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

Holy Hell. It's like Christmas right now! I love this time of year and as I wrap up my final quarter at college, I hope my grades don't slip as I spend every moment on my laptop in the back of class watching games. Everyone seems to be using this time to make their prediction on what will happen down the stretch. I'm going to start by making some anti-predictions: 1. The Sharks will NOT win the cup this year! Big surprise here, as the playoff failures once again find themselves rolling into the post season. This has been a rather mediocre season for the Sharks. One that, on paper, looked like it would probably catapult them to the top of the conference once again. As a hockey fan from the San Jose area, I'm thrilled to see the Sharks struggle for once. I think the San Jose fan base is, for the most part, awful. Not because they are a northern California team, but because they know very little about... well... very litte. They are a fan base comprised mostly of rich, over privileged snobs who go to games regularly because it's something to do. They generally know NOTHING about the game, the league, the standings. All they know is, your team sucks, our team doesn't and Patrick Marleau is god's gift to hockey (at least when he scores). Why do I want to see the Sharks fail? Not due to lack of talent, grit, etc. but because rewarding the hockey fan wanna-bees in the bay area is ludicrous. That being said, it has been a while since the Sharks stumbled into the playoffs rather than clinching the conference. This adversity or lack of expectations this year may be just what they need. This could be the year they find themselves in their first Cup final battle, but don't look for them to take home the top hardware. (Side note: top 2 worst things I've hear at sharks games: "What?! Why are we losing to the Bruins?! They're not even that good... (last season)" and "That's the 10th time thats happened this game and they missed the penalty again! (as puck goes out of play, over the glass from center ice...) 2. Nashville will NOT beat Detroit in the first round! It seems like all the analysts are picking Nashville over Detroit this year. Lets not forget who we're talking about here. Sure, Nashville is great this year. They've found some over-achieving scorers and Radulov has been solid toward the end. But this is Detroit. This team, EVERY YEAR, finds another gear in April and becomes that much better of a team. This is the time of year that everyone on the team shines. Rinne and Weber aren't gonna be enough... 3. Vancouver should prep itself for another riot! I'm joking of course. But I'm not joking about their outcome. They have all the tools to make it to the finals again, and they most likely will. The problem is they're likely to face an Atlantic division team there, and their 2-2-1 record this season includes a win against the Islanders... On to some REAL predictions: There are some great match-ups this year, along with some oddball ones. However, the strange match-ups (like Ottawa/NY) can sometime yield the most entertainment. Either way, I'm excited about them all. Lets go through them and I'll give you my predictions of what I THINK will happen and what I HOPE will happen. Eastern Conference: #1 Rangers vs. #8 Senators Like I said before, this is one of the strange match-ups, but none-the-less intriguing. Ottawa is fast, surprisingly young and has a scoring depth that has shot out of nowhere this season. Ottawa won the series 3-1, with two wins at Madison Square. I like the chances for an upset here, but if New York finds another gear, Ottawa's surprise run will come to a quick end. What I HOPE will happen: Ottawa in 7 I'd love for Ottawa to win this series, not because I'm anti-New York, but because I think they run the table if they make it past the first round... What I THINK will happen: New York in 6 New York has been way too solid this season to go out in the first round. It's hard to bet against them. The longer the series the better, however, as battered and bruised Rangers stars make for better series against teams without as much depth down the stretch... Question mark of the series: Craig Anderson #2 Bruins vs. #7 Capitals Both of these teams have had their "moments" of mediocrity this season. Some more than others. Once again, the low seed has topped the high seed with Washington going 3-1 and 2-0 at TD Gardens this year. This could be one of the closer series we see. What I HOPE will happen: Washington in 7 What I THINK will happen: Washington in 7 In case you haven't noticed yet, I love 7 games series, and when match-ups are close, I always predict 7. Anyway, I think the key for this one is Washington's health. Their team has the ability to beat any other team if they all show up to play 100%. I think Thomas has showed some regression down the stretch and Boston's offense needs to be less streaky if they want to win this series. Question mark of the series: Brayden Holtby #3 Panthers vs. #6 Devils Here's my sweep pick. I don't have anything against the