Adamflyers

There are never enough reasons to hate that horse toothed whiner, but this situation is status quo in the NHL today. If one of your players gets drilled by a big, but clean hit, it still gets a big reaction from the other team. Bartuzzo (sp) came in and took a bone headed penalty, so I was more than happy to see that type of stupid reaction by the Pens. It's normally the type of thing the Flyers would have done in the past. I do think it is ridiculous for players to be reacting like that when it is a perfectly clean hit, but again, thats what happens in today's game. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't remember clean hits causing so much commotion on the ice in the past.

Trade him now! His value....you know the rest!

This was the best 60 minutes of hockey I have seen them play all year. The D was keeping the play in front of them, the O was making smart passes and not shooting into closed lanes, and Mason made the tough saves when needed and did not allow any softies. I know they don't have the horses on D to play this way every game, but it is such a preview of what this team could look like if their young D-men develop. We already know that this offense is capable of putting up goals and we know that Mason is a capable goalie, especially when he has good D in front of him. Hopefully Morin, Ghost and Haag turn into good NHL players. Besides the 4-0 shut out, my favorite part of this game was the turnovers by Cindy and Jenny. They seemed to be trying to do everything themselves and the D was playing them so well. The only thing I was ticked about in this game was Orpik running Coots. Would have liked to see some retribution for that, but I know they didn't want to wake the Pens up. Maybe tomorrow! Good hitting and smart hockey today!

Scott Cullen from TSN must not be a big fan of Steve Mason. On 2 occasions, he has taken minor shots at the guy. First in the Eastern Conferance Trade Deadline playbook: The Plan: Like the Rangers, the Flyers are playing much better after a slow start; they have enough talent to make some noise, though blueline improvements wouldn't hurt. Philadelphia made their bed in goal with Steve Mason, and could live to regret it, but signing him to an extension likely precludes a notable change in that spot. Then in the Power Rankings where he has the Devils and Rangers ranked well ahead of the Flyers (Interesting): This Week17 Last Week16 Philadelphia Flyers 32-24-6 Sunday's rally at Washington gave the Flyers six wins in the past seven games, all of which would be great if their goaltending inspired any confidence. Since the beginning of December, G Steve Mason has a .901 save percentage, which is more in line with his pre-Philly days. Not sure why, but these digs just annoyed me.

I can't count the number of times I have lamented to my brother how we would have been Stanley Cup champs if Mason had been in net. I don't discount what Pronger did for this team in the least. I wear his jersey, so I was totally a fan. With what this team has developing in the NHL and in the juniors/college pipeline, I would not want to see a similar move made. The current team has a real chance to be good if they show some patience.

@FC 100% I'm agreement with you. The O is already developing at the NHL level. The goaltending is finally something that is not a big question mark. Hopefully as the young D developes, the O will be almost fully developed. The timing could be just right for this team, as long as they don't get impatient if a guy is not an all star in his first season.

@FC Yea, I hear ya. That's why I'm taking it all with a grain of salt, but that's the first time I have heard him admit it was a crippling move. I hope he follows that mentality. I really believe this team is on the verge of good things if they don't trade away core players and big prospects. Not to say that all trades should be off limits, but hopefully it won't be an impulse buy. @doom88 Trust me, I am a huge Pronger fan and loved every moment that man wore O&B. A player of his caliber was worth the risk and it almost paid off for them. Had he stayed healthy, our D would def be better but the biggest nightmare situation with a trade like that came true. Career ending injury and we are still out those picks . This team has to stay the course for once. I think it will pay major dividends if they hold onto their young players and picks.

When my brother and I were at the Rangers game yesterday, we were talking to one of our season ticket buddies who sits behind us and he was telling us about his experience having happy hour with Flyers executives. This was one of the benefits he choose for renewing his tickets early last year. He had a chance to talk to Homer and he shared the contents of the conversation with us. He first asked Homer about whether he planned to make any moves at the deadline. His response was most likely not. He said that the impact players that would help the Flyers would cost more than they are willing to pay. He said if the fans wanted major moves, it would entail trading away core players, big prospects or draft picks. Here is where it gets juicy! Homer admitted that the Pronger deal really set the team back when it came to how many draft picks they gave up and they are no longer willing to sacrifice like that. He said the team is just now starting to recover from that trade. This brought up the topic of Shea Weber, and Homer stated that if the Flyers were to try to make a play on Weber, it would be something that would happen in the offseason or draft rather than the deadline, but again harkened back to the fact that it would probably cost too much. Homer then said that when looking at the Flyers future, don't look to the Phantoms. He said all the guys that have the team excited are either in college or juniors. Obviously he is referring to guys like Ghost, Morin and Hagg, which are the true impact prospects we have that fill our biggest need of D, as well at Laughton as yet another offensive weapon. I feel like I'm forgetting something he told us, but I was encouraged to hear that he sees the error of his ways with giving away so much for one player (as much I loved Pronger in O&B). It really did set the team back a ton and its good to hear that he is not planning to just go after the biggest name on the market. It sounds like he is actually planning out how the team will look in a few years rather than cutting and pruning to win right now. Obviously we have to take everything he says with a grain of salt, but I liked what he said.

