Vanflyer

......is what it will take for the Flyers to make the playoffs. 15 games left and only two of the teams have a sub .500 record. The back to back wins were a necessity. Pitts does not need the points. 15 games left and 30 points on the table. We need to play .600 hockey from here on out. 98 points is what it is going to take to get into the show. Not trying to be a doomsayer, just a realist.

I guess the question could be expanded into two-fold: GM of the year as well. On the coach of the year, for me its Hitchcock. There are only TWO players on that team that make more than 4.5M a year. The biggest thing is the goal differential. They lead the league in goals scored and are third in goals allowed. Given the payroll / team, that tells me it is Hitch that is pulling all the right strings. Roy is a candidate, but he is the biggest asshole I have ever met and I can not get behind him. Nolan is righting the ship, but does not have enough games / success to warrant a Jack Adams. Cooper is a legit candidate (thanks Yzerman for effing up the team), but I think they are going to flounder down the stretch. If Berube can get the Flyers 18 points in the remaining games, it should be him and Hitch as the finalists (IMHO).

I like the topic, but always get a little irked by the insinuation that NHL / Hockey is Canada's game. The reality is this: 1) A Canadian team has won the cup less than 50% of the time in the history of the NHL. 2) Of those cups, 70% of them were won pre-expansion (1967). 3) If not for the Canadien / Edmonton dynasties, the numbers would be far worse. 4) Of the original 6 NHL teams, only two were Canadian teams. 5) To your point about the Canadiens being in contention nearly every year, if not for Roy, it would be 35 years of drought for Montreal, and while some of those teams were good (since '79), by and large Montreal has been run into the ground by ownership / management. Particularly the last 15 years. I hate to say this, but only Toronto seems the most poised to take a run at the cup. Montreal is having a good year, but only because of Price. As usual, their offense is nowhere to be seen. Calgary, not. Ottawa, not. Vancouver, not (thanks Gillis). Edmonton, not. Winnipeg, not.

I think you are WAY over-stating this play. This is actually EXACTLY what I want my captain to do- stand up for his teammates. I did not see anything dirty on what crosby did and I did not see him run away. He gave Hartnell a nudge and was saying "we won't let you run rough shod over our players". Nothing more, nothing less. You are making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Not to derail the topic, but seeing what Mason says in post game makes me really impressed. Many goalies speak in "me-isms". But to listen to Mason, not only does he display "leadership" qualities, he also displays and articulates a knowledge for the whole game that I have not seen before from a goalie. I was a HUGE Bobs fan (and still am). I hated the eff-up that happened with the Bryz signing / Bobs trade. But if I am reading Mason right and he can stay more consistent, I will be okay because of the leadership qualities he seems to bring and the calmness in net.

I am not sure I get the "too high" part. As FC pointed out, he plays in all situations and is deft at them all. Just to put it into perspective: Kessler: 8M Perry: 8.25M Getzlaf: 8.25M Crosby: 8.75M Malkin: 8.75M Ovechkin: 9.5M Out of that list, who do you want on your team? All great players, but I am not sure any of them are any better than G (not withstanding Crosby). On the C thing, I will also disagree. I think G is a great leader (much better than Richards was). I like that he does not mince his words and I hearing the other players speak of him, it is clearly evident he is the leader in the locker room (of course with Timmo).

Fire Blysma and bring in Laviolette?

I am not sure I agree. The ref was where they normally are on that play (back corner / behind the net). Even if the ref is directly behind the net, I am not sure he sees the puck there. It took super slow mo in HD to see that puck go across. Even Hagalan didn't react right away. He thought "maybe".

The problem is that 5 players (Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Martin, MAF) comprise 50% of the salary cap. This handcuffs them from doing what you suggest. I really like Neal and think he is a talented winger. The problem (as we see now), if him or Kunitz are down, there is no plan B. That said, Thomas Vanek would look pretty good in black and gold and be the exact player you are suggesting. But, Pitts is at the ceiling of the cap. You do have to scratch your head and wonder why Iginla did not want to re-sign with Pitts. He is another player that would fill the prescription of what you suggest. I suggested a couple of years ago that Pitts would do themselves a big favor by trading either Malkin or Crosby and to keep them both would be problematic to the balance of the team. I don't think that ship has sailed yet (but nearly). 1) You can't trade Crosby as he is the one that puts people in the seats. 2) You might be able to trade Malkin- while he has enormous talent, he just is not a guy you can use as your "poster" player. Add to that his salary and it makes it very hard for other teams to want to commit to what it would take to get him. That said, his NMC expires at the end of this season. Sid is one hit away from being "lindros'd", so Pitts is in a conundrum. If I am GM, I would try to move one of those guys to balance my team. Give me a tier 2 blue chip player and a couple of #1's. The money they free up on salary would allow them to pursue another high level tier 2 player. So, you get two players for one and prospects (draft choices). Its a bit hypocritical to suggest that considering that they have the 6th best record in the league. I would argue that the Metro division is the weakest of the four so their record is inflated.