Panthers, I just have no faith in them. Congrats on making the playoffs, sorry to see you go so quickly... What I HOPE will happen: Devils in 4 What I THINK will happen: Devils in 4 Sorry Panthers, you're Billy Beane style overhaul of the leagues star under-achievers isn't enough to grab my attention, or my vote. Question mark of the series: Offense. Specifically the Panthers ability to match the Devils big three in Kovy, Parise and Elias. #4 Penguins vs. #5 Flyers Probably the most anticipated match-up of the season is just that for me as well. I cannot wait for this to go down. Both of these teams have found major success this season, some with key injuries and some with surprising breakout performances. Whoever comes out victorious in this series will not be the same team. In my opinion, this here, is the battle for the east. Winner runs the table, bring on the west... What I HOPE will happen: Flyers in 4 I'm not gonna sit here and pretend not to be a Flyers fan. I am, and I would love nothing more than to see the tears of defeat roll down Crosby's face while Scott Hartnell farts in his face... while riding a broom... at center ice... What I THINK will happen: Penguins in 7 All jokes aside, this is going to be a brutal series. Fighting majors every game, hard hitting, cheap shots, net presence, goalie interference, etc. I think if anyone is going to take down Pittsburgh it's Philly. Their style of play, at times, frustrates the Pens (season series 4-2 in favor of the Flyers). But if Philly gets down on themselves early in the series and the goaltending refuses to show every night, this could just be the first step in the Penguins road to another Cup... Question mark of the series: The flyers defense. I'll include goaltending here just because Bryzgalov has the possibility of slipping back into his early season form, post injury. The Flyers defense will be key here. If they stay healthy, the blue line monstrosity that is the Philadelphia Flyers can frustrate and shut down the best in the league... Western Conference: #1 Canucks vs. #8 Kings The Kings were strong down the stretch (minus the San Jose series). They looked a lot more like the team they should have been all season. However, the Canucks have been solid all season long, with very little to be disappointed about. Even minus a Sedin twin, this team should have the talent to make swift work of LA. If the Kings can play to their highest ability and Quick continues his Vesina type season, the Kings can be a playoff dark horse. The season series is split. What I HOPE will happen: Kings in 6 Quick may very well steal a game or two and if the offense can find consistency, the Kings have a great chance. What I THINK will happen: Vancouver in 6 The presidents trophy winners are just that... the best team in the league right now. Question mark of the series: Philly West. I don't question the defense and goaltending in LA, and the Brown/Kopitar/Williams connection has proven their worth of late. We all know the playoff talent and presence that Carter and Richards posses. It needs to shine through in a major way if the Kings want to make it out of the first round. #2 Blues vs. #7 Sharks What can I say about St. Louis that hasen't already been said? They were shot out of a canon this season and headed straight for the top. They've owned the Sharks in the season series and are a heavy favorite for this series. My approach? Turn the clock back one year, two years, three years, etc. Nobody picks the Blues in this series. Sure, it's a new year, a different year, but the playoffs are a whole different beast. If St. Louis doesn't continue their hard-nosed, stellar defensive style, this series could look very different than imagined. What I HOPE will happen: Blues in 4 Not a sharks fan, not gonna route for them... What I THINK will happen: Sharks in 7 It's time for Halak and Elliot to show that they too, are human. The sharks look good toward the end of the season and may ride that high into the first round. Question mark of the series: San Jose scoring. Marleu and Pavelski have been better on the score sheet toward the end, and Thornton's leadership has been visible. These are the three guys who need to get it going in the first round and will make or break the teams success. #3 Coyotes vs. #6 Blackhawks: This is the series where my frame of reference give me no inkling into a possible winner. The offensive firepower of the Blackhawks should reign supreme, but something in that Glendale water is giving Mike Smith the vision of a hawk (no pun intended). Vrbata is also my breakout player of the year. He has been a scoring machine, even after an allergic reaction to penicillin, sheesh... What I HOPE will happen: Coyotes in 7 I would love to see the Coyotes resilient team and organization find a way out of the first round and give the city something to really cheer about. What I THINK will happen: Blackhawks in 6 This team has balanced... everything. Scoring, defense, and even goaltending to a lesser extent. There's no reason for them to not advance. Question mark of the