Dynamo 47

I would love to have Ryan but he is not what the team needs. We have scoring and balance. We need defense and not a stop gap measure. We need a bonafide superstar defenseman to replace Pronger and wear the O&B the next 5-10 years. I was hesitant before but now that Pronger could be done for good, I approach Nashville about Weber. They have a ton of defenseman to sign, have defensive depth prospects and need offense. It seems so obvious that our defense is killing us. I would see if Schenn, Coburn, Carle or even Kimo plus a first or two would do it. Of course it would be contingent on Weber wanting to sign a long term deal.

I totally agree. Having a defenseman like Pronger does so many things that don't show up on the score sheet. I really think that with the likelihood of Pronger being finished, we have to explore trying to get the closest thing out there and that is talking to Nashville about Weber. With Kimo getting long in tooth we need a bonafide stud defenseman to build around going forward. Prior to Pronger being injured I was content with a 4/5 type guy. Seeing how the goaltending is suffering with Pronger out we need a stud replacement. We would likely have to give up either Schenn or JVR plus some picks but we need someone like Weber and this season so he can be signed to a long term deal

Awesome. I am laughing my arse off at that one

These guys were total ass holes. Bad enough to jump and sucker punch someone for wearing a different color jersey but to do it do a veteran is disgusting in my eyes. It put a black eye on what was a fantastic weekend for the city and for hockey overall. Just when I couldn't be more proud of my fellow hockey fans for packing in 45,000 for an alumni game, idiots like this ruin it. Of course the national media and general public won't remember that 45,000 people saw a meaningless hockey game; they will remember reading about how a couple of idiot Flyers fans jumped an ex-Marine and veteran. As a vet, I would ask that the judge not sentence the cowards to jail time or fines but to send them to Paris Island to complete Boot Camp and let them see how the Marines make real men.

What an entertaining game. The lead, the tie, the lead with under a minute to play. That was a great game for a novice fan to watch. I was watching with someone new to the sport and they loved it. I told them not all games are like that.

Footage of Derek Mathers going with Kyle Flemington of the London Knights http://www.hockeyfig...m/fights/107871 The kid is big and tough as nails. I just hope he is working on other aspects of his game because unless he is more well rounded he will never make it in Bettman's NHL. Love watching this kid fight as he is a total bull. His style is not that rope a dope garbage but more old school like Tony Twist or Joey Kocur. He stand stands there and throws. For example Flemington is one of the tougher guys in the "O" as I believe is about 6'7. Mathers totally controls the fight and lands some heavy shots (although not all clean). Here is another impressive win against a tough guy, Ty Bilcke. http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/106952

Gill is a statue - Exactly. Put him orange and he becomes a traffic cone with not much more mobility.

Thanks Bert. I tell the kids on my sons team and their parents to not ignore symptoms and to address it immediately. One thing that a lot of parents don't understand is a mouth piece is a great piece of equipment to help absorb the impact of concussions. I know I honestly considered modifying a Rydel football helmet to wear as I honestly think that would help the players as a football helmet is much better padded then a traditional hockey helmet.

Too funny as I thought the same thing. No, he brought it in specifically to show me the prolonged impact to my mellon.

