If the Flyers Lose...

[idahophilly]

the series what team do you root for.

Now , I'm NOT even CLOSE to mailing it in here. Just having some fun theorizing on who's next choice would be. Now , wouldn't it be ironic if the Richards and Carter win the cup with LA??? Would that rub you raw or would you be proud of the all the displaced Philly pedegree?

A Capitals vs LA would be cool. So would a Capitals vs Coyotes. Could you imagine the Coyotes winning!!!!??? The NHL's bastard children and buttmans own team (basicaly anyway)! Wow, think of the conspiracy theories then!

So, JUST in case, whos the 2nd choice?

[hf101]

I would root for Phoenix. Nothing like a championship to help build a franchise.

I could not root for anyone else out of the East besides the Flyers.

[Bakanekimiwa]

you mean "lose"!? I'm always amazed how many people confuse that spelling. anyway... at this moment the hockey gods don't seem to be too happy with Philly.

think about it... we're down against jersey. rangers are up. our exiled captain and top scorer are steam plowing through the west... and if Phoenix were to defeat them, the west has bryz's former team going to the cup finals.

there seems to be a Philly curse developing. year after bryz leaves Phoenix his team might go to their first cup final. year after party boys leave, *they* might get to the final. and any year the rags or Debbie's have a chance to get to the conference finals, let alone cup finals.... well, that's a bad year.

[hf101]

@Bakanekimiwa

Topic title fixed.

I'm always amazed how many people confuse that spelling. anyway.

My spelling is usually horrible. TG for spell check.

[idahophilly]

you mean "lose"!? I'm always amazed how many people confuse that spelling. anyway... at this moment the hockey gods don't seem to be too happy with Philly.

think about it... we're down against jersey. rangers are up. our exiled captain and top scorer are steam plowing through the west... and if Phoenix were to defeat them, the west has bryz's former team going to the cup finals.

there seems to be a Philly curse developing. year after bryz leaves Phoenix his team might go to their first cup final. year after party boys leave, *they* might get to the final. and any year the rags or Debbie's have a chance to get to the conference finals, let alone cup finals.... well, that's a bad year.

Ah the spelling police. I'm a bad speller, so shoot me...

However, you outline a disturbing series of curses. Difficult to argue with any of them. But yet, the year was great from where we thought we would be last summer. The glass is either half full or half empty...

[Mad Dog]

But yet, the year was great from where we thought we would be last summer. The glass is either half full or half empty...

Honestly, this seems to be the Flyers' "out" just about every year they lose in the playoffs: we had a good season and we have plenty of encouraging news to look forward to... Yet, the ridiculous, almost beyond-belief futility in winning Stanley Cup continues.

I realize we can't blame it on the current roster. The truth is, Schenn, Couturier, Giroux, JVR, Read, and even Coburn were like 14 years old when the Flyers continuously choked and dissapointed year after year. But that doesn't make a sting of yet another exit feel any softer. If we won at least one Cup over the last.......... oh........ 10 years (and I am really being placid here with my expectations), sure, I would be more than happy to chalk this up to the circumstances of this season and hope for the better fate next year. But every year it's the same outcome: no Cup.

I don't know about everybody else, but I am running out of patience. At this point one has to seriously wonder: will the Flyers ever win the Cup...... I mean AT ALL?

Edited May 5, 2012 by Mad Dog

[JackStraw]

"So, JUST in case, whos the 2nd choice?"

The Sixers.

[doom88]

No one. Go Flyers!

[sarsippius]

Yeah I'm just posting to say I refuse to think about the subject matter of this thread. Suck it up and get a W tomorrow, we're all tied up. I'll be rooting for the Flyers next round

[OH1FlyersFan]

Anyone but the Rangers. Mostly because of Tortorella. Can't stand the dude.

[sarsippius]

Anyone but the Rangers.

You could have stopped right there

[The Quigster]

Twenty nine teams aren't going to win the Cup! Happens every year. Thats why there is next year.

