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Meltzer's Musings: Playoff Prep, Simmonds, Prospects, Alumni on Snider

April 12, 2016, 7:36 AM ET [455 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
MELTZER'S MUSINGS: APRIL 12, 2016

1) After taking an off-day to mourn the loss of franchise co-founder and chairman Ed Snider and to recuperate after playing six games in the final nine days of the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers will get down on Tuesday to the business of preparing for their first-round playoff series with the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals. Tuesday's practice is slated for 10:30 a.m. with the goaltenders on the ice about 20 minutes earlier.

2) In recent weeks and especially over the last few days, a host of current Flyers and Flyers Alumni have talked about what Ed Snider meant to their lives and career. Of all the heartfelt comments, none were more striking than those of Wayne Simmonds on Saturday and Monday.

Before the Flyers played the Pittsburgh Penguins, he publicly dedicated the game to Mr. Snider and then went out and scored two goals, including the game winner to clinch a playoff spot in a season that started out with the Flyers winning just six of their first 20 games (6-9-5, 17 of a possible 40 points) and then going on finish the season with 96 points by going 35-18-9.

On Monday, Simmonds cut to the heart of something that a host of players who played in other cities as well as Philadelphia noticed as soon as they came here: the player-owner relationship with the Flyers was quite different than that in other cities. Snider took the time to get to know the players and showed a personal interest in making them feel welcomed and valued.

"I just think of his presence, the way he carried himself, the way he came off. I remember meeting Mr. Snider; coming from L.A., we never really spoke with our owner in L.A. So I got the chance to come to the Philadelphia Flyers and he was one of the first people I spoke with. It was amazing, to me, the interaction that he had with his players and how he cared about everyone so much. Just his passion for this organization, for hockey. He was a great man," Simmonds said.

"After a majority of the games, Mr. Snider would come into the locker room. It was kind of my first real interaction with him face-to-face. He walked up and shook my hand and said he was happy to have me here. It meant a lot to me. Like I said, I never really spoke to the owner where I came from. And I think just to have the owner of your organization come into the dressing room and shake every single player’s hand means a lot. I think it really lets you know the way he felt about this team."

Simmonds has always embodied the type of passion and commitment that Snider prioritized. The kid from Scarborough, who idolizes his late grandmother and who slept in his car at his first LA Kings development camp because he couldn't afford a hotel, is a player who deeply cares. Everything Simmonds does and says comes straight from the heart. That's why his occasional on-ice discipline lapses when he gets riled up in the heat of battle -- especially when he feels (justly or unjustly) that a teammate or the team as a whole has been wrong -- can usually be forgiven.

No teammate ever has to give a second thought as to whether Simmonds will back him up if he needs help. He is someone every Flyer knows will step up on their behalf on the ice and also be there for him off the ice. For example, when Steve Mason was in the throes of a difficult personal situation this season, an emotional Simmonds spoke the most poignant words of support.

“He's our backbone and he's going through a lot right now. This is a family in here. All the guys in here know if you have a problem, you can come to any one of us. You’re going to get that support. We’ve got his back 100 percent," Simmonds said.

There truly is not an unlikable player on the current Flyers team on a personal level. Some are better quotes than others and some are more intense or laid back by disposition, but there's not a jerk in the bunch. What I like about dealing with Simmonds is that nothing gets sugar-coated. His eyes burn after a loss. His smile is infectious after a win. Every word he speaks, he means.

One of the biggest underlying stories of the 2015-16 Flyers season, regardless of what happens in the playoffs, is just how much growth the Flyers leadership group has shown this season.

Claude Giroux is now a fully matured captain in ways that are palpable if you are around the team but perhaps not as noticeable if you only go by stats. I think Giroux had a tremendous season, even though it wasn't his best statistical year. Simmonds had a career year offensively, hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time and 60 points for the second. Beyond that, though, apart from some times on the ice where he had trouble keeping his emotions in check (and the isolated incident in Columbus where he seemed initially nonplussed about a horrid -- and ultimately very costly -- icing), Simmonds also has shown growth as a leader by example.

Having watched Simmonds every game and at a large percentage of home practices for the last five seasons, there was never a doubt about his competitiveness or work ethic or commitment to his teammates. But he's become so much better as a total player from year one to year five since coming over from LA -- and he was good when he got here.

The same boundless energy is still there but he channels it better most of the time. He handles the puck better. Whereas he was once hyperkinetic, he now takes smarter routes and is better at chipping pucks out defensively. He forces the play less often. Is he infallible? No, there are still sometimes lapses, but no player is perfect. The one area he could still work on a bit is picking a time and place to settle scores when it behooves the team to just take down the name and number.

With Simmonds the pros far outweigh the cons. There are 29 other NHL teams that would love to have him on their side when the chips are down; hundreds of players who would love him as a teammate. There's a locker room full of Capitals who know that he'll be impossible to intimidate and a real handful to deal with in an upcoming playoff series. Those are the kinds of players that Ed Snider considered true Flyers.

3) Flyers Alumni Association president Brad Marsh issued the following statement yesterday on Ed Snider's passing:

"Speaking on behalf of the Flyers Alumni Association, our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Ed Snider, the Philadelphia Flyers organization, Comcast Spectacor and to the entire city of Philadelphia on the passing of a man and leader who was very special to all of us. We would also like to express our gratitude to Mr. Snider for all he's done to make the Flyers a franchise with an unwavering commitment to winning and to conducting itself as a first-rate organization where players loved to play and hated to leave.

Speaking personally, I would like to thank Mr. Snider -- I know he preferred to be called Ed but he was held on a pedestal among all of us -- for the opportunities he helped provide in my career and the careers of my fellow Alumni.

My story is like those of many Flyers Alumni. The most pivotal and successful years of my NHL career were with the Flyers and the Philadelphia area quickly felt like home to me. My wife is from the Delaware Valley, and this is where I started my family. In the meantime, the Flyers organization also became like extended family.

None of that would have been possible without Ed Snider. "


4) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are not going to make the Calder Cup Playoffs but they have become a fun team to follow late in the season because they've been buoyed by the addition of numerous prospects, who've given them a late-season burst of energy. Even with Ivan Provorov still playing in the WHL playoffs and Travis Konecny resting a shoulder injury for the rest of the reason, the Phantoms have benefited of late from the infusion of youth.

This past weekend, while most of the focus was on the Flyers getting into the playoffs, the Phantoms gave an encouraging glimpse at what may be in store for the future.

Oskar Lindblom posted his first two-goal game in North American hockey and has five points in five AHL games. Nicolas Aube-Kubel scored his first pro-level goal on Sunday, and Travis Sanheim picked up his first pro-level assist. Anthony Stolarz turned back 27 of 28 shots against Bridgeport. Taylor Leier hit the 20-goal mark in his second pro year. Defensemen Samuel Morin and Robert Hägg each were rewarded with goals on Sunday. Reece Willcox has looked good in four games for the Phantoms.
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