Howie58

TF:

Good to hear from one of the pillars on the board.  

You ask a good question.  Getting to the arena for a 7 PM weekday start is not easy.I think they may have moved to 7:30 to help a bit. Weekends are no problem.  $22 for parking is bit painful.  

I agree with others here that the cross-state gig is probably a joke. I think the bigger problem is that people in Tampa-St. Pete are largely Midwest transplants. . . .folks on this side are from the NE or Latin America. I'd argue your team should compete with Detroit, Chicago, etc. . . . . we should have been put in with the Flyers, Rangers, etc.  But I am no marketing guru.

I prefer to watch a Flyers game on Center Ice but might see what their mini-packets are.  They used to have a gig where you bought vouchers that were good for any game---could go by yourself at game one, go with 2 friends at game 2...but 20 at a time. I liked that.  Now you have to pick a seat...game...etc. 

Going to a half empty arena is no fun. I hope attendance picks up.  The new owners have deep pockets but I wonder how they do in free agency without owner subsidy.

Peace,

Howie

I am wondering if it's time to get a partial pass again. My last few experiences at the Panthers were OK in the sense the team is competitive. What bugs me is going to a very empty arena. And in typical S. Florida fashion, the first period is spent popping up and down because "Miami Time" has made it to Sunrise and people disregard the real start time by 15 to 30 minutes.

I don't think they move the Panthers....too big a TV market to leave.  What's ironic to me is that they had better attendance in Hispanic Miami-Dade than at a beautiful venue in "Anglo" Broward, near a tremendous shopping mecca.  

Tallon has built a gritty team.  I will also say that the Sunrise Sports and Entertainment staff are polite and user-friendly to a fault.

Best,

Howie

its an AHL only Deal..he would have to sign a 2 way deal in order for the flyers to bring him up

IJ:

Thanks for reminding me to read the details. . . . still glad he back in the fold.  .

Greetings:

This wasn't posted yet. It is an interesting pick-up. I always like the guy's speed and attitude.

http://www.csnphilly.com/hockey-philadelphia-flyers/former-flyer-darroll-powe-signs-phantoms

You have to wonder if this is to strengthen the Phantoms or a "cheap" signing for future call-up?

Best,

Howie

I suspect the MacDonald trade is one that will haunt us for some time. I am wondering what people saw in him other than TOI, which seemed to be 19 or higher, if I recall. 

Maybe there is a reason Hexy is GM. 

Best,

Howie

Greetings:

Here are the Penner stats:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8471208

His stay with the Ducks productive.  I guess Washington under Oates was a no go  Putting aside his merits or demerits as a player, do we want a 32 year old?  But he has solid background. . . Maybe 1.5 million....just a thought.  I just wish we would develop our youngins.

Peace,

Howie

Nice story from the Gazette...a good work ethic will make up for lack of talent in many things in life.  

Glad to hear from you...this has been a relatively quiet summer.  I like the MDZ signing.  Maybe someone will offer something for VLC.  Meanwhile, the D is a little better but it is among many worries I have for an upcoming transition season.

Peace,

Howie

Greetings Sir Podein:

Well, the Phantoms need help and it sounds as if he may have some value to the O and B. Hexy is showing some restraint by not going nuts in the early phases of free agency.  I like that.

Best,

Howie

  Wow, 9 years since the dreaded Hatchje signings, huh?  Time apparently flies when you are having fun. I will never forget Clarke's press conference with the twin towers, "we need big strong d-men to make it out of our conference",  he mentioned Joe Thornton and a few other players...I just *knew* it was a stinky mess.

Yeah, in retrospect it is a defining moment leading to Clarke's "demise." Our mindset of "bigger is better" and forget speed--great example.

Peace,

Howie

Man, that's a solid article. I kind of wish Meltzer would post his own articles/links here. It might be cool to say thanks directly to him.

Khatulev's story could be a movie, sheesh.

Luck and random events play a role in all our lives.  I guess hockey players are no different. 

The Russian angle is interesting. I always saw this franchise and anti-Russian. I guess that wasn't the case.  

