Adamflyers

I think the question now needs to be....what truly is the injury? Is it whiplash or is it concussion? I'm not sure if this was every definitively answered. I'm concerned it is concussion because he seems to be having that effect of "good days and bad" One day he is out on the ice in practice and feeling good, then the next day he gets out there and feels bad and they say he is out for game 2. If it is a concussion, I would say he will not see any action in the 1st round. Of course this is all just speculation, as I have heard NOTHING as to the true nature of the injury! This is why embellishments must stop! Not only do they ruin the overall game, but they keep key players from playing in the playoffs! The Rags are lucky to have any players left for game 3 after those performances!

Both sides of the Mason-emery argument have their merits, but for me, if Mason is 100% healthy, you go with him. I think he gives you a better chance to win the game, which makes the choice easy for me. Emery may be consdiered the hot hand at the moment, but he has a total of 1 win in 2 games. It's not like we have ridden him all the way through to the next round. I have trouble looking at him as the hot hand given the small sample size. The Rangers exploited his weakness of poor lateral movement in both games. While there is no guarentee that Mason makes any of those saves, I think he stands a better chance to get a glove on it than Emery does. None of this is blaming Emery for the game one loss and it is certainly not a knock on the guy, but he is the back up goalie for a reason. Mason brings more to the table when it comes to overall quickness and talent. Ray did his job by helping them to take 1 out of 2 games in MSG, and that is nothing to sneeze at, considering how difficult it has been for the Flyers to win there in recent years. Would Mason have won both games at MSG...probably not, but you have to look at who gives you a better chance to win the games going forward and I think Mason wins that, if he is 100% healthy. Whoever Chief decides to go with, there is one thing we can all agree on....F the Rangers and LETS GO FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!

Ah Pol...I have seen the video...I still don't agree with you, but I just wanted to give you a hard time on it anyway! All in good fun! I wouldn't complain if we "Megna'd" Henry tonight!

I think that is a sentiment we can all get behind! Sometimes the effect of playing big games with your back up is that the team comes together to play a much stronger team defense and finds their groove early. The Flyers are capable of scoring goals against any team, so if they can play tight D and stay out of the box, then they have a shot at this series. The games may be low scoring, but a win is a win. Hopefully they can take one game at MSG and have Mason back for the games at WFC.

Looks like Mason embellished himself right out of the playoffs!

Mason is officially out according to the CSNPhilly's Facebook page

Trust me, I felt it was an odd comment as well. It made me wonder what his intentions were, but obviously those fears have been put to rest. Had not heard bad things about his character and such, so I was hoping it was just something taken out of context or that he mispoke. Whatever the case, it is great that he has signed on! Can't wait to see how he does at the pro level. Since the Phantoms are moving to Allentown next year, I'll def be getting to a couple games to check him out in person. Allentown isn't right aorund the corner, but it sure beats Adirondak!

Thanks for stressing us out ya jerk!

Another thing to potentially read from this is that Kimmo views the Flyers as a team worth coming back to for another year to go for his dream of a Stanley Cup. Maybe he likes where the team is headed and feels it is worth another shot next year. I like him at a reduced rate and if he is not blocking a kid who is ready to make the jump and can play the position better than he can.

With his comment and the fact that his value is probably very high right now....Let the Weber trade rumors begin, with Ghost as the center piece propsect!

I hope it is just a context issue, but it just seems like an odd thing to say. It really does come across as a slap in the face to the team that drafted you and is trying to give you a start in the NHL. To even meantion the ability to choose a different team, no matter what he meant by it, was just a very poor decision in my opinion. I hope he is not already planning his way out of Philly! I'm not going to worry about it until he gives me a reason to worry though!

I tripped over the same line....what's that all about? Did not make me very happy, but I am hoping it was something out of contexts, though at the moment I can't really read it any other way than what it says.

I want the Pens.....not because I think they would be an easy out, but because of the sheer excitement of going toe to toe with that team in a 7 game series. I don't see any of these 3 teams as being an easy first round, so I have to go by who I think we have the best chance at and who will make for a really exciting series. Given the Flyers current success against the Pens, especially at Consol, the Pens meet both criteria for me. This is in no way meant to be a cocky post saying that we would easily cruise to a victory against the Pens, but given the choice of those 3 teams, I would want the Pens. Unfortunately, I think we will end up with the Rags and I don't feel good about having to face them, especially if we don't have home ice adv. Not sure whats up with them once they get to MSG, but they just can't seem to get a W in that building.

You can never go wrong quoting Animal House! And now you have me grinning like a fool at my desk as people walk by wondering what the hell is wrong with me!

Yes, thats the point...back in those days, hard hits that targeted the head were not called the way they are today. He was considered a clean player back then because he was within the rules. I find it hard to beleive that some of those hits of his would not have at least warrented a review in today's game. I'm not disagreeing that if Stevens was a Flyer player, we would have loved him! I loved when Richards layed out Booth, because at the time, it was not a suspendable hit. It doesn't mean it wasn't a vicious hit that is now a suspendable offense. Not really sure why this is turning into a referendum on Scott Stevens. I brought up his name to make a valid point as to why Cooke MAY not have gotten into trouble until after these types of hits were called more tightly. Truth of the matter is, Stevens didn't shy away from head contact or targeting a defenseless player.

