Are the Canucks the Flyer's b**ch?

At this point, yes they are. As CDC puts it, the Flyers have not lost in Vancouver for nearly 20 years. The Flyers have an unbeaten streak in Van of 13 (9-0-4) since their last loss on January 18, 1989. When we lose to Philly, it's been ugly. The Yankee Canuck points out the 8-2 smoke show on Octber 11, 2007.
Check out this amazing Flyers-Canucks historical piece at the HF Boards Game Preview. Wow.

Some positive news from Canucks.com though:

But the Flyers haven't been as sharp in the first two contests of their current trip, falling 5-1 in Chicago on Friday and enduring their first shutout of the season, 3-0 at Columbus on Saturday. They've been outshot by a combined 71-38 in those contests.

Now would be a good time to erase this domination, Luongo or not.
The Canucks rolled over the lifeless Senators on Sunday and showed a lot of character and character in doing so. That same effort and more will be needed against a Flyers team that can be explosive at any given time. Philly has the best power play in the NHL right now. And Jeff Carter...26 goals and 41 points in 36 games. He has arrived. The Flyers have more firepower than just Carter however.
Maybe Sundin's presence will motivate the Nucks. You know the Swedes will be rolling. Maybe it will distract some of them. Maybe Sanford is going to continue his great play and this team will rally around him.
The Flyer streak must end tonight.

GAME TIME: 7:00 PST
TV: Canucks PPV

Canucks.com is live blogging again. Great times last game versus the Sens!
I will not be a moderator tonight. I am recording the game and watching it later.

T Tags: Canucks Flyers Game+Preview December+30+2008

Sundin list just got smaller - UPDATED

And no surprise there really. The Flyers seem to be scratched off the list, as they cannot afford him anyway, said their GM today. No kidding. Truth is, the Rangers cannot afford him either unless they can move somebody fairly significant and/or Sundin takes a pay cut.
Today, my friends, I believe there is a common consensus among pundits, journalists and fans that Sundin may indeed be Vancouver-bound. But I will not believe it until I see it.
The Toronto Star writer Damien Cox thinks Mats should not jump into the NHL this season. I think he's just bitter. Oh and please don't compare Sundin to Vancouver to Messier in Vancouver. That's just silly.

When asked about making a decision Sundin told New York Newsday:

"I think the next couple of weeks," Sundin said. "The way it feels right now, I'm going to play this year, and I'm just trying to get to the point where I'm ready to join a team."

Oh you poor thing. Maybe he's waiting for Sather to clear some roster space before or after the roster freeze period. Who knows.

Speaking of freeze...it's -25 celsius here right now and it's supposed to stay this way all week. If I hear one complaint about global warming I am going to hit someone over the head with an ice block!

UPDATE

According to Bob McKenzie:

Unless someone pulls a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute, Mats Sundin will be, by the end of this week, either a Vancouver Canuck or a New York Ranger.

Sundin met with Rangers' GM Glen Sather on the weekend, but sources say the Rangers have yet to formally indicate exactly how much they are prepared, or able (because of the salary cap), to pay Sundin. Once Sundin's agent J.P. Barry gets that information, perhaps in the next 24 to 48 hours, Sundin is expected to make a final decision on where he will play.

Barry has a previously-scheduled meeting with Vancouver GM Mike Gillis on Tuesday, primarily to discuss contract negotiations for Canuck players Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as Mattias Ohlund, but Sundin is also likely to be discussed at that time.

Sources say the plan is for Sundin to make a final decision before NHL rosters are frozen on Friday (Dec. 19).

From Sportsnet today:

Mats Sundin rejected a one-year offer by the Philadelphia Flyers and expects to make a final decision on either Vancouver or New York by Friday at the latest.

Rejected! Nice! That's the first decision he's made yet.



T Tags: Flyers+no+take+Sundin Sundin+to+Vancouver Rangers update

Flyers celebrate past captains and name new one in the Spectrum

The pre-game ceremony honoring former Flyer captains can be found at the Flyer's site. Worth a look. There are also clips of testimonials from Lindros, Gretzky, Francis, etc. There is also a great slideshow of the Spectrum.

I hate the Flyers with a passion. But I can respect their legacy and history. And boy, do Philly fans still love Bobby Clarke or what?

T Tags: Flyers Spectrum former+captains celebration video Mike+Richards Bobby+Clarke

Temujin's Turn to Kick at the Sundin Can

The Saga of Mats continues. Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports:

Free-agent center Mats Sundin has declared his interest in playing for the Rangers this season, well-connected sources have told The Post.