In light of the Chris Pronger injury I wanted to share my personal experience with multiple head injuries and how I still suffer to this date. All told I have been diagnosed with 6 concussions total and not sure how many undiagnosed. Just about all of them were related to hockey. What's more sad is that it was playing house league hockey and never received a dime of compensation. I simply loved the game of hockey and that love of the game with continue to haunt me the rest of my life. My first concussion that I can remember was in a house league game back when I was in my late 20's. I had my head down and got totally nailed. I literally saw stars but thought nothing of it and keeping with the hockey player code, finished my shift, got the number and kept playing. After the game I took a big drink of Gatorade and immediately puked my guts up. Again, I didn't think anything of it and went to the bar after the game, and went home. The next morning I woke up with a really bad headache and felt sort of "foggy". I just didn't feel right and decided to go to the doctor. My roommate and teammate drove me to the doctors where they gave me a shot for the pain and diagnosed me with a concussion. His recommendation was some bed rest and a prescription for the pain. He suggested someone stay with me to keep and eye on me. I had headaches that persisted for several days before they were gone. About 3 games later, while crashing the net, the goalie cleared the puck and the follow through on his stick hit my face with full force and knocked out three of my teeth. I remember seeing a flash of white light when his stick hit my face and that was it. My teammates told me I spit out my teeth and finished my shift but I had no recollection of it. After the game I vomited and apparently was not acting right so my one buddy who was an EMT, asked me some questions. Apparently I was telling the guys about what a great hockey player D!ck Butkus was before throwing up. They took me to the hospital. I do remember being in the hospital and before the hit. It was a playoff game which we won so the team was going to the pub to celebrate. My face was a mess as my teeth were stumps on one tooth and huge fat lip. The doctor apparently was not satisfied with my baseline tests and wanted to admit me to the hospital. Of course knowing the team was going out that night I didn't want to stay and left but the doctor had said bed rest, no alcohol or sleep aids, and I needed to have someone monitor me and wake me every two hours. So of course I went out with my team, we got hammered and went back to my buddy's house. To his credit he woke me every two hours until way late in the night he asked if I was OK as he was beat. Concussion number 3 was the worst. I went to my family doctor who is also a friend of mine and he basically explained to me that once the brain is concussed; subsequent head injuries will happen easier and be more severe. To demonstrate he brought a watermelon into his office and said this was my head. He then hit is which made a soft spot and said when you get a concussion this is what happens. Then he hit it in a different spot and said after multiple times the impact is worse until he cracked it open. His advice was to refrain from not only hockey but any activity that presented the risk of a head injury. My team had made the championship finals and we had lost the prior two season championships in the last game so I was not missing it. I remember a face off and in the ensuing scrum, someone's elbow coming up and catching my eye and rocking my head back. My friends said my eye immediately swelled shut but true to form, finished my shift. I remember a little headache but nothing major. We won the game and I went home as my head really started hurting so I passed on going out. I remember talking to my girlfriend out of state and then going to bed. The next morning my roommates woke me up and asked where I went the night before. I said "What do you mean? I talked to Dana and went to bed". They said that I didn't because when they got home they saw my car parked but when they went back to get me I was gone. They said I was no where in the house.and the looked all over. They joked and said I better check the papers to see if a bank was robber or another crime committed in the area. Apparently I looked out of it and they took me to the hospital where I was taken for CT scans and admitted with some light bleeding. To make a long story short, I suffered 3 more concussions to where I am still impacted today. Aside from debilitating headaches, I suffer from memory issues, and other symptoms. The headaches which are frequent are devastating migraines that totally keep me bedridden. I have to be in the pitch dark, ice cold, and deathly quiet. Often the headaches are accompanied by severe vomiting from the pain. Some other symptoms which many are unfamiliar with are mood swings and my personality actually changing. Where I was almost always upbeat and happy and let nothing bother me, now short patience and violent mood swings to where the slightest thing will set me off. I actually underwent some tests that show some signs of permanent damage. I was curious if others have experienced similar issues. I share this only because I was a hockey bum and my life is now forever changed due to the head injuries I sustained. From a selfish standpoint I would love to see Pronger suit up again but based on my experience, I hope he retires and that the damage isn't too severe. Sorry for the length of the post but I thought it would be interesting to share. Dynamo 47

I wonder how the ice doesn't melt beneath them as some of them are smoking hot!

I think that given Pronger's age, that his career could possibly be over. While I would hate to see that, it might be the best thing not only for Pronger and his family but for his team. If Pronger's cap hit comes off it gives the team a lot of room to try to acquire a stud defenseman. Given that possibility, I would seriously start calling Nashville to talk about either Suter or Weber. My preference would be Weber as he is bigger and the more physical of the two. I hope Pronger has a speedy recovery and doesn't suffer long term effects of the injury but this is seeming like Preems all over again.

It's a total joke. But Giroux will rightfully be on the team as well as Jagr. Who could forget the infamous Rory Fitzpatrick voting scandal? http://canesallstars.wordpress.com/ Not to mention the controversy with the Canadiens rigging the voting.

