What about Brodeur and his sister in law?

oh wait that one is legit

Also Bill, any chance you can expand on the other bigger factors? Again, I still feel it was the right move, but I always thought it had less to do with hockey than with off-ice behavior. The rumors of Pronger rubbing some of the younger guys the wrong way could be a factor? Especially with a guy like Carter, not far removed from a 46 goal campaign, being swung out of town so quickly after signing an extension seemed so much to do with personalities on the team than with hockey.
- FloHaake

In my opinion the reason the moves were made were hockey related and had little to do with off ice behavior. The overwhelming majority of off ice issues were created by innuendo, rumor mongering, and shoddy reporting.

What about Brodeur and his sister in law?

oh wait that one is legit

Also Bill, any chance you can expand on the other bigger factors? Again, I still feel it was the right move, but I always thought it had less to do with hockey than with off-ice behavior. The rumors of Pronger rubbing some of the younger guys the wrong way could be a factor? Especially with a guy like Carter, not far removed from a 46 goal campaign, being swung out of town so quickly after signing an extension seemed so much to do with personalities on the team than with hockey.
- FloHaake

In my opinion the reason the moves were made were hockey related and had little to do with off ice behavior. The overwhelming majority of off ice issues were created by innuendo, rumor mongering, and shoddy reporting.
- MJL

Just looking at stats alone, trading both of them based on the season they just finished still doesn't make a ton of sense.

You're probably right, but it's still a head scratcher for me. Trading Richards turned out to be a good move, based on where his career ended up (two cups not withstanding). Carter though, I gotta tell ya, I'd love to still have him in a Flyers sweater.

I believe the quote is crushed by a dwarf, not druid.

Once again...


- Giroux_Is_God

Perhaps but EVERYBODY KNOWS that Stonehenge was built by druids.

Well, Probert had a pretty wild life. But, yeah, a lot of these stories tend to get embellished over time. Heard some doozies during Alumni trip in Russia.
- bmeltzer

Maybe I can buy you a drink or take you out to play golf in Philly when I am back. Ek knows me. I'd love to hear your off-the-record stories as I am sure there is a LOT of stuff that you couldn't share in this forum when also working for The Flyers as they are notorious for keeping their dirty laundry in the locker room. And good for them for that.

BTW: my sources are first-hand NHL players and I've heard some of this stuff from guys who were in the locker room at the time. With that said, I am going to believe the Probert stories that I heard even if they aren't real. In Hollywood, you don't need to have a real story to make it a good story.

Also: whatever happened to the Rob Zombie movie about The Broad Street Bullies? I will find a way to make it to that premiere. When I was a kid, I lived 3 doors down from The Hammer in Voorhees. To this day, I wear a Mitchell and Ness No. 8 1974 jersey to games. Literally, its the only autograph that I've ever gotten and Dave called me up to his suite in Wells Fargo when he saw my jersey. Very cool to meet him. Great guy and VERY SMART. His NYTimes.com editorial about the importance of fighting in hockey is the theme of a speech that I did at USC after meeting him. The speech wasn't about hockey as much as business but it went over pretty well.

Just looking at stats alone, trading both of them based on the season they just finished still doesn't make a ton of sense.

You're probably right, but it's still a head scratcher for me. Trading Richards turned out to be a good move, based on where his career ended up (two cups not withstanding). Carter though, I gotta tell ya, I'd love to still have him in a Flyers sweater.
- FloHaake

You don't get the return they got if they weren't very good players. The Flyers continually trying to win put them in a hole. They didn't have many prospects or draft picks to sustain the team moving forward. To a lesser extent the contracts put them in a tight situation cap wise. The way out was to trade both to gain both young up and coming players and high draft picks.

I'm a big Carter fan also. Remains a top NHL player to this day.

BTW: my sources are first-hand NHL players and I've heard some of this stuff from guys who were in the locker room at the time. With that said, I am going to believe the Probert stories that I heard even if they aren't real. In Hollywood, you don't need to have a real story to make it a good story.


- flyersfaninLA

Claims to unsubstantiated sources is not credible.

Still a fan of Jeff Carter but man that game 6 shot gonging Niemmi in the mask just about had me fall off my bar stool.
- Pelle31Forever

Certainly can use his shoot first mindset.............it'd go well with the 99% of pass first players we currently have

Claims to unsubstantiated sources is not credible.
- MJL

He said he knows Ek, didn't he?

Now leave David Boreanaz alone.

jeff carter hahahahaha guy was a joke here

Even Bill gonna pay for this fight

jeff carter hahahahaha guy was a joke here
- 2Real

Wides
- corduroy

I was away for a week and came only to make sure someone commented with this when I saw that Jeff Carter was the subject today.

Yeah, and Mathieu Schneider with Patrick Roy's wife (or Roy with Schneider's depending on the version) or any of the other dozens of urban legend "local rumors" around most every team for decades, often with the tough-guy teammate x punched out the offending teammate addendum to the tale. Very few of the stories have a shred of validity but it doesn't stop the stories from being retold.

