King Knut

I would be totally fine with 4 games if everyone around the league was getting similar numbers for their first offenses... or their second. It isn't Harry's Punishment that is out of line. It's fine with me. It's everyone else getting off easy by comparison that troubles me.

Perhaps this is what he meant? i.e. whether or not he would waive the NMC, he knows Homer and co. want him here for the playoffs. If they don't make them, then maybe things become different and a movement after the season becomes a possibility. Also, in the shortened season I don't think (god forbid) the Flyers could technically be out of contention by the trade deadline (when the hell is the deadline BTW?) but that might be another scenario in which he'd be willing to waive the NMC -to get to a competitive team with a shot at a run.

With Apologies to Shanny, it really doesn't look like he leaves his feet too early. It also doesn't look to me like he aims for the head as much as he is just trying to brace himself. Harry's crouched down before the hit, but that genuinely looks like he's just trying to be ready for anything rather than trying to launch himself at the guy. All that said, I do think the hit is suspendable and not because it was illegal (I don't think it was). Harry didn't do anything "wrong" but he didn't to the "right" thing either. He shouldn't have hit the guy so hard. End of story. You hit that guy in that position that hard, you're going to cause a serious injury. THAT guy shouldn't be in THAT position, but that's not an excuse for taking years off his career. We saw this happen to too many Flyers for me to defend it now. I just don't think Shanahan should make up B.S. reasons why the hit was illegal. It was illegal because it was dangerous. Like the Stevens hit on Lindros way back when, this one technically follows all the rules, but it was dangerous and shouldn't have happened as a result. At some point that simply has to be enough. The NFL has "Unnecessary Roughness" penalties and I think this is similar. Is it illegal by the way the rules are written? Nah, probably not. That doesn't make it okay.

I think it definitely is a win win for both teams and both players. With Pronger's career so sadly on the rocks and Timmo being fairly open about his impending retirement (even at the time, everyone knew it would be coming soon) Something needed to happen on our D pretty desperately. What we had a glut of was talented young former first round pick forwards. I liked JVR too and wanted to see him grow into the player he could become here... but we needed a D-Man and Schenn has the right pieces to be a pretty good one. He's made incredible strides already this season. Pretty impressive from where he started. Playing with Timmo seems to make young D men amazingly better and smarter. Win Win As long as we win the game tonight, I'll be happy.

If the CBA makes it so he only costs 4.5 million? I'll take him in a heartbeat. That makes him like a #3 or #4 guy. he's a pretty damn good #4. I do it because we still need a D man with some size who can hit and do some dirty work. He's a left hand shot, but with Timmo all but announcing his retirement after next season we'll need any hand shot we can get. as a 7 million dollar man? No. as a 4.5 million dollar man? You friggin bet!

What's Boston's Depth like in Net? That's where we clearly need it. Nothing big as Bryz has been amazing... but we need someone trustworthy to fill in. Laviolette loves Leighton to death, but Homer probably doesn't trust either Boosh or Leighton with much at this point.

Bingo. This aint' like having "vision" or a wicked wrister or god given skating ability. They can friggin work on this. It's pathetic that they haven't. They've been pretty bad at it since before Laviolette took over and he doesn't seem to care. As far as trades go, if you can get scoring help they're obviously missing from Jagr and Hartsy, go for it, but not at the cost of anything serious. Likewise with Size on D. They have trouble clearing the porch IMHO and another big guy could help. For the most part I think you have to sink or swim with these guys. They need to learn how to play NHL hockey and excel at it. We may question now whether the JVR trade was a good idea, but without Schenn (despite his early season screw ups) and with Mezo out, this D would be hurting even worse, so I think those discussions are entirely too theoretical to matter.

Why not? Crosby takes face offs and immediately skates off the ice. He's better at them then Giroux too. I hate Crosby with a special kind of hate, and I will criticize many parts of his game that most people would say I'm crazy for criticizing, but that whiney cheap piece of filth can win a faceoff and it annoys the hell out of me.