Peace,

Howie

A few days ago I got a call from the Panthers wanting to know if I wanted a partial or season's ticket package.  I told the young man that a partial might make some sense and that I'd think about it. The more I thought about it...it made more sense to spend $169 and get NHL Center Ice and keep up with O and B.  That is more interesting and cost-effective.  Maybe I'll go to the BB and T when the O and B are in.  It's weird...I've been down here 33 years and I can't get my arms wrapped around South Florida franchises.  I wouldn't care if the Panthers were contenders.  

LGF!

Howie

Greetings:

I think we are a marginal playoff team at best. That doesn't worry me because expectations are low.  I see the next two years as test grounds. 

Best,

Howie

Howdy:

This is a tough one. I agree with Ron Jeremy that our competition in the division is improved. I see a playoff team but marginal.  Our young forwards might surprise on the upside. But D may be a drag and we have to see if Mason didn't have a one-year turnaround.  My expectations are low. When some of the young D come on board the upward progression should be significant. 

Best,

Howie

Howdy:

I think Roenick is a loudmouth but he is entertaining. I hope Mason grows into the goalie people thought he'd be a few years back.  But as people noted when we picked him up, goalies tend to regress to their long-term GAA and Save Percentage. I hope that is not the case. But as I said in the thread on our goaltending, we will only know after the season starts.

Best,

Howie

Greetings:

The Inquirer had an article on Stolarz two days ago in which our limited goaltending development was mentioned. We really haven't done a good job there at all.  We will know in 20 games or so whether we had a one season "rebirth" or our goaltender of the future with Mason. But I am very worried about what might happen if he doesn't work out or is injured.

Howie

Howdy:

Yest, this is not one of Homer's finest hours. I seem to recall the Rathje-Hatcher signing going south and people dumping on Clarke as well...that he didn't see the "New NHL" coming and signed two old, slow pylons (at least Hatcher was serviceable and a great role model).  That said, you wonder if this is a position that hanging on too long is a bad thing.  But I also wonder what it means about the management team?  This is one that might have seen dubious to 3/4 of the folks on this board.  Why didn't some insiders says, "Homer, here is a guy with declining productivity.......we should either leave him alone or do a short contract?"  He either didn't listen or there wasn't much internal debate.  The latter scares me as much as the former....and may be a good indicator it was time to go. 

Best,

Howie

Hi All,

Tonight was the night of the STH Townhall and I had the pleasure of attending with @sarsippius this year as my usual partner in crime (and little brother) @Adamflyers was not available to join me.  It began with dinner for the STHs followed by a tour of the Flyers locker room.  We were then herded into our little room in the bowels of the arena to hear the speakers.  This is a new old format for the meeting as the last few years they had been making the fans walk all over the arena to different stations to hear from various Flyers VIPs. This year we were back to sitting in a room and letting the VIPs come to us.

First up for our group was Chris Pryor, Director of scouting.  Appropriately the first question asked was how did we come to choose Sanheim at #1 and how extensively he was scouted.  Pryor replied that he was scouted by Western scout Mark Greig (whom you may remember from the late 90s/ early 2000s as a career AHLer w/ occasional call ups to the Flyers).  Greig was really impressed with Sanheim in Calgary and kept a close eye on him.  Then he excelled at the World Juniors which really helped push him higher up on the Flyers draft board (Pryor said this is similar as to what happened with Sam Morin last year how he started out low and shot up quickly).  He was at the top of their board at pick 17 so they took him.  This led to the next question about why Kapanen wasn't picked when he was there at 17.  Pryor said that Ilkka Sinisalo was scouting Kapanen and didn't give him high marks.  Pryor said that Kapanen is a good player and wishes him the best except when he plays us of course but that Sanheim was ranked higher by the Flyers and thus was taken.  He also stated that he could care less about mock drafts and who says what, as it is all speculation. Just because someone says that Kapenen is the best player in Europe Pryor said it doesn’t make it so.  Pryor went on to say that all of the prospects in the pipeline are coming along nicely and many will be going from Juniors to the AHL this year which is a pretty good league in his opinion.  He said that the jump from juniors to NHL is very severe and very hard on players and they do not want to rush players to the NHL.  He didn’t think that Laughton or the Ghost would be with the big club this year.  He preached patience which was the theme of this year's STH meeting.  This was a nice change from the "just lets get to the playoffs and anything can happen" mantra that was pushed last year.  There was a complaint from a fan who said that she attended the draft and she was mad that the Flyers didn’t have enough draft picks because we traded them all away and that the Rangers had quite a few.  Pryor seemed to think we had a fair amount and that we drafted well.  There was also a question if we were going to target McDavid next year.  Pryor said that he should go #1 and we are not planning on drafting #1 next year and if we do then he may not have his job anymore.  He "joked" that we will be drafting at #30 next year.

