The Ditch part deux

That was a big deal for the time, the owner has deep pockets. He's lucky that it worked out, 13 years is stupid.

 

better late than never as he brought them the Cup last year ! haha. Even if you give McDavid or the next wonderkid a long-term deal, you better pray they are injury free. imagine they break a leg and are on the hook for 8-13 years ? ouch.

 

Thanks to the new CBA in 2012, the max is 8 years, that's only if you drafted the player. Otherwise, it's max 7 years for a UFA from another club.

 

Im pretty sure the Russians didn't come back out because of all of the blatant cheapshots. It was the epitome of gooning it up.

 

isn't that the same thing ? the cheap shots was basic goonery compared to the game they played in the mid 70's ? that crushing hit by Ed Van Impe that sent the 1 Russian to the ice - was that a cheap shot or goonery ?

and they came back out and got their asses handed to them. first NHL team to beat them !

 

It was goonery pure & simple.

It does not matter that goons were more acceptable then - they were. But, I do not have to rely on comments from others to draw my conclusions. I lived through that era, and the hockey team from Philadelphia was largely despised. The reason is they were over-the-top with goonery.

In fact, the backlash against their outrageous style is a major reason it's been (mostly) phased out of the game.

(I have no animus/hatred for the hockey team from Philadelphia. But I do hold hockey traditions dear, and not speaking that name is one of my cherished traditions. That, plus I don't want to risk having my tongue fall off is I were to say it.)

 

the stuff from the movie SLAPSHOT was goonery. At least the Flyers had very skilled players like 3X Hart Trophy winner Bobby Clarke, 2x Vezina and 2xConn Smythe winner Bernie Parent, and All-Stars Bill Barber, Reggie Leach and Rick Macleish. They had to have the skill to out score teams like the famed Boston Bruins and Bobby Orr or your Sabres. It wasn't like it was all fighting and just chaos like they are portrayed.

At least for 1 night in 1976, the majority of hockey fans cheered for the Flyers vs the Russians.

 

8 game losing streak.

 

You're right, they never would've won those two cups without all the offensive production and great goaltending. The big difference between the flyers and other clubs at the time is that they carried more goons, and they weren't just goons, they could put the puck in the net. Also, their skilled players were dirty with their stickwork, especially bobby clarke.

 

Also, their skilled players were dirty with their stickwork, especially bobby clarke.

I find it hard to believe not ONE of guys mentioned Coach Fred Shero.....RIP

He was the reason they were called the Broad Street Bullies....he taught them how to play tough and put the Puck in F-ing Net........lol.......and teams feared playing them.

 

Nikita Kucherov somehow already has 71 points...

To give some mind-boggling perspective, consider this: on Jan. 8, 2018, Kucherov topped all NHL scorers with 59 points in 42 games, seven points more than anyone else at that time. The slacker.

Kucherov isn’t just leading the NHL with those 71 points; he’s also rubbing elbows with some of the game’s greats. The league pointed out some staggering stats:

• Kucherov is the first player to reach 70+ points in 43 games since Jaromir Jagr hit that mark in 38 contests, way back in 1999-2000. Former Lightning great Martin St. Louis managed to hit 70 in 53 contests back in 2006-07, which was the best pace between Jagr’s feat and Kucherov doing so on Tuesday.
• His playmaking has been especially prolific. The NHL notes that Kucherov is the 10th player to generate at least 50 assists in 43 games. The most recent time that happened came from a scary 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins group of Jagr, Mario Lemieux, and Ron Francis. No big deal.

Kucherov’s 71 points in 43 games translates to about a 1.65-point-per-game pace. If he maintained that blistering productivity, Kucherov would author an absurd 135 point season. The 2017-18 campaign represents his career-high so far in the NHL, as he generated 100 points in 80 games. (NBC, PHT)

 

The Philadelphia Flyers tied an NHL record by starting their seventh different goalie in the same season, and the netminder and coach involved make it an even better story.

(Granted, McKenna would have preferred avoiding a 5-3 loss while allowing four goals on 24 shots, but oh well.)

Journeyman goalie Mike McKenna has been tabbed for the start. The 35-year-old is suiting up for his third NHL team so far in 2018-19; he didn’t play a game for the Vancouver Canucks, while he appeared in 10 for the Ottawa Senators and is about to play for Philly. McKenna also played six games in the AHL this season. McKenna’s played for seven NHL teams overall.

Here’s a breakdown of how the other six goalies have fared over the first 42 games of the Flyers’ season:

Brian Elliott: 6-7-0, 2.59 GAA, .911 save percentage (14 games, 13 starts)
Calvin Pickard: 4-2-2, 4.01 GAA, .863% (11 GP, 8 GS)
Anthony Stolarz: 2-3-2, 3.90 GAA, .880% (9 GP, 7 GS)
Michal Neuvirth: 1-4-1, 4.27 GAA, .859% (7 GP, 6 GS)
Carter Hart: 2-4-1, 2.68 GAA, .909% (7 GP, 7 GS), giving some hope.
Alex Lyon: 0-1-0, 5.08 GAA, .806% (2 GP, 1 GS)

(NBC's, PHT)

 

Wow, it hurt my eyes to read some of those stats. .806%?! Ouch.

But sometimes that's they way it goes when a unit is trying to find their way. NOTHING seems to work for ANYBODY. That's the bad...

The good is that it doesn't have to take forever to turn it around. Seven G's in 1/2 an NHL season is another painful stat. But they just need to find ONE guy that can carry a starter's normal workload to get that unit, and the team, back at 'em.

It may not happen this year; in fact the season is close to lost already. But, an aggressive GM with a lot of interesting assets at his disposal could change a lot over one summer.

 

They should trade for Quick.

 

so right VV- Fred "the Fog" Shero was an innovator on many levels the NHL never saw before. He was a big reason for their success and new things for the NHL.

 

well said Dan. Carter Hart is their future. Whether it's next year or the year after, he will be the full-time goalie of this franchise.

 

skinny-that was the big rumor around Christmas ! 3 weeks later and nothing on that front. New GM Fletcher better be working the phones. The fans can't wait till summer to see something happen. that's too far away. They need to see moves made now as well.

 

Flyers announcer Jim Jackson and Keith Jones get caught speaking bad about Flyers players after a game last week. Jones said "Dale Weiss needs to go and Voracek doesn't play hard if he doesn't get his ice time."
Wow. Someone taped this obviously without their knowledge but i suspect them losing their jobs or a serious reprimand. if i were weiss and voracek i would meet with them and punch their lights out. They are correct, but you can't speak poorly about the players like that and now that it was videotaped, it's like you're speaking ill of the whole franchise. not smart or wise.

 

Well, I liked that Hart pick the moment they made it. I also, by the way, got the warm fuzzies when BUF tagged Uppa Pekka Luukonen. (And it's not just because that's a fun name.)