Brush with Greatness 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 Even so, they're prepared for the future with Comrie and can try to sign someone in the off-season. Funny, thats what I thought the motivation for drafting Jeff Carter and Mike Richards was. Too bad Weinrich, Desjardins, Therien and Ragnarsson have all seen better days. In a few years those guys won't have much left in the tank. Sure, they have Johnsson and Pitkanen and Vandemeer will make a decent #5 d-man but beyond that they are lacking. (Seidenberg started strong last year but since then his play has constantly curtailed) And considering, on average, it takes defenceman longer to come into their own it would be nice if they had a good d prospect (or in Woywitka's case, great). And I can't believe anyone has sympathy for Mike Comrie regarding the whole Edmonton trade ordeal. This was a player who held Edmonton for ransom when signing his initial contract, which ended up including a big fat signing bonus, due to his impending UFA status. Status he gained through a loophole which the only purpose was to fuck the Oilers over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the pinjockey 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 This is looking prophetic... Atlantic 1. (2) Philadelphia - another playoff flop . There you go. I edited that prediction for you. I don't see the rest of it happening if it hasn't already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 Interesting fact...Olaf Kolzig has given up more goals than any other G in the NHL this season. And watching the Caps, I can see why...their defense is FUCKING HORRIBLE. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brush with Greatness 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 In 10 games with the Flyers he has 7 points, is a +3, and is only getting 12 minutes of ice time a game. To be a plus in the last 10 Flyers games he has to be doing something right. Yes, we are all aware of the first few games where he played good. That doesn't take away from his 2 points in 6 games since. Winning that Florida game singlehandedly? Well, if you throw out Hackett stopping 29 of 30 shots, then you could say that. But considering how the goals were scored, that would be like saying Pat O'Sullivan singlehandedly won the U.S. the world juniors. That's not mentioning the incredible game he had against the Oilers. You would figure he would have wanted to step his game up and prove something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the pinjockey 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 Even taking that 2 points in the last 6 games into account, he is still a plus 3 in 10 games where the Flyers have sucked the meat missile. So at the worst he isn't hurting the team, which leads me to the description of decent to characterize his play. Jesus christ, you might have thought they gave up an entire farm system for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 Habs currently winning against Atlanta 1-0. Dageneis with the goal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 Habs won 2-1 against Atlanta, Riberio with the GWG Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 I wish I could have seen the ending of that Flames/Capitals game tonight. 6 goals in the last 6 minutes and Jagr scoring with less than a second left to tie it up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 I wish I could have seen the ending of that Flames/Capitals game tonight. 6 goals in the last 6 minutes and Jagr scoring with less than a second left to tie it up. Geez, you're kidding. I turned it off at 0-0 to watch West Wing and Law & Order. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 nope it was a good game Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vern Gagne 0 Report post Posted January 15, 2004 Did a time wrap to 1983 open up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrokenWings Report post Posted January 15, 2004 I wish I could have seen the ending of that Flames/Capitals game tonight. 6 goals in the last 6 minutes and Jagr scoring with less than a second left to tie it up. I was watching the highlights of that game earlier.. man, to let in a goal from that angle with that little time left must be heartbreaking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 Second night in a row I turn off a hockey game in disgust, and for the second night in a row, I miss the best part. Senators scored 4 unanswered, 3 in the third period, to tie the Islanders 4-4. