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Meltzer's Musings: Pre-Camp Prep, Raffl, Hextall, Emery in TB, Alumni

September 9, 2015, 2:24 AM ET [132 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
1) Signs of Hockey Season part 1: A work crew at the Wells Fargo Center painted the ice markings on Tuesday in preparation for the creation of the rink surface the Flyers will play on during the 2015-16 season. As part of the yearly rite of getting the arena ready for hockey season, fans were admitted for free and given the opportunity to take selfies on the Flyers' bench.

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(Left to right) Kevin Kivlin of Downingtown, PA, Brian Gaffney Jr. of Bellmawr, NJ and Harry Sherlock of Hatfield, PA paint the center ice logos at the Wells Fargo Center.(courtesy of Flyers/Zack Hill).

2) Signs of Hockey Season part 2: The Flyers now have nearly a full compliment of veteran players working out at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ, in preparation for the official start of training camp on Sept. 18. Only Vincent Lecavalier, Sean Couturier and Mark Streit had not taken part in on-ice workouts in Voorhees within the last week.

3) Flyers captain Claude Giroux was in Toronto to do an NHL Fashion shoot for the November issue of Sharp Magazine. Other participants from around the league included Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Trouba and Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog.




4) As of now, it looks like the Flyers plan to give Michael Raffl the first crack at playing left wing on the team's top five-on-five line with Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Although the team has a new head coach behind the bench, the plan is not surprising. Two-way forward Raffl was the most effective complementary player on the line during a lengthy stretch of the 2014-15 season as well as during a smaller sample size of games the previous year.

5) Brett Hextall does not plan on playing during the 2015-16 season according to his father, Flyers general manger Ron Hextall. The feisty 27-year-old forward dressed in 63 games for the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, recording 14 points (six goals, eight assists) and 119 penalty minutes.

Brett, who was born and raised in the greater Philadelphia area, dressed in an NHL preseason game for the Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center last year during the team's split-squad games against the Washington Capitals (Philadelphia) and Toronto Maple Leafs (London, Ontario). He skated left wing on a line with Chris VandeVelde and Derek Mathers. VandeVelde and Hextall were University of North Dakota teammates under coach Dave Hakstol in Hextall's freshman and sophomore collegiate seasons.

It was during Brett's collegiate career that Ron Hextall formed his first impressions of Hakstol's coaching abilities. Although no reason was given for Brett's decision to sit out the upcoming season, it is worth noting that his wife, Mamie, is an anesthesiologist doing her residency in Iowa City, Iowa.

6) Prospect Update: In a Swedish preseason game on Tuesday, Flyers 2015 fifth-round pick Oskar Lindblom tallied a power play goal in a 5-2 win for Brynäs IF over Djurgården. The goal tied the game at 1-1 in the middle period. Flyers 2015 third-round pick Felix Sandström served as the Brynäs backup goaltender.

7) Former Flyers goaltender Ray Emery will attend the Tampa Bay Lightning's training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) basis. Top Lightning goaltending prospect Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent vascular surgery last week to remove a blood clot from near his collarbone. He is expected to miss two to three months of action. Vasilevskiy's health issue opened an opportunity for Emery to compete to back up Ben Bishop to start the season.

Emery, who turns 33 on Sept. 28, had a tough 2014-15 season for the Flyers. He got off to a strong start in October (despite pedestrian stats owed mostly to subpar defensive play in front of him) but hit a rough patch for the much of the season thereafter. He also dealt with a lower-body injury. For the 2014-15 season, Emery posted a 3.06 goals against average, .896 save percentage, and 10-11-7 record in 31 appearances.

For the last two seasons, Emery was a supportive goaltending partner to Flyers' starter Steve Mason in similar fashion to how he worked will in conjunction with Corey Crawford in Chicago. Emery and Crawford shared the Jennings Trophy during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign that ultimately saw the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.

Emery is a savvier goaltender today than he was in his youth with the Ottawa Senators. Off the ice, he has calmed down and matured. However, the hip problems that nearly ended his career (and curtailed his first stint with the Flyers in 2009-10) took away much of his former mobility. He improved his positioning and economy of motion to compensate.

One thing that has never changed over the years is Emery's intense competitiveness on the ice. He never stops battling for saves or for loose pucks, regardless of the score of the game. He's not stat-oriented, either. The only thing he cares about is whether his team wins or loses at the end of the night.

This much is for certain: Emery will compete like hell to win a contract in Tampa Bay and has worked hard this summer for an opportunity to continue his NHL career.

