There has been some local buzz in recent weeks about whether Shayne Gostisbehere has a legitimate shot at winning the Calder Trophy as the National Hockey League's top rookie. Having not been recalled to the NHL until November and later missing a couple games due to injury, Gostisbehere's current candidacy on a national level is hurt by the fact he's dressed in just 29 of the Flyers' 47 games to date. On a national level right now, Dylan Larkin, Artemi Panarin and Jack Eichel probably would be the field leaders.
Gostisbehere has, however, played in a large enough sample of games to show that he's the real deal as an NHL offensive defenseman. There is no element of surprise with him to opponents any more. They all have film on him -- notice, for instance, that he's not surprising defending players much anymore with the spin move that worked several times early in his call up -- and they key on taking away time and space from him. As such, the fact that he is still putting up points at a robust clip for a defenseman (rookie or otherwise) is a sign that he's a bonafide weapon even at the NHL level.
Defensively, Gostisbehere is still a work in progress but he has not been a liability. At the very worst, he's been adequate. I would argue, though, that while he's not a shutdown defender, he does things that help the club in the neutral and defensive zones. Specifically, his ability to get into the passing lanes and either trigger counterattacks or at least break up opposing plays has been as valuable of an addition to the lineup as his work in the offensive end. When Gostisbehere does get on the wrong sde of the puck, his speed often enables him to recover.
I am a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association (PHWA), which selects the Calder Trophy winner. I'm not a believer in people publicly discussing their voting plans. There is still plenty of hockey left to be played and time for candidates to make a push for the award. What I will say in general terms is that complete players make the best candidates and offensive numbers alone should not be the sole basis for selecting the best candidate.
No Flyers rookie has ever won the Calder Trophy, although they've had their fair share who've earned NHL All-Rookie Team selection honors. Arguably, Bill Barber in 1972-73, Brian Propp in 1979-80, Dave Poulin (an older rookie at age 24 but still a Calder qualifier) in 1983-84, Ron Hextall in 1986-87 and Mikael Renberg in 1993-94 had the most Calder-worthy seasons among the field of contenders during their respective rookie seasons.
Second-place finisher Barber in particular probably should have won out over New York Rangers forward Steve Vickers, while 1986-87 Calder runner-up Hextall won the Vezina Trophy but lost out in the Calder vote to LA Kings forward Luc Robitaille. Propp was fourth in the 1979-80 voting, won by Boston Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque. Poulin placed fourth, behind Buffalo Sabres goaltender Tom Barrrasso, Detroit Red Wings center Steve Yzerman and Hartford Whalers winger Sylvain Turgeon. Renberg set a still-standng Flyers rookie scoring record and a strong two-way game, but finished third to New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur and Edmonton Oilers center Jason Arnott.
In 1992-93, Eric Lindros missed 23 games his rookie season due to injury but still posted a big impact season (41 goals, 75 points, plus-28 in 61 games). That just so happened to be the same season that Winnipeg Jets Teemu Selà¤nne exploded into the NHL with his 76-goal, 132-point rookie campaign, rendering the Calder race a landslide. Lindros finished fourth in the Calder vote behind Selà¤nne, Boston Bruins center Joe Juneau and Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Felix Potvin.
The greatest Flyer of them all, Bobby Clarke, was also a fourth-place finisher for the Calder in 1969-70, trailing Chicago Blackhawks goalie Tony Esposito, New York Rangers forward Bill Fairbairn and Blackhawks defenseman Keith Magnuson.
Goalie Doug Favell earned the highest Calder finish -- third place in the Flyers' inaugural 1967-78 season -- among Philadelphia players in the early years of franchise history. Playmaking center Andre Lacroix finished fifth in 1968-69.
In 1975-76, Mel Bridgman finished fifth in the Calder race after the Flyers made him the first overall selection of the 1975 NHL Draft. Flyers' defenseman, Behn Wilson finished fourth in 1978-79.
Flyers goalie Pete Peeters was third in the 1978-80 vote, one spot ahead of Propp. Ron Flockhart placed seventh in 1981-82. Pelle Lindbergh was fifth in the Calder vote and seventh in the Vezina Trophy race in 1982-83. Pelle Eklund took fifth place in the 1984-85 vote. Mike Ricci came in ninth in 1990-91. Finnish defenseman Janne Niinimaa was fourth in 1996-97.
As the 2000s arrived, center/winger Simon Gagne finished in fourth place in the 1999-2000 vote while teammate Brian Boucher placed sixth for the Calder Trophy and ninth for the Vezina. Both players earned NHL All-Rookie Team honors. In 2003-04, defenseman Joni Pitkà¤nen finished seventh in the Calder vote. Jeff Carter placed in an 11th-place tie and Antero Niittymà¤ki was tied for 15th in 2005-06, while neither Mike Richards nor 20-goal scorer R.J. Umberger placed in the vote tallies (it takes at least a fifth-place selection to earn a voting point). Claude Giroux earned a single fifth-place vote to tie for 19th in the 2008-09 vote.
In the 2010s, James van Riemsdyk received three fifth-place votes to tie for 11th in the 2009-10 race. The next year, Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky finished seventh in the Calder vote on the strength of four votes for second place and one for third. In 2011-12, 25-year-old Matt Read took fourth place in the Calder vote (including three selections for first-place) while Sean Couturier, who was 18 at the beginning of the season, placed ninth overall on a single first-place, three picks for third-place, a single fourth-place and nine fifth-place selections. Brayden Schenn did not place.
The NHL All-Rookie team honor came into existence in 1982-83. Among the Flyers rookies who did not place in the Calder vote in their respective rookie seasons, there were two who still managed All-Rookie Team honors: defensemen Thomas Eriksson in 1983-84 and Chris Therien in the 48-game 1994-95 season.
Roman Cechmanek, at age 29, was too old to qualify for the Calder Trophy in his first NHL season (2000-01). However, he finished second in the Vezina Trophy race and fourth in the Hart Trophy balloting for NHL most valuable player.
Among current Flyers, goaltender Steve Mason won the 2008-09 Calder Trophy as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was also the first runner-up for the Vezina that year.
In celebration of nearly a half-century of Flyers hockey, the Flyers Alumni Association is bringing together players representing every decade of franchise history for a special Orange vs. Black intrasquad Alumni game on Feb. 5, 2016 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be held at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, home of the Philadelphia Flyers' ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals.
Confirmed playing participants include Hockey Hall of Famers Bob Clarke and Mark Howe, recent Flyers stars Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen, Flyers Hall of Fame inducteee Joe Watson, longtime fan favorite Bob "the Hound" Kelly as well as the likes of Paul Holmgren, mid-1980s captain Dave Poulin and defenseman Brad Marsh.
Full playing rosters will be announced next week.
The six coaches of the two sides will be Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Bill Barber, Flyers Hall of Famers Brian Propp, Rick MacLeish and Dave "the Hammer" Schultz as well as Bill Clement and Don "Big Bird" Saleski. Clement will also be answering questions fans submit on social media.
Tickets for the Alumni game start at $12. All premium packages are complete sell-outs. A post-game VIP meet-and-greet with all of the Alumni was an almost instant sell-out. A youth hockey skills clinic run by the Alumni and a pre-game dinner buffet have also sold out.
For more ticket information on the game itself, click here.