I know, thats the biggest knock I have against him right now. I worry about him digging for the puck in the corners and losing those battles. Let's hope he can put on about 15 more lbs.

This kid has me excited. Any time I have seen him play, I have been impressed with his offense and his grit. I hope he turns out to be a responsible blue liner as well. Obviously, puck moving defensemen are more prone to the turn overs because the very nature of their game lends itself to that, but when a guy becomes a total liability defensively, it cancels out the offense he provides. This article states the possibility of him playing on the Flyers blue line next year…..please don't rush this kid! SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - One month after Hobey Baker Award favorite Johnny Gaudreau netted three points against his team, the coach of the 10th-ranked team in college hockey sent the sport buzzing with his words. For Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute coach Seth Appert, his press conference wasn't a shot at Gaudreau, the Boston College star from Gloucester Catholic High. It was just his opinion. Appert couldn't help but gush about a Flyers draft pick after being torched by his Union College team twice in one weekend. "I think Shayne Gostisbehere is the best player in the country," Appert said on Nov. 16. "We've played a pretty good schedule. But Gostisbehere is the best player we've seen this year. He's fast, tenacious and tough. He's fantastic." Hyperbole? Perhaps. Even Gostisbehere, despite Union's valiant push for him to be recognized as a finalist for college hockey's Heisman, said yesterday Gaudreau "pretty much has that wrapped up already." Recently, ESPN's John Buccigross - the "Sports Center" anchor and college hockey broadcaster - predicted Gostisbehere will quarterback the Flyers' power play next season. That bold projection might not be all that far-fetched. Just don't try explaining that to Gostisbehere. He's too busy soaking up every possible minute of college life in this tiny Hudson Valley town. "I'm a normal student," said Gostisbehere (pronounced GOSS-tiss-bare). "Everyone knows everyone. It's small. It's beautiful. The academics are great. I like being the guy in the background." Gostisbehere, 20, lives in a humongous, off-campus house with seven fellow juniors from the No. 3-ranked Dutchmen team. He describes the living situation as "not totally 'Animal House,' but along those lines." The boys are a brisk walk from the cozy 2,225-seat Messa Rink, where a dynamic defenseman from Florida with few Division I options has helped hang the first banners in program history and put Union firmly on the college hockey map. Hardly a day passes, though, without a teammate prodding Gostisbehere about next season. It is no secret the Flyers will have at least one opening on the blue line next October. Andrej Meszaros is playing out the string; Kimmo Timonen may or may not be back for another campaign. And no one in the minor leagues is banging down the Wells Fargo Center door. Can the Flyers persuade Gostisbehere to forgo his senior season? "People say it's about time that I leave," Gostisbehere told the Daily News yesterday. "I'm focused on what my team is doing right now. Of course, it's in the back of my mind. I'll have to think about it. "Money doesn't do anything for me. Just because there is a spot doesn't mean it's mine. You've got to work for it. I just can't step in there. I haven't even played a pro game in my life and I've barely got college figured out all the way." Needless to say, the Flyers are keeping close tabs on their 2012 third-round pick. They invited Gostisbehere's grandfather, a Montreal native who got him involved in hockey in Florida, to a practice before their November road game against the Panthers. Gostisbehere said the Flyers check on him at least once a week - a text from director of scouting Chris Pryor before a game or maybe a visit from player development coach Kjell Samuelsson. Last week, general manager Paul Holmgren and assistant GM Ron Hextall traveled to Cornell and Colgate to watch him play in person. What the Flyers' top brass saw was a wildly talented blue-liner who has blossomed from a high-risk taker into a controlled offensive force. He is smooth-skating and bursting with confidence. Gostisbehere is a one-man breakout on one of the best teams in college hockey - and he is exactly the puck mover the Flyers lack. One game at Penn State this season, he posted 12 shots on goal and scored twice on the power play in a span of 3 minutes. His overall numbers aren't mind-blowing, but he is more controlled. "When I first got here, coach [Rick Bennett] would call me 'Renegade' since I would just join the rush every time," Gostisbehere said. "But I've learned to pick my spots, when to go and when not to go. I'm maturing, focusing on where I am without the puck. I'm definitely reliable in the defensive zone. I think that's overlooked a lot of the time, since I'm described as an offensive defenseman - they think I don't care about the defensive zone." Gostisbehere, listed at 5-11 and 160 pounds, is a near clone of Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug, the undrafted Michigan State product, in both stature and style. Their college statistics are very similar. After 63 games in the AHL, Krug scored four goals in 15 Stanley Cup playoff games for the Bruins in 2012-13. He has 32 points in 57 NHL games this year - and could well be a finalist for rookie of the year. Krug never made it back to Michigan State for a senior season. There are four games left before the NCAA tournament, meaning soon Gostisbehere will have to make the same choice. Pryor said the Flyers will do "what's best for Shayne's development," but that decision is really up to Gostisbehere. The Flyers didn't approach him last season, and Gostisbehere said he knew he wasn't ready to make the enormous jump. This year, though, sounds different. "It will definitely be tough," Gostisbehere said. "It's a gut feeling. It's a family decision, too. My mom definitely wants that diploma. If I had to leave this place, it would be hard. I don't want to be that guy that has to hurt people like that. But at the end of the day, I need to make the best decision for my development." Either way, Gostisbehere would like at least one trip to Philadelphia in a few weeks - for the Frozen Four - where he can skate his case for all to see. Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20140221_Gostisbehere_a_name_for_Flyers_fans_to_remember.html#bVrwgHyfoyh60SHq.99

