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To the defense of Daniel Briere

September 8, 2008, 12:00 PM ET [ Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
One of the primary question marks hanging over the Flyers is whether the club's remade blueline is in improvement or last year's group. But regardless of personnel changes among the starting six defensemen, if the Flyers are to improve defensively this season, they need to play better team defense than they did in 2007-08.

If forwards blow their coverages, get too far separated from the defense on breakout attempts and fail to backcheck effectively, the team is still going struggle defensively. Of particular concern, the Flyers were prone last year to allowing late-period goals and had major trouble preserving third period leads down the stretch and the playoffs.

Last season, Daniel Briere was the poster child for the Flyers' defensive struggles in 5-on-5 situations. Anyone who followed the club in 2007-08 is aware that Briere was an unsightly minus-22 and got booed by the home fans during a disastrous post-all star game stretch in which he was scuffling for goals and was in a major defensive funk where it seemed like at least once a game, his check would score a goal.

During that time, it was pretty clear that Briere lost confidence for awhile. It wasn't a matter of lack of effort. The loss of Simon Gagne (an excellent two-way winger) for the season was another key factor in Briere's defensive woes. By the end of the season, however, Briere was playing at least adequate defense and regained his offensive touch. That's all the Flyers need from him -- He doesn't have to be a Selke Trophy candidate, but he can't a liability at five-on-five, either.

Coming into this season, some pundits have branded Briere more of a "powerplay specialist" than a player who is effective in both even-strength and man-advantage situations. It's true that a year ago, 37 of his 72 points came on the powerplay (14 PPG, 23 PPA). But it's also true that the year before with Buffalo, Briere led the NHL in even strength points with 65 (23 of his 32 goals and 42 of his 63 assists came at even strength).

His plus-17 that year was more a reflection of his line's offensive output and frequent puck-possession than of stellar defensive play but when you combine his powerplay prowess with outproducing other teams at even strength, you have an outstanding contributor. That's the player Flyers fan saw through much of the playoffs.

I know Briere wasn't pleased with his own defensive performance last year and has made it a major objective to perform better as a two-way player this year.

Three reasons for optimism:

1) The team has presumably upgraded the mobility on the blueline. If everything goes as it's planned, players like Briere spend more of the game in the offensive end of the ice as long as they do their part in two-way game.

2) Gagne is back and, as long as he stays healthy, should help stabilize the top line's defensive play, and

3) Briere usually accomplishes his goals when he sets his mind to them. He's perfectly capable of tightening up his defensive play now that he has a year under his belt with the Flyers and John Stevens.

***

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Thomas Tynander and I will be working with Middle Atlantic Press on the publication of the English version of the Pelle Lindbergh biography.

Middle Atlantic has published a variety of successful sports and non-sports books in this region, most recently Keith Jones' book, Jonesy. The fit with our book is perfect.

For those who don't know, Thomas wrote the original book "Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask" after spending the better part of two years interviewing Pelle's family, friends, former teammates (from both sides of the Atlantic), opponents and coaches. He also did exhaustive research on the night Pelle died and the aftermath.

I got involved in the project to translate the Swedish version into English and then edit and adapt it to the North American audience. The finished product will be roughly a 50-50 spilt between a translation and a re-edit of the Swedish book to make some of the context more accessible to the readers here. The title of the American version will simply be "Pelle" and Thomas and I will be credited as the co-authors.

The final manuscript of the 31-chapter book (yes, that's intentional) is on pace to be completed by the end of 2008. The book will be released just prior to the start of the 2009-2010 NHL season.

The reason for the delay is partially technical (there's about six months required for the various production work and pre-promotion) and partially strategic. Next year would mark Pelle Lindbergh's 50th birthday if he had lived.

Following is another short excerpt from the book.

****

Many of the Flyers players think Mike Keenan is crazy. But the club’s most respected leaders – Dave Poulin, Mark Howe, and Brad Marsh first and foremost – recognize Keenan’s tactics as psychological ploys. Keenan is perfectly happy being the players’ common enemy, so long as the team delivers for him on game day.

As Keenan intended, the team has become a close-knit bunch, sharing the bond of surviving life under the ultra-demanding coach. By comparison, even the Flyers' toughest NHL opponents seem manageable.

The key to playing succesfully for Keenan is to recognize that most of the things he says and does are designed for effect and shouldn’t be taken personally. That’s often easier said than done, however.

No one, it seems, is safe from the wrath of Iron Mike. On one ocassion, he stood in the locker room during intermission, breaking sticks and hollering as the players sat at their stalls.

Seemingly out of the blue, Keenan interrupted his own diatrabe and said, “And where the hell are the equipment guys, anyway?”

He stormed off into the equipment room and found equipment managers Kevin Cady and Jim "Turk" Evers.

“Wake the hell up!” the players heard Keenan scream from the other room. “What are you two idiots doing in here? Do your (bleeping) jobs!”

Meanwhile, Keenan gave Cady and Evers an exaggerated wink to let them know he wasn’t really angry with them. It was all a show, which he punctuated by slamming the door and storming back into the locker room.

The ploy worked. The shocked players looked at each either with wide eyes. No one had ever seen a head coach berate the team equipment managers before, especially when they’d done nothing wrong.

But among the players, the most infamous surprise Keenan ever had in store for them took place during his first season as Flyers’ coach: the “Christmas Death Skate” of 1984.

Early on the morning of December 24, the players arrived at the Coliseum for what they thought would be a light practice before an informal team Christmas party with plenty of pizza and beer to go around, and an exchange of gag gifts. The team had recently worked through a four-game losing streak and had won two of its last three games. Everyone was in a good mood.

The previous night, Lindbergh and team won a 7-4 game at home against the Washington Capitals. Apart from a meltdown early in the third period that saw the Caps score two quick goals to trim a 7-2 deficit, Philly controlled most of the game.

A hat trick from Tim Kerr, two goals by Murray Craven and a pair of assists apiece from Howe, Brian Propp, Rick Tocchet and Peter Zezel led the way offensively. At the other end of the ice, Pelle turned back 27 of 31 shots to earn the win. Many of the saves were of the difficult variety, as the play was wide open. Lindbergh had little chance to stop any of the goals Washington scored.

As the players filed onto the Coliseum ice on Christmas Eve morning, they were greeted by several blasts of Keenan’s whistle. He ordered the players to start skating end-to-end sprints.

The Flyers skated as fast as they could, hoping to get the drill over with quickly. No such luck. Keenan kept them skating.

And skating.

And skating some more.

The bag skate lasted for over two hours. By now, the players’ legs burned and some dehydrated players wretched and were close to vomiting. But no one was excused.

Finally, as the players neared the point of collapse, Keenan blew the whistle to end practice. He gathered his team. Most of the players sat, staring straight down at the ice, both out of exhaustion and anger.

Keenan moved his piercing gaze slowly across the ice. One by one, the players looked up at the coach. At last he spoke.

“Always expect the unexpected,” he said. “And Merry Christmas.”
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