8) Former Flyers forward Len Hachborn celebrates his 54th birthday today. Born Sept. 9, 1961 in Brantford, Ontario, the offensively gifted Len Hachborn spent parts of the 1983-84 and 1984-85 seasons with the Flyers after being selected by Philadelphia in the ninth round (184th overall) of the 1981 NHL Draft

As a rookie for Bob McCammon's Flyers in 1983-84, Hachborn produced 11 goals and 32 points in 38 regular season games. He also dressed in three playoff games. The following year, with Mike Keenan now at the coaching helm, Hachborn appeared in 40 NHL regular season games, notching 22 points (five goals, 17 points). The 5-foot-10 center appeared in four playoff games (three assists) during the 1985 playoffs as the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final.

A series of injuries set back Hachborn during his time with the Flyers. In late January of 1984, he sustained a serious knee injury. The next season, Hachborn dealt with a badly bruised wrist, a sprained shoulder and minor injuries from a late January 1985 automobile accident.

Hachborn started the 1985-86 season back in the AHL with the Hershey Bears (12 goals, 34 points in 23 games). On Dec. 6, 1985, the Flyers sold his contract to the Los Angeles Kings. The player went on to appear in 24 games with the Kings.

Hachborn remained an active player through the 2000-01. His post-NHL travels took him not only through several additional AHL stops but also various clubs in Europe and other North American minor leagues.

As a youth, Hachborn was a close friend with fellow Brantford native Wayne Gretzky. After his playing days, Hachborn settled permanently in Portland, Maine.

Recently, Hachborn got together with former Flyers equipment manager Kevin Cady (a fellow Portland resident) and former NHL player Gary McAdam (who also played for the Maine Mariners and Hershey Bears during his pro career).

 photo 4bd6c6b9-94d3-42ad-a1b8-7e6423e73a67.jpg photo Cady.jpg
Then and now: Top photo, Len Hachborn, 1984. Bottom photo (left to right): Len Hachborn, Kevin Cady, Gary McAdam, 2015 (Courtesy of Kevin Cady).


9) Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Joe Watson, a native of Smithers, British Columbia, recently returned to western Canada to help support a celebrity charity golf event for the benefit of the Bulkley Valley District Hospital. The event helped to raise $120,000 for the hospital.

10) Watson, who coordinates the Flyers Alumni Team schedule of charity and community service fundraising hockey games throughout the year, said last week that the following games are set for the 2015-16 season (with more games to be finalized in the months to come):

Sept. 12, 2015: "Faceoff Against Cancer," Ice Works, Aston, PA, 7:15 p.m. (see below for details)
Oct. 17, 2015: You Too Animal Rescue Benefit, Lehigh Valley Ice Arena, Whitehall, PA. TBA
Dec. 27, 2015: Flyers Skate Zone, Voorhees, NJ. 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 20, 2016: Ice Works, Aston, PA, 8:15 p.m.
Feb. 27, 2016: Class of 1923 Arena (University of Pennsylvania), 6:00 p.m.
March 12, 2016: Junior Achievement of Delaware, University of Delaware. TBA

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FLYERS ALUMNI FACE OFF AGAINST CANCER

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On Saturday, Sept. 12, the Flyers Alumni Team will participate in the third annual Faceoff Against Cancer at the Ice Works in Aston, PA. Last year, the Alumni's participation helped raised $145,891 for Delaware Valley families in need, with roughly $13,000 apiece going directly to 12 beneficiaries to offset some of the high financial burdens involved in the fight against various forms of cancer.

The Faceoff Against Cancer is an all-day event at the Ice Works complex, featuring a hockey tournament, live bands and other entertainment, on-ice and off-ice events, kid-friendly carnival games, a silent auction, raffles, prizes, food and soft drinks. Alcoholic beverages are available at an additional adult admission price.

The highlight of the day is a game between the Flyers Alumni Team and a team of "All-Star" donors from the various participants. The game is slated to start at 7:15 p.m. EDT. Afterwards, for an additional $50 donation, event attendees can have dinner and a personal meet-and-greet with the Flyers Alumni players.

To purchase tickets for the 2015 Faceoff Against Cancer, click here.

Even if you cannot attend the event in person, there's a variety of online donation options available. Donors can make a general donation to be split among all the beneficiaries or else they can make individual donations to go to the cancer patient beneficiary chosen by each of the participating teams. The beneficiaries come from a variety of different backrounds and ages -- some are pediatric cancer patients, some are the parents of young children, some are grandparents and one is a memorial fund.

For more information on all of the day's activities, bios on the beneficiaries and more, please visit the Faceoff Against Cancer website. The cause also has a Twitter account (@FACEOFFvsCANCER) and Facebook page.
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