There's not much to say about last night's effort by the Flyers other than it was an unmitigated disaster.
Now, time to move on. I think we will have a better sense of what to expect this season based on the team's response to that 7-1 slaughter.
Coach Hakstol hasn't been called one of the brightest minds in hockey for nothing. Let's see how he gets his new team to rebound at the home opener Monday night.
I hope the Flyers pick up momentum at the Wells Fargo Center tomorrow and carry it into Kimmo's retirement night on Wednesday. Bold prediction: the Orange and Black get back to back wins against the Panthers and the Hawks.
Then, game 2 would seem like nothing more than a blip on the radar.
I know I'm in the minority here but I wasn't thrilled with the Flyers last night.
Yes, I get that they played toe-to-toe with the almighty Bolts. I hate to break this to you: all but six teams were better than the Flyers last season so playing up to the competition is going to have to be the norm.
Honestly, wasn't this game the same old, same old? Flashes of brilliance but with a bad result. Our top players pretty much invisible. Missing penalty shots. Turnovers (Giroux had a nasty one at the end of the 2nd while we were on the power play). Gaining the lead only to lose it on a bad goal. Losing in overtime.
Losing the season opener for the fourth year in a row. (I know we got a point. It would have been better to get two.)
Call me a cynic. I guess I'm just sick of seeing the Flyers lose when they can win.
Hockey's back!
The Flyers don't kick things off until tomorrow. I figured I would watch the Blackhawks raise their sixth Stanley Cup championship banner tonight in Chicago, just because it's HOCKEY (and ha ha ha how does that Presidents' Trophy feel now Rangers?)
But given the events of the off-season, I can't lose the feeling of something else hanging over the United Center: the specter of the ongoing sexual assault investigation against Patrick Kane.
In August, a young woman alleged that Kane raped her in his house after a night spent bar-hopping. You'd think he might want to fly under the radar for a while.
Unfathomably, Kane's popularity has surged in light of the allegations. The NHL has done nothing to lower his profile - in fact, they announced a Patrick Kane bobblehead night, and trotted him out for an appearance at a Bears game to hoist the Stanley Cup. He received the loudest ovation from the crowd.
The message from this rabid support for Kane is that money and stardom matter. Women, seemingly, do not.
Now get this: Almost half of the Blackhawks fans are women.
What is happening here? Do women really hate each other this much?
Forget about Kane's guilt or innocence; it's not for the public to decide. There is power in numbers. Imagine what would happen if 50% of Hawks fans decided not to spend money on the team as a show of solidarity with Kane's accuser because alleged crimes against women deserve as much care and consideration as all other alleged crimes of violence.
The blow would land where it hurts - the bottom line. It would send a strong message to the NHL, professional sports, and the world that women matter.
If a fraction of the people standing up for Kane on social media stood up for Kane's accuser we might be able to start a powerful conversation about violence against women.
Louis C.K. has tried; Amy Schumer too. Unfortunately, their jokes are funny because it's true: there is no greater threat to women than men.
Watch Lady Gaga's video about sexual assault here (warning, it's graphic). Then think about this: what if Kane's accuser was your wife, girlfriend, sister, or daughter? If you're a woman, what if it was you? Would you still leap to your feet and give him a standing ovation just because he's good at sports?
Tonight it is difficult to reconcile being a hockey fan with being a woman. I think I'll skip the banner raising ceremony after all.