Well I do agree with Ed once he starts talking about sending the players to the Olympics. The fact that they have to take such a long break in mid-season is really ridiculous. I love watching the level of hockey with the NHL players on the teams, but I HATE the Olympic break in season. Players risk injury mid-season, playing for a team that is not paying their salary. I don't blame the players for wanting to play and if given the opportunity, they should take it. As far as G is concerned, I think Snider over-reacted (SHOCKER!!!). Yeah, I think G is better than some on that team, but teams are not always built by putting the most talented players together. You build a team by putting the right complimentary pieces around the best pieces. Who knows what the thought process was there...maybe it was political, I'm just not that worked up over it because I'm not that sad to see G staying home. I think it is better for the Flyers and hopefully he gets a bug up his butt the rest of the season to show everyone how wrong they were to leave him off.

They just need to show us something they have not shown in years...patience. They do have a good core of forwards currently, though they could use more depth at the wing. The D is pathetic and ultimately, it is their biggest weakness. What I am encouraged by is that fact that they have some good D prospects in the pipeline for the first time in ages and hopefully the timing is such that the young forwards are really coming into their own just when these young d-men are making their jump to the NHL. With the right "veteran" moves made around them, we could see a very nice mix of young talent with some veteran experience to help them along. Morin, Hagg, Laurdisen, MAB (if he stays healthy) are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Obviously there are no guarentees that Morin and Hagg become the players they were drafted to be, but it is exciting to finally see good D prospects developing and having talent on O already developing at the NHL level. Of course, Homer could screw it all up in an instant, but as of now, if they play their cards right, they might have a nice young team on both sides of the ice in a few years. I wish it was the young core of D already developing at the NHL level and the good O prospects waiting in the wings since D-men seem to take longer to develop, but at this point, I'll take what we can get!

I think he is just going through a little slump and if thats the case, I'll take a Mason slump over the normal play of some of our past goalies! I think we have unfairly (myself included) come to expect the world of the guy because he really kept the team afloat when they were sinking fast early in the season. So when we see him play less super human, it looks like a slump. He def let in some goals on the trip that he would probably have wanted back and would not have allowed earlier in the season. Like all players, you have to ride out the bad times and enjoy he good ones. Even if this is a slump, he is playing well enough to get the wins. Hopefully he gets super hot again when it comes playoff time. Loving what Mason is bringing to this team this season!

