Friday was one of the strangest days on the Flyers beat.
The practice turned optional could have easily focused on a number of Flyers who carry scoring streaks of five or more games into's Saturday's showdown with the Rangers.
Or how terrific Jakub Voracek has been since moving to left wing and yet two of his primary assists on Claude Giroux's goals against Nashville again saw him on right wing and come to think of it, some of his power play assists from last week were all on the right side of the ice where he is most effective.
And then there was the Alumni hockey game in Reading, featuring so many fan favorites to talk about.
Before any of this could be absorbed, general manager Ron Hextall walked into the press room to announce that Sean Couturier would miss a month of games with that all-too-familiar "lower body" injury which we believe to be abdominal or more likely, groin related.
Couturier's absence for 14 or 15 games is nothing short of critical given the Flyers are in the playoff hunt and this is a crucial stretch of games this month where most of the players openly admit will determine whether they have any chance to play in post-season by its end.
Things had been going so well for the Flyers lately until both their goalies came down with injuries recently – Steve Mason is playing through his – and now Couturier is hurt. Rookie coach Dave Hakstol can’t seem to catch a break when needed.
And then by the end of the day, there comes an internet report from ESPN saying the Flyers and Penguins are discussing a home-and-home series of outdoor games spaced a year or so apart with the first coming in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.
I am told by a league source that the talks are well underway but far from completed which is likely why neither team has said anything thus far. Also, the Steelers need to give their blessing and my hunch there is they might prefer the game to be played before the NFL playoffs begin in late December so it doesn’t interfere with a potential home game.
All in all, it was crazy day of Flyers news and potential stories with the largest being Couturier’s injury, which takes precedence.
A word though about the outdoor game. I loved the concept of the NHL Winter Classic. What I didn’t like was the league’s decision to take a special event with its own flair and trump it up with television to create an entire series of satellite outdoor games around it.
I truly believe it takes away from the grandeur of what the Winter Classic represents.
It’s sorta like my generation growing up with the Rose, Orange, and Cotton Bowls as the Big 3 in college football and now there what? Forty of them?
And as much as Penn State would seem the ideal place to host an outdoor game, I recall that when Peter Luukko was here as president of the Flyers, he tried very hard to set the wheels in motion for such a game between the Flyers and Pens at University Park and couldn’t get it done.
If Luukko couldn’t do it, no one can do it.
Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and I have a pretty good suspicion a return to Citizens Bank Park in Philly because the Eagles made it clear a few years ago they weren’t interest in any hockey game at the Linc.
UPDATE: A source told me this morning that the Eagles have changed their stance from a few years ago and now are interested. We'll see where that goes.
All things considered, however, if you ask any Flyers fan what they would rather see right now, their answer would be a return to the playoff by the Flyers.
That’s more important than an outdoor game and the excitement would last a trifle longer, too.
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