series: Vrbata. No Czech scoring, no cup winning. I guess the same could be said for Hossa but if Toews comes back in this round, his load gets lifted a bit and Phoenix needs a whole lot of help... #4 Predators vs. #5 Red Wings I dig both of these teams so, either way I'm happy with the success of either. I'm just looking for an entertaining series. Like I said before, the Wings always find that extra gear in the playoffs, and although Nashville pairs up nicely, they will always get my vote in the first round. What I HOPE will happen: Predators in 7 I think the Predators success deserves rewarding, they've done it all right this season What I THINK will happen: Red Wings in 7 History will be made... wait, lets change that.... History will be perpetuated. The Preds will make push, but the Wings will assert their dominance. Question mark of the series: Health. As deep as these teams are, one injury to a key player on either side may just topple the stack. Jenga. Thanks for reading. Have a comment, question, disagreement, rant? Leave it below, I would love to read it. Or if you want to disagree with me in multiple facets, follow me on twitter: @clotheshanger13

I can't stress enough how important this time of year is for any hockey team. The hot hand is the nature of the game, especially for the first couple of rounds of the playoffs. How many major upsets have we seen post-lockout? 8-seeds beating 1-seeds, home ice advantage going right out the window and division leaders being playoff busts. It may help to finish as high as possible, but a hot handed low seed can go deep in the playoffs. Remember in the 2010 playoffs when the Eastern Conference championship was battled out between the 8th seed Canadians and the 7th seed Flyers? How about the year before when the heavy favorites and presidents trophy winning Sharks got knocked off in six games by the 8th seeded Ducks? While your best bet is regular season success, being the best team in the last two weeks of the season can send a lot of hopeful teams and fan bases home way earlier than they seemingly deserved. That being said, the last two weeks have been stellar for both the Flyers and Kings. The two teams are boasting a 5-2-1 and 6-1-0 record, respectively. It's time to get hot, and that seemed to be happening for both teams. However, tonights games are very troubling to me. First, for the Flyers: Last game vs. the Canadiens, the Flyers managed to be just the fourth team in the league to clinch a playoff berth this season. They looked great in all ends of the ice, for the majority of the game. It was a game that mattered, and their play reflected that. Tonight looked a bit different. Sure you could say that Bryz was off his game (letting in too many given the amount of shots he faced) or that Roloson was on fire (seeing the puck very well even with bodies stacked in front of him) but to me it looked like a complacent Flyers team. I know Laviolette didn't walk into the locker room saying "OK, it's locked up, lets just ride it out for the next two weeks." I'm also sure that this is not the team that goes out onto the ice with any kind of similar mentality. However, this lingering feeling of "we're in" can get caught in the back of your mind, and if you listen to it, even just for a second, it's going to take over your game. To put it lightly, if the Flyers don't hit the ground running for the remainder of the season, they don't stand a chance, especially if the first matchup is against Pittsburgh or New York. and for the Kings: I want nothing more than to see the Kings find success this season. This team has faced so much criticism, adversity and injury that I believe they deserve a chance to prove it where it counts. These last two weeks have gotten me so excited until the offense fell off again, against St. Louis. They came out of it with a win, another stellar shutout for Quick and two shootout goals by my two favorite Flye... I mean Kings. But something didn't sit right after that game and the subsequent losses to Boston and Vancouver tonight has me worried once again. These next four games need to see the Kings come away with eight points. If they do that, they may be able to avoid the make-or-break situation with the home and home against the Sharks. Lucky for the Kings three of the next four games are against teams that cannot make the playoffs. The only problem with that is, can the Kings play with enough intensity and find the back of the net with enough consistency to match these teams that have nothing to lose. It's going to be an interesting two weeks, but I'm as frightened as I am excited... - Trevor Rocco Thanks for reading. Check out the Canadian chapter of the Flying Eyeballs over at http://www.youtube.com/user/GSaadOne (who have promised a small amount of hockey related content coming soon, but for now is just unrelated comedy nonsense) Also feel free to follow us on Twitter where we continuously spout nonsense (some hockey related): @clotheshanger13 @wewantthecup

just read a tweet saying that csnphilly.com will be airing it live on their site.

