The Flyers snapped a two-game losing streak Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of one of their best players.
Just fifteen seconds into the game, winger Simon Gagne was blindsided on a hit by Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa.
Gagne, coming off an impressive recovery from a series of concussions suffered last season, appeared to injure his right shoulder and did not return.
Immediately after the hit, Gagne went down and Flyers’ captain Mike Richards went after Bieksa.
“He hit Gaggy. I kind of saw it out of the corner of my eye. I felt it was kind of a cheap hit, a late hit and from behind,” Richards said. “So I felt I had to do something about it. I thought it was a hit that should have been a penalty and there wasn’t a call.”
It’s that kind of action that can win a team over for a captain.
Gagne went into the game with 18 goals and 22 assists. He led the Flyers with a plus-18 …
First I have to start off by saying I feel bad for Sean Avery. Yes, the player that everyone loves to hate is getting a raw deal by both the NHL and now the Dallas Stars. All for making comments to the media that were intended to hype up a game that no one outside of Dallas or Calgary really cared about.
Gary Bettman’s initial six-game suspension was shameful, but comments he made at a luncheon on Tuesday were even worse.
“To be perfectly honest I wouldn’t want to have to explain to my 12-year-old daughter what he said,” the commissioner said.
It’s actually laughable. First off Gary, you’re 12-year-old daughter probably knows what the term “sloppy seconds” means (don’t be so naive), and second off, what do you say to that same daughter when people like Todd Bertuzzi, Marty McSorley, and Chris Simon use their sticks as weapons?
To take it a step further, now the Dallas Stars have become the morality police and have forced Avery …
If Mats Sundin decided to play this season, and decided that he would like to play in Philadelphia, Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren said that he would be interested in signing the All-Star forward. Holmgren has reportedly contacted Sundin’s agent to notify the Swedish born star of the Flyers’ interest in him.
“I certainly wouldn’t be optimistic about him becoming a Flyer, but I think we’ve got to do our due diligence and look into it. I haven’t talked to his agent in the last 10 days, but they know we’re one of the teams that would be interested in signing him, and we’ll see where it goes,” Holmgren said during Tuesday night’s game against the New York Islanders.
That being said, it is unlikely that Sundin will end up wearing the orange and black. For starters, he remains the hottest free agent on the market, stemming from the end of last season. He has not yet made any indications that he will definitely play this season, although …
The Flyers climbed into a tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Atlantic Division with a decisive 4-3 win over the lowly New York Islanders on Tuesday.
The Flyers got help from all over the board, including a league leading 20th goal, a first ever goal, and one of the best hits I’ve ever seen in person.
The Islanders opened up the scoring a little over nine minutes into the first period with a goal by Andy Hilbert. The Islanders’ center deflected a shot right in front of Flyers’ goalie Martin Biron for his seventh goal of the season.
Things looked like they were starting to fall apart a couple minutes later when Doug Weight made it a 2-0 game with a powerplay goal, only his sixth of the season. After Biron made two straights saves, Weight poked it past the Flyers’ netminder, giving credence to the third time is a charm cliche.
Down 2-0, including giving up a goal on their first penalty kill of the night, things were looking south for the boys in …
Danny Briere’s injury-plagued season continues. After missing nine games with a groin tear the All-Star center’s comeback only last a period and a half as he exited Tuesday game with another groin injury.
Initially it was thought Briere just tore some scar tissue and would be okay, but after yesterday’s MRI it was revealed that Briere has suffered a new groin tear. Well sort of. According to doctors this injury has been around since the beginning of the season but went undetected. The doctors said it wasn’t a matter of if the groin would tear, but when and is responsible for Briere’s initial abdomen injury earlier this season.
Briere will be out of action for a minimum of 4-5 weeks, while the groin heals.
As a result Briere has been put on the long-term injury list, meaning his $6.5 million salary will not count against the cap. With Ryan Parent and Randy Jones ready to return in the next couple weeks, it …
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As you may know by now, Dallas Stars’ forward Sean Avery has been suspended indefinitely for recent comments made about Calgary Flames’ player Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf is now dating Avery’s ex-girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert.
Avery called an impromptu press conference in the lockerroom before Tuesday’s game against the Flames, calling over the few cameramen left in the room.
“I am really happy to be back in Calgary, I love Canada,” Avery said on camera this morning in Calgary. “I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about. Enjoy the game tonight.”