The Penguins are the dirtiest team in hockey. Bar None. Hands down. They've been so since before Bylsma took over, but he's definitely used it to his advantage and coached it into them even more. Their version of "dirty" is (to me) even more shameful than the kind that jumps players. Diving, flopping, and seeking injury is literally written into their playbook. If a game is close or if they're behind in the third period, watch how many times one of them gets "high sticked" or "hooked". I find it interesting that you can "high stick" a player and never have your stick come above your waste. I find it just as interesting that you can "high stick" a player when he's actually using his stick to lift yours into his own face. I find it equally entertaining when you can hold another player's stick and get him called for hooking as a result (the Penguins won two trips to the finals doing that). To the Penguins and their coach, the rules are not in the least little bit a set of guidelines designed to make game play smoother and safer for the players, and more entertaining to the fans, the rules are a list of things that can be exploited and manipulated to give your team an advantage. Last night was yet another sterling example. The penguins are losing, they start falling all over the ice, grabbing body parts and whining to the refs before they even hit the floor. Meanwhile, at the same time, they start tripping, slashing, hooking, cross checking and high sticking themselves... and get away with it. Partially because they're very good at doing it when no one's looking but also because they have primed the regs by whining and complaining for two and a half periods that they've been persecuted and unfairly penalized the whole game so that the refs tend to just think the absurd number of penalties in the third period against whoever the penguins happen to be playing that night is only just fair. It happens again and again and again. I actually have to hand it to them. I'd be too ashamed to look myself in the mirror, but they don't seem to mind and it's bought them much success and increased their fanbase (however ignorant of the game that fanbase is). 12 years ago a Penguins Flyers game at the igloo would be half orange jerseys a third empty seats and a third toothless inbread drunkard pens fans. Now there are actually penguins fans there again. The fact that they don't have the knowledge or sense of shame enough not to boo like they just watch their mother get kicked in the teeth when an OBVIOUSLY illegal goal is called back is just an academic point. The Penguins cheat. They're good at it. It's very effective for them. I'll give them that. But they do cheat. And that it is coached and rehearsed should come as a surprise to no one who knows much about the game. The cheating isn't what gets me. Everyone is cheap and dirty from time to time. I get that. It's the institutionalization of that cheating and the fact that their coaching staff trains them on it and uses it as an in game tactic... that's what's so repugnant to me and the sheer obnoxiousness of their fans who don't seem to know the difference (or perhaps living in Pitt simply lack the shame to care) is just the frustrating cherry on top of that crap sundae.

That's what the word bias means. And there still is one against the Flyers. It's slowly getting better... but still... how many times has Bryz been crashed this year without a call? Coburn in particular has been the victim of numerous phantom calls. I believe it's a totally unconscious bias. I don't think they know they're doing it. Like you say, they're not "out to get" anyone anymore -though in the past it has been worse and I have been forced to wonder. But it's inherent, these guys see orange and are just predisposed to think something wrong happened. As younger refs come into the league it slowly fades away... slowly. On the crashing the goalie thing in particular, I've noticed this getting worse over the past few years. There's no doubt in my mind that last night was intentional and it nearly injured Bryz which cannot be accepted. The Devils game, they interfered with Bryz, it cost him his stick and the team a goal. That cannot be permitted to continue. If they don't start calling it, I think it needs to be reciprocated immediately with a goalie crash of our own to at least let the other team know the Flyers aren't going to stand for that kind of crap on their goalie. Simply put, you do not mess with the goalie. PERIOD. Screen him. Back into him while screening him. Cross in front of him to the corner... that's all gamesmanship. You make contact inside the crease, you've got to pay for it.

This is a joke right? JVR by himself is outscoring two of anyone on the team right now.

Honestly, if he's anywhere near as good as they say, acquiring him just to keep the devils or penguins from getting him would be worthwhile. Who to send? I don't know. I hate the thought of giving up the ghost on these kids. Especially now that Reemer finnally seems to be clicking in TO (who didn't see that coming). oye. decisions decisions. glad I'm not homer. Bryz is just carrying this team right now. he's doing it with quiet dignity and grace too... just like a good monster should. I thought they were allowed to buy out someone after next season too. If so, this is what I would do with Bryz. Let this year play out as it will... keep trying to win because the defense is finally playing strong. I don't give up Cooter, Schenn, Read or Laughton for Iginla or anyone.... I DO maybe send a pick or two for someone who can help chip it in the net like Jagr did. If they can crawl close to back into things by the time Hartsy, Mezo and Simmonds are ready to roll again I still feel like a playoff push isn't impossible. Remember, the chances are good the schedule is going to wear down a lot of teams. There's not as much time to make up for a slow start this year, but the chances are good that other teams might be finishing weaker. We're probably going to lose more man games to injury as well, but with a little luck, they've built up some good Karma on the 4-6 week injuries.

If it was Latin he could sound more 'professional' and get away with it I guess. But screw that. Danny, Max and Claude would get a kick out of it.

His head does bounce off the ice, but it doesn't look like a big impact. If you play, I'm sure you know that there are some bumps that a helmet can really shield you froma nd some that it can't. Honestly as I can say, I would think this looks like one to me where the helmet could have withstood the impact and thus the impact not cause a "concussion" THAT SAID, I could easily see that elbow and the subsequent "whiplash" causing an awfully serious concussion. This is what killed Lindros... only Simmonds was skating with his head up and just got nailed with an illegal (yet once again unpenalized) hit. It's one of those where your nerve endings are stretched because your skull is moved violently and quickly through space but becasue of physics your brain wants to stay where it was in space. Essentially I believe him when he says hitting his head wasn't a problem for him. Obviously, I'm not his doctor, but just watching, I don't think he has a concussion due to that but at the same time, the "whiplash" can be quite serious and needs to be treated as such.

