Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary
- bmeltzer

Awesome blog


In Canada all the kids at our school would be allowed out if class to watch the games in the gym. One of my best memories of elementary school. Cournoyer had to be one of the more consistent players in the series as well.

bill you're an unstoppable force, thanks !

bill you're an unstoppable force, thanks !
- Don'tForgetTocchet

+1

Great read....it was definately a different game back then. I actually thought I was reading about my own childhood!!! Same age group.....same love for Clarke and the Flyers....Yes , Clarke was no boy scout....but boy scouts were not hockey players either . In my childhood Clarke did no wrong...hell in my adult hood I have remained a huge supporter, be it warranted or not.....awesome read...

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary
- bmeltzer

D pairings blog tomorrow Bill?

D pairings blog tomorrow Bill?
- Richieattack18

Yes. This one ran so long that it just makes more sense to roll the D-pair blog into tomorrow.

Nothing like sitting on the beach with some Meltzer's Musings. It's unreal that, even as we sit here in the days of late August and early September twiddling our thumbs and waiting for hockey, you consistently bless us with your fabulous blogs. Your dedication and devotion to the game you play rivals your childhood idol.

Thanks for everything. This one was the best of the summer.

Here's to October hockey.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary
- bmeltzer

Its so much more fun to remember Bobby Clarke instead of Bob Clarke.

Outstanding blog Bill.

As a lifetime Flyers fan myself, I share most of your sentiments and memories of Clarkie. My highlight was begging my Dad to take me to Commerce Bank in Marlton where he was doing a promo. There was no one there, just Clarkie and me. I was shaking with nerves amidst my sports idol. He greeted me with a smile, a handshake, some kind, disarming words, and a signed glossy photo - with a personalized message.

Another trait of Clarke's is that he was great with the fans, particularly the young ones!

Awesome blog


In Canada all the kids at our school would be allowed out if class to watch the games in the gym. One of my best memories of elementary school. Cournoyer had to be one of the more consistent players in the series as well.
- BingoLady

Yes Henderson was unreal with the game winners but it's a crime not
To mention that Esposito was THE MAN in that series. Look
At the stats.

Yes Henderson was unreal with the game winners but it's a crime not
To mention that Esposito was THE MAN in that series. Look
At the stats.
- BobbySchmautz

yes very true and lightened the mood with his fall..

Yes Henderson was unreal with the game winners but it's a crime not
To mention that Esposito was THE MAN in that series. Look
At the stats.
- BobbySchmautz

Phil actually had made an important speech to the team that some considered the turning point of the series.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary
- bmeltzer

Phil actually had made an important speech to the team that some considered the turning point of the series.
- BOSS_TWEED

and a public scolding of Canadian fans for booing Team Canada.

Its so much more fun to remember Bobby Clarke instead of Bob Clarke.
- Jsaquella

Yes, indeed.

I went googling for the peanut butter, as I barely remember us having some when I was quite young. Maybe Dad had an old jar washed out and placed next to his Canada Dry cans that had the Flyers' players on each of them?

Anyway, my search led me to this awesome article by some hack:

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=435954

Also, was this paragraph in today's blog ghost-written by Tangent_man?

Funny how that happens, eh?

It seems like his writing style.

- Crimsoninja

This blog cannot get enough accolades. Bill's reminiscing reminded me of my own Dad playing goalie in front of our apartment's radiator. That was the "net". I was Bobby Clarke using Dad's wooden # 16 mini-stick shooting a Playskool ring as our puck. Fittingly, the orange one was the perfect puck size:

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary
- bmeltzer

Being born in 78, I really don't know much about 60s-70s hockey, but as long as I can remember the Canadians have had a reputation in Sweden of playing 'dirty', and I can see now where it might have come from (note: I'm not saying it's true ). I guess it was just a more physical type of hockey the 'transatlantic' teams were playing compared to the Swedish, and it might still be true (no fighting allowed etc. in Elitserien, although there might be more dirty plays since players don't have to worry about any consequences).

Great blog again, Bill!

Yes. This one ran so long that it just makes more sense to roll the D-pair blog into tomorrow.
- bmeltzer

Hello all! I was recently turned on to this site and have been following Bill Meltzer's blogs for a number of weeks now.

I must say that for the flyers standards, this has been an extremely disappointing off season. Outside of the Simmonds and Hartnell extensions, I haven't become overly excited with the next step of the team due to the loss of certain personnel and injuries.

I will say that I am very excited for tomorrow's blog.