J.P. Barry, who represents the elite, 37-year-old former Toronto pivot, has been in constant communication with Rangers front-office personnel this week, The Post has learned, though the conversations have not reached the stage of a contract negotiation.

This comes as no surprise to those of use who have been following the story all summer. Lighter travel schedule, bright lights of New York, and now the opportunity to play with Naslund are all reasons for him to go there. The article gets a little more interesting, though:

We're told Sundin, who recorded 78 points (32-46) last season, has no interest in returning to the Maple Leafs, who have offered him a one-year, $7M contract to re-up. Sundin apparently has negligible interest in joining Montreal, which has been chasing him since February, or Vancouver, which has offered a two-year, $20M deal.

Indeed, sources report that No. 13's second choice is Philadelphia, whose GM, Paul Holmgren, has been aggressive in his pursuit of the first-line center who could swing the balance of power in the East.

Emphasis mine. If that's really true, and I get the feeling it probably is, then Mike Gillis must feel about as low as a snake's ass in a tire track. He takes over a team whose fans seem apprehensive about his hiring. He quickly promises change and proceeds to make several mediocre-at-best additions. The Demitra signing (which I would not define as mediocre!) could turn out to be a beauty, but the one Big Fish that Gillis goes after balks at an offer that would pay him the highest salary in the NHL.

It seems clear now that Sundin must have negligible interest in playing with Vancouver. There can be no other reason why he would refuse such a financial windfall - unless he really does decide to hang 'em up. How long of a honeymoon does the guy need? Anyone can see through that excuse.

But now Gillis has really placed himself in a bind, by offering such a staggering contract to a 37 year old.

Can the Rangers afford Sundin though? Continuing from the NY Post:

But GM Glen Sather faces a daunting challenge in reconstructing the roster in order to fit Sundin under the cap, and would almost certainly have to dilute his defense in order to do so.

Assuming Sundin would be willing to play for between $5-7M, the Blueshirts would almost certainly have to move defenseman Michal Rozsival, who re-signed on July 1 for $5M per for four years.

The problem, however, is that the Rangers have only six NHL defensemen on their roster - including Rozsival.

Watch Sundin sign for $6 million in New York! Ha! That would definitely be a huge kick in the nuts to Canuck fans, and a big middle finger to Mike Gillis. The optimistic part of me simply doesn't see Sundin as a Ranger next season. But I wouldn't put it past Sather to find a way to nab him.

As I'm sure Sean will remind me endlessly when I see him next, the bet I made with him regarding Sundin's signing was "no later than August 15th". I was certain he'd be a Canuck by now. Alas, my predictive abilities are only slightly less accurate than a magic 8-ball.

But at least magic 8-balls are amusing.

I'm no longer amused by the Sundin Saga.

T Tags: Mats+Sundin+to+Rangers Mats+Sundin+to+Flyers Sundin+not+interested+in+Canucks+Canadiens NY Post Larry Brooks rumor

Friggin Dowbiggin

The Calgary Herald's Bruce Dowbiggin had this to say about the Sundin drama today:

While Vancouver and Montreal are the favourities in the SwedeStakes, don't be surprised if another team pops up should Mad Mats finally announce his plan to play next season. While the Flyers are over the salary-cap limit, they might just move Jeff Carter to create space for Sundin.
The biggest sticking point for Sundin in Vancouver is 47 -- the number of nights he'd spend in a hotel bed as a Canuck as compared to, say, an Atlantic Division squad that gets home almost every night. Gee, Mats, don't like those pretty little soaps?

I accept this scenario as a possibility. Sundin's agent JP Barry had mentioned that other teams would make room for Sundin if the "indecisive one" chose them.
Then again, check out the site NHL Salaries. Look at how much the Flyers are already spending. I think they'd have to move a lot more than Carter to absorb Sundin's potential salary.
So yeah, can it, Dowbiggin. The soaps do smell pretty.

T Tags: Mats+Sundin Flyers Canucks

Flyers trade rights to Vaclav Prospal back to the Lightning

Lightning strikes twice. The Flyers have traded the rights to scoring enigma Vaclav Prospal to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the 7th overall pick in the upcoming 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

"Vinny really didn't express much of an interest in coming back and playing for us next season," said General Manager Holmgren in making the announcement. "His heart is elsewhere."

