Vigneault a finalist for Jack Adams Award
For an NHL all-time record fifth time (and for his fourth team) in the honor's 46-year history, Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon. The other two finalists are Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy and Columbus Blue Jackets bench boss John Tortorella.
If Vigneault wins the Jack Adams Award this season, he will become just the seventh coach to win the honor with two or more teams (the late Pat Burns won it with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins). While coaching the Vancouver Canucks, Vigneault won the Adams in 2006-07.
"If you look at the staffs I’ve had and the organizations, I think this is my fifth time that I’m up for the Jack Adams, obviously I’ve had great staffs and worked for great organizations. Every time it’s been a little different," Vigneault said.
"This time here in Philly, I have to say is extra special. We had a very challenging month of October where we went to Europe and then went out West. From the first of November to the season was postponed, with Boston and Tampa we had the best record in the league. Boston had 80 points. Us and Tampa had 78. I look at that and I look at how our players responded to the Oskar [Lindblom cancer] situation. I’m so proud of this group and everybody associated with it. That was a very challenging time for our group and we responded by doing our jobs, staying focused, players being supportive to Oskar, organization and fans being supportive of Oskar. This nomination for me considering what could have happened is extra special. Oskar is healthy now, our team did well, so this is very special for me."
Vigneault was a finalist again with Vancouver in 2010-11 (Pittsburgh's Dan Bylsma won). Finally, while coaching the President's Trophy winning New York Rangers in 2014-15, Vigneault became a four-time finalist. However, Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley won the award that season.
If Vigneault wins the Jack Adams award this season, he will become the fifth Flyers coach -- tops in the NHL -- to claim the honor. Legendary Flyers head coach Fred Shero won the inaugural Jack Adams Award in 1973-74. Subsequently, the feat was duplicated by Pat Quinn (1979-80), Mike Keenan (1984-85) and Bill Barber (2000-01). Flyers head coach Terry Murray was a finalist in 1994-95 but Marc Crawford of the Quebec Nordiques collected the prize.
For an in-depth analysis of Vigneault's case for winning the 2019-20 Jack Adams Award,
click here.
Lindblom discusses battle with Ewing Sarcoma
Giving his first English interview about his ordeal with Ewing Sarcoma after recently speaking to a Swedish reporter for a similar article, Flyers left winger Oskar Lindblom spoke in depth about the experience to Sports Illustrated. Published today, Alex Prewitt wrote a
must-read feature article entitled "Staying Oskar Strong."
Lindblom discussed how he discovered a lump in his ribcage, which he initially dismissed as a welt from getting bumped around in a game. It was at the insistence of his girlfriend, Alma Lindqvist, that Oskar had it checked out. Her advice proved life-saving, as the cancer was discovered in a still-early stage where the chances of achieving remission were still about 80 percent. Had the cancer spread to his lungs, the chances of survival would have dropped precipitously.
Lindblom underwent a course of chemotherapy and rib resection surgery, and the tumor is now undetectable. The surgery involved removing the tumor, which was imbedded between two ribs, as well as surrounding ribs. The removed areas were reconstructed with Kevlar and with surgical mesh both on the outside and inside of his ribcage to strengthen the affected area.
Although rib resection surgery is a major surgical procedure, it should be noted that there already is precedent for an NHL player to successfully return from such surgery, albeit for a different condition. Chris Kreider, who suffered from a blood clot condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, underwent rib resection surgery in Jan. 2018. Kreider has had back-to-back seasons of 24-plus goals since that time.
On July 2, Lindblom completed his final chemotherapy treatment for Ewing Sarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer that is especially rare in adult patients). The 23-year-old Flyers left winger stopped to symbolically ring the bell before leaving the Abramson Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. He embraced his girlfriend, gifted an autographed Flyers jersey to the nursing staff and left the building
The player credits the support of his girlfriend, family, Flyers teammates, Flyers fans, and the hockey world as a whole gave him strength to fight onward. In both his Swedish and English interviews, Lindblom recounted the emotion of calling his family in Sweden to break the terrifying news of his cancer diagnosis. Lindblom actually traveled him to be with his family over Christmas before beginning his chemotherapy treatments.
Now that he is in remission, Lindblom's first goal is to get back to living a normal life. Lindblom said he'd like, if possible, to get in a visit to Sweden this summer. His girlfriend, Alma, just went back for a visit. Oskar needs to be careful for awhile, especially with the Covid-19 situation across the United States, but he's still at least aiming to making the trip.
In the long-term, Lindblom said his goal is to play hockey again. He doesn't knew when that will be possible, and will takes thing as they come. On Tuesday, Lindblom was on the ice for the first-time since completing his final cancer treatment and ringing the bell before saying goodbye to the staff at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center.
Lindblom said that his teammates have been very supportive of him throughout his battle, and some of his best days over the last six months were his unannounced visits to see the team. During quarantine, where he was truly bound either to the hospital or to his apartment, he said that he relied heavily on Alma and they helped each other get through it.
Training Camp: Day 3 Update
As Alain Vigneault indicated on Day 2 of camp, the Flyers maintained the same line combinations in their split-group practice on Wednesday. Thursday will be an off-day for the team. On Friday, there will be some different combinations looked at, and one group session will have four forward lines (rather than three), while the other will have two. Come Saturday, there will be a scrimmage.
On Day 3, there were a lot of breakout drills with both shorter-range and stretch pass segments. There were also 2-on-1s run, and puck deflection sequences with a forward parked in front of the goalie and tying to tip shots from the point. The goalies were kept quite busy in terms of reps on what, at times, was a faster-paced version of portions of Day 1.
GROUP A LINES
Claude Giroux - Sean Couturier - Jakub Voracek
James van Riemsdyk - Scott Laughton -Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Andy Andreoff - Morgan Frost - German Rubtsov
Ivan Provorov - Matt Niskanen
Robert Hägg - Justin Braun
Tyler Wotherspoon - Nate Prosser
Carter Hart
Alex Lyon
GROUP B LINES
Joel Farabee - Kevin Hayes - Travis Konecny
Michael Raffl - Derek Grant - Tyler Pitlick
Connor Bunnaman - Nate Thompson - Carsen Twarynski
Travis Sanheim - Phil Myers
Shayne Gostisbehere - Mark Friedman
Egor Zamula - Andy Welinski
Brian Elliott
Kirill Ustimenko
Following are some highlights from the sessions on the ice:
* Claude Giroux had a "shoot the lights out" morning in the Group A practice, sniping home at least five shots from the circle or slot. His prettiest goal was one where he initially shot over the net, hustled behind the net to retrieve it, stepped out in front and elevated a filthy backhander over Carter Hart.
* Wednesday's practice was not one of Hart's best days. He was not tracking the puck as well as he normally does, and a couple of bleeders slipped through. He finished out strong, however.
* Morgan Frost was denied on back-to-back five-hole attempts on Alex Lyon. On a third try, he pulled off his stutter-wrister and went bar down. No goalie was stopping that one.
* Later, Frost led Andy Andreoff on a 2-on-1 rush. Matt Niskanen played it in textbook fashion, sealing off the passing lane and then poke-checking Frost as he double-clutched the puck.
* Carsen Twarynski has been a fast starter in each of his last two September camps and has done the same in Training Camp 2.0 during Phase 3 of the Return-to-Play plan. He was very noticeable in his north-south skating and attacking the net in the practices thus far.
* Flyers Daily host Jason Myrtetus was the first to notice during the Group B session today that goalie Brian Elliott was sporting a Lefevre glove and blocker -- which Carter Hart has done throughout camp so far -- after Elliott had stuck with his familiar CCM blocker and glove in the first two days of camp.
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