Next up was coach Craig Berube.  The first question to him was will Kimmo Timonen be on the 1st PP unit this year?  Berube said that this will be evaluated in training camp.  He said he would like to give Streit a shot at it (It was funny too that Berube basically said that he didn’t know how pronounce Streit's name he wasn’t sure if it was like street or St-right).  The next question asked was who was going to play left wing on the top line.  Again Berube said that this would be decided in training camp.  He seemed to be predicting and favoring Umberger.  He said that RJ is fast and should do well on that line.  He had really hoped that Raffl would have been better there but it just didn’t work out.   Someone in the crowd suggested that Jake move to left wing but Berube said that Jake is very uncomfortable there and doesn’t play well on the left side.  Getting back to Umberger Berube is really excited about his skating and the improvement that he will be over Hartnell in that area.  Berube told us that we didn’t help the Hartnell situation by paying him every time he fell down (which of course got a chuckle from the crowd).  Someone then asked Berbue what the team's on ice style is called as far as a lock or a trap?  Berube said it is a trap style called a center lock which he said is built on a system he saw used in Detroit.  He says that you need big centermen supported by big defensemen to clog up the neutral zone to take away time and space from the opposing players.  He was also asked which of his former coaches was the biggest influence on his coaching style.  At first he refused to name anyone and said his style is his own, then he said maybe Darryl Sutter whom he said seems goofy and doesnt know what he is doing but is actually a genius.  Berube was asked what he did to turn the team around last year to get them to start winning.  Craig said the primary thing was he got them to play as a team.  He said for the past year and a half they have not been playing like a team on the ice but a bunch of individuals.  He said that they had great chemistry off ice and liked each other but needed to better on the ice as a team.  He also said that he instituted practices his was which were hard and fast with few breaks in between as he is looking for constant motion.  That led to the next question about conditioning and training camp.  Berube said that that conditioning was a big issue last year and he is not going to let it happen again.  He said all of the players have been sent formal letters about conditioning and what shape they are expected to be in at camp this year.  The next question was if the Flyers observed what the Phila. Eagles and Chip Kelly were doing as far as their conditioning and sports science?  Berbue said absolutely they were paying attention to what was going on over there and that Berube attended some Eagles practices and has met with Chip Kelly on several occasions about this and that he considers Chip brilliant.  There were of course questions about Vinny and Berube said that his defensive style does not suit Vinny's game and that it was really hard for VLC last year.  He also said that Vinny was injured for most of last year and that affected his game quite severely.  He said that was a major reason why he was on the 4th line most of the time and that it was impressive that he actually got 20 goals for having such a crappy year.  He also suggested that he will try and get him back to center.  There was a question about fighting and what Berube thought of it in todays game as a former fighter.  Berube says that he loves it and that there is still a place for it albeit a reduced one in the modern game.  He says he loves how Simmonds especially uses it to stand up for other players and how he believes that Emery turned last season around with his attack on the Caps goalie.  Speaking of Emery he is very happy to have him returning to back up Mason.  He says that Mason and Emery get along very well and Mason loves having him around.  Then people turned to questions about the Rangers series and our play against them.  There was a question if the penalties we took vs the Rags were forced by their play against us or due to lack of discipline.  Coach said both.  He said we need to be more disciplined and that not having Hartnell was going to help in that area as he took a lot of penalties.  He then said he was not there to rip Hartsy as he gave us many years of good service.  There were also questions about why we collapsed around our net when playing the Rags and Berbue said it was due to their speed that we were running around in our own zone and it was an effect of the Rags and not a strategy.  He also attributed our poor passing in the series to the way the Rags attacked us.  He did say too that mental breakdowns also hurt us and it was something that he was still working on with the team.  He said that mental breakdowns are why the team takes periods off at times.  He said that we really only played 2.5 good games against the Rags in the series and that he thinks we may have won if we had Mason in from the beginning.  There was a question about Oliver Lauridsen and his future and it sounded like they felt he was a dime a dozen and nothing special.  There was also a question about what he thought about Andrew MacDonald and Berube said that he is a good young player and he would like to see him use his speed more.  Berube also suggested that Ghost and Laughton could make the team which contradicted what Pryor and Hexy said (as you will see below) This is all I can remember about Chief. 