Since the Flyers acquired him at the trade deadline, Prospal scored 4 goals and 18 points in 18 regular season games for the Flyers, and added 3 goals and 13 points in 17 games for Philly in the playoffs.I guess Vinnie likes the babes on silicone beach too much down in Florida.

T Tags: Flyers+trade+Vaclav+Prospal+to+Lightning draft pick

Kimmo Timonen could play Sunday

From the Courier Post outta South Jersey comes this:

Timonen was examined Thursday by Ronald Fairman, chief vascular surgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital, and an untrasound showed that his blood clot had remained unchanged.
"Based on that, the doctor said I have a green light to give it a try," Timonen said. "That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to skate (today) and see how it feels. The doctor feels that there is no chance the clot is going to get loose or break up or anything like that. It's a great sign. A week ago they were afraid it was going to get bigger and cut loose. I've been on blood thinners now for eight days and we'll see how it goes."

That would be a major boost to the Flyers team and an easement to a few of the Flyers' d-men who have logged more icetime in Timonen's absence. If the Flyers can win Game 5 in Pittsburgh........... I'm not banking on it.
Timonen is skating today to see how numb his toes feel afterwards. He will know his status for Sunday's Game 5 today.

T Tags: Kimmo+Timonen+return+Game+5 blood+clot Flyers

Zettersyuk: The Euro player stereotypes are dying

There was a time when Demolition ruled the World Wrestling Entertainment Tag Team Division and it was cool to watch. Right now, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk are an unstoppable combo in the NHL playoffs. These 2 are sickeningly good. You can hit them and rough them up but they continue to thrive and excel. They create so much open space with their flexibility in their plays and even when they are being tightly checked they push through. This is killing the old Don Cherry (and my own) stereotype that if you bang around skilled European players that they'll shy away from the puck when an opposing player charges them. Such is the evolution (generally speaking) of European players adapting to North American-style hockey.
You can't write off a team with a lot of European players on it to make the Finals anymore. Not this year anyway. And already, the "template" for building a successful NHL team full of bigger and faster Canadian players (like the Ducks of last year) has faded.
Adaptation.
More obstruction calls helps. It lets the smaller skilled guys play their style.
If Johan Franzen was in the Wings' lineup there would be (not including goalies):
-6 Swedes
-6 Canadians
-3 Americans
-1 Russian
-1 Czech
-1 Fin

9 Europeans! And a Swedish captain to boot. Is this the year that Lidstrom squashes the whole "a European captain has never won a Cup" statement?

By contrast, here are the Penguins nationality totals (minus goalies):
-8 Canadians
-5 Americans
-1 Slovak
-2 Russians
-1 Czech
-1 Fin

5 Europeans! A Canadian captain! I guess the Penguins are heavily favored to win the Cup then, right? Don't bank on it.

I guess I'm counting on the Flyers NOT coming back in their series against Pittsburgh. But just for the hell of it, the Flyers' nationality counts as follows:
-11 Canadians
-3 Americans
-2 Fins
-2 Czechs

(Keep in mind that the totals for each team are based on their CURRENT rosters)

Wow. Look at all those Canucks on the Flyers. And only 4 Europeans! A Canadian captain! Shit, these guys should be in the Finals already!

It just goes to show that my stereotypical attitude was wrong. Sure, I love it when Canadians succeed in hordes, but this year is kind of stretching my attitude and perspective.
Europeans are generally getting stronger and keeping pace with our style of hockey nowadays and I need to get my hockey-superiority head out of my ass. It's just hard to sometimes when you cheer for a team that has/had 3 gutless Swedes on it (Naslund and the Twins). There are great European players out there outside of my little box.

-The top 3 scorers in the playoffs are European (Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Malkin.)

-The Top 2 goal-scorers in the playoffs are European (Franzen and Zetterberg). That includes 6 out of the Top 10.

T Tags: Zetterberg Datsyuk domination Red+Wings Penguins Flyers European+Players

Hatcher's heroics tarnished by boarding penalty

Don Cherry almost took the words right out of my mouth after the Habs game when he said that he was going to do a feature on the brilliant defensive play of Derian Hatcher, only to have the colossal defender almost turn Francis Boullion's head into a cube and almost costing the Flyers Game 3. Moments before the boarding penalty I was actually saying to Temujin how good Hatcher has been in these playoffs. Sometimes I don't watch the puck or puck carrier on the t.v. screen. I'll watch the people behind the play or away from the puck. I've noticed that Hatcher is playing positionally very well in order to compensate for his lack of speed. He blocks shots. He makes people pay with crunching hits in the defensive zone. He has no fear.
It's this kind of play that may be the Habs' undoing. The Flyers are picking on the dingle-dangle smaller skilled players and putting fear into them. We'll see if this continues to keep the Kostitsyns and Kovalev off the scoresheet most of the time.
Yeah, Hatcher can be a goon at times, and he really lost his marbles by running Boullion that late in the game with a 3-0 lead. The media is bashing him for it.
But I'm willing to look past that and acknowledge Hatcher's great play. He is a leader back there in many different ways.
Oh....and don't forget.... he is the only non-Canadian captain in NHL history to hoist the Stanley Cup.



