clothehsnager13

I'm tired of reading about the lockout. It is just fueling my continued hatred for the way things work in this league. So here is my one and only blog post until all of this ridiculous crap is over. Regardless of whether there are games this season or not, I will not be buying tickets, merch, gamecenter live, etc. from the NHL for this season or next. I suggest you do the same. The reason this lockout has been drawn out so long is because the NHL and NHLPA know that whenever hockey does resume, the fans will come back. The numbers pre and post lockout last time around were consistent. No dropoff. I'm sure the NHL will resume eventually but if the fans don't send a message that hits owners and the players association where it hurts, they will just do the same childish games as before, fighting over ridiculous amounts of money and being greedy **********. Next time around they will do the same stuff, and we'll be back here again. They need to be reminded that we, the fans, are the fuel the keeps this fire burning and if they continue to screw us around, we're not gonna take it. Make them know it was a conscious effort on our part to cut them off for a while, feel the sting of not having a loyal fanbase. Let them know that if we're not there, they're done for. Dry up the arenas, the parking lots, the merchandise stores until they guarantee to the fans, the people who are truly responsible for the success (and potential failure) of this league that this will NEVER happen again. We won't be treated like we don't matter. We know what we're worth, and WE don't take it for granted, even though THEY might. See you all on opening night, whenever the hell that may be...

Bobby Ryan (Cherry Hill, NJ native) was supposedly a huge flyers fan growing up. I'd love to see him in orange and black. Assuming Anaheim is still in a bit of panic mode after last season, maybe now would be the cheapest time to get him.

Haha, hello sarsippius, im Trevor AKA clotheshanger13, I tend to talk to much about jeff carter and the flyers even though i live in santa cruz. i write a mildly crappy blog here on the site and im more of a lucky charms fan myself.

Gotta lighten up a bit. I wasn't intending for anyone to take my comment so strongly to heart. I don't try to be anything but good natured on here and if I thought for a second that anyone would actually be so offended at a potential picture change, I wouldn't have done it. If you would like I'll take the comment down, you need only to ask.

I've always been a fan of both teams, more so a flyers fan and then slowly forming into a passionate kings fans due to personel and style of play. As for the frosted tips, ill agree with sarsippius and say that I can't back any soggy cereal but the only one who has ever successfully pulled off frosted tips is charley conway himself: http://www.josh-jackson.net/images/albums/Magazines/2000/TV%20GUIDE_04-00/02.jpg

First off, I apologize for the "wrong" hat trick stat. ESPN fantasy has him listed with 4, which im guessing is including his hat trick from the post season. Maybe their stats are incorrect but it was just something random I noticed last night that I thought was cool. My apologies if me posting that made you angry in some way. To answer you question: Yes. I've never missed an opportunity to see the Flyers live when they are in town. It's rare that they are in town since they play San Jose maybe once a season but even as a broke ass college student I've shelled out tons of cash to go see them at the highly over priced and over rated shark tank every year. Beyond that, I haven't missed a Flyers game since '07 so throw that on the cash pile for year after year prices on Gamecenter Live and Center Ice. So think twice before you go judging me based on location because I've seen almost every NHL game he's ever played in. I do what I can. Yeah, nobody is really ragging on Gagne and Richards for their post season scoring but not everyone is a playoff stud. Based on his stats from this year, which are good but not great, it could mean any number of things for his playoff stuggles in Philly. Maybe it was too much pressure, maybe he was injured, maybe he was drunk, maybe a psychic told him the ghost of Rocket Richard would cut off his head if he scored too many playoff goals. I don't really care. You can't continuously use one guy as a scapegoat for not having post season success. Nobody ever said having Jeff Carter will guarantee you a cup. The Kings know that, the Flyers knew that, and because the Blue Jackets were delusional they DIDNT know that. I'm not ecstatic that Carter didn't score at will for the Flyers in the playoffs but I am ecstatic that my favorite Flyers who got **** deal's from the Flyers organization are on the brink of winning the cup with another team that I love to watch. Would I have preferred them to win it with the Flyers? sure. But we'll never know if that was a possibility because of flighty management. Everything has been said about this issue so I'm not going to get into an argument here just to bring it all up again. I just wanted to express my happiness about the Kings winning the cup. Sorry if I somehow offended you with my original post.

totally changing my member picture to one of carter raising the cup when it happens, so that all the haters have to see it. Unwarranted hatred, consistent numbers every year. its never one guy that makes a team bad, and the flyers were never even a bad team when he was in philly. another random awesome carter stat: played 55 regular season games this year: lead the league in hat tricks...