Next we had Hexy.  The first questioner mentioned that we needed help at left wing and if we would go for someone like Morrow? Hexy basically said no way and that those days were over.   He was also asked how close we were to getting the #1 pick.  Hex said that he does not discuss trades that didn’t happen to protect the privacy of those who would have been involved.  He only admitted that they tried to move up but didn’t say how high.  He said there was a goalie he really wanted that was taken before the Flyers #2 pick but wouldn’t say who that was.  He was also thrilled that Lindblom was available in the 5th round.  He thinks that this was a steal.  He was asked about expectations for next year.  Hexy was very blunt in saying we will be competitive but not considered on of the top 6 teams in the NHL or anything.  He basically said the plan is that we have a goalie and a good young offensive core in place and that we now need a good defense and that the cavalry is on the way in the pipeline and we all need to be patient during their development.  He said he knows it is hard as we tend to be impatient as fans but we need to stick with it here.  He said that he does care about today as well but we always need to be focusing on moves that are good for both today and tomorrow.  He was also asked about when the young guys are expected to come up.  He said that they will come up when they are ready.  He says he never "annoints" young players into a spot.  Hex says that they will need to earn their spots on this team and if not will have to play in the minors.  He said that the minors and riding the busses around New England and not being on the charter flights and being pampered from the beginning is good for these guys.  He said giving too much too soon to a 17 year old can ruin their careers and he cares about the players careers and also what is best for the team.  He says that in order to make the team they will have to bust the door down.  When asked about getting rid of old dead weight, Hexy said again that the young guys will have to push the old guys out of a job and that he is not handing anything to anyone as this is not good for people in hockey or anywhere in the working world for that matter.  Hexy was asked about the Tye McGinn trade.  He said that he and the team loved McGinn and wanted to hold on to him but he was caught up in a numbers game and they were going to have to put him on waivers at some point (he also suggested that someone else may have to get put on waivers but wouldnt say who).  They didn’t want to lose him for nothing so they preemptively traded him and felt at a 3rd round pick was fair for both teams.  He was also asked about acquiring Nick Schultz as a 7th defenseman.  Hex said that he can play and may be better than a 7th.  Hexy was asked about the biggest lesson he learned from being on the Kings.  Hexy said that he learned that it was really important as to who you hired around you.  He said that the Kings needed a total house cleaning job and that Hexy got to see how every position and hire was important and how to go about doing it.  He also mentioned that he was working trying to acquire another "role player" but did not tip his hand as to whom he was interested in.  He also emphasized how they are trusting their amateur scouts and how those guys have the toughest job in hockey as they are trying to predict what a teenager will be like at 25.  He said most of us cant do that with our own kids so think of how hard it is for them.  Those were all the Hexy highlights I can think of now.

Finally we had Shawn Tilger (Senior VP) and Homer.  They were asked about the new 3rd Jersey and said that it would have some orange and some black in it :-).  They were asked about future NHL events such as Winter Classic and Stadium Series and they mentioned that the Flyers are very aggressive in requesting participation in these types of events every year.  Tilger and Homer said that because of the massive support provided by Flyers fans the NHL is listening to them very closely about all types of future events.  Apparently the draft went over very well with the NHL this year and Bettman loved the booing and attributed it to our passion.  Someone asked about a Flyers / Pittsturd game at PSU and they said they are still working on it.  Fans talked a bit about amenities at the building and how people liked some of the food changes and Tilger said that he agreed the old Pizza had sucked there and was glad that a local company was now supplying it.  They also said that there would be some renovations made to the WFC over the next 3 years but did not indicate what kind of renovations.  Homer was asked about his greatest achievement as GM and he said the run to the finals in 2010.  He seemed glad to be in his new role now BTW.  There were some fan complaints about game worn jerseys being given out at fan appreciation day and that those should be reserved for STHs only.  There was another odd complaint by an older retired guy who says he and his group of friends attend about 10 away games a year and stay at the team hotel (so that they can try to interact with the players).   He said that they love drinking with Coatesy at the bar (Homer and Tlger said they were not surprised about that) but when the players came around the team PR guy was restricting them from interacting.  He told Tilger to tell his PR guy to cool it.  Tilger said he would have a word (I actually don’t blame the PR guy as it sounded a bit stalkerish to me).  Finally there was a complaint about the Richards and Carter trades to Homer and how it is hard to watch them skate the Cup.  Homer said that both trades were made for different reasons (he did not specify those reasons BTW).  He said that if we still had them here it doesn’t mean that they would have won Cups here as we do not have Quick or Doughty on our team.   He said that Simmonds and Jake and Cooter could very well go on to win multiple cups with us.

