SATURDAY QUICK HITS
* Team Finland defeated Team USA, 5-0, in the bronze medal game in Sochi. In his final Olympic game, soon-to-retire Teemu Selänne notched his 23rd career Olympic goal early in the second period. Jussi Jokinen added to the lead moments later. Jusso Hietenan opened a three-goal lead with a third-period power play goal and then Selänne converted a Mikael Granlund feed for another power play goal and his 24th Olympic tally. Olli Määttä put another nail in the U.S. coffin a few minutes after Selänne's second goal.
For Team USA, two missed penalty shots by Patrick Kane loomed large.
Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen had an "oops" moment in the first period, knocking a broken stick on the ice toward the boards and into the puck carrier. A penalty shot was called. Fortunately for the Finns, Kane was unable to convert his attempt against Tuukka Rask. He later hit the post on a second penalty shot attempt after his stick was slashed.
Today's game could very well also have been Timonen's final one for the Finnish national team. It his 30th career Olympic game as he's been a member of every Finnish Olympic delegation dating back to 1998 (before he had made his NHL debut with the Nashville Predators). He's also played in 59 World Championship games and six World Cup of Hockey games. As a junior player, he dressed in 21 World Junior Championship games at the Under-20 level.
Timonen, 38, has said that he is likely to retire after this season, although that decision is not set in stone yet. Today's game is definitely his final Olympic match. At least his international career won't end as the goat for a penalty shot goal in a medal game. Instead, it ends with another medal for his collection.
* Jakub Voracek, Michael Raffl, Mark Streit and Andrej Meszaros are all back in Voorhees with their Flyers teammates. They will rejoin the rest of the team at practice tomorrow.
* Tonight at 7:30 p.m., Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia will broadcast the Phantoms vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers game from the Wells Fargo Center. Brian Smith (who is quite good as a broacaster) will handle play-by-play announcing with longtime Flyers and Phantoms goaltender Brian Boucher on color commentary.
* Per Philadelphia Inquirer Flyers' beat writer Sam Carchidi, Phantoms defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon has had another recurrence of concussion symptoms and is out of the Phantoms' lineup indefinitely.
Bourdon took a blow to the head in a Feb. 8 game against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. He banged his head on the glass on a play where he also got cut over the eye. Ever since then, he's back to where he was before: Some good days where he feels well, and others where he's in bad shape.
That is heartbreaking news about the 24-year-old. Bourdon has worked so hard to come back to play. He wanted it badly and played well upon his return. At a certain point, it's not just about a career playing hockey. It's about quality of life, too. I just hope the symptoms subside for MAB.
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CASINO ROYALE FUNDRAISER WITH FLYERS ALUMNI
On Sunday March 9 starting at 5 p.m. Abrams Hebrew Academy will hold its annual Fund Raising Dinner and Casino Royale Night at Congregation Beth El in Yardley, PA. Special guests for the night will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Bill Clement, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
Apart from the dinner and casino event, there will also be a host of items available via auction, including a signed stick by all three members of the Flyers' legendary LCB line (Reggie Leach and Hall of Famers Bob Clarke and Bill Barber), boxes of Bernie Parent's signature cigar line, a handsome Clarke lithograph and many more goodies.
All proceeds go to benefit the school. My nephew, Sammy Sherman, attends Abrams and my sister, Liza, helped to organize the event and line up the Flyers alumni guests. The slogan for the event is "Help Abrams Make Its Goal."
For more information,
click here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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