Bryzgalov: More scared of bears in forest than Penguins from Pittsburgh

[Irishjim]

In October,

Ilya Bryzgalov provided one of the season’s best soundbites when, in trying to explain his poor play, he said he was “lost in the woods.”

Now — just prior to the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs — Bryz is at it again with references to the outdoors. On Monday, one intrepid reporter asked the Flyers goalie for his take on Philly’s opening round opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here’s how that went:

Reporter: What’s the biggest threat that the Penguins have?

Bryzgalov: You know, I’m not afraid of anything. I’m afraid of bears — bears in the forest.

And here’s the video:

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While this quote isn’t a big deal — what was Bryz going to say, that he’s terrified of the Pens? — you have to wonder if some within the Flyers organization aren’t awkwardly pulling at their collars right now.

Bryzgalov’s best stretch of play this year coincided with him focusing on hockey and avoiding the Yakov Smirnoff routine (conversely, his worst stretch coincided with trying out monologue material with reporters.)

There’s also the notion that the bigger the stage, the more Bryzgalov is likely to put his foot in his mouth. We saw evidence of this at the 2012 Winter Classic, when he let the cat out of the bag that Sergei Bobrovskywould be getting the start in goal (an attempt to be funny that, reportedly, infuriated head coach Peter Laviolette.)

While it’s probably too soon for Philly to start thinking about re-instituting the gag order, one wonders if this might be the last Bryzgalov quip we get this postseason.

[idahophilly]

I think its fine. The Russian bear is legendary while not many are scared of Penguins. And it was a half hearted attempt as a joke about the woods comment earlier. I say good...

[radoran]

I think his demeanor in this video is quite different than it was earlier in the season.

He's not a happy-go-lucky quipper like when he made the husky joke, he's pretty serious and deadpan here. I like it.