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Flyers Thoughts From Pitt After 2 |
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Hey all. I'll be adding some additional Flyers comments/notes as we roll along here. BTW, how good have Bill Meltzer's Flyers blogs been this year? The guy is amazing and I enjoy sitting and talking hockey with him. Thanks to Ek for allowing me to post. First off, a rant.
Throughout the year I've read comments in the Morning Bytes column by Frank Fitzpatrick of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In his weekly column Frank throws out sports tidbits and thoughts. Usually his hockey comments are banal and negative, and I oft question why he even mentions the sport at all. But the latest on May 9 was the final straw for me. Frank writes:
"Vengeance now? Another reason why NHL hockey remains incomprehensible to me and 99 percent of the American public: I've had several Flyers fans tell me that one of the reasons they despise Sidney Crosby so intensely is that when Darien Hatcher knocked out a couple of the Pittsburgh star's teeth with the butt end of a stick, he had the temerity to complain. I guess if Crosby had gone after Hatcher with his own stick, he'd be someone to admire."
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Super. If the sport is "incomprehensible" to you why write or comment on it? Spare us the ignorance and leave it alone. Incomprehensible, defined: --adjective 1. impossible to understand or comprehend; unintelligible. You'd think someone with space in the Sports Section of a major market newspaper (nay a major hockey market) might have a little "comprehension" of the sport. With solid sports writers like Panaccio, Sheridan, and Parrillo covering this run for the Inquirer, what was the purpose of this comment? As a hockey fan first, I was insulted. As a Flyers fan I then ask, why is this being written in our town? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/18794929.html
Thoughts from the Igloo last night:
Just under 2 minutes left, with the building going nuts, albeit moderately so, one could still see whole sections seated on their hands hardly cheering at all. If that was the Wachovia Center with the Flyers up by one with less than two minutes to go not a single person would have been seated.
With ECF being an NHL event (Meaning the league handles the pos-game pressers) Stevens time at the podium was very short. When asked about Hatcher's penalty on Malkin, Stevens glared back, "We have stars too...Danny Briere. Hatch has been in this league a long time. He knows how to defend."
When asked about Downie's turnover, which led to the winning goal, Stevens sternly replied, "Turnover's can't happen. He's a good kid. He'll bounce back."
With over 50 stitches following a gash to his forehead over his eye, it seems hard to believe Coburn will be back on Tuesday. I did hear it mentioned last night, that if he does play it will be with a full cage.
Does this mean Parent will get tapped?
Finally, as a producer of the Flyersbuzz TV episodes, it was truly great to get a feel for this team and how unpretentious they all are. Hockey players are, for the most part, a non jaded group of hard working, dedicated, grounded athletes. I've always believed this to be the case but now I know it. This Flyers group is a group that plays for each other and it shows. A lot has been said of the adversity they've had to overcome this year. It is a tribute to "the room" that they have come as far as they have. 26 other teams in the NHL are sitting home and watching THEM play. Think on that...Looking forward to coming home to the Wach...Where no one will be sitting with two minutes left.
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