Heading down to the Shark Tank last tuesday I was expecting anything but a goalie battle. Bryzgalov's struggle's have been obvious and Niemi was on a bit of a drought himself going 2-5-1 in his last 8 games. When the first shot of the game for the Sharks went in we figured we were in for a scoring onslaught, and yet it never came. The game against the Sharks, as well as the last 2 against New York and Washington, have given me nothing but hope moving forward for the Flyers. I can honestly say that Bryzgalov has, for the first time in Philly, looked like the Bryzgalov that was top 10 in every category in the league the last few years in Phoenix. Who's to say that it's going to last? Things change from night to night here in the NHL so we'll have to wait and see but for the first time in quite some time there's some confidence brewing in net, in the locker room and in the stands and thats just what this team needs down the stretch here as the playoffs creep closer and closer. Danny Briere released a statement today, post practice, stating that "the last couple of weeks, [brygalov] has actually been a great teammate and hopefully, he stays that way". Well, Danny, if good attitude and solid play are in correlation with each other, your attitude must be pretty awful right now. Briere has 0 G and 6 A in the past 19 games. His last goal came with the hat trick almost 2 months ago in Ottawa. Luckily the Flyers defense has come through when the offense has dried up because while they did have six goals against New York, just one goal against both San Jose and Washington doesn't often get you close to the win. Hopefully Briere will find his offense by Tuesday because the Red Wings are having a cup contending season and even without Datsyuk, they are quite scary in every category.

That's an interesting point, you're probably right. I think we'll get a real glimpse of potential problems or lack-there-of in the next few seasons with the Kings. Regardless, I really enjoy any programming or inside looks at one of my favorite players, so this episode was a real treat for me. Like you said, nothing earth shattering, but still very cool to me.

Cool, yeah, I didn't notice it there. I thought I might blog on it since I really enjoyed it. Any thoughts? Have you seen any of the other episodes?

Just found this link to NHL 36 featuring Mike Richards in case anyone missed it or doesn't have NHL Network. I love this program, it's really cool to get a behind the scene glimpse of the NHL elite. Some highlights: - A program coordinator doesn't recognize Richards at his interview, proving his point of less recognition in LA as compared to Philly (He seems to be embracing the quieter role in LA). - A sushi dinner with Doughty and Lewis in which it takes the crew 20 minutes to realize Andrei Loktionov is sitting two tables away. - A nice scene of Richards party lifestyle: a solo misson to Cold Stone Creamery and feeding his leftovers to his dog. - And finally a closing sequence that calls out a slumping LA Kings team for "not working hard enough". Harsh, NHL Network, Harsh. Definitely check this show out, it's very indicative of the 24/7 style, which has a great cinematographic approach and engaging story lines.