HATCHER TUBE

-Hatcher nails Alex Steen AND his own teammate Lupul. Boooom!

- Hatcher breaks fellow American Jeremy Roenick's jaw in 1999.

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So what are your thoughts about the Habs' chances in this series? Is Carey Price, the 20 year-old goalie sensation going to rebound after a somewhat shakey game 3? (No, he could NOT see 2 of those goals against.) Screen-city. The Canadiens coaching staff said that he was "rattled" after last game, but defended him because he is so young and has a lot of pressure being put on him.
The Flyers are playing physical, yet not disciplined enough. Bt I think they have the recipe to beat Montreal. Added to their fortunes is that Mike Knuble will return to their lineup on Tuesday. That is a big lift, especially on the power play.

T Tags: Derian+Hatcher Francis+Boullion boarding Flyers

Thoughts on tonight's Game 7's

It is difficult to pick the Flyers to win tonight's game against the Caps. The Caps have caught fire again and must be primed after erasing a 2-0 deficit in Game 6 and winning 4-2 to stun the Flyers and their fans in Philly's building. Ovechkin had not scored a point since Game 1 and the pressure was building. Even amongst all the tight-checking and banging done to him, he broke out last game, scoring the winning goal and the killer 4th goal. The Caps are not a 1-man team. Teaming Semin with Backstrom has proven to be magic, while Kozlov, Fedorov and Alex play well together as well.
Bad news for Philly indeed. They are going to have to buckle down and score in bunches to beat the Caps. But that's a tall order with Huet in net.
I say the Caps win 4-3.

**UPDATE**

I'm not sure when or how it's OK for Thoreson to push the Caps D-man into Huet and then Kapanen scores, but that's how it was. In the end, I thought the Capitals were explosive, but the Flyers put out a massive gutsy effort. No Gagne. No Knuble. These Flyers are good.
Nice touch by Ovechkin by saluting the fans. OV is THE MAN.


You can toss the Sharks into the big heap of trouble as well. What is it going to take to inspire these guys to match the Flames' physicality and desire? Does Thornton need to snort a bowl of coke before he goes out there? How about Michalek and Campbell show something? Do Ryan Clowe and Nabokov have to do it all by themselves?
You know what will help here? Home ice advantage. That had better fire these guys up, or Ron Wilson is going to be fired by next week. Maybe even the return of Jeremy Roenick (after being a healthy scratch last game) may help.
I got the Sharks winning this one 2-1, even though I have lost almost all of my trust in these guys and should be giving up on them by now.

**UPDATE** Jeremy "fucking" Roenick??????

T Tags: Capitals Flyers Flames Sharks Game+7

Habs-Bruins and Caps-Flyers thoughts, Sharks in trouble

Habs-Bruins Game 7
What a game this is going to be. After a thrilling finish to Game 6 and a Bruins win to force this series to 7 games, who really knows what to expect in Game 7. I would say that you won't see what happened in the 3rd period last game to happen in the final game. Both teams should be a little more cautious.
A big key to this game may be how composed the Habs will be after brain farting in Game 6. Is Carey Price going to be the difference?
Something I really noticed in Game 6 was the asshat play of Alexei Kovalev. I think a really big reason Kovalev did not show up was because Saku Koivu returned from a broken foot for the first time in the series and the spotlight wasn't on the Russian anymore. Think of it this way: Kovalev wore the "c" in Koivu's absence and was a force to be reckoned with just before the playoffs and in the first 5 games of the series as well. Hell, he had 6 points in the first 5 games. Koivu comes back in game 6, and Kovalev plays 21:46, has only 2 shots, no points and was a -3. Some guys love the spotlight, and Kovalev is one of them. Let's see how he rebounds (or acts) tonight.
Personally, I think he's a highly gifted selfish jackass.
5-2 Habs win tonight is my prediction. But I sure hope I'm wrong.