The defense seems to be the most complicated. Coburn has been a player who seems to have great chemistry with both Grossman and Timonen but can't play with both. If and when Meszaros can return, from my understanding, he is most comfortable on the right side. I am unsure if Luke Schenn can play the left but I would assume we want our only righty who will be a regular in the line up to remain on the right side. Without Carle and Meszaros to move the puck and add points from the back end. I really worry about our point men on the pp and moving the puck out of the defensive zone five on five. Some how I get the feeling Burdon and Gustafsson will force Bruno Gervais into the minors. Just a guess.

I'm still scratching my head over the Luke Schenn for JvR deal. Grossman and Schenn seem so similar and neither are that great with the puck in my opinion.

Hello all! I was recently turned on to this site and have been following Bill Meltzer's blogs for a number of weeks now.

I must say that for the flyers standards, this has been an extremely disappointing off season. Outside of the Simmonds and Hartnell extensions, I haven't become overly excited with the next step of the team due to the loss of certain personnel and injuries.

I will say that I am very excited for tomorrow's blog.

The defense seems to be the most complicated. Coburn has been a player who seems to have great chemistry with both Grossman and Timonen but can't play with both. If and when Meszaros can return, from my understanding, he is most comfortable on the right side. I am unsure if Luke Schenn can play the left but I would assume we want our only righty who will be a regular in the line up to remain on the right side. Without Carle and Meszaros to move the puck and add points from the back end. I really worry about our point men on the pp and moving the puck out of the defensive zone five on five. Some how I get the feeling Burdon and Gustafsson will force Bruno Gervais into the minors. Just a guess.

I'm still scratching my head over the Luke Schenn for JvR deal. Grossman and Schenn seem so similar and neither are that great with the puck in my opinion.
- SuperSchennBros

Your concerns are well founded. Luke Schenn has an upside to him. Where as Grossmann is what he is at this point.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Clarke and Summit Series Anniversary
- bmeltzer

Super blog as always Bill, Thank you!!

And Thank you for the childhood memories, each part made me stop & reminisce of awesome childhood hockey, (right down to the Bobby Clarke peanut butter, the same NHL logo bed sheets, & Jack Chevalier's Broad Street Bullies book)

As well, a nice distraction from the unfortunate situation we fans have to be in the middle of, watching owners & players now using the media to throw blame at one another.

Your concerns are well founded. Luke Schenn has an upside to him. Where as Grossmann is what he is at this point.
- MJL

Agreed! I think I'm most excited to see what the Schenn Brothers could be in a full season with the Flyers.

I'm rather disappointed that we do not have the true wingers to play along side Giroux. We have players who can play with him but don't feel we have anyone to dominate along side him consistently. Maybe I could be wrong but I feel Brayden Schenn is likely to play wing this season (if we have a season) and could turn out to on day be the dominating forward Giroux is today. I would like to see Giroux and Schenn to see as much time together as they might apart. Grow together. I really do feel they could be a lot like Sakic and Forsberg or Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

A lot is going through my mind when it comes to this team. So many question marks. Sadly this could be a very depressing winter.

In case I've missed it. I would like to real a blog strictly on the potential of Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn

bill you're an unstoppable force, thanks !
- Don'tForgetTocchet

I think Bill needs a vacation.

After reading an article about the Summit Series in this mornings New York Times I watched a documentary on the Series. I didn't really know much about this series before watching the documentary. I was 9 years old in '72 and had just moved from California to Philly, so I wasn't really following hockey at the time.

The thing that struck me was the way the Canadian fans turned on the Canadian Team. Team Canada started off the first game well, but their poor conditioning showed as the Soviet Team came from down 2-0 (early in the 1st) to win 7-3. Canadian fans and media really gave it to Team Canada. The Canadian fans appreciated the Soviet Team's skill and teamwork and they saw Team Canada as a bunch of super stars who weren't trying hard enough and who resorted in gooning to try to beat a better team. After the first four games, in Canada, the Canadian team had only one win (2 losses and a tie). Phil Esposito gave a very emotional interview at center ice after game 4 (a loss for Canada) saying how hurt he was by the treatment they were getting from the Canadian fans.

The other thing that struck me was what an amazing leader Phil Esposito was. As a Flyers fan I never liked Espostio, but in this documentary he was shown as the real driving force behind the Canadian team's victory in the series.

As for Clarke. I know I've mentioned this before on HB, but I took a faceoff against him at a hockey camp when I was about 13. He knocked my stick up and my feet out from under me before I had a chance to react to the puck dropping. As a 13 year old I thought it was pretty great being knocked on my ass by one of my hockey heroes.

I think Bill needs a vacation.
- ob18

is this some sort of veiled mafioso threat?