Put this one on the top of your list:

https://www.amazon.ca/Bes...ou-Can-Name/dp/0771014600

Warning: the stories about John Brophy will make you piss your pants laughing.
- Atomic Wedgie

oh hell... amazon.ca has the other McKenzie book, and others by Dave Bidini. Now, I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse the day you were born. Books are like a gateway drug.. they only lead to more.

Every once in awhile, I forget just how much I truly hate the Habs

Thanks for the reminder, Ken Dryden

Matt Carle signed with Nashville, $ 700,000
- flyhoc

Sheesh..benched and bought out in Tampa then nobody signed him for a month and then only for peanuts. I recall how some here thought he was an all situations puck moving top 4 D man who excelled at 5v5 play and that the team would suffer significantly from his loss. Some of us knew it was smoke and mirrors and his play was well below that level. Thankfully, we let him walk instead of being on the hook for that bad contract (which we now have in MacDonald anyway). Oh and remember that BSH article "Philadelphia Flyers Already Have Ryan Suter In Matt Carle" http://www.broadstreethoc...uter-nhl-free-agency-2012 It was a ridiculous comparison then and has grown to be more ridiculous with each passing year.

Great response to Dryden Bill, but why bother. Dryden has always been a pompous, Flyer hating putz and will never change.

Also, why he was certainly a good goalie, he was far from being one of the greatest of all time. He benefited greatly from playing behind 3 hall of fame dmen and rarely had to deal with 2nd shots or traffic in front. As someone who saw him play in his prime, I would rate Parent, Esposito, and Giacomin ahead of him when it comes to goalies of the 70s

Sheesh..benched and bought out in Tampa then nobody signed him for a month and then only for peanuts. I recall how some here thought he was an all situations puck moving top 4 D man who excelled at 5v5 play and that the team would suffer significantly from his loss. Some of us knew it was smoke and mirrors and his play was well below that level. Thankfully, we let him walk instead of being on the hook for that bad contract (which we now have in MacDonald anyway). Oh and remember that BSH article "Philadelphia Flyers Already Have Ryan Suter In Matt Carle" http://www.broadstreethoc...uter-nhl-free-agency-2012 It was a ridiculous comparison then and has grown to be more ridiculous with each passing year.
- exlund

You know, Bobby Orr is not as good as he used to be anymore either! Go figure.

See I have a higher expectation than this. Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos, Tavares, Kane, Seguin and Benn. Giroux in my opinion has reached these standards but could either bounce back or decline further. I don't want just a Cup contender. I want a Hart contender, Norris contender, Selke contender and a Vezina contender every year.
- roenick97

Ok so your expectations are unreallistic in any pro sport. Gotcha. Have a nice day.

Sheesh..benched and bought out in Tampa then nobody signed him for a month and then only for peanuts. I recall how some here thought he was an all situations puck moving top 4 D man who excelled at 5v5 play and that the team would suffer significantly from his loss. Some of us knew it was smoke and mirrors and his play was well below that level. Thankfully, we let him walk instead of being on the hook for that bad contract (which we now have in MacDonald anyway). Oh and remember that BSH article "Philadelphia Flyers Already Have Ryan Suter In Matt Carle" http://www.broadstreethoc...uter-nhl-free-agency-2012 It was a ridiculous comparison then and has grown to be more ridiculous with each passing year.
- exlund

I always saw Coburn and Carle as being good enough with the right partner but when they lost those partners they turned into garbage. Kinda like Therien when he had Rico out there with him he looked good but if Rico wasn't there he looked like a pylon.

You know, Bobby Orr is not as good as he used to be anymore either! Go figure.
- MJL

Same goes for Randy, Luke, and Andrew.

I always saw Coburn and Carle as being good enough with the right partner but when they lost those partners they turned into garbage. Kinda like Therien when he had Rico out there with him he looked good but if Rico wasn't there he looked like a pylon.
- dragonoffrost

While I get your point that they were good "Robins".....but garbage? Really?

You know, Bobby Orr is not as good as he used to be anymore either! Go figure.
- MJL

You have to admit though, going from a solid top 4 guy, to a guy who can only get 700k on the open market just a few years later is a pretty big drop off. It's not like he's 40 years old, in fact he'll only be 32 in Sept which is far from ancient for an NHL Dman.

While I get your point that they were good "Robins".....but garbage? Really?
- MBFlyerfan

Exactly, Coburn with the right partner, can probably still play on a top pair today and he's no worse than a 2nd pair guy on most teams. Same with Therien in his prime. Carle, though, really seems to have fallen apart. Not sure if the reasons are physical, mental or a combo of both, but if a mobile Dman in today's NHL can only get 700k on the open market, he's got issues.

Same goes for Randy, Luke, and Andrew.
- jak521

Is Andrew Ference going to play this year? I know he had season ending hip surgery last season.

You have to admit though, going from a solid top 4 guy, to a guy who can only get 700k on the open market just a few years later is a pretty big drop off. It's not like he's 40 years old, in fact he'll only be 32 in Sept which is far from ancient for an NHL Dman.
- BiggE

It happens, some players decline sooner. His offensive game seemed to completely disappear. When he was a Flyer, he was a very strong ES point producer, strong puck mover, and reliable defensively.

Exactly, Coburn with the right partner, can probably still play on a top pair today and he's no worse than a 2nd pair guy on most teams. Same with Therien in his prime. Carle, though, really seems to have fallen apart. Not sure if the reasons are physical, mental or a combo of both, but if a mobile Dman in today's NHL can only get 700k on the open market, he's got issues.
- BiggE

Carle was a good player for the Flyers regardless of who he played with. But yeah, when he signed with Tampa he seemed to just steadily get worse.