Well, that is all I can remember.  If I think of anything else tomorrow I will add an addendum.

 

@sarsippius it was great going with you to the event!  As you recorded the Hexy part of the meeting on your phone please feel free to add on or correct things that I may have messed up!

 

Poulin:

Thank you for the excellent write-up.  Maybe you were a journalist in your prior life.

Best,

Howie

I hope this assessment is accurate. It would be a step in the right direction. What we have to avoid is dumb trades that block a cohort of youngsters from coming of age together. Part of me thinks one of these folks may have to go as part of a VLC dump.  Salary cap might force our hand.

Peace,

Howie

Knut and Colleagues:

I really hope Mason is the real deal. And I hope Emery is still workable.  But just as Reagan told us to "trust but verify," I will wait until Turkey Day to see if Mason is the real deal...or if Emery can survive another year.  I thought he looked wasted against the Rangers.

Peace,

Howie

Occam:

Thanks for the update.  I really wonder if we are stuck with the dude. I don't see many takers out there. Maybe we pray for an unlikely improvement this season.  

Best,

Howie

Howdy:

Could they waive him to the A?  I doubt there would be many takers on a recall.  That would save us cap and as Knut points out...might embarrass him to point of moving on. 

Howie

1) He's been great since coming to Philly minus a month stretch last year where he wasn't playing his best (neither was the team in front of him though).  The sample size is slightly more than one season.   Bryz had a larger sample size of relative success in ANA and PHX and he was ran out of town.   There are no guarantees either way.   This is a tough market on the goaltender and Mason appears to handle the media and the pressure quite well.

 

2) No Emery won't be capable of a long stretch.   That would be more concerning if this team was really a contender.   Right now they are still developing their youth and need to fix issues on defense.   If Mason goes down this team as constructed isn't going anywhere anyway and missing the playoffs would mean a better draft pick.   The "we have to make the playoffs at all cost" mentality is one of the major reasons the Flyers haven't won a cup since 75. 

 

3)Zepp is nothing more than a backup for Stolarz in the AHL and Stolarz is not ready for the NHL.  

Phils Fan:

We see eye-to-eye and you are correct...no guarantees. I hope Mason is consistent and goes uninjured for most of the year. There is not much in the cupboard. 

Howie

I hope Bertmega is right and that Mason is OK.  Even so, backup can't be taken lightly. 

Penn Central asks about a goalie controversy...yeah, it isn't the incumbent, it's an organization that doesn't grow this position very well. 

Howie

I could say that ultimately, this reflect our "center-centric" development model.  It's as if we want more Bobby Clarkes and don't care about the Bladons or Parents.  Come to think of it...Parent and Favell were from the Boston organization...OK but that is expansion.....we drafted D the last two years...and even Hexy complained we didn't draft a goalie.

Seriouly--other than Boosh...who have we developed in goal over the last 15 years other than Bobo?  I draw a blank.

Greetings:

As we head into the pre-season and beyond the first thought that comes to mind is our goaltending. Not our D (we know it is slow and creaky), but goaltending. Why?

1) Do we know that Mason's "renaissance" is the real deal or a one-season replay of Columbus?  I like the guy and would like to think he has turned a corner. But we need some confirmation.

2) If Mason doesn't "work" or is injured--is Emery capable of a long-stretch?  Heck, his lateral mobility will be targeted by any opposition in any single game.

3) Can we look to ZeppArz or whomever to bail us out?

I was really hoping we'd get a Greis or Lindback into the fold.  Homer's long-term deal for Mason has to work out in the short-term; I don't see much else on the horizon.

Best,

Howie