I have been to "The Rock" 4 times and I can't say that I have ever been overly impressed with the place. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice arena, but I have never found Devs fans to provide a great atmosphere. Their "you suck" thing after goals doesn't really get my all that excited and I don't recall the Kill Kill thing during penalty kills. Any time I have gone, the Flyers have never even made it a competitive game, so that could be detracting from my appreciation of the place. I never found the fans to be very inimidating though. Considering I have had to make the walk of shame all 4 times I have been there, I have had to deal with the usual trash talk upon getting up with 5 minutes to go in the game and I was never impressed. One time the guy behind me goes "All aboard the amtrack...choo choo" and another time a guy started singing "Wheels on the Bus go round and round". The fact that they have cheerleaders and a stupid mascot really ruins any chance of a good atmosphere for me. I witnessed a Flyers fan getting razzed by the mascot, so he stood up and playfully pretended to get into a fight with the dumb devil. I guess there are strict rules about touching the devil because before I knew it, the Flyers fan was being escorted out. I just think the Devs are a weak organization with weak fans...and when I say weak, I'm not referring to the success and talent the team fields, just the way they try to appeal to and entertain their little fan base.

http://youtu.be/TLeOSOe4GmQ

Yeah, I noticed this last night too. It was hard not to. He just looked so slow to recover any time he went down and the lateral movement was dirt slow. There were a few times when I was screaming at the TV for him to get back into position. It def made me think he was not quite right.

Merry Christmas Pill! Hope you have a great time with your family.

http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/story/?id=439378 Just saw this story. Not sure if it was mentioned anywhere else, but a very cool honor for one of our top prospects! Can't say I'll be cheering for him to win a Gold, but I do hope he has a great tourny and leads Canada to a shiney Silver

Thanks for all the kinds words everyone! It's been a great day!

Hi Guys…just wanted to share the good news that my wife gave birth to the newest Flyers fan today with plenty of time before the 11:30 am start so that he could watch his first Flyers game and see a good win against the Jets. My wife, a Devils fan, was nice enough to let us watch the game in her hospital room. Wife and baby are doing great and now I'm home from the hospital and my other son is staying at his grand parents house, so it's time to enjoy a cold one (or 5) and soak it all in!

The hell you don't! Who do you think you're talking to here? You're talking to Flyers fans...we see young players with potential given up on anually!

"Guys I'm glad you're all happy with how your team played last night. A win is a win, right? Especially when they've been hard to come by." And there it is...the disconnect is that you have been watching good hockey all year while we have been watching putrid hockey all year. For us, a game like lastnight is more than just a polished up turd. It was not dominant by any stretch, but rather than fold like a cheap tent like they have done so often in the past, they kept at it and earned a win. We realize that they are still working their way out of the hole they dug for themselves, so a win against the Pens is huge for this team. From your perspective, this is a not a big deal win for the Flyers because they didn't dominate the game and they were not that crisp, but from our perspective, when you think your team has a good chance of being blown out, a win like lastnight looks good enough to give you some optimism. Especialyl considering it is the 2nd game of a back to back, I'm not all that concerned that they were not hitting every pass. Right now, I'm still taking my optimism one game at a time.

NBC did great job of pissing me off all night with stupid factoids from Dork Emmerick, but as far as making it seem like a battle out there, I observed that for myself. It was not game of the year material or anything like that, but that was a tight game with some pretty exciting moments. Yes, the Pens blew their opportunities, but that is part of hockey. At least they were creating opportunities. They either missed or Emery came up with big saves. I really think you're dislike for Emery is blinding you to the fact that he had a good night. Not procaliming him a Vezina candidate, but the guy had a good game. He was not making only easy saves. He had to stop #87 on a break away, not to mention the good saves early on in the game, just before the disallowed kick in goal. Props to Flyers D for forcing Pens to the outside a lot and props to Emery for makin the easy saves and tough ones when needed.

Accoriding to one of the articles on Philly.com, the Flyers only had one giveaway all night. That pretty impressive, especially when considering who they were playing. To attribute the Flyers win solely to the Pens stinking is being really disingenuous. I thought lastnight was a good game over all. On the edge of my seat all night. Pens certainly didn't look overly rusty...maybe a little considering they were not finishing as well as they normally do, but its pretty weak to write that loss off to rust.

"Never seen so many missed passes missed shots and turnovers in one game!" Obviously you were not watching any Flyers games this season. We have seen many games with that many missed passes, shots and turnovers. The Pens didn't lose the game because they were rusty. They created a lot of good chances but failed to bury them. Emery played a great game, Flyers D did a decent job keeping the porch clear and the Flyers forced turn overs. Offense was far from dominant, but they did enough to get 2 points. Considering how the Flyers have played most of the season, they looked good to me tonight. Nothing ground breaking, but good enough to knock off the top team in the division.