Carle was a good player for the Flyers regardless of who he played with. But yeah, when he signed with Tampa he seemed to just steadily get worse.
- MBFlyerfan

Yeah, its' weird. In the TB games I've seen, he seems to skating as well as ever, but he just seems clueless with and without the puck. He always struggled somewhat in his D zone coverage and in the dirty areas of the zone, but at least he made a clean, crisp first pass out, could reliably carry the puck through the neutral zone, and was a decent passer in the O zone as well. He just looks lost out there now.

Anybody recall Steve Eminger? He never really seemed to reach that top pairing potential that some thought he had. Puzzling.

Anybody recall Steve Eminger? He never really seemed to reach that top pairing potential that some thought he had. Puzzling.
- MJL

I couldn't believe that trade at the time.

I was actually hoping the Flyers would take Carlsson. When the trade was made I was shocked.

Exactly, Coburn with the right partner, can probably still play on a top pair today and he's no worse than a 2nd pair guy on most teams. Same with Therien in his prime. Carle, though, really seems to have fallen apart. Not sure if the reasons are physical, mental or a combo of both, but if a mobile Dman in today's NHL can only get 700k on the open market, he's got issues.
- BiggE

I had seat for years in the Flyers d zone and it seemed that every time a late game costly turnover happened it was either Coburn or Carle making it the last two years of their tenure here. You could tell because as the goal was scored one of those two was skating away head down.

Sheesh..benched and bought out in Tampa then nobody signed him for a month and then only for peanuts. I recall how some here thought he was an all situations puck moving top 4 D man who excelled at 5v5 play and that the team would suffer significantly from his loss. Some of us knew it was smoke and mirrors and his play was well below that level. Thankfully, we let him walk instead of being on the hook for that bad contract (which we now have in MacDonald anyway). Oh and remember that BSH article "Philadelphia Flyers Already Have Ryan Suter In Matt Carle" http://www.broadstreethoc...uter-nhl-free-agency-2012 It was a ridiculous comparison then and has grown to be more ridiculous with each passing year.
- exlund

Thank goodness we have smart people such as yourself here.

Ok so your expectations are unreallistic in any pro sport. Gotcha. Have a nice day.
- dragonoffrost

How is this unrealistic? Please break this down in detail. I just named you names of players who score in the top ten every year and named you teams who have these players. The best thing you could come up with was "Remember that one time Jake Voracek had a career season two years ago?" I went as far as saying as Giroux fits the criteria I'm asking for but his best years could be behind him. The Black Hawks have a Toews who has been nominated for the selke a could times. Kane just won the scoring title and Keith has won the norris twice, all while being a contender ever season. So how is what I'm asking for unrealistic?

I love the dismissive "Have a nice day!" Why don't you plug your ears hold your breath because you don't wanna year it anymore.

I had seat for years in the Flyers d zone and it seemed that every time a late game costly turnover happened it was either Coburn or Carle making it the last two years of their tenure here. You could tell because as the goal was scored one of those two was skating away head down.
- dragonoffrost

Well, in Coburn's defense, he was usually matched up against the top lines and the top pp unit. Carle, though, really doesn't have any excuse.

Sheesh..benched and bought out in Tampa then nobody signed him for a month and then only for peanuts. I recall how some here thought he was an all situations puck moving top 4 D man who excelled at 5v5 play and that the team would suffer significantly from his loss. Some of us knew it was smoke and mirrors and his play was well below that level. Thankfully, we let him walk instead of being on the hook for that bad contract (which we now have in MacDonald anyway). Oh and remember that BSH article "Philadelphia Flyers Already Have Ryan Suter In Matt Carle" http://www.broadstreethoc...uter-nhl-free-agency-2012 It was a ridiculous comparison then and has grown to be more ridiculous with each passing year.
- exlund

Clearly an unrealistic expectation was raised by playing with Chris Pronger for so long. Carle looked a lot different next to Marc-Andre Bourdon.

Clearly an unrealistic expectation was raised by playing with Chris Pronger for so long. Carle looked a lot different next to Marc-Andre Bourdon.
- roenick97

Carle had his best season as a Flyer when Pronger was injured and out of the lineup for most of the season. That Carle couldn't play without Pronger was a myth.

How is this unrealistic? Please break this down in detail. I just named you names of players who score in the top ten every year and named you teams who have these players. The best thing you could come up with was "Remember that one time Jake Voracek had a career season two years ago?" I went as far as saying as Giroux fits the criteria I'm asking for but his best years could be behind him. The Black Hawks have a Toews who has been nominated for the selke a could times. Kane just won the scoring title and Keith has won the norris twice, all while being a contender ever season. So how is what I'm asking for unrealistic?

I love the dismissive "Have a nice day!" Why don't you plug your ears hold your breath because you don't wanna year it anymore.
- roenick97

I added that since you always have a pesimistic attitude it seems.

How many teams have a player nominated for each of those awards every year? If there is a team every year it's only one and not the same year after year. That's how it's unrealistic. Hockey is a tough sport that teams have to deal with cycles. You are seeing the Flyers coming out of the down cycle yet all your comments are you want it now. Wait a few years and you may see what you want. But it takes one thing this town has very little of, something called Patience. Which is exactly what Hextall is using in building this team.

I added that since you always have a pesimistic attitude it seems.

How many teams have a player nominated for each of those awards every year? If there is a team every year it's only one and not the same year after year. That's how it's unrealistic. Hockey is a tough sport that teams have to deal with cycles. You are seeing the Flyers coming out of the down cycle yet all your comments are you want it now. Wait a few years and you may see what you want. But it takes one this this town has very little of, something called Patience. Which is exactly what Hextall is using in building this team.
- dragonoffrost