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 Heatley has two return dates: http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=68225 This is good news for the Thrash... They've been on a skid lately, and getting back one of their best players to take some pressure off of Ilya will help immensely, with Savard going down this week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=68302 Roenick blasts Bettman TORONTO (CP) - Philadelphia Flyers forward Jeremy Roenick remains livid at the NHL and has made commissioner Gary Bettman the target of latest rant. ``(Bettman) forgot that the NHL merged with the WWF and we hide razor blades in our pockets and cut ourselves so we can get calls,'' Roenick told the Camden Courier Post on Thursday, as quoted by the Toronto Star. ``I'm just surprised that you can get fined $91,000 for throwing a water bottle on the ice. It's like fining Gary Bettman for all those lies about the collective bargaining agreement coming. He throws those around like they're candy. ``The NHLPA should fine him for those.'' It's the third straight day Roenick has slammed the NHL. On Tuesday, Roenick went off when he was hit by a high stick from a Buffalo Sabre in the third period and there was no call. He skated by referee Blaine Angus and appeared to spit blood near him. Angus told Roenick he did not see the infraction, which caused Roenick to erupt. His mouth bloodied, Roenick threw a water bottle across the ice at Angus and was ejected. He tore into the NHL and its officials after the game and received a one-game suspension Wednesday, triggering another diatribe. The suspension will cost Roenick $91,463.41 US in salary and prevent him from taking part in Friday's game against Toronto. Well, I hate the Flyers, so this is funny to me. I'm wondering if he'll get a longer suspension from the league for my bolded part. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BrokenWings Report post Posted January 16, 2004 ``(Bettman) forgot that the NHL merged with the WWF and we hide razor blades in our pockets and cut ourselves so we can get calls,'' Roenick told the Camden Courier Post on Thursday, as quoted by the Toronto Star. I felt bad for Roenick though, his face was a mess, and there definately should have been some penalties handed out. But I figure he should just keep his mouth shut and go back to playing the game... no sense digging a deeper grave than you have to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 The Toronto Star's perspective of the "fun" history between the Leafs and the Flyers: Article is here Uncivil war resumes Leafs, Flyers have colourful history of spilled blood If not fighting, they were spitting on each other PAUL HUNTER SPORTS REPORTER It's appropriate that black is predominately featured in the Flyers' uniforms and the Maple Leafs wear blue because the two clubs have a combined history that can best be described as bruising. Their colourful rivalry, which resumes with the first of back-to-back games at Philadelphia tonight, has often shocked and almost always entertained while featuring enough quirky sideshows, not to mention criminal charges, to create a spate of those I-can't-believe-that-just-happened memories. Moments that have seared themselves into the collective consciousness of Toronto fans. The Leafs and Flyers have over the years written a sweeping tale that includes pyramids under benches, alleged N-bombs on the ice and proof that penalty box glass is only a minor hindrance to altercations between players and fans. It was against the Flyers that Borje Salming, the brilliant Swedish hockey pioneer, was forced to prove his manhood. It was against the Flyers that a new captain named Darryl Sittler did likewise, matching counterpart Bobby Clarke hack for hack, while pushing his troops close to almost impossible upsets of the Stanley Cup champs. And it was against the Flyers that Felix Potvin, perhaps the most docile NHL netminder ever, pummelled one of the meanest in Ron Hextall. But the battles weren't only on the ice. Just three years ago, the teams sniped at each other through the media when they stopped trading punches and tried to trade Eric Lindros in an on-again, off-again deal. And even politicians got into it with Ontario Attorney-General Roy McMurtry calling Philadelphia's district attorney "a damn fool" when the latter objected to McMurtry laying criminal charges against four Flyers in 1976. Yes, these two teams have a history. "I wasn't tough. I never had a street fight; never had a fight in a bar. I find it hard to believe I actually did the stuff I did." — Flyers' tough guy, Dave (The Hammer) Schultz, whose 472 penalty minutes in 1974-75 still stands as an NHL record. At the other end of the phone, Schultz can't help but laugh, giggle actually, recalling the terror he spread. But when the Broad Street Bullies were in their haymaker heydays in the 1970s, no one was laughing. It was the goon show days of the NHL, when talent was thin and skulls were thick. And the Flyers mixed — though not necessarily in equal parts — great goaltending in Bernie Parent, skill in Rick MacLeish and Bill Barber and intimidation in Schultz, Bob (Mad Dog) Kelly, Andre (Moose) Dupont and the rest of the cadre. It was frightening hockey — "crazy" is how Sittler described it the other day — and it hit a zenith for ugliness during a playoff series with the Leafs in 1976, the middle of three straight spring meetings between the clubs. And the Leafs fought off the Philly flu and braced themselves for what was coming. "You pretty well knew there'd be a bench-clearing donnybrook every night. The over/under was five minutes in," recalls former Leafs defenceman Jim McKenny. "The trick was to get out there early and grab a county clubber like MacLeish or Barber. You didn't want any part of The Hammer. If you slipped going over the boards, you were screwed. You might as well stay down and pretend you were injured. It was