As for Dry Island, it was legit but not why Carter and Richards were traded. There were some concerns about off-ice behavior (as referenced briefly in the blog) but there were other and bigger factors.
- bmeltzer

Hockey wife stories seem to be rife through the league.

I do admit, though, that Hartnell's post divorce shout out to his ex-wife on twitter after he finished his alimony payments was one of my favorite things ever.

I always felt the Carter trade was necessary. There was always something about his game that seemed to be lacking at any given time. He was a good player here; probably a bit underrated, really. But I understood and probably wanted him gone at the time.

The Richards trade, though, was a shock to me. He was my favorite player. I was not a fan originally, but now, I understand it and I suspect someday, it will come out what went on with those guys, off the ice.

- Bonerfide69

Meh.

I'm just happy that cameras in a cell phone that everyone carried around was not a thing when I was their age.

Meh.

I'm just happy that cameras in a cell phone that everyone carried around was not a thing when I was their age.
- johndewar

During the Dry Island time, I remember running into several girls in Philly that claimed to be Scottie Upshall's girlfriend. They offered these opinions unprovoked. It was a crazy time.

Guys,

My mistake with Bill's name. I was thinking about Brad McCrimmon and mis-typed. It was early and my first Diet Coke wasn't working yet.

Dry Island was real. From what I've been told from GOOD sources (on the golf course and in that locker room at the time) was that Richards and Carter didn't ever sign up. Considering who the GM was at the time - that's not a smart move. Ed didn't like it either but the last straw was the hat issue at the event. Homer was told - drop the axe and he sure did. I will never forget talking to Kevin Greensteen from InsideHockey.com that day and he says mere minutes after the first trade "how the HELL did Brayden Schenn get on the Flyers?" Good question, at the time.

The real issue and this comes from someone who was born in Philly and lived in Voorhees in my early years is the Post-Forsberg move of college age players to start living in Center City instead of the South Jersey burbs. Remember, these players are YOUNG and don't often go to college. They want to party with college girls as they are millionaires en route to being very wealthy. Supposedly, Carter and Richards were the inspiration for Dry Island but never signed up. They would supposedly show up hung over for practice and the older players weren't too impressed. That Flyers team was a Cup contender.
- flyersfaninLA

I agree with this. I grew up in the Delaware Valley and now live in South Jersey. When I first moved to South Jersey, it was not hard to go out and about and see a Flyer or an ex-Flyer.

Lindros would go out in Philly from time to time, but more often than not, you'd hear stories about Flyers players going to South Jersey bars like Kaminski's and such.

When Forsberg got that joint in Rittenhouse Square, it seemed like all the young players followed him over there.

The Richards trade, though, was a shock to me. He was my favorite player. I was not a fan originally, but now, I understand it and I suspect someday, it will come out what went on with those guys, off the ice.
- johndewar

I think you're going to be waiting a long time and be disappointed. They were young guys who had a social life like any young males in their 20's would have.

Rhys

Maybe I can buy you a drink or take you out to play golf in Philly when I am back. Ek knows me. I'd love to hear your off-the-record stories as I am sure there is a LOT of stuff that you couldn't share in this forum when also working for The Flyers as they are notorious for keeping their dirty laundry in the locker room. And good for them for that.

BTW: my sources are first-hand NHL players and I've heard some of this stuff from guys who were in the locker room at the time. With that said, I am going to believe the Probert stories that I heard even if they aren't real. In Hollywood, you don't need to have a real story to make it a good story.

Also: whatever happened to the Rob Zombie movie about The Broad Street Bullies? I will find a way to make it to that premiere. When I was a kid, I lived 3 doors down from The Hammer in Voorhees. To this day, I wear a Mitchell and Ness No. 8 1974 jersey to games. Literally, its the only autograph that I've ever gotten and Dave called me up to his suite in Wells Fargo when he saw my jersey. Very cool to meet him. Great guy and VERY SMART. His NYTimes.com editorial about the importance of fighting in hockey is the theme of a speech that I did at USC after meeting him. The speech wasn't about hockey as much as business but it went over pretty well.
- flyersfaninLA

Never knew Trump was a Flyers fan.

Young guy, millions of dollars, reasonably good looking, yeah if I were Carter I'd be doing the exact same thing. If you can bring it on ice and 100% every shift, I go no issues with off ice extra curricular activities.

Rhys
- Giroux_Is_God

I think you're going to be waiting a long time and be disappointed. They were young guys who had a social life like any young males in their 20's would have.
- MJL

That's OK and I've always been on the side of that they didn't do anything other generations of Flyers players didn't do, but it wasn't splashed all over social media when they did it.

The Richards trade, though, will always be one where I want to know more.

Young guy, millions of dollars, reasonably good looking, yeah if I were Carter I'd be doing the exact same thing. If you can bring it on ice and 100% every shift, I go no issues with off ice extra curricular activities.
- Pelle31Forever

Me neither.

No judgement from me at all on that stuff.

Young guy, millions of dollars, reasonably good looking, yeah if I were Carter I'd be doing the exact same thing. If you can bring it on ice and 100% every shift, I go no issues with off ice extra curricular activities.
- Pelle31Forever

Except they didn't.