**UPDATE** 2 assists for Kovalev and a bunch of points for the Kostitsyn Buthas and the Habs destroy the B's 5-0. Carey Price showed a lot of composure for a kid in Game 7.

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Flyers-Capitals Game 6
All the talk about the Flyers-Capitals game tonight revolves around (of course) Alex Ovechkin. Can he get his offence going in the postseason? One last chance to be a playoff hero since game 1. At least Semin and Fedorov picked up the slack in Game 5 to prolong the series. But it will be a masterful upset if the Caps beat Philly in front of the crazy-spirited blood-hungry Flyer faithful tonight. I say the Flyers end it tonight 4-2.

**UPDATE** Holy crap, it's a Russian Mob takeover tonight! Ovechkin becomes the hero and Semin and Backstrom majorly contribute in a 4-2 Caps win. Now the Flyers are in trouble as they have to beat the surging Caps in front of a sea of red tomorrow.

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Unless Joe Thornton can lead by example and show some more heart and offence, it looks as though the Flames will take their series. When I watch that series, I hardly watch the puck. I just follow Thornton around the screen. It's not because I got some kind of sick love affair with the guy. No, it's because I have been hacking the slug for the whole series and I want to know for sure that my accusations are justified. And they are. I don't care that Big Joe has 1 goal and 5 assists in 6 games. As decent as that is, there are too many times where he refuses to shoot the puck in key areas and too many times that he lacks grit and pays the price. Joe doesn't go, the Sharks don't go. How about this... in 64 career NHL playoff games, Joe has only 10 goals and 44 points.

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Nothing made me happier than to see the Ducks lose last night. I refuse to cheer for Scott Niedermayer and especially Todd Bertuzzi. Even better news from the Ducks camp is that Scott Niedermayer has been fined $500,000 by the League for not reporting to training camp last fall, as he was considering retirement. Ha! (Update: Bob McKenzie says that the team itself fines Niedermayer.) I guess there is a rule about that in the CBA. Couldn't happen to a better Duck and a bigger cheating GM in Brian Burke, who really kept Niedermayer and Selanne out of the Ducks lineup to save cap space. (Burke is fighting this fine and trying to reverse it. So then, Selanne WAS at training camp then?

**UPDATE** I think Selanne had a double bogey on his first hole.

T Tags: Canadiens Bruins Game+7 Flyers Capitals Game+6 Joe+Thornton+sucks Kovalev+sucks

Which team can come back in their series?

With one series being over and six others being on the brink of being over, let's go through the six and analyze which team has a chance at making a comeback.

Canadiens-Bruins (Habs lead series 3-2).
We finally saw the human side of Carey Price last night. He let in 2 very soft goals in the 3rd period last night in a 5-1 loss and appeared to have lost his focus. Is this the end of Price's run? How will the youngster handle the pressure after a poor performance like that? I don't know him well enough to answer that, but he did say that he doesn't have very many bad back-to-back games and vows for a better performance in game 6. But this series just got a hell of a lot more close than it should have last night. Game 6 is going to be great in all of its importance. Jeez, the Bruins are explosive sometimes, and Tim Thomas is ......well, a god actually. I can't predict the outcome of this one, but the Bruins have the momentum now. If they win game 6, they may have a lock on game 7.

Flyers-Capitals (Flyers lead series 3-1).
I think you can almost bank on this series being over. The Capitals were so red hot going into these playoffs, that I wondered if the young team would cool off if they finally lost a game. That is what has happened. Ovechkin has been silenced and is on the verge of losing it. Sergei Fedorov can't hit an open net. Yeah, this series is ending up the way it should have, I suppose. The Flyers are rolling along just fine.
I haven't seen so many giveaways in a series in quite a while though. Sloppy hockey, but very entertaining hockey.

Avalanche-Wild (Avalanche lead series 3-2).
The Avs have won 2 games in a row and have outscored the Wild 8-3 in that span. The comeback player of the year, Jose Theodore is playing so damned well right now. A guy named Gaborik, whom the Wild are relying on in order to have any chance, is pulling a whodini act and is pointless in the Wild's 5 games so far (19 shots though).
I would consider this series to be all but over in 6. Next game is in Denver.

Rangers-Devils (Rangers lead series 3-1).I think the Rangers remind me of the Hurricanes when Carolina won the Cup a couple years back. Their defence rarely offensively contributes in goals but is sharp in their own end. The depth in forwards is killer. Lundqvist is playing like Cam Ward did. Is anyone going to stop the Rangers? The Penguins might in round 2, but the Devils won't in round 1.

