MINNEAPOLIS _ You wanted Steve Downie? You got him.

A little more than a week ago, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that Downie had not been playing very well with the Phantoms and that there were four other players ahead of him on a call-up.

Well golly! Guess who’s taking Riley Cote’s spot tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild? Yep, Downie. Seems like his play has jumped quantum leaps, eh?

“Steve has played very well for the Phantoms of late,” Holmgren said. “He was the best guy at this point to call up … He’s a smart young man. He’s learned his lesson.”

If you ask me, the Flyers are really baiting the NHL to do something here. Everyone knows Downie’s history for being unable to control himself on the ice. Now given the NHL has already warned the Flyers about what may come next – fines for the team and personnel _ this seems like a dicey move on the Flyers part.

Not according to coach John Stevens.

“Not really,” Stevens said. “If there was ever a time for Steve to be disciplined, it’s now. He’s served his suspension. He’s worked hard and deserves the opportunity.”

I love how Derian Hatcher put it today. He was laughing with us about the irony that Downie should get called up one day after the NHL warned the Flyers and because Downie began this whole mess back in pre-season with a 20-game suspension for running Ottawa’s Dean McAmmond.

“It’s kinda funny, he’s back after all that has happened,” Hatcher said, “He’s kinda the poster boy for a little while, him and Jesse [Boulerice].”

Downie seemed very guarded at practice today. He admitted he was “nervous” and that Hatcher was correct in saying it would be hard for him to play his type of game under such scrutiny.

“I’m not going to be changing anything; I’ll work hard,” he said. “Definitely, you want to play within the rules and not hurt the team with a suspension. You can’t be taking liberties.

“Definitely, the line gets thinner and thinner for me. I have to find ways to play my game within the rules.”

The alternative, of course, is to push the rules over the limit and risk a possible $100,000 fine to the organization.


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Sorry for late post but it's obvious the one I try to make in Philly before getting on the plane never went through.

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