'Flight Plan' Debuts Tonight
Starting this season, the Flyers' official site will launch a behind-the-scenes program called "Flight Plan," which promises to provide a level of access to the team's hockey operations -- players, coaches, and even the front office -- that were traditionally off-limits. Similar themes have been been explored recently in comparable Webisode shows and in television specials such as "Oil Change."
The pilot episode, entitled "The War Room," will be broadcast on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com tonight at 7 p.m. The episode documents the Flyers' final preparations for the 2013 NHL Draft in Newark, including access to the final pre-Draft meeting led by Chris Pryor (the team's Director of Scouting), with Paul Holmgren and the team's scouts providing input.
All episodes will be archived and available for viewing on the team's Web site. The second episode launch date will be announced later in August. If you wish to discuss the episodes on social media or Twitter, use the hashtag #FlightPlan.
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Tuesday Quick Hits
* Flyers defense prospect Robert Hägg played a strong defensive game but did not get on the scoresheet in Sweden's 4-3 win over Team USA Blue yesterday at the World Junior Championship Evaluation Tournament in Lake Placid, NY. Flyers goaltending prospect Anthony Stolarz once again split the goaltending duties with Thatcher Demko, this time with Demko starting and Stolarz taking over midway through the second period. Stolarz stopped seven of eight shots, getting charged with the loss. In yesterday's other game, Team USA White downed Finland by a 5-2 score. Today is an open date with no games.
* In yesterday's Flyers Team of the 2000s poll on HockeyBuzz, Roman Cechamanek (22 percent of the vote) was more or less the default winner of the starting goaltender spot with Brian Boucher (19 percent) taking backup honors. Cechmanek's terrible performances in playoff elimination games, general inconsistency in the postseason and his quirky personality have overshadowed the fact that goaltending really wasn't a problem most of the time during his three-season tenure as Flyers starter.
In that span, he won two Bobby Clarke Trophies as the team's regular season MVP, was a Vezina Trophy finalist in his first year and outplayed Ed Belfour in a first-round playoff series victory for the Flyers against Toronto. In the Flyers' pair of playoff series losses to Ottawa in successive years, the only three games they won were via Cechmanek shutouts (including a 1-0 overtime win). Unfortunately, in that second series against Ottawa, Cechmanek's play was subpar in three of the four games in which he did not record a shutout. It was feast or famine for him, and the goal support wasn't there, either.
Although Cechmanek is clearly still not a popular player to many Flyers fans, his regular season honors and three playoff shutouts were just enough for him to win the goalie of the 2000s poll amidst a generally weak field.
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Flyers Team of the 2000s Poll: Head Coach
Before we get to the run-off votes for the final three forward spots and last two defense spots on the Flyers Team of the 2000s, we'll pick a head coach. Cast your vote below:
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Former Flyers forward Ian Laperriere, now the organization's Director of Player Development, will be participating in the Ironman Mont-Tremblant: North American Championship on August 18. Apart from competing in the triatholon, Lappy is raising funds for a variety of charitable causes: the IRONMAN Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and Go4theGoal Foundation- Tunes4Teens. Laperriere has set a $10,000 fundraising goal. For more information or to make a donation,
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