[Mad Dog]

Twenty nine teams aren't going to win the Cup! Happens every year. Thats why there is next year.

And that's exactly the mindset that makes me sick to my stomach.

[aziz]

Honestly, this seems to be the Flyers' "out" just about every year they lose in the playoffs: we had a good season and we have plenty of encouraging news to look forward to... Yet, the ridiculous, almost beyond-belief futility in winning Stanley Cup continues.

i get what you are saying, but really, when all the roster changes happened and the team went into the season so rookie-heavy, we all figured this was going to effectively be a rebuilding year. not in the real "rebuilding" sense, but we all knew that the roster was set to be its strongest in 2 or 3 years, and in the short term things might be a little rough. they overachieved from what most people's expectations were, and will get stronger and stronger as the next couple of seasons go by. i'm going to be disappointed if they don't win it all this season, obviously, because we all hope....but i wouldn't look at a second round exit this season the same way i did last. last season was a collapse by a team that was supposed to be entering its prime. this seaon, if things don't work out, will be a very young team with a lot of growing to do who couldn't get it done, yet.

having said all of that, this isn't over yet. 2-1 is a very very overcome-able situation, and the devils can't stand up if the flyers find their mojo. heck, the devils themselves were down 2-1 to florida, right? there are at least 2 games to go before we start deciding what we think about the team's final perfomance.

[Mad Dog]

@aziz

Understood. And good points. But........ to understand what I am lamenting about you need to think of the Flyers' history *without* focusing on this season. Again, if it was just one, two three, hell..... five seasons of a disappointment, I would be as understanding and patient as the next guy. The Rangers were a joke and a walking (or skating in this case) example of how NOT to build a franchise since Messier won the Cup and till Tortorella's arrival, which is roughly 15-years span. It's a long time. But they won and their fans, even those who are fairly young, remember that.

The Flyers haven't won in 37 years. Think for a second of this!!!! Just thhink! 37 YEARS! That's a half of an average human life, and for many people, even more than that. Many Flyers fans are no longer alive to remember that, while the others are too young to witness it. That's how long it was.

One would think it 37 years the team would win even by accident.

I am well aware of the expectations this season, and frankly, I would even be OK if they lost to the Pens - in a strictly analytical, diagnostic, systematic sense. And not a single player on this roster is responsible for the reason why this team hasn't won in 37 years.

I am just growing very frustrared with the outcome. It's a different road map of how this franchise arrives to the disappoinemnt, but the outcome is the same - no Cup. Just think of it:

- One year it's a shocking loss to Florida Panthers,

- Next year it's a sweep by Detroit,

- Next year it's an overtime loss to Toronto,

- Next year it's a blown 3-1 lead against the Devils in the ECF,

- Next year it's a 0-8 loss at home against Buffalo,

- Next year it's zero even-strength goals against Ottawa,

- Another exit thanks to Ottawa,

- A heartbreaking loss to Tampa,

- Disgraceful loss to Bufallo, ending with a 7-1 loss at home,

- No playoffs,

- Loss to Pittsburgh,

- Loss to Pittsburgh again,

- Loss in the Finals to Chicago (very close, but no sigars),

- Bad loss to Boston...

Like I said, a different road map, but the same outcome for THIRTY SEVEN YEARS.

And just about every year we hope for the next year. That next year comes, and it's teh same story again. And again. And again. And again.

How can one not be sick of it? How? Especially watching the teams like Carolina, Tampa, and Anaheim win? How can that not make you feel depressed?

Edited May 6, 2012 by Mad Dog

[canoli]

yah it's too early for this subject. There's good reason to believe we even the series tomorrow and then it's a best of 3 with 2 in Philly. Does that sound so terrible? Not to me. The Devils have played a smart, aggressive game against us and even if the Flyers "find their mojo" they could still lose and be down 3-1 by tomorrow night. But that would mean the Devils really raised their game too plus got some huge breaks in the game.

In any case, 2-2 or 3-1 at 11pm tomorrow this series won't be over. And think about the Flyers' season for a minute - it would be just like them to win 3 straight and take the series after losing 3 in a row.

