So my daily visit to the Flyers website revealed an interesting piece of news.  Bill Guerin had an informal skating session with our boys, with permission from Paul Holmgren. He downplays the significance, saying that he was visiting family in the area, and just wanted to skate a bit. I call bullshit! I do not want him wearing Orange and Black; he’s not welcome. But I have a sneaking suspicion that he’ll get a chance to earn a roster spot.

Yeah, keep looking away. (Courtesy: TSN.ca)

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The local TV schedule was released yesterday, following last weeks announcement of the national TV schedule.  I noticed that only one of the games will be on Comcast Sportsnet, and two on The Comcast Network.  That leaves 5 games without TV coverage. I know all 8 games will be on the radio, but it’s not the same.  Baseball and football work well on radio because those sports have a lot of starting and stopping. Hockey, a real man’s sport, is much more free flowing, and just listening to play by play simply doesn’t do it justice. Continue reading this post »

I know the Flyers are cash strapped and there’s no cap space to sign anyone (not that there’s anyone out there worth signing).  That doesn’t rule out the opportunity for trades, however. As you should know, I write once a week for our NHL site, Too Many Men on the Site. My latest feature was about Bobby Ryan, of the Anaheim Ducks. There were whispers of a trade that would bring him to Phillyearlier this summer, but I haven’t heard anything in a few months.  As we know, hockey features significantly more trades than the other major sports, and it can happen almost at any time.  I want the Flyers to go hard after Ryan NOW!

Courtesy: battleofcali.com

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This upcoming season, the Flyers will be on Versus 9 times, and have a few games that NBC might potentially pick with flex-scheduling. Here is the Versus schedule:

• Thu., Oct. 7 @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET
• Thu., Oct. 14 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m. ET
• Tue., Oct. 26 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Tue., Nov. 16 @ Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m. ET
• Wed., Dec. 8 vs. San Jose Sharks, 7 p.m. ET
• Tue., Dec. 14 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET
• Tue., Jan. 11 @ Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Tue., Jan. 25 vs. Montreal Canadiens, 7:30 p.m. ET
• Tue., Mar. 22 vs. Washington Capitals, 7:30 p.m. ET

It seems like a bunch of pretty good matchups. We get to see the unveiling of the Penguins new arena to open the season. Aside from Tampa, the other games are against some pretty exciting teams that we generally have a rivalry against.  There are the exciting Washington Capitals, who keep choking in the playoffs, only to see us advance farther than them most years.  The Canadiens have been a nice doormat for us to wipe our feet on for us the last few playoff seasons as well.  The Sharks beat the crap out of us last season; I think we need some payback. And of course there are the Sabres, with all universe goalie Ryan Miller.  They’re always a pretty decent team, with evenly balanced talent throughout their lineup, and they’ll provide a solid test for us.

With NBC’s rights to pick game late in the season, they have the opportunity to pick up games against the Blackhawks, Kings and Rangers (3 times). All three would probably put on a good show, especially the Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the ‘Hawks. Rangers games of course will be intense because of the division rivalry.  LA is an up and coming team, which doesn’t get noticed as much because they’re on the West Coast. They have some awesome young players, so that could make for a fun game as well.

Overall, the NHL did a pretty decent job, but I think they missed a few opportunities.  We play the Pens, Habs, and Sabres twice on Versus.  I understand the game against Pitt., but we could have gone without the other two repeats.  What about a game against Boston, Detroit, Colorado, Vancouver, or Phoenix.  Aside from Boston, we rarely see those teams.  I think it’s a treat for fans to witness rare matchups.  I’m sure that of the three opportunities that NBC has to make Flyers-Rangersa game of the week, at least one will get picked up.  Especially as the teams will be in a tigth playoff race, and the games will be pretty emotional.

Still, it’s pretty cool overall that the NHL considers us popular enough to put on national tv so often.

Thanks for reading!

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30 years ago, they came to the US, the Winter Games in Lake Placid.  They skated smoothly, passed crisply, and scored at will.  They were the USSR, the best national hockey team in the world.  We all know how the story ends. USA with the historic upset, Al Michaels with the legendary call, and a nation with a memory that transcends generations.

Upset special (Courtesy: images.art.com)

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Danny Briere came here as a prized free agent from the Buffalo Sabresafter that horrible, horrible season we had.  For the most part, we’ve called him overpaid, a bust, and a bit overhyped.  He didn’t put up huge numbers, didn’t score a ton of crucial goals, and has been injured a lot.  Then came the 2010 playoffs, and he was a beast.  He consistently lit everyone up, and finished as the league leader in points. He had 12 points in the finals alone, one point short of Gretzky’s record.  What is it that clicked in April, May and June?

Frozen Fist Pump (courtesy: picsdigger.com)

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So it’s been 5 years since the terrible lockout. Since that ridiculous hiatus, we’ve been treated to a “new” NHL.  There was an emphasis on calling penalties tighter, a goalie trapezoid behind the net, and of course, the shootout.  Right away, I hated the idea of a shootout. I think it’s one of the worst ways to decide a hockey game. I’d much rather see a tie than a stupid skills competition. Not only that, but it takes away from the luster of a penalty shot.  PS’s are pretty rare, which makes them exciting.

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