Stars-Ducks (Stars lead series 3-1).
The Stars have barely let up on these Ducks the whole series, and are about to finish off the defending champs. Dallas' hustle is pretty much second-to-none in these playoffs, and if anyone is still questioning Turco's ability in the playoffs, they need a bullet wound.
Hey it's never over until the fat lady quacks right? Somewhere in the world I can see Oprah Winfrey standing in front of a mirror, ready to start making Duck noises.
Oh, and thanks for comin' Bertuzzi! (not) Nothing makes me happier than seeing Bert and the Fowl teeing off early.

Sharks-Flames (Sharks lead series 3-2)
Never count out a team from Alberta. As well as the Sharks are playing right now, it's not great enough to convince me that the Flames can't come back in this series. No lead is ever safe in this series, and that is one big reason why it's so fun to watch.
Look out for Cheechoo though. He seems ready to heat up.
Joe Thornton to me, is a cross between the Sedins and Bertuzzi. He has the speed and skill for a big guy, but he doesn't always use it to his advantage. Errant passes get intercepted. He doesn't always shoot when he should. Brilliant at times. Ass at other times. Not a clutc guy as much as he could be.
The real dudes on this team are Patrick Marleau and Ryan Clowe. By the way, the Canucks NEED to acquire Marleau this summer. Wouldn't he be a great fit?
Out of all the nearly-finalized series' left, I'd say the Flames have the best chance to come back. Next game is in Calgary.

What are your thoughts? Do you disagree with me on any of these points? It's ok, you can tell me if I'm full of shit.

T Tags: NHL Playoffs Round+one Carey+Price+meltdown Thornton+sucks Gaborik+sucks

Hawks negotiating with Forsberg / more news and rumors

Just saw this at Yahoo:

The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 26, and the Chicago Blackhawks, for a change, are in the thick of rumors that are swirling around the league. Hawks general manager Dale Tallon has admitted involvement in the Peter Forsberg negotiations, and two European news outlets reported during the weekend that Forsberg, 34, is weighing a three-year, $11 million offer from the Hawks.

As reported today, there still is a chance that Forsberg will return to the NHL this season aching foot and all. I'm not banking on it. If this story about the Hawks' offer is even close to being true, then I'll tell you right now, there is no way in hell Forsberg is coming to Vancouver. Who the hell would sign Peter the fragile for 3 years?? At that price? I don't see Nonis even trying that.

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Why is Flyers' GM Holmgren saying this:

"As soon as we have had the opportunity to speak further with Dr. Kelly and Simon, we can shed more light on this," Holmgren was quoted in the paper. "Needless to say, we are very disappointed with this news."

That's because Simon Gagne is going to miss the remainder of the season due to concussion issues. Bad news for the slumping Flyers. I swear, Gagne is going the Lindros route. His career may not last long as this is not his first concussion. Gagne is as fragile as Lindros and Forsberg. Useless.

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The Flames added some muscle today, acquiring d-man Jim Vandermeer from the Flyers in exchange for a 3rd round pick in 2009. Isn't that kind of a high pick to give up for a goon?
Either way, the Flames just keep getting bigger.
Wanna see Vandermeer get killed by Boogeyman Boogaard? Check this out.

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Eklund has Olli Jokinen going to the Sharks as an e3. Haha. Meaning bullshit. Yeah, this jackass is rolling in the popularity at trade season again. He won't make it onto a big sports show this year, thank Christ. He's doing his own show apparently. Be sure not to tune in.

T Tags: Forsberg+to+Black Hawks Simon+Gagne+out+for+season Flames+acquire+Vandermeer Jokinen+to+Sharks

Downie's sucker punch on Blake under investigation / UPDATE: No suspension

Steve Downie apparently isn't going to have a long stay in the NHL at this rate. In only his 4th game back since serving a lengthy suspension for his illegal hit on Dean McAmmond, Downie sucker-punched Toronto's Jason Blake while Blake was tied up by the refs during Saturday night's game. If you have not seen the footage of it yet, check it out here.
Hey, I love violence in hockey, make no mistake. But this kind of thing just isn't right. Blake's arms were clearly tied up by the referee and any potential fight was not going to happen. So Downie had no right to sucker punch Blake when he was that vulnerable. Today the NHL deemed no suspension is warrated, but you can bet that this guy is going to be monitored quite closely.
But hey, it's another black eye for hockey isn't it? Not really. It's a literal black eye for Blake and an on-going stain on the career of a player in Downie, who has the mental capacity of a headless chicken and the personality of a shit sandwich.