[canoli]

Like I said, a different road map, but the same outcome for THIRTY SEVEN YEARS.

I didn't do the math - does 37 include this year?

Well, whether it does or doesn't your 2 posts seem to have that "it's over" tone. I'm not so sure. Why can't we win this series and be playing for the East next week?

Believe me I get what you're saying. I just think you're saying it too soon that's all. This may very well be "the year."

[Mad Dog]

I just think you're saying it too soon that's all. This may very well be "the year."

Oh I am hoping for the best as well, and I agree this is a very winnable series. And I think they will win tomorrow. After all, if I am not mistaken, the Flyers haven't lost 3 straight games this entire season.

But there are way too many things that need to go right for them to advance. First and foremost, I hope Lavy finds a way to take care of what should not even be a topic of the discussion - effort. The Flyers need to "outwant" (yes, I am making up words) the Devils. They need to get the swagger and desire back. I am completely stunned by them being outworked for most of the series so far.

Secondly, the team needs to figure out how to beat this infuriating sycling by the Devils.

The "walking wounded" just need to tough it out and play like it's their last game.

They need to start hitting and harrassing the Devils like they did to the Pens' players. It makes me want to throw up when I see how easy they make it for the Devils to gain the blue line and attack from flanks.

Oh, and it would help if that person in net we have could at last make saves he is expected to. I know, I am asking for too much on this one.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Mad Dog

[sarsippius]

And that's exactly the mindset that makes me sick to my stomach.

@Mad Dog

Right. Last time "next year" consoled me was after getting swept by the Habs in 76. I was 8.

[aziz]

@Mad Dog

well, you, me, and fans of st louis, LA, washington, toronto, vancouver, buffalo, winnipeg (old jets and new jets), minnesota (north stars and wild)...we aren't alone in this. if my math is right, only 14 teams have won the cup since the flyers' last one. fans of 16 other teams have been waiting and hoping year after year after year.

and....i'll be honest with you...i'm going to say something that will piss a certain segment of the people here off to no end. to whatever extent i'm already an ashole, this will really lock it in for those people. anyway, here goes:

this is all entertainment. to me, the important part of hockey in general, and being a flyers fan in specific, is to enjoy watching and following and rooting all season long. watching a winning game is more enjorable than watching a losing game, and watching a winning series is more enjoyable than watching a losing one...and i assume watching a stanley cup win will be more enjoyable than anything else...but it isn't why i watch. it isn't the point to me, as a fan. the point is to spend october through april going through the ups and downs of 82 regular season games, then doing the same for as many playoff games as the flyers play, and then being a geek through the offseason pondering how things will shake out starting the next october. a cup win in there is a detail. a big detail, but still just a detail. a bigger version of a president's cup or a conference banner. the point is not a specific moment in june when the clock ticks down to 0:00 on the flyer's 4th win of the finals, or the skate around the rink with the cup over their heads. i'd LOVE it if that happened, but it isn't why i watch. the point is 82+ games over 9 months, not one specific night. the point is yearlong entertainment, not a momentary climax.

because here's the thing:

And just about every year we hope for the next year. That next year comes, and it's teh same story again. And again. And again. And again.

that will happen regardless. if the flyers were to win the cup this summer, they would still line up for an opening night faceoff next october with a 0-0-0 record. and we would start over again with hope for that year. and we'll hope for the next. and the next. and the next. boston fans got the chance to cheer for a stanley cup win last summer, and i imagine that was a spectacular night for them. i imagine they were as happy as they've ever been. they probably grinned for the rest of the week, maybe two. they ordered cup champion tshirts and hats, got bragging rights whenever they ran into another hockey fan. a couple weeks later, they watched the draft, and then free agency started, and then they started thinking about what their team would be like for the next fall. at some point, thing reset to zero, and bruins fans hoped their guys could win a cup again that year. last year was last year and time moves on. and, as it happens, they watched their team come up short against washington in the first round, and now have to be worried about what the bruins are going to be able to do next season. they are again hoping. did last year's cup win keep them warm at night watching their team choke 2 weeks ago?

