behavior? i have more to say but i will stop here....
re: he is not a leader and the flyers will NEVER win a cup with him at the helm. That's nonsense. The Cup could be hoisted here as soon as June of next year.
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Last night, an insane hockey game between the Flyers and Penguins — one full of hard checks, bad bounces and nice goals — finally collapsed into a pile of angry people. That's cool. In Philly, we like our teams to go do swinging. Mike Richards went careening into the net awkwardly. Chris Pronger grabbed Chris Kunitz by the collar and started choking him from behind. That cool.
But from the scrum behind the net, the Pens' Chris Kris Letang (holy crap that's a lot of Chrises holy crap that's two Chrises and one Kris) came skating away visibly upset, holding one hand in another, claiming that the Flyers' Scotty Hartnell had just bitten him on the finger. After the game, Letang, with a bandaged finger, told the press to ask Hartnell wtf. Hartnell's reply wasn't really a denial: "a lot of stuff happens on the bottom of the pile. He had his hands in my face doing the face wash and we're rolling around. I can't say what happened."
This isn't the first biting incident in the NHL. Just last year, Jaarko Ruutu of the Senators sank his teeth into Andrew Peters of the Sabres, through his glove. Ruutu got a fine and a two-game suspension. I'm guessing Hartnell totally bit Letang. He's a nut, usually in a good way. Not sure whether the NHL will punish him for ii.
Here's my question to you, dear readers:
Would you, could you, bite another human being's finger in anger (as opposed to self-defense)? If so, who?
Everyone on the Nobel Peace Prize comittee..
If you're going to publish an article...make sure you spell check. It's Kris Letang, not Chris!
Thanks for the tip, Carly!
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| photo from thespec.com |
| Dan Carcillo was not implicated in the incident. |
I don't have any bloggity quips for this. It's just bizarre and it bummed me out. According to the Daily News's Stephanie Farr, some Flyers fans got into a knife fight in the Northeast.
In the bizarre incident, two Flyers fans who took a bus trip to see their team play in New Jersey were critically stabbed by other Flyers fans who were awaiting the bus' return at a bowling alley in Northeast Philadelphia, police said.
...
During the course of the argument, the cop's 28-year-old brother was stabbed once in the chest and once in the back by a man in a Flyers' jersey, Northeast Detectives said.
Another occupant of the bus, a 26-year-old man, was stabbed once in the back by a different assailant who also wore a Flyers jersey, this one with ripped sleeves, police said.
On the upside, the Flyers has look pretty amazing in their first two games. Ray Emery blanked the Canes on Friday, and a crazy, cannonballing offense destroyed Marty Brodeur and the Devils on Saturday. Thi Pronger guy's pretty good, eh?
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| photo from flyers.nhl.com |
The NHL season starts Thursday! The Flyers play Carolina on Friday! I'm watching the Red Wings play a team called Farjestad BK right now! Unless the IT people stop me! So. Let's take a look at all the predictions and soothsayings being predicted and soothsaid:
The Hockey News says the Flyers will win the Stanley Cup. It's nice to hear somebody else say that besides myself to myself every year. Read why they love Philly here.
Jon Buccigross of ESPN sees the Flyers coming in 4th in the conference and concludes: "The Flyers are tougher and deeper and have higher expectations. They should. They are good; if they raise the Cup in June, it will not be a shock."
I like Bucci, even though he a) thought it was a good idea for the Flyers to sign a bunch of Uruk-hai defensemen (Hatcher et al.) when everybody else was going for small and quick and b) quotes Guster with a straight face. Generally, though, Bucci doesn't just like hockey, he gets it. Case in point:
The Flyers won a Stanley Cup in their seventh season of existence in 1973-74; they won another Cup the following season. In all, Philadelphia has made seven Cup finals appearances in 30 years. It's quite a run. It's no mystery why the Flyers have such a passionate and loyal fan base. Besides the cool-sounding name, a name that fits like few others in sports, and how the DNA of hockey fits perfectly with the DNA of Philly, the Flyers simply have been good for a long time.
If you were born in the mid-'60s in Philadelphia, you have been privy to one of the most consistent and entertaining hockey teams in the NHL. Cups, Broad Street Bullies, Bob Clarke's toothless grin, Ron Hextall, Eric Lindros, the Legion of Doom, Keith Jones!, 378 goalies since 1997 and the current crop of players (drafted, traded for and/or free agents). The Flyers are once again an elite team, and there is a 7-year-old kid in south Jersey who will put on skates for the first time in the winter, fall in love with the game and this season's Flyers team and become a Flyers fan for life.
Read his assessment of the East here.
Bleacher Report, which I guess is a web site, says the Flyers will come in 4th in their division and dismissed Chris Pronger as old. Read that here, for some reason.
Covers.com, a betting site, calls the Flyers "the new beasts of the East" and praises the Pronger deal. They conclude: "the Flyers are the most complete team in the Eastern Conference and have a great shot finishing at the top." Read it here.
Sports Illustrated calls Ray Emery a wild card but sums it up like this: "On paper, they Flyers boast what could be the league's most balanced and talented team, top to bottom. Anything less than a trip to the conference final would be a grim failure." Read that here.
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