DownieTube

-Downie fights his teammate Akim Aliu during practice in the OHL.
- Downie loses his cool
- Downie compilation of dirt, sweet hands, and fisticuffs.If he kept his game clean, he'd be a hell of a player who'll enjoy a good NHL career.

T Tags: Steve+Downie+sucker+punch+Jason+Blake highlights Akim+Aliu+fights++teammate+Steve+Downie

Hartnell hit on Alberts

Hey I love violence in hockey. But I don't like these kinds of incidences where a player is vulnerable on his knees along the boards and someone crunches him. Such is the case in the Bruins/Flyers game last night, as Scott Hartnell smoked Andrew Albert's prone body and especially head into the ledge of the boards at the bottom of the glass.
I'm sure the League is reviewing it and Hartnell will get an Ohlund-type suspension, or maybe a bit less. It's intent to injure, even though Hartnell is denying it.
Another problem here, and I'm sure Don Cherry will be barking about it on Saturday: can something be done about the ledges along the boards? Can we pad them up or eliminate them altogether? I'm surprised this kind of incident doesn't happen more often.
Alberts was apparently fine afterwards, even though he layed on the ice like he was dead. So I'm sure Hartnell, with a clean track record (?) may only get a slap on he wrist.
It's just disturbing that the last time these 2 teams played, Patrice Bergeron was boarded by Randy Jones and may miss the rest of the season, and now this. Stupid goon Flyers hey?
Hartnell should have let up. Check out he clip. It's 1:11 into the highlights.

**UPDATE**
Hartnell has received a 2- game suspension.

T Tags: Scott+Hartnell hits Andrew +Alberts cheapshot boards injury

Boulerice put on waivers / Edler recalled

"It caught me off guard," Kesler said Monday. "I didn't know who it was at first."He (Boulerice) introduced himself and asked me how I felt. I was taken back."

Needless to say, Boulerice was put on waivers by the Flyers today, despite his apologies to Kesler for the brutal cross check to the jaw. Hell, why pay a goon his salary for 25 games that he isn't going to play? Odds are, Boulerice will not be claimed and will not see anymore NHL icetime this year, or maybe ever. That will please a lot of goon skeptics I'm sure.

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The Canucks have recalled Alex Edler today and he will play tonight against the Sharks. I guess that puts little Mike Weaver in the press box doesn't it? Or maybe Krajicek is out.

Matt Cooke, who was a healthy scratch last game will play tonight.


Oh yeah, and the Canucks will win 3-2 tonight. Not sure how much of the game I can watch tonight, as it is hectic at work.

T Tags: Boulerice+put+on+waivers Edler+recalled

Disgrace: Flyers 8 Canucks 2

“It has to be preparation,” said Naslund, who finished the night a minus-two. “This is as bad as I’ve seen this team play. We talked about getting back into good habits, like we had last year, but we haven’t done that so far.”

Naslund may have been the best Canuck out there last night. Or at least, showed the most effort, along with the Sedins. But not even close enough of an effort.
I'm not going to dissect last night's loss. Just think of anything that can go wrong for a team in one night and that is what happened.
The Flyers team spent time bonding in Whistler prior to the game and it paid off. They came out flying last night and the Canucks looked unorganized and ....drunk I guess. I pity the fool that actually paid for that PPV game.
At the end of the game we were wondering which player was -4 or worse. I said Kevin Bieksuck, but the truth lies in the boxscore.
Anyone else wishing we still had RJ Umberger (even tho the bastard didn't want to sign here)?? I'm have nothing more to say about last night's disgrace, except that I hope it was a valueable lesson to the Canucks and that I can't believe how well the Flyers are playing already with all that new personnel.
Oh, and that Jesse Boulerice is an asshat for cross checking Kesler in the face. His suspension should be handed down today. What should his suspension be? 20 games?

"I reacted in a bad way - the wrong way," said Boulerice.

For all you Boulerice-haters, this clip of Aaron Downey knocking his bitch-ass out should make you feel better.
BOX SCORE

High er...I mean LOWLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks Flyers blowout disgrace Boulerice Kesler

Canucks vs Flyers Preview

Canucks.com has some freaky statistics about the Canucks and Flyers.

The Flyers have dominated the series lately, going 13-3-0 with one tie in the last 17 meetings. They have won five straight at Vancouver, and have recorded eight wins and four ties there since a 5-3 loss on Jan. 17, 1989.

