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Meltzer's Musings: 2/1/12

February 1, 2012, 8:02 AM ET [722 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
In many ways, last night's game between the Flyers and Jets was typical of the first game back after a long break in the schedule. Neither team had its skating legs or timing early, and it took quite a while for the Flyers in particular to get going offensively.

Last night's 1-1 tie with Winnipeg picking up the extra skills competition point was better than the Flyers' performance coming out of the All-Star break last year (an ugly 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay).

First and foremost, Philly got very good goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov, which is hopefully something he can build upon in his next start. In addition, Jaromir Jagr skated much better than he did after his return from his Winter Classic groin pull. The team turned in a pretty solid defensive effort for the most part, and had plenty of chances to win the game in the third period.

Last but not last, it was nice for Brayden Schenn to kick off the second half of the season with a goal in his first game. He played well in the games immediately leading up to the All-Star break and it was good to see him get rewarded for a lunchpail effort (3 hits, 6-for-10 on faceoffs, 1 blocked shot in 13:35 played) in this game.

"I've washed the first half out of my mind," Schenn said after the game. "It got a little frustrating at times [with all the injuries], but there are a lot of games left and the only thing I'm focused on now is getting better each game and helping the team win. Scoring a goal is nice, but the thing that matters is winning."

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Thank you to Brian Propp and Lou Tilley for having me as a guest on the Propper Hockey show last night prior to the Flyers' game. The program, which tapes each Tuesday at 6 pm at the Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford, airs Wednesday nights at 9 PM on WMCN44.

During a commercial break between the second and third segments of the show, Propper was telling me about how Sean Couturier and Matt Read gladly took time out of their schedule during the All-Star weekend in Ottawa to participate in a special WebEx teleconference linking four childrens' hospitals -- including CHOP in Philadelphia -- with participants from the hockey world. Propp was onsite at CHOP to meet with the children in person during the event, which was the brainchild of retired hockey great Pat Lafontaine.

Things like this, which are done not for publicity but strictly out of a genuine desire to give back to the community and brighten the day for seriously ill children are a big part of what makes hockey people special. It comes from the heart.

Brian's story resonated with me, because I was at CHOP on Monday. A year ago, my son, Benjamin, was diagnosed with an irregular heart beat. This was a return visit to the cardiology department. Thank heavens, Benji was given a clean bill of health -- no need for an originally scheduled echocardiogram or even subsequent followups unless his pediatrician suggests it.

Leaving the building on Monday, I felt very lucky, even blessed, that my three-year-old son is healthy. Hearing Propper's story about recently visiting with children and families at CHOP who aren't so fortunate intensified the feeling.

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