I love it, to be honest. I think it was an impulse move by Holmgren in the first place. I love the Flyers and their a great team, especially moving forward but I think that throwing away a potential future that they had already claimed to have committed to doesn't warrant an instant Stanley Cup. Regardless, the Flyers are going to be a force in the future, however the cup deservedly goes to the team with three ex-flyers who got a **** deal in Carts, Richie and Gagne. Those three guys were instrumental in the 2010 run and the building success since they flyers showed up in last place in 07. They deserved the championship in 2010, and this is retribution for giving up on them just a year later. The Flyers will always be my team, but I'm makin' the trip to LA for the parade if/when they win this thing.

The Kings will be allowed to issue a few exceptions to have names engraved on the cup, just as many teams have done in the past. Konstantinov is one of the more famous examples of the petition process, however, more recent examples include Mike Zigomanis for Pitt in 08-09, Derek Meech for Detroit in 07-08, Darren Rumble and Stan Neckar in 03-04 for Tampa, and Brian Muir in 00-01 for Colorado. I think Gagne will be a prime candidate for name engraving what with the substantial career he has had. I think it would be a travesty not to include it if they win.

Not that it's super accurate to this years team but I agree with you to an extent that scoring depth is not always a key factor in success. Scoring depth leads to a more balanced ice time schedule throughout a roster. Once you start taking away majority minutes from your best guys it can create problems when your best guys slump with those limited minutes. The flyers this year had some great scoring depth but were limited in the second round for many reasons, one being that the devils found their stride and defensive prowess but another being that, like you said, the emphasis on their big six and their grit/cycle game got them clicking and scoring. When the Flyers are forced to use inexperience and rookies as their big six, successful as they might have been in recent past, its going to catch up to them and max talbot is not going to be you Kovalchuk equivalent.

Fatigue is fatigue, he's still one of the best defensemen in the league. He finished 14th among defensemen in scoring with 34 assists and was a shut down guy all year, playing some of his best hockey at age 37. It would be a travesty for him to retire. I think with the depth that the flyers went out and got this year with Kubina and Grossman is perfect for Kimmo who may be showing his age but is well known for playing through injury due to his importance to this team. He may have been unfortunately gassed and injury ridden this post season but the flyers would be absolutely ridiculous to encourage retirement from Kimmo after all the hard work, effort and heart he has put into this team in his 5 seasons as a Flyer. Other than him being overworked and playing injured, he has shown no signs of his age. Also, the pass back to the goalie is something I've seen him do countless times as a Flyer. Bryz was at fault for that, not Kimmo. Bryz played great that game as well and it's too bad that one stupid mistake cost him and the flyers the series but thats the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

I don't think either team will regret this trade in the long run. It was balanced at the time and balanced now as well. It will be debated for the next 5 seasons, but I dont think it will make a huge negative difference for either team.

I think the league will have positive rating from most teams from the east in the finals. New Jersey might get the lowest viewership if they make the finals. The real problem will be the west, especially if a team like the Blues or the Coyotes (bottom feeders from the past few seasons and beyond) make the finals. Either of them against the Dev's for the cup might be the leagues only ratings downfall for potential matchups. Regardless, I know I'll be watching!

I definitely picked the Wings in the first round. The last five years of Wings hockey led me down the path thinking they were gonna be that consistent playoff team that we've become accustomed to (minus series against San Jose, sheesh...). Low seeds are still looking good this round, so far. The Kings depth and relative youth at forward is starting to show up as Elliot begins to look human for the first time this season. I don't see a big comeback from either the Blues or the Preds but I've been wrong before. It's a bit of a crap shoot for great regular season performance this year.