Two games, Four Points by: Trevor Rocco The NHL Trade Deadline is almost upon us. The Flyers and Kings have both done their part in making noise around the league in an attempt to send a news bulletin out that they are in this to win. After two big wins and four big points gained by the clubs on saturday, I want to reflect on some of the things that are getting me excited moving forward, and some things that continue to have me dumbfounded night in and night out. I'll pose some questions at the end as well, in regard to what changes need to be made and what you guys out there think would be the best ideas on deadline movement before monday. On the Flyers: Anyone who watched the game tonight knows exactly what kind of impact the new acquisitions had. For those of you who didn't keep track, however, David Strehle reported as follows: Grossman: 2A, +2, 2 blocked shots. Kubina: -1, 1 hit, 5 blocked shots. With the way the goaltending has been these last couple month, blocked shots right now are huge and the addition of Grossman and Kubina gives the flyers a huge leg up in that category. With the exception of last game vs. Edmonton and the awful showing in Pittsburgh, the Flyers have had little shortages in scoring. The team currently has eight players who have double digits in goals with Brayden Schenn just outside at eight. So why so many goals? Yes, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds and a large percentage of the team are having career years, but what's the big difference? To me, it seems the difference lies on the backend. They're getting shots through from the point. The mentality from the coaching staff, for defense, seems to be get that puck to the net. Kimmo Timonen is running a train on the point gods. He's shooting more than I've ever seen him, jumping in on plays and playing with insane offensive confidence. I'm sure that's why he's top 5 in assists among defensemen. But it's not just Timonen. Coburn is shooting and jumping in (he's always been much more "stay at home, chip pucks deep" in the past), Meszaros is shooting and jumping in (not out of the ordinary for Mez, but still great to see) and even the new guys, who have only been in Philly now for a few games, are putting pucks on net every chance they get. Hats off to Laviolette. His defensive shooting mentality are giving players like Simmonds and Hartnell the opportunity to play their games. It should continue to be a great idea moving forward. That being said, turnovers will continue to be the death of this team if something doesn't change. Yes, were paying Bryzgalov to make those big saves but in situations where pucks can be chipped out The Flyers defense and penalty killing are forcing the issue and making bad passes. Case in point: The Eberle goal on Thursday night. Coburn being pressured along the boards has a choice to pass it up to a tightly checked Briere or chip the puck out to center. He choses the pass, puts it in Briere's feet, the puck bounces back to Eberle and well, a slumping Bryz is not going to make that save. I don't want to put it all on the defense, I'm as frustrated as any about the play of Bryzgalov lately (and Bobrovsky, to a less extent). He has more holes than Stanley Yelnats (wow, that was an awful reference, my apologias...). Nevertheless, we have to continue to believe that he can be the difference maker that he once was in Phoenix, because if he can find THAT game, we're riding easy into the playoffs for years to come. Until then, we wait, because no one (at least at this point) is taking on that contract. Oh yeah, and they won a shootout today, how kickass is that!? On to the Kings: I couldn't be more ecstatic about the acquisition of Jeff Carter. I'm sure you're all well aware of that at this point. Although he didn't factor into the game in a big way tonight, I think the tides have turned for the LA Kings because of the movement. For one, Carter is just another big name that the opposition has to worry about, this leaves room for other match-ups and more space for the other big names (and Dustin Brown was a BIG NAME tonight). The other thing it does is it sends a couple massages to the players and coaching staff. First it says we're dedicated to making change now, we believe this is a winning team and were going to do our best to provide you with that spark plug to get the gears moving again. But at the same time they're saying, prove you belong here, because if we think you don't, you might be next. Jack Johnson was a great piece of the last few years in the Kings organization and showed his dedication to the team whole heartedly. I'm not saying that anyone and everyone should be moved here, but that would be a huge motivation for me to see such a dedicated player get moved out so quickly. The game tonight was awesome. Chicago did look a little flat without their captain and Crawford was a bit off his game but I don't want to take anything away from the Kings tonight. They really put in a 60 minute effort and made their presence felt. Dustin Brown showed exactly why he is so coveted even in trying times for the Kings, and why the organization would be plain foolish to take an offer to send him away. Here's hoping that Jeff Carter finds his Cali-legs in short order and a future line of "Flyers Rejects" when Gagne finds his way back to the ice. So what's next? What needs to be addressed by these teams before the deadline hits and its too late? Should the Flyers start (continue?) looking for goaltending? Do the Kings need a replacement for Johnson, or is Voynov ready to step into that role? Leave us a comment below and let us know! We are the Flying Eyeballs, we'll tell you what we think and you tell us why we're wrong! That's how these things work right? Thanks for the read!