And that was it. For some reason, those comments have drawn the ire from across the hockey world.
Avery has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL, pending a hearing with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. According to NHL.com,
the suspension was issued in accordance with the provisions of By-Law 17 and Article 6 of the …
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter each scored two goals in the Flyers’ 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday.
Carter, the burgeoning NHL star, scored his league leading 17 and 18 goals of the season. He is tied with Buffalo’s Thomas Vanek.
Carter opened up the scoring just 2:58 into the first period on a wrist shot from the faceoff circle, snapping the game opener passed Lightning goalie Mike Smith, who stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced.
“I’m getting some breaks,” Carter said. “I just try to put it on net and find some holes and they are right now so hopefully they can keep on going.”
Former Legion of Doom member Mark Recchi tied the game up with 8:10 left in the first. It was the 20-year veteran’s sixth goal of the season. Recchi would not be the only former Flyer to have a significant impact on the outcome of the game.
The second period passed by without any scoring, but the same could not …
The Flyers ended their six-game winning streak on Friday with a loss in an overtime matinee against the Carolina Hurricanes. Sergei Samsonov scored with 1:07 left in the extra period to put the ‘Canes up 3-2.
“You try to get as much speed as you can to avoid the pokecheck,” Samsonov said of his winning goal. “Once I got to the net, I had more room than I thought, so I just tried to squeeze one by.”
Samsonov used his incredible speed to fly down to the goalmouth and put a forehand shot against the still reeling Martin Biron. The win ended another streak, a three-game losing streak by Carolina. The goal caught the Flyers’ netminder off-guard.
“I thought that he was going to go around me to the glove side a little further out, but he made a quick shot right away,” the goaltender said.
Patrick Dwyer and Tuomo Ruutu also scored for the Hurricanes. Joffrey Lupul and Jeff Carter each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers. Carter’s goal was his league-leading 16th of the …
Center Danny Briere was absent again in last night’s victory over the Dallas Stars. Briere has missed the last six games with a strained groin and it’s unknown when the Flyers center will return.
“It’s frustrating because there’s not much improvement,” Briere said at the Skate Zone in Voorhees “After the first two steps, it hits me. There’s no power. I can’t start and stop – and that’s my game. I need to be quick and taking off and hitting holes, and right now I can’t do that…Only my body will tell me when I’m ready to go. It’s frustrating because I thought I’d be in the lineup last weekend. I want to play. I don’t think I’ve ever had an injury as frustrating as this one, where it’s taken this long.”
Given this news don’t expect to see Briere in the lineup tomorrow in Carolina. Surprisingly the Flyers have played well without Briere, winning their last five games and going 8-2-1 …
After completing one of the most dramatic turn arounds in sports history by making it to the Eastern Conference Finals one year after their worst season in franchise history, the Philadelphia Flyers have started out this season 0-3.
The season opened Saturday against the New York Rangers. It was a tale of two games. The Flyers gave up four goals on the first 14 shots, all in the first period. They then hunkered down and did not allow a single goal the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the offense was only able to muster three goals.
There were a couple bright spots, however. Simon Gagne, returning after missing most of last season with a series of concussion, scored his first goal is almost a year. Mike Richards, newly appointed Captain, also scored. It was great to see both of these guys start off on a good note, albeit entirely individual. Backup goaltender Antero Niittymaki had a strong game relieving Martin Biron, stopping all 13 shots that he …
Wednesday is opening day of the 2008 Major League Baseball Playoffs, and we kick it all off with Milwaukee Brewers at the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Brewers come into Philly for their first playoff appearance since 1982, after just making it into the postseason on the final day …
Center Mike Richards has been named Captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, the team announced Wednesday. The 23-year old is the 17th Captain in team history.
Richards had a breakout season last year, leading the team with 75 points, was named an Eastern Conference All Star, and won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP.
“I just think Mike Richards is a player that has all the characteristics we want on our team,” said Flyers head coach John Stevens. “We want a guy out there, that when we see him playing, he is representative of the identity of our hockey team. I think Mike is all of that.”
For a team that has had four captains in four years, this comes as welcome news. Richards is entering the first year of a 12-year contract extension signed in December.
“It’s obviously a privilege to be part of such a traditional organization, and be captain of it,” Richards said. “I am going to do my best to do it. We have a …