it's entertainment, the entire season. i'm never going to be sick of it, because i enjoy all of it. cup win or no cup win, i like rooting for my team. i'd really like that final bit of OH YEAH to happen, but...in the end, the cup is just the motivation that provides the fuel for the 82+ games that make up the vast majority of the experience. a failure of a season is one where 9 months of hockey are not fun to watch. the flyers have already succeeded on that front. this season, i've had a great time seeing an essentially brand new roster take shape and step in front of where we thought it would be. giroux taking the step to legitimate star, jagr surprising everyone, couturier playing like a vet, talbot proudly wearing orange and black. i had a great time seeing them eliminate the penguins. i'm not loving seeing them down to new jersey, but i hope to see them bring the fun back by evening the series up tomorrow night. and ultimately, i hope to see this very young roster be even more dominant as they add the lessons of this season to their maturing work in progress through next season. maybe, hopefully, there'll be a stanley cup win in between, but either way, i'll be hoping again come next october. cup ring or no cup ring, i'll look forward to another 9 months of flyers hockey. again and again and again.

[floridapaul]

I agree with the previous poster in many ways.Maybe its an aging thing.I still want them to win but it does not ruin my night or day when they don't.I guess the highs aren't as high yet the lows are no where near the low I use to feel.Part wiser,part so use to the failures of all our Philly teams that I am prepared better for the eventual outcome.But I do want championships,they are just no longer at the top of my priority list that I use to put them....BTW How many SCFinals have we lost in a row since we did win it in 74-75. Is it six or was the Chicago loss number seven.That streak in itself is quite unfortunately amazing..

[BobDailey]

IN MY OPINION

To be brutally honest, every time the topic of the Cup comes up, those of us long in tooth go back to the fixed game 6 vs the Isles in 1980, the coke using Oilers who were not suspended in 1987, the su*ck a zz officiating vs Tampa in 04 ( and the same fate befel the Flames in the SCF that year) and the way the Wings were hosed in 09 so the orchestrated Cup for Pens could happen to go with their marketing plan of Cindy. The league has been determining the outcome through the officiating and acts of omission in enforcement of conduct over those years. I think Snider cries crocodile tears as along as the arena is full and the drone fans are blindly spending $$ and now with Xfinity live yet another money grabbing venue in the complex of sports palaces.

I love the game, hate the league and frankly Phoenix is still owned by the league right? That means Bettmans minions are pulling the strings for that. AS far as I am concerned if its not our year, the league could disappear and they can all go work in McDonalds or Tim Hortons

[hf101]

If the Flyers lose game 4, they would only have a 8.7% chance to win the series. However if they win game 4 they would have a 50% chance of winning the series with two of the three games at home.

The Flyers MUST WIN game 4!

[flyercanuck]

@Mad Dog

I think you can usually tell how long people have been Flyer fans by how frustrated they get when they lose yet another playoff. Those who haven't been there for the duration certainly aren't as bummed as the vets are. When you've basically seen them finish 37 seasons on a loss, it does mess with your internal wiring, at least a bit.

[canoli]

it's entertainment, the entire season. i'm never going to be sick of it, because i enjoy all of it. cup win or no cup win, i like rooting for my team.

I'm not sure why you present this as if it's a novel concept; it's the same for all of us isn't it? Don't get me wrong I enjoyed reading your post. Maybe it's good somebody wrote it down the way you did, as a reminder not to take it all so seriously. Was that the point?

But being a dedicated fan of any team, any sport means you're part of that team's world, however vicariously it is. Maybe it's a little perverse but we fans take a certain amount of pride in who we choose to call our favorite team. They become part of who we are.

What you wrote came off as a little detached I think, as if you are saying "it's only entertainment." While that's certainly the definition of it (for us fans) there's more to it than that isn't there? How much more? I guess everybody answers that question for themselves.

Edited May 6, 2012 by canoli