My feed was from sweden. :wacko:

Luke had a great weekend. Perhaps his best back-to-back games as a Flyer. Your point about MacD is spot on- thus making it even more urgent we sign him. I like the MacD trade. He is eating up 20 minutes a night and most of the time you don't notice him (which is a good thing).

The first is Blysma. How in the world can the team not be ready to play in the first??? I say that as a hockey fan- not just a Flyers fan. If I am a Pens fan, I am hanging my head pretty low today- despite the valiant attempt to come back.

Flyers one the 1st (obviously), Pitts the second and the third was a draw (not withstanding the late rally attempt by Pens). Even with injuries, you can not be satisfied with the effort in the first by the Pens- particularly after being shut-out the day before. That is what decided the game. Crosby succinctly summed it up that the pens played a 40 minute hockey game. Had they played a 60 minute game, they would have won.

I actually like this trade. Most of time I don't notice him- and that is exactly what I want. He is chewing up 20 minutes a night without being noticed.

Hey P922- While a bit outdated, here is what I use (three sites). The first has the least amount of pop-ups / spam / garbage. The other two have allot, but I have found if I choose a later link (9 instead of 1), there is less garbage. Also, if you see the stream start to work, go to full screen and all the garbage goes away. Let me know how you make out. Game on t minus 5 hours. Cheers VF livetv.sx/en http://www.atdhe24.net/Sports/Hockey.html http://www.feed2all.eu/

Hey Polaris- Not sure where you are, but I am a 20 hour plane ride away from the game and I watched the game. A long time ago, I posted several good streaming sites on here. If you have a good internet connection, you can watch online. I have my PC hooked up to my big screen via HDMI and its crystal clear (running 7mbps internet connection). Let me know if you want some sites. Cheers VF

No, I did not know that. Really?? I thought it was something like the bottom 5? So if we are 17th, we get a 1/4 nut, um I mean ball??

Coming from a Red Wing fan, I am a bit shocked. I have always had the utmost respect for the organization. Yet, you would know better than me. I will still assert and question, why teams do not spend a significant budget to monitor / rehab their players with qualified people.

I agree with the assessment, but the lottery comment was a bit extreme (imho).

This is an interesting topic "sports trainers". The coaches / gms / players get paid millions per annum. I know the Flyers have doctors as "consultants", but why not employ two or three dedicated doctors and rehab specialists? What would it cost a year? 5M? That said, Pat Croce was a guru in this genre.

A bit extreme don't you think? I do not think the Flyers are a cup contender (too inconsistent / erratic). Given that, they certainly not of ilk of a team like Buffalo (lottery bound). A split with Pitts would be a "win".

Truthfully, if he did not mortgage anything at the trade deadline, I doubt he (homer) will in the off-season. The worst he will do is throw some money at some washed up UFA (see Lecavielier). But I don't see him trading.

Hey Jammer, I am not so sure about that. HNIC in-game coverage is the best there is to be found in my opinion. If it was a caps-florida game, for sure, but I doubt people will change the station just because the intermission program personnel has changed. That said, I do agree that it is a legendary segment. I thought I heard a few years back that Cherry was on the chopping block and it was Mclean that saved his butt from getting canned? Back to the point, the tandem is as good as it gets. And for those that dislike cherry and feel he is a blowhard, half of that is an act. If you want to know anything about him, go see what he does all the time for youth hockey in Canada. Snider pales in comparison.

Yeah, I don't get this at all. I think it is bunk. I like kessler, but not at 5m a year. He has not done a thing in four seasons (granted last year he was injured), but still. And to your point, why do we need another center? I mean unless we are going to ship Lecaveliers useless a s s out, it is a non-sequitor.

I can understand why, but it is a big step backward. The travesty for me in all this is that Womens hockey (by and large) are still amateurs. It all comes down to cost / reward, and that is a shame (ie. smaller countries can not compete with powerhouse countries that have womens hockey infrastructure already in place). The saddest part is, why can not the IOC and the olympic world see the intense rivalry and competitiveness of Canada / USA and embrace it to help promote it in other regions / countries of the world?? There are one overwhelming point I would like to make to the IOC: 1) There have been 22 Winter Olympiads since Ice Hockey was introduced (1920). In that span, there are some compelling things: a) Canada has won 8 gold medals (the 2002 was after a 50 year drought, and the last of course coming on home soil- no rhetoric there). b) United State has won 8 silver medals (many of those going against the Canucks). c) Russia has won 6 gold medals (and perhaps the most dominant fashion because it was within a 28 year span. d) Overall, since the 1920 Winter Olympiad, here are the totals for mens ice hockey: - Canada> 14 Medals - USA> 10 Medals (never a bronze) - Russia> 9 Medals It is very illuminating to see that and very disappointing if the IOC continues towards abolishing womens hockey from the Olympiad. Had the forefathers felt the way the current "Fathers" feel, there would be no Mens ice hockey in the Olympics.