I feel like it's a bit different than that. Whether you or me or Roman likes it or not, Roman was part of the problem in those two playoffs. At least Bryz is swallowing the puck, staying in position and frequently controlling rebounds and if not, he at least seems to be aware that there is a rebound and tries to get in position for it. Roman would go all out for the first save without giving a fig where the puck went after that. Created a lot of chaos and the defense couldn't get enough time or space to make smart outlets and the front liners had to come back and help bail them out meaning any offensive attack had to come 100% from inside their own blue line. This team is different. They have room to bring it out, they can't figure out how to get open and the D can't figure out where yo pass it or how to pass it with any intention or velocity. IN addition they keep passing it to where the player just was, not to where he's going to be. Forwards that bring it out don't utilize their speed or take shots or make additional passes while their open and for some reason wait until they're checked. Roman flipped with he was part of the problem. If Bryz flips, not only will I not blame him, I'll defend him. He's doing his job and doing it well. The rest of those morons can't seem to get anything in gear.

Bryz is our best player on the ice... period. And I hate that I'm saying that. Giroux is trying to do everything by himself, Simmonds does well until he comes up against a defense that has any clue how to play defense and everyone else looks like they just put on skates for the first time last year. The Schenns look atrocious. Couturier looks like a kid out of Juniors who can't skate. Timmo and Coburn are doing what they can. I'll give them that... but they're saddled with a seriously crap team both offensively and defensively. I don't know who is more to blame, Laviolette for having coached them so much more poorly than the rest of the league appears to have been coached despite the lockout or Homer for icing such an incredibly and pathetically inexperienced skilless team.

Dude, it ain't just Special teams. Pretty much the whole team except Bryz and maybe Timmo look utterly clueless out there most of the time. They can't figure out which way to skate or which way to pass or even remotely where to be if they don't have the puck. It's awful. There's really no excuses for it. They look so damn bad, that if things don't change in a hurry, I don't see what other option they will have other than to start looking for a coach. This team is abjectly without any semblance of a clue right now.

Dude, it ain't just Special teams. Pretty much the whole team except Bryz and maybe Timmo look utterly clueless out there most of the time. They can't figure out which way to skate or which way to pass or even remotely where to be if they don't have the puck. It's awful. There's really no excuses for it. They look so damn bad, that if things don't change in a hurry, I don't see what other option they will have other than to start looking for a coach. This team is abjectly without any semblance of a clue right now.

These guys are playing like clueless idiots in front of Bryz. He's really show something in coming back here and playing this well this year and both Laviolette and his team have been absolutely abysmal for most of this shortened season. I know Scotty and Andrej are hurt, but there is no excuse for the utter cluelessness I'm seeing out there on the ice. NONE. It's pathetic.

For my money having success in the AHL seems to have really damaged both his game and B. Schenn's game pretty horribly.

Giroux only makes 3.75 now. How much more than that do you think Schenn and Cooter are going to draw? Claude will need a new contract at the same time they will. That will make things difficult for a year because Danny will still be on the big fatty for another season. Plus Wayne will cost twice as much in two years as well wen his new contract kicks in. Timmo's 6.33 comes off the books (even if they resign him, it'll be for less) this year, so that'll be a help. PLUS they'll be able to buy out two players this summer. The good news is we have this season to figure out who gets bought out and we have this season and next to figure out who gets traded to make room for their bigger new contracts. At the end of the day, worst case scenario, they're both great and we can't afford both, so we trade one for a Goalie or D man as was stated. If only one's great, we keep the other. Either way, I don't see either one making more than 4 million on their new contracts unless they have 93 point seasons themselves. I think Homer can make up that 4 million additional somewhere. Even if they decide to keep Timmo and he stays for a more affordable 3.5 million next year, then they're halfway there (after paying Simmonds).

My only consolation is that we probably bankrupted Nashville in the process. You're Welcome Quebec or Kansas City!!!

If you were a professional Hockey player over 30 you might prefer to return to the ice someplace and make 2/3 of your contract salary plus whatever your new team wants to pay you so you can not waste any more of your dwindling playing days because of stupid contract B.S.. I know I sure would. I doubt it would untimately amount to a pay cut, but I'm guessing that at least Gomez (as I hear Redden has no heart) would take a pay cut to be out there playing.

If they manage to NOT take steps backward, I'll be thrilled to pieces with both of them. As far as making us happy about the Richards Trade, we all know that Bryz was also involved in that trade far less directly. Asking Schenn to make up for Bryz isn't fair and that's why I choose in my head to separate Schenn from the Richards deal entirely.

Usually the Flyers like to offer all the big contracts. If we win the cup or if we don't buy Bryz is brilliant anyway, none of this happens. If Bryz isn't utterly brilliant and awesome he gets bought out and we might go for Luongo and or Redden. I could actually see that. Redden is a little skinnier than we like our D-Men (weighs less than Timmo at 4" taller) but with Timmo nearing his contract and Carle out the door, we could use him. Damn, letting Carle go seems dumber than hell now that the whole Weber thing fell apart.