Update: 2/24 This article has been moved copied from my original post in the LA Kings section of the forums. The article is now two weeks old and the trade has officially gone through as of yesterday.

A history of the last 5 seasons of the Philadelphia Flyers and Why Jeff Carter is the perfect fit for the LA Kings by: Trevor Rocco The L.A. Kings are looking for scoring, that is a given. The Kings have been consistently in the bottom of NHL team scoring for quite a few seasons now. To their defense, they have one of the best defense (no pun intended) core and goaltending core in the league which have kept them in the playoff hunt for the last two or three seasons. A lot has been said about Jeff Carter and the Columbus Blue Jackets recently. As the worst team in the league, the Blue Jackets are struggling in every department and are a team far off from the playoff potential of 2009. The Kings are looking for scoring, Carter can score. Those are the givens, but a lot is being said about Carter’s attitude, locker room presence and consistent play. Kings fans, and a lot people around the league are skeptics, but I, however, am not. For me to explain why Carter’s supposedly cancerous locker room attitude and other potential problems are overly media hyped, were going to need to backtrack a little bit. In 2005, after his team (The OHL’s Greyhounds) were eliminated from playoff contention, Carter joined the Philadelphia Phantoms for 21 playoff games, where he recorded 23 points and helped the team to a Calder Cup (Mike Richards was also on this team, recording 15 points in his 14 games). The following season both Carter and Richards made the Flyers out of training camp. At the same time, John Stevens, the model of consistency for the phantoms coaching staff (4 playoff appearances and 1 calder cup in his 5 years) was promoted to head coach of the team. The two players were a bright spot on an otherwise horrendous season for the Flyers. However, the following season the Flyers would be a huge surprise in reaching the conference finals under John Stevens coaching styles, as Richards and Carter became a model of consistency. With this came contract extensions and a captaincy for Richards as it looked like the future of the Flyers had arrived. For a while, things were great. Although they were eliminated from the playoffs early, the next season, Carter recorded 84 points including a whopping 46 goals. Carter and Richards were 1 and 2 in team scoring and Stevens was thought to be in contention for coach of the year after an amazing bounce back from 2006. Enter Chris Pronger. In an attempt to add defensive depth, Chris Pronger was brought in the next season in a blockbuster trade that sent young forward Joffrey Lupul back to Anaheim in return. The team looked as if it was the heavy favorite for a cup winning season. However, any time a team with a very young captain adds someone with the experience and leadership that Chris Pronger brings to a locker room there is a setup for trouble. At this point the media had begun to spin stories of Richards, Carter, Lupul and Umberger (the flyers youth core) in a negative way, saying that they had too much of a party life style. Richards went on record to say that the media had spun these stories negatively and were reading into things that weren’t there (This isn’t a Dennis Rodman/Kobe Bryant/Tiger Woods sized problem, obviously whatever lifestyle they were living did not interfere with career years and a captaincy for Richards, as well as the coaching staff having no complains). Up until this point the entirety of both Richards and Carter’s careers were coached by John Stevens. They knew his system and were obviously succeeding in it, however, Mike Richards lead-by-example leadership and his young age were not going to mesh well with noted outspoken media dynamo and born leader in Chris Pronger. When the 2009-2010 season started off slow for the flyers (13-11-1) it was obvious that a problem of leadership was the reasoning. The media pounced and once again tried to attribute blame to Carter and Richards lifestyle outside of the rink. It seemed however, that their were two different styles meshing here. That is the wanted direction of the ownership to win now through veteran leadership (ie Chris Pronger) and the player favorite, quiet winning style of John Steven and Mike Richards. Unfortunately, the GM’s hold all the power in a situation where changes may be in need for a struggling team, and after a hard fought but troublesome 5 game loosing streak, the past successes of John Stevens were no longer impressive to the big guys upstairs as he was let go for the likes of Peter Laviolette. The