Let's not forget, Cooke came into the league at a time when Scott Stevens was considered a clean player. You used to be able to get away with murder in the NHL until they actually started to pay attention to the fact that it hits to the head are very dangerous and can end careers (who would have thought it!) I find it hard to believe that Cooke woke up one morning and just decided he was going to play like the ultimate douche bag and target players' heads. Lets not forget the hit to Savard that went unpunished. Hell, let's not forget the Mike Richards hit on Booth that went unpunished, just to highlight the fact that you could get away with murder in the NHL back then. You are extrapolating Rinaldo's possible suspensions going forward in his career, while I'm speculating that Cooke may have had more suspensions if the NHL was calling these hits back then. Only time will tell if Rinaldo becomes another Matt Cooke. Cooke was pretty bad for a few straight years there! He had to be lectured by Mario and was told to change his ways or else. Players around the league and on his own team were ripping him, saying he has no respect for other players' safety and the guy had to go so far a to apologize and vow to change his ways. Cooke was a major issue for the NHL. Rinaldo is just not at that point yet, but if he has more games like he did against Buffalo, then I will concede that he is becoming another Matt Cooke, at which point I will hope the Flyers get rid of him. I'm certainly not defending his latest hit and I fully agree that a suspension was deserved in this case.

I believe Rinaldo only has one NHL suspension as of now (2 most likely after his hearing). That doesn't really equate to young Matt Cooke. Rinaldo is a seek and destroy hitter, but if he does it within the rules, which he has proven he does more times than not, how does that qualify him as a young Matt Cooke? Of course he is still early in his career, so there is plenty of time to prove otherwise. With his current body of work, I don't really see him in the same ball park as Cooke. I think his suspension came in 2012. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I know he was a complete nut before the NHL, but since he has arrived, I can recall mainly a lot of hard hits that pissed off the other team enough to take a dumb penalty.

All of this! I'm in the same camp as my brother here. You know the guy is always one step away from crossing the line, but he has generally done a good job of staying right on the line. Last night, he obviously took 5 steps over it and it really hurt the team and it make the bulls eye on his back that much bigger when the refs are looking for calls. Overall, I like him as a 4th line energy player. He isn't a complete dud with the puck either. I love the fact that our 4th line has the ability to create a little offense, and even more with VLC at the center. He energizes the team and crowd and he gets under the opposition's skin with big hits. He has been drawing some penalties this season without taking one of his own. You know the guy is going to cross the line now and again, but the hope is that he doesn't start to do it on a more consistent basis. Just because of this game, my overall opinion of him hasn't changed, but it will if he has more games like that anytime soon.

I agree. I would say 2 years away from having a really complete team capable of sustained success. So much depends on how the young defensive prospects work out. Althrough the curent D is playing head and shoulders better than earlier in the season, I don't believe their success will continue for a long period of time. As long as they don't trade away any of the young, offensive core and they keep their prospects on D, I really think this team may be primed for a golden age. They have an offense that is well into their development, a goalie who has proven he can win big games and make big stops and a stock pile of good D prospects. They have themselves in a very good position. Please don't mess this up Homer!!!

Ghost is currently leading the voting by a narrow margin. Of course it means nothing to how he will actually pan out, but it would be very cool to see him win the award!

Jeez, I try to come to your defense and you prove me wrong! haha I def don't mind the normal, run of the mill fan complaints about or top player who was dreadful to start the seaosn, but I def have a problem with the sky is falling people who wanted to run the guy out of town. But now I find you were poking fun at all of us...well screw you then!

Portnoy was a nice addition to Avenged Sevenfold, but apparently that situation was always temporary. Not sure if thats true, since DT makes it sounds like Portnoy is not the easiest person to work with. I have not followed his stuff since he left Avenged Sevenfold. I still enjoy Dream Theater though. As far as things to do in NYC, you should talk to my brother (Poulin20) He may be able to recommend something, as he goes into NYC more frequently than I do. I know one of his favorite places to go is called the Brooklyn Brewery. Of course, it is over in Brooklyn, so it's not right around the corner from MSG, but I'm sure you could take the subway or a cab over there. Again, my brother will be able to help you out more with the specifics.

I think this entire thread was more directed at the people who were ready to strip him of the C or ship him out of town after the poor start. I 100% agree with the notion of criticizing when a player is playing poorly and praising when they are playing well. It is one thing to get on a guy who is not playing well, but it is another to declare him no longer useful to the team and say that he needs to be shipped off. I think those are the people FC is most poking fun at. One thing I can't stand is blind praise for players simply because they are on your team. If they are playing poorly, they should hear about it.

Thank God the Flyers booted Emerik and brought Gene Hart back to TV! I may have given up on hockey and turned to basketball!

I really didn't have a problem with that Cindy did. As I said, it has really become part of the game to give someone the business after clean hits, so Cindy did nothing out of the ordinary and it was not dirty. Bortuzzo was just a complete chump on that play. He took his reaction 5 levels too high and it put him deservedly in the box. Why get your stick up on a player that cleanly caught one of your guy? Go ahead and nudge and warn that you or one of your guys is next, but this reaction of having to attack or fight a player after delivering a clean hit is so ridiculous.