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.
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.
The word "Tuesday" is derived from Old English and Middle English words meaning "Tiw's Day" - the day of Tiw, the god of single combat, victory, and heroic glory in Norse mythology.
Seems fitting for what went down across the NHL last night!
Single combat? I'm going with the massive right punch Ryan White landed on Eric Boulton's face in the first period last night.
Victory? Easy. Our Flyers continue to play spoilers in thrilling fashion. Even better: the Senators. Nothing could be more fun for a fan of the Orange and Black than seeing Fleury's dejected skate to the bench following Mark Stone's OT goal.
Or reading this from the article "Collapse Continues!" in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, about the Pens:
It was a pathetic performance by a team that doesn’t seem to have much interest in making the playoffs. The postseason is within reach. But this is a team that doesn’t appear greatly interested in reaching it.
Heroic glory? Two words: Brayden Schenn. What a stunner. What a bad goal. I almost felt sorry for Halak. Almost, but not really.
Putting aside that we won't be enjoying a post-season, the biggest loser in Philadelphia last night was Lynne Abraham. (Don't worry, she's ok.)
Some stats for your consideration: Mark Streit has 51 points on the season. Claude Giroux is the top ten for points (72) and assists (47). Jake Voracek is 3rd in the NHL with 81 points, and Steve Mason also sits in the 3rd with his .928 SV%. Not to mention that Simmer was on pace for 30+ goals before breaking his leg on March 25th against the Hawks. (And of course, B. Schenn stepped up his game to earn the NHL's second star for the week ending April 5th.)
As Sarah Baicker tweeted, the Flyers look like the best bad team ever. If we keep all of this talent around and find a coach who clicks with players, I really believe we can make it to the playoffs next season.
But in the meantime, I'll be counting down to the Flyers/Senators match up on Saturday, though I'll be sad to see the season end. Do you think the Flyers should tank if it means keeping the Pens out of the playoffs?
Some numerology in honor of Kimmo Timonen's return to Philadelphia tonight: Kimmo celebrated his 40th birthday a week ago. I used his birth date to calculate his life path number. Your life path "is the road you are traveling." He is a 7, based on a 34. So where is Kimmo going? Apparently, his life path is devoted to "finding the answers to the mysteries of life." Obviously! Hockey's ultimate prize has eluded him throughout his career and his recent move to Chicago (sob) was motivated by his singular desire to have his name engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup. Kimmo is also "a warrior." Tell us something we don't know:
Kimmo in Game Three of the 2010 NHL Stanley Final against the Blackhawks. Image courtesy of Zimbio.
Finally, Kimmo will only get better with age, as he will "radiate refinement and wisdom." I dare say he already does: Image courtesy of Zimbio. He might not be number 44 ("a visionary" with "great potential") for the Flyers anymore, but he will always have a place in the hearts of the fans who bleed orange and black. All numerology information from decoz.com.
My daughter's "spring recess" this year is three days long, the same amount of time the Flyers have between their Twilight Zone loss to the Oilers on Saturday and their next game against the Blackhawks on Wednesday night in South Philly. During that time, my daughter is hoping to swim, spend quality time with her grandparents, and eat at least a hamburger a day. What are the Flyers hoping to do? I imagine: (1) Regroup. Whatever was said at that players-only meeting will hopefully set in and resonate with the team. I realize that with eight meaningless games left on the calendar it may be difficult to motivate. But by all accounts the guys on this team are tightly-knit off the ice, and in spite of Craig Berube. I'd like to see them regroup and play for pride, especially with Voracek in the hunt for the Art Ross trophy. (2) Relax. In all honesty, no one on the team seems to be having much fun anymore. There's been so much drama since they took off for Western Canada, am I right? The beat reports sound more like Facebook posts from a sorority house than coverage of a professional hockey team. Anyway, it may sound hokey, but I was really sick this past weekend and was forced to watch the movie Million Dollar Arm. The takeaway from the film was, even if a player has put in the training and practice hours, he cannot succeed without letting go. That is, having fun. Now is the time for the Flyers to relax, maybe stick it to a few teams in playoff contention, and end the season on a high note. (3) Eat at least a hamburger a day. (Just not off the ice after the game.) We are all looking forward to seeing Kimmo back in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Not a lot to write about when the Flyers are tanking. I must have read about the "tragic number 11" in at least 10 different articles this week.
So I decided to read up on numerology, hoping to find a magic number. (What else am I supposed to do with 9 games left, a Cold War between Berube and Mason, and cryptic accounts of a players-only meeting that occurred about 30 games too late?)
For your consideration, I present a brief and admittedly amateur analysis of our captain Claude Giroux's Number 28, which seemed appropriate given the number of idiots wanting to rip the "C" off of his sweater.
We start, of course, with number 28, which apparently is the number 10, but with "more compassion and tolerance." In turn, the number 10 "enhances all the qualities of the 1." Slightly vague, but wait, stay with me:
A 10 is "a powerful leader, sharply focused, and streamlined for success. It can be ruthless in the pursuit of its goals. It can become a dominating tyrant."
Sounds like a perfect captain to me!
And it gets better, because the number 1 "is masculine, progressive, courageous, and rebellious in a constructive way."
Wow! We've seen that NUMBER 28 before, folks, and I surely hope to see him again. G, please stay away from golf clubs and cop butts this off season:
Thanks to decoz.com and numerology.com for educating me.
YouTube video posted by GalNasty.
Welp. Could be the only thing worse than the Flyers losing to the Bruins is them losing to the Bruins in overtime, especially when getting the loser point seems inconsequential. An OT loss, as any hockey fan knows, is just like a sucker punch to the gut: unexpected, and it completely knocks the wind out of you. The officiating has been killing the Flyers lately. I understand that they need to score more even strength goals and that it is their fault they are in this position so late in the season given their failure to beat lesser teams, but still: Yesterday, the Bruins were on a power play at the end of all three periods, leading to both of their goals in regulation. So during both intermissions, the Flyers had to focus on the penalty kill, rather than the attack, which fundamentally changes the players' mentality, focus, and momentum. Worse was the call on March 3 against the Flames when Nick Schultz's goal was disallowed after being called a goal on the ice. After the officials huddled and reversed the call, Toronto deemed the play unreviewable. Huh? If that hadn't happened, the Flyers likely would have picked up 2 points. And, if they held on for another 14 seconds yesterday after the highly questionable tripping call on Wayne Simmonds, they would have picked up another 2, and today would have all but closed the gap on a wild card spot. That penalty call against Simmonds, in such a critical game, and after the Bruins already had 3 power plays to the Flyers 2? Officiating (make that bad officiating) does make a difference. P.S. Does anyone else think Dougie is a silly name for an adult professional hockey player? Just sayin'.
What to make of a Flyers team that loses to the "bottom feeders" but defeats the leading teams in the NHL? It's not the best way to make it into the playoffs. But, if they make it, isn't it exactly what you want this team to do? In other words, they are going to have to beat the "best" teams if they want to make any sort of a deep playoff run. And, based on their performance in the regular season, it looks like they can rise to the occasion. The Flyers have recently beaten (in no particular order) the Blues, Rangers, Predators, and Lightning. I read an article on NHL.com pegging the Blues as Stanley Cup contenders the day before the Flyers scored three unanswered goals on them in the third period last night to win. So what does anyone really, really know about the Flyers this season? They just have to make it to the playoffs. The game tomorrow in Boston is HUGE. But I don't need to tell you that. Here's the NHL.com article referenced: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=756606