I can remember one time when the Flyers absolutely obliterated us at home on New Year's Eve a few years back.

Philadelphia's top line of Briere, Gagne and Mike Knuble has accounted for five of the team's six goals through two games.

Well there you go. We'll just shut that damned line down tonight (Mitchell) and see if duds like Lupul and Hartnell can accomplish anything. When the Canucks are on their game and doing it Viggy-style, they can make even guys like Thornton go pointless and limp.
It could be a wide open start tonight as both teams have not played since Saturday.
But I would expect the Canucks to get a lead hopefully earlier in this one and then settle into their defensive mode.
The Flyers blew a lead to the Oilers on Saturday.
The Canucks edged the Lames in OT

The Flyer's PP is currently 15th in the League.
Vancouver's is 3rd and suddenly hot.

I say the Nucks take this one 4-3.

Game Time: 7:30
TV: Canucks' PPV (oh great, more Kirk McLean/Gary Valk analysis'.) Well, Valk's not bad. He just has that interior decorator-thingy about him.)

T Tags: Canucks Flyers Preview

Flyers sign Rory Fitzpatrick / Jovanovski to Rangers?

It is a 1-year deal and the dollar value has not been released. I wonder why Fitzpatrick was not or did not re-sign with Vancouver. Did we not want him? Did he not want to be here. Why? Did he want to play closer to his home state of New York? Was he unsatisfied being the #7 guy in Vancouver? Not liking the money here?
All I know is that he was cheaper ($525,000) than Aaron Miller ($1.5 million) and was probably just as effective. I liked his play because he was consistent, in my opinion.
One thing though, Miller is bigger, and can probably clear bodies away from Luongo's crease better than Fitzy could. Other than that, I have no idea as to why Rory isn't playing here this year.

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Who the hell would even start the pathetic rumor that the Rangers are interested in acquiring Ed Jovanovski? That is laughable for obvious reasons: no-trade clause and dollars. Spector 'debunks' it pretty well.
The Rangers could use a scoring defenceman beyond Tyutin and Rosival, but not at Jovo's price.

TTags: Flyers+sign+Rory+Fitzpatrick Jovanovski+to+Rangers

Steve Downie gets 20 game suspension

The NHL frowned heavily upon Steve Downie's flying shoulder block to Dean McAmmond's head, handing him the 5th longest suspension in NHL history. That puts his suspension length behind Chris Simon (25 games), Gordie Dwyer (23 games), Marty McSorley (23 games), and Dale Hunter (21 games). The 20 game suspension matches penalties handed to Todd Bertuzzi, Brad May, and Tom Lysiak. Remember what Tom Lysiak did to warrant 20 games? He tripped an official in 1983 after getting kicked out of the faceoff circle. Gordie Dwyer abused officials and left the penalty box to fight in a 2000 preseason game.
Downie may not even get a spot on the Flyer's roster this season, but as soon as he does make it onto an NHL roster during the regular season, the suspension kicks in.
I love violence in hockey. I love hitting, fighting, and don't mind headshots....as long as you don't take a 20 foot run at the guy and leave your feet like Downie did. I know the headshot issue is front and center again, but I've always said that the shoulder pads are to blame for the concussions. I don't want fair hits that happened to be headshots to be taken out of the game. Enough of that.
McAmmond is going to be alright, even though he doesn't remember any of it. But what chaps my ass is what Downie said about the hit afterward:

"I didn't mean to hurt him and I hope he's OK," Downie said following the game. "My game's to hit and to finish the check. I'm just trying to earn a spot on the roster. It's part of my game and I apologize for him getting hurt. I thought I got him clean. Once we hit the boards after, I asked if he was okay."

Didn't mean to hurt him huh? Liar.
Downie is not going to make a lot of friends whenever he does get onto NHL ice. He's an agitator. His worst enemy now is Ottawa's Brian McGratton:

"He'll get what's coming to him next time we play him, that's for sure."

Of course, the wimpy media got all cautious over McGratton's threats, as Bertuzzi images flashed through their minds. Yet when asked about his threats later, McGratton said:

"I don't beat around the bush. I'm not the guy who whips out cliche after cliche, you are going to get a straight answer out of me," McGrattan said. "At least I'm telling him I'm going to do it. I'm not going to blindside him or hit him from behind.
That kid may get away with that stuff in junior but he won't get away with it in this league, not for long."

Amen, brother. God I love hockey.

T Tags: Steve+Downie+suspended McAmmond McGratton