team struggled mightily under Laviolette at first both as a result of learning a new system and the devastation of the teammates in the loss of the leader who helped them go from the bottom of the league to top contenders. Richards and Carter were among those most heavily affected due to their long history with Stevens. However, things picked up under Laviolette as Carter and Richards helped to turn the season around as the Flyers ended up on the doorstep of a championship, showing the coaches, management and organization that they cared and would do whatever they could to help the team and organization succeed. However the management would prove that they didn’t feel the same way about them. The 2010-2011 season would see the flyers miss best-in-the-east by just 1 point. An injury saw Carter miss the majority of the playoffs and with Richards not matching the point per game pace of Briere and Giroux, the Flyers took an early exit. After all the effort and success from the young core of the Flyers over the past 5 years, by the summer of 2011, everyone was gone. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were the last dominoes to drop from a youthful roster that was the talk of the NHL just a few years before (ie Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger, Joffrey Lupul, Scottie Upshall, Joni Pitkanen, Dennis Seidenberg, Patrick Sharp, Antero Niittymaki and of course John Stevens [most of which were members of the 04-05 calder champs]). A combined 23-year $117 million contract extension in their early careers were traded away within hours of each other when Carter went to Columbus and Richards to LA. Within a MATTER OF HOURS two consistently amazing players who believed that their next TEN YEARS would be spent with the Flyers organization a team that is known consistently as winners (partially because of their factors in the organization), and where they had spent their first six successful years together, would be shipped out. No surprise, at least from my point of view, that Jeff Carter would refuse to speak to the media for the following weeks. Jeff Carter saw his contract transferred to the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team whose future was in question and were attempting to make a big splash before next season. It was a failure. With the additions of Carter and Wisneiwski the question around the league was, would it be enough? And with major injuries and underperformance the Blue Jackets would find themselves at the bottom of the league, by a lot, just before the trade deadline. Unfortunately, things couldn’t or can’t be much worse for Jeff Carter. On the flip side Richards was sent to the LA Kings who, with off season moves and signings, were looking for a last bump to put them into the pacific division and western conference elite. His season too, has been plagued by injury and lack of consistency with the new club. His season however is still salvageable on a team that could use a change or some help up front. And thus we have a perfect storm. The LA Kings are scrambling to plug the holes in the sinking ship that can be helped. The Blue Jackets are swimming in the ocean looking for a new boat. The storm is coming on the open seas and in a perfect world, the LA Kings would see Jeff Carter swimming alone in the ocean and send out a life preserver. With successful moves the LA Kings can have their positives from the last few seasons success and add to it the success and potential that the Flyers once had. The Kings have the opportunity right now, to reunite what was once successful in Philly: Carter, Richards and John Steven (currently assistant coach). Carter and Richards have played successfully together (692 points in 914 games played for the Flyers alone), and their most successful under John Stevens. I argue that their is no reason to attribute any validity to locker room issues, attitudes and inconsistencies for Carter as management issues were the real problem. Some say his cap hit is too large and its length, until 2022, is too long, but for LA, even the potential of having a 60+ point/30+ goal scorer is well worth the 5.27 million they take on with his contract. Heres what happens with Jeff Carter for the rest of this season if he signs with LA: he can have the ability to move from the worst team in the league to a playoff contender, to reunite with his team mate and coach with whom he was most comfortable and successful, and to prove to the team that abandoned him that they made the wrong choice. In this perfect scenario, the former 40 goal scorer will be more motivated and excited to play than he ever has in his career. LA Kings organization, it’s your move.