07-08 Philadelphia Flyers Season Thread

[Seabiscuit36]

Guenin is up for Hatch, Fitzpatrick for Jones.  I think hatch has played well, he's slow but is a +7 on the year and has been solid again.  Hope he gets healty quick. 

[dis12]

Guenin is up for Hatch, Fitzpatrick for Jones.  I think hatch has played well, he's slow but is a +7 on the year and has been solid again.  Hope he gets healty quick. 

while he's no Tim Kerr, Hatch in front of the net on PP is not so bad.

[SunMo]

After the Downie incident...the Ottawa Sun came up with this cartoon:



Some of the posters on FlyersPhans took that and went crazy with Photoshop...it's a pretty farging funny thread, here

[rjs246]

It started off slow, but that thread got funny in a hurry.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

It started off slow, but that thread got funny in a hurry.

Agreed.  JFK assassination, then 9/11.  Good stuff.

[rjs246]

There are some real gems in there.

[phattymatty]

gem sweater

junior gem, junior gem

[SunMo]

[rjs246]

gem sweater

junior gem, junior gem

I saw Lesley live. It was glorious.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

[PhillyGirl]

That thread is keeping me from working.

LMFAO

[PhillyGirl]

[PhillyGirl]

but here is my favorite:

[Rome]

Excellent

[Seabiscuit36]

Canada has gone completely gay

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http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/...5f&k=16345&p=1

Goon culture lingers in Philly
Three recent on-ice incidents rekindle memories of Flyers' Broad Street Bullies
HUGH ADAMI , CanWest News Service
Published: Thursday, November 01, 2007

There's a lot being said these days about the Philadelphia Flyers and whether they're descending back into the sewer where they lived when they were known as the Broad Street Bullies.

Understandably, the poor Flyers are appalled that anyone could think they thrive in that culture, and general managers around the National Hockey League are rising to Philadelphia's defence, suggesting it's all media hype.

However, when Brian Burke, general manager of the Anaheim Ducks, is one of Philly's biggest apologists, you can't help but get a queasy feeling in your stomach.

During the past month or so, three Flyers have delivered vicious hits on opponents who were sitting ducks. Two of the hits could easily be described as assaults: Steve Downie's airborne shoulder/elbow strike on the head of
Ottawa Senators centre Dean McAmmond during a Sept. 25 preseason game, and Jesse Boulerice's decision on Oct. 10 to stop Vancouver Canucks centre Ryan Kesler cold by ramming the shaft of his stick into Kesler's face. The punishment was quick and severe for the two goons. Downie, who built himself quite a reputation in the Ontario Hockey League and was drafted in 2005 by Bobby Clarke - an original Broad Street Bully - received a 20-game suspension. Boulerice, another Clarke selection in 1996 and undoubtedly picked because of his reputation as a goon, was given 25 games.

The latest cheap shot came Saturday as Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron chased a puck deep in the Flyers' zone with defenceman Randy Jones in pursuit. Jones hit Bergeron from behind and drove him face-first into the boards.

Like McAmmond, Bergeron was knocked unconscious and received a concussion. His nose was broken. He could miss a month of action. Kesler was luckier. He left the game and experienced some swelling in his jaw and mouth, but was back in the lineup two nights later.

It's interesting that the latest hit is actually giving the Flyers some respite from the Broad Street Bullies comparison. Even Colin Campbell, the league's disciplinarian, took a soft view of Jones's hit, saying there was no intent to injure, so he handed the player a pathetic two-game suspension.

How Campbell arrived at that conclusion beats me. While Bergeron slowed as he neared the puck behind the Flyers' net, Jones was in full stride just
before delivering the blow. Jones's shoulder/elbow plowed into the back of Bergeron's head and sent him reeling face-first
into the edge of the boards.

Granted, the hit looks a lot worse in slow-motion, perhaps giving an exaggerated impression, and Jones's quick and contrite apology might have served him well, especially as he is not of the same pedigree as Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. A second-generation Broad Street Bully described as an "animal" in the 2003 book, Players, by Andrew Podnieks, Holmgren joined the Flyers after they were manhandled by the talented and tough Canadiens in the 1976 Stanley Cup final.

In winning the Cup, the Habs denied the Flyers a third consecutive championship. Philadelphia responded by trying to make the team even dirtier.
"Homer (Holmgren) likes black-and-blue hockey, physical hockey, just like me," Burke said this week in a USA Today article. "But neither of us condone hits that cross the line."

This from the guy who has Todd Bertuzzi in his lineup again after their days with the Vancouver Canucks and that infamous "bounty" attack on Steve Moore?


Make no mistake, the problem in Philadelphia is that the culture of the Broad Street Bullies, though nowhere nearly as strong today, has lingered since the days of former coach Fred Shero. Though an embarrassment to the NHL, Philadelphia fans look at the "Bullies" and especially their two Stanley Cup titles as the club's glory years.

After he retired as a player in 1984, Clarke, Philadelphia's favourite son - at least in the eyes of Flyers owner Ed Snider - ran the show as general manager for more than 18 seasons over 22 years.

Clarke liked his teams to be big, strong, tough and mean. Even Clarke's Achilles heel, star Eric Lindros, was built that way, and he didn't blink at smearing someone half his size from behind. Remember the concussion he gave Senators forward Andreas Dackell after charging him in Ottawa?

Then there's Holmgren.

He coached the Flyers for four seasons and was Clarke's assistant general manager for another seven. While he appears to have put together a very competitive club following last year's disaster left behind by his predecessor, his reputation as one of the dirtiest players to ever wear a Flyers uniform makes him suspect. Guys like Downie and Boulerice probably look up to this guy for his dirty work on the ice. On top of the 1,684 penalty minutes in 527 regular-season games - Clarke had 1,453 over 1,144 games - Holmgren, according to Players, used his stick as a club on the heads of Carol Vadnais and Torrie Robertson. He has kicked players and even punched a referee.

Coach John Stevens, who has been accused of encouraging his team to play on the edge, is also a product of the Flyers organization, dating back to 1984, the year Clarke quit as a player and became general manager.

Stevens was a Philadelphia draft pick, but spent most of his time in the minors before going on to a coaching career, first as an assistant and then as head coach of the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers' AHL affiliate. He was promoted to the Flyers as an assistant under Ken Hitchcock and took over as head coach when Hitchcock was fired last season.

If Campbell doesn't talk to these two guys - especially Holmgren - about the disrespect some of his players are showing toward opponents, you can be sure the tough black-and-blue hockey that "Homer" aspires to will result in more dirty play and serious injuries. The Flyers are pushing the envelope. Campbell has a duty to push back and keep Philadelphia's culture of violent hockey in check.

Ottawa Citizen




© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007