Sorry last one. Someone should have shown Spicoli (from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) that you live by the sword (cheapshot) you die by it if you aren't prepared to drop your gloves

I wasn't as pissed about the hit as the reaction of the Penguins. That alone should have cleared the benches. But Eric has some moments against Kaspar as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fss1Qbl_gJA

Here are some more; specifically going low on Leclair and Antoski and one of my favorites is eating some lefts from Dave Brown. Here is the cheap shot artist going low on Leclair (2x) and Antoski - I wish I had the Philadelphia feed in which Gene Hart and the color guy were ripping Stevens saying that now he is brave that the linesmen are in there -

True but one thing people forget about Stevens was that earlier in his career he was notorious for the dangerous checks at the knees. So he graduated from cheap shots at the knees to shots to the head. I still think the hit to Lindros in the 2000 playoffs was late and I definitely think the hit to Kariya in the playoffs was cheap. Kariya delivered the pass and it was like 1001, 1002 and then Stevens hit him. Cheap as hell - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8up-tkxZ4r8 Here is one of his hits low on Domi. No love lost on Domi but he still could have seriously hurt him.

While it sucks for Giroux, it is an opportunity to see how Couts plays with some scoring wingers. It is an adjustment for all as Giroux and Cout's styles are totally different. I would have rather seen Briere move up as he more like Giroux and see Couts center wingers who are more grinders and good along the wall.

I think they are just being cautious with Giroux which is understandable. Saw that about Crosby. Kind of sucks as he might very well be done.

I think he would be a great fit for the team not only for this season but beyond. He is a big guy who plays with a physical edge and is young enough to want to retain for multiple years.

I have really been impressed with Bourdon. He is playing very physical and with Pronger out of the lineup, something the defense seriously needed.

I would say the Penguins are our top rival. That is the team that gets my blood boiling the most now that Cindy is back. The Rangers would be second. Partly due to NY and partly due to Avery. I would go Buffalo third. For a team not in our division, they certainly seem to have some physical and nasty games. That's pretty much as it as rivalries go in this crappy Post Lockup Bettman hockey league. I remember when the league pre-lockout was filled with fierce and bitter rivalries with plenty of hitting, fighting and hatred for the opposition. This Bettman hockey has really killed a lot of the bitter rivalries that used to be out there.

I waited to reply to this and the media coverage is sickening. ESPN covers it like Crosby is valiant for getting physical after coming back from the long layoff. Of course had it been the other way around, Foligno would have been suspended and sharply criticized all over the hockey world. Sorry but you live and die by the sword. The league needs to send a clear message and that is that head shots will not be tolerated regardless of who the player is. I am just thankful it wasn't Crosby who got elbowed as we would have to listen to Mario cry to the media for weeks about it.

That is good to hear. I keep defending him against the fans ripping him that he is a player. He needs a couple things and the first is confidence. Then he needs quality minutes and linemates with the Flyers and he will prove he is worthy of the hype.

I was perusing my normal lunchtime hockey reports and sites and I came across an interesting one proposing trading Bobrovsky and potential destinations. Now granted it is the Bleacher Report so take it for what it's worth. But there was one trade mentioned in the 7 potential places for Bobrovsky that made some sense. http://bleacherrepor...ergei-bobrovsky I will preface my comments with the fact I like Bob and love the fact that we have two quality number one guys on the team which is a luxury the team hasn't had since it was under the illusion that Snow and Hexy were both number ones. So if Bob retired a Flyer at this point I would be happy. The one area on the team that I feel needs to be addressed and upgraded is defense. We have a lot of puck carrying, mobile defensemen but only one who really brings a consistent physical edge and that is Pronger. I would say Mez is a half. I would love to add another physical element to the defense and ideally a young, physical defender that isn't going to cost Weber or Suter money. The deal in the article was this: To Edmonton: Sergei Bobrovsky To Philadelphia: Theo Peckham and Edmonton's 2012 third-round pick If the Flyers are comfortable with a different backup that MIGHT play 15-20 games this deal would make sense. Peckham is big (6'2 235) is physical, plays mean and with an edge, and is young (24). He is a guy that can be an anchor on the defense for the next 7 - 10 years. He is not going to be confused with Bobby Orr with his offensive flair or skate like Paul Coffey. What he will do is punish forwards going to the net, play within his means, drop the gloves to defend a teammate and be a physical presence on the blueline. I am not the biggest fans of trade discussion threads but this one actually makes sense for both teams. I appreciate your thoughts. Hab a Happy Thanksgiving!