Three game 7's, an 8 over 1 victory, and the cup favorites knocked out... round one was everything we hoped for and then some. While we have about a 20 hour break between rounds here, I thought I would make some more predictions for round two as well as take a look at some correct predictions and some predictions I was WAY off on in the first round. My HOPES for round one were way more accurate than my THINKS for round one. I guess that's what I get for thinking like an analyst. My record for predictions when acting like I knew what I was talking about was 3 for 8, while the fan side of me went 7 for 8. I think next round I'll go with my gut, not my over-analytic brain. My only miss was Ottawa over New York, which was about as close as it gets. As for my other predictions, I spot on in my prediction of San Jose and Vancouver getting the early boot, but my prediction of the Red Wings going deep was about as far off as I could get with their being eliminated first. On to the fun stuff: It's awesome to see the west shake out like it did. No matter what happens, we'll have a west representative that has never won a cup. The east ALMOST came out in a similar fashion but with game seven wins by New York and New Jersey, Florida and Ottawa missed their chances. I also love to see the "defense first" style emerging in the west. I'm a firm believer in this type of system and I love seeing it rewarded for the four teams left out west. It might be a bit more tedious to watch but it's hockey the way it should be played, from the back-end out. Western Conference: #2 Blues vs. #8 Kings The Blues and Kings both handled their opponents quickly in the first round, one an upset and one not. They've had some time to sit around and evaluate their second round tactics, however, they're not going to want to change much. Both teams thrived in all categories. The Kings found their scoring and their defense won games. The same could be said for the Blues, although their scoring hasn't lack as much as the Kings throughout the year. The Kings, in my opinion have the greater depth at forward, however the Blues are close and have found consistence in their balance of youth and veteran goal scorers. Prediction: Kings in 7 There's going to be very few goals in this series as the depth on both teams in scoring won't be able to keep a consistent beat on the defense and goaltending on either side. If the Kings big guys can find a way to break through or keep their consistency from the first round, we'll have yet another upset. Question Mark of the series: Once again. Philly west. Jeff Carter better find his stride and Mike Richards needs to show he can be that game changer he can be from game 1 against the Canucks. #3 Coyotes vs. #4 Predators The Coyotes played an amazing game 7 and seem to have just about the perfect amount of time off before round two. However, the way the Predators quickly handled the Red Wings makes them scary for any opponent. If the Predators have an answer for the scoring depth of the Red Wings, I don't hold out much hope for the Coyotes unless their grittiness can find them dirty goals on a regular basis. The Predators have just one thing to worry about for this series, vezina candidate snub Mike Smith. He's not human. Prediction: Predators in 6 Mike Smith will steal a game or two and the home crowd in Phoenix will energize the Coyotes enough to win at least one at home but the Predators look like the heavy favorite to me. Question Mark of the Series: Mike Smith. Phoenix's defense is good, but the Nashville forwards will wear them down. Mike Smith will have to be the star. Eastern Conference: #1 New York Rangers vs. #7 Washington Capitals The Capitals resiliency was prevalent in their series versus the Bruins. They really proved they belonged in the post season. On the other side, the Rangers showed their weaknesses in the series against the Senators. A series that most agreed would end early, went 7 games and showed that the Rangers can be beaten. The Rangers are still the favorites, but an upset is not out of reach. Prediction: Rangers in 6 Question Mark of the series: Brayden Holtby. If Holtby can be as spectacular in this series as he was against the Bruins, the Capitals will have a great chance at an upset. #5 Philadelphia Flyers vs. #6 New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur vs. Ilya Bryzgalov. If this series comes down to goaltending it could go any possible way. Bryzgalov could show March form and shut it down or be the strainer he was in the first round. Brodeur could be amazing like he was the last few games against Florida or show his age like he did most of the season. This series favors the Flyers, especially if they get Grossman or Mezsaros back quickly. Defense favors Philly. Offense favors Philly. Goaltending favors whichever way the coin lands (with the Devils being slightly more favored). Flyers are poised for an Eastern Conference championship but you can never really count the Devils out. Prediction: Flyers in 5 Question Mark of the Series: Bryzgalov. Once again, his shakiness or otherwise will more than likely decide the outcome of every game in this series. On a separate note, check out these awesome illustrations by Scott Pattullo. One for each matchup of the playoffs so far. http://twitpic.com/9e4u98 http://twitpic.com/9e4une http://twitpic.com/9e4uvj http://twitpic.com/9e4v3h http://twitpic.com/9e4v9v http://twitpic.com/9e4vgj http://twitpic.com/9egs63