fairly crude in those days." It was indeed bloody and brutal. The Flyers ultimately won the series in seven but they'd later have to defend themselves in court. Don Saleski faced two charges of common assault and one offensive weapons charge (a hockey stick) when he waved he stick at fans — Saleski said they spat on him — near the penalty box at Maple Leaf Gardens. Police moved in to restrain Saleski and that brought a stampede of players from the Flyers' bench. As players milled around, a stick was swung over the glass, hitting one of the constables on the shoulder. Joe Watson, among his charges, faced two counts of assaulting a police officer and a weapons offence. Mel Bridgman was charged with assault causing bodily hard for beating up Salming. In a later game, Kelly would be charged with assault for throwing one of his gloves into the crowd and hitting an usherette in the face. They eventually pleaded guilty to reduced charges and received fines. "You just can't do those things no more," Schultz says now of the fight-filled series. "There were brawls. It was wild. But you can't tell me the Toronto Maple Leafs' fans didn't enjoy it." "Some guys were totally out of it. They didn't try to play hockey. They tried to kill you. When we went into Philadelphia, it was just like going on to a big battlefield." — Former Leafs winger Inge Hammarstrom. While Hammarstrom, ironically now a Flyers' scout, never settled comfortably into the NHL hockey wars, it was against Philadelphia that Swedish countryman Salming won shinny's version of the Purple Heart. In those three spring campaigns against the Flyers, Salming was treated like a piñata, as he was hacked, slashed and repeatedly driven into the boards by the Bullies. But Salming withstood the assault and played brilliantly as he indeed would for 16 tremendous seasons in Toronto. "Salming looked like a pincushion after some of those games, he was so covered in welts," recalled Sittler. "He gained so much respect from around the league because of how he competed." One of the ugliest moments, however, came in that fight for which Bridgman was charged with assault, after he pummelled the defenceman in what was Salming's first NHL fight. The young Swede didn't back down but he put up all the resistance of a boxing speed bag. Salming now plays down the trial by fire that he and Hammarstrom went through, saying it was just part of breaking down the barriers that existed for Europeans moving in to the NHL. "I think they were just testing us because we had a reputation as chicken Swedes and we were never fighting," he said. "We tried to avoid that stuff but at the same time we knew we couldn't back down. We'd have never survived if we did." Looking back, Bridgman says he and his teammates weren't trying to intimidate Salming because he was Swedish — Bridgman maintains at first he didn't even know it was Salming he was paired off with in that infamous fight — he says it was simply coach Fred Shero's coaching strategy to attack the opposing team's strength, not its weakness. "He had you focus on their star player and instead of dumping the puck away from the other team's offensive defenceman, you give it to him and then make him come through your aggressive forecheck," said Bridgman. "It's been proven that things shaped like pyramids can do strange and wonderful things... They can make miracles happen. And that's what we need against Philadelphia to hear people talk." — Leafs coach Red Kelly in 1976. It was Kelly's answer to Kate Smith, the Flyers' good luck charm who would warble "God Bless America" before games. The theory was that when pointed at the magnetic North Pole, the pyramids would gather in energy and then transfer it out through the apex of the pyramid. And Kelly reportedly spent $25,000 to install a grid of 25 10-inch pyramids on the ceiling of the dressing room and he had others placed under the Leafs' bench and in other strategic spots around the Gardens. Toronto, down two games, won its first two home dates against the Flyers and then the myth really caught fire in Game 6 when Sittler held his stick under the pyramid grid before the game. Sittler went out and potted five goals, tying an NHL playoff record, that night in an 8-5 victory to force a Game 7. "Eventually the pyramids, singers, fan actions, attorneys-generals and district attorneys will be out of it and we can settle it by playing hockey," said Sittler at the time. The Leafs packed their pyramids for the Spectrum but Sittler was prophetic. The Flyers won 7-3. "I grew up idolizing the Flyers. I used to love watching them. I had a Bobby Clarke jersey in street hockey and all that stuff. I even knocked my two front teeth out on purpose." — Leafs enforcer Tie Domi. After years in western wilderness, the Maple Leafs moved to the Eastern Conference for the 1998-99 season, setting up the possibility of another playoff series with the Flyers, which happened that first season. There were no bench-clearing brawls but there was hard-edged emotion as the Leafs, with superior goaltending, took the series in six games despite scoring only 11 goals. The low point of the rivalry redux arrived in Game 3 when Sandy McCarthy, who has a black father and a native Indian mother, said that Domi "dropped the N-bomb on me. I don't even like to use that word but you know what I mean. I heard it. I know he said it. It's not right." Domi vehemently denied using a racial epithet. Instead, he proudly acknowledged that he called McCarthy "a puke right to his face." After, he said, McCarthy spit in his face. "Who could tell?" said one unnamed Flyer. "When a guy from the other team skates near our bench, everybody spits at him." Domi was furious that after an investigation, the NHL dropped the affair because neither player's story could be corroborated. Concerned by how he would be viewed by fans, he wanted to be exonerated. The Toronto pugilist would be at the centre of another bizarre incident with the Flyers two seasons ago when he was visited by a fat fan who fell into the penalty box at First Union Center when the glass gave way. Domi took a few swings at him as the linesman intervened. "It was like watching somebody fall into the lion's den," said Toronto goaltender Curtis Joseph. "In this game, you expect the unexpected." — Tie Domi If there's a Philly version of this story, I'm sure that the gist is the same: "We don't like each other". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nl5xsk1 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 That's a great read, thanks for posting it, Starvenger. I miss the old days - I'm old enough to remember the big bad Bruins of the mid-to-late 80s, before the league got so paranoid about it's image. In '87-'88, Lyndon Byers and Jay "Killer" Miller combined for almost 550 minutes. They'd have had even more, if LB was in the lineup for more than 53 games. That was when you felt the players really played for the love of the game, and the camraderie of playing. They'd kill for a teammate. Now, it's all about the money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 Roenick needs to stop whining. Yeah, you got hit in the face and there should have been a penalty, but at least you can still play (well, after his suspension's over). You want to be Owen Nolan (who didn't throw a tantrum like a 5-year old after he took that stick to the eye)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 *Stands Up An Applauds for Roenick* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LaParkaMarka 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2004 Roenick is hilarious. Good for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 Ugh. Can we start a motion where the Leafs never have to play the Flyers again? It was even worse since the Leafs outplayed the Flyers for a stretch there but couldn't put the puck into the net and then the Flyers come back, get a few lucky bounces and goals and the Leafs stop trying. I hate to use this an excuse, though, but all these injuries are killing them. Obviously, I'd like them to win the division and (hopefully) finish 1st in the conference, but I wouldn't mind too much if they slipped down to 6th and drew whoever wins the Southeast in the 1st round with Mogilny, Nolan, et. al all rested and ready for the playoffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Czech Republic 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 Can we start a motion where the Leafs never have to play the Flyers again? All we have to do is restore the NHL of the mid 90s when Toronto competed in the west, with Detroit and Chicago. That's how it should be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 I don't know, I prefer the Leafs in the East against rivals like the Sens, Habs, and Sabres. On a unrelated note, Henrik Sedin just scored a NICE goal against the Ducks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 How tight is it in the East? Have a look at the standings: x1. Toronto - 59 x2. Philadelphia - 59 3. Ottawa - 58 4. New Jersey - 55 5. Montreal - 54 6. Boston - 54 x7. Tampa Bay - 49 8. NY Islanders - 47 Oh, have I mentioned how much I hate the playoff seeding rule? Because I do...a lot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the pinjockey 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 TC, you reminded me in the Eagle thread, when did Tie Domi become such a coward? I know he has always been a shit stirrer, but I remember him at least fighting the Brashear's of the world. I expected more of him than sucker punching Eric Weinrich in the back of the head. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treble 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 Hmm, I didn't see him punch Weinrich, but you can forgive me for trying to force this little home-and-home series out of my mind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the pinjockey 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 Yeah, it was with about 90 seconds left, you might have been done by then (I know that feeling lately). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Baron 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 When hasn't Domi done something dirty? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the pinjockey 0 Report post Posted January 18, 2004 He has always been right on that line of shitstirrer/dirty, but I never remember him being an out and out pussy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
