Glad to see our $51million goalie can't.......

[ruxpin]

@ruxpin

I don't know about you, but I haven't been confident in him since day 1. I've seen him play well for stretches, and play horrible for stretches, and play mediocre for stretches. I've seen him do all 3 in a span of minutes. He's consistently inconsistant (like my spelling). Of all the parts of a team, you need your goalie to be somewhat consistent. A team can thrive on that. I honestly think the Bryzgalov experiment has destroyed the soul of the Flyers. But that's just me. It's not like we've had good goaltending in forever.

First of all, kudos to you for consistency. You weren't one of the "oh my God, we HAVE to go get Bryzgalov" people only to now be yelling "Crucify Him!" (thought that was a nice little metaphor given the time of year). When he was still with Phoenix, I was starting to say "get Bryz" before most and even then you basically said "he sucks." So, he's your JVR. I respect the hell out of your being consistent all the way through.

But "I honestly think the Bryzgalov experiment has destroyed the soul of the Flyers" is a little far-reaching, don't you think (or are you baiting me with cheekiness?)? Especially given your last "It's not like we've had good goaltending in forever." The thing is that we haven't had good goaltending since the Magna Carta. With quite possibly the worst Flyer goaltending since Gary Inness, the Flyers went all the way to the Finals. As bad as everyone claims Bryz has been, he's been at least as good as Michael "It's-Monday-So-I-Must've-Been-Waived-Again" Leighton.

Look, you've seen my posts for the last decade or so. You know I'm not the easiest guy on goalies or coaches or, well, people in general. And I'd either be stone cold drunk or have suffered serious head trauma to argue that Bryz has been anywhere near worth what he's being paid. But I do think the goalie argument is becoming a crutch and an excuse for players to skate around with their heads up their ass and an excuse for the GM and coach to say "if only we had a goalie my asinine creation of a team would have stood a chance."

I'm just saying that if a team with Michael Fricken Leighton can go to the finals, a team with Bryz--even playing as is--should be able to do better than 13th place in a 15 team conference. So it's more than Mr. Universe destroying the soul of the team. It's the fact that this team didn't have a soul to destroy.

[BearOnIce]

@Samifan

Sorry for the tone. Just really pissed off at this team all the way around.

Poorly constructed NHL squad whose results are fairly close to what should have been reasonably expected

--Average goalie given the GDP of a mid-sized Arab country

--A player made captain who really has no business being captain

--NMC/NTCs handed out like a PEZ dispenser gone postal.

--Letting Jagr and Carle go without even talking to them and replacing them with Gervais, Fedotenko, Foster, and Knuble

--Trading for Gagne and thinking that was even worth the idea

--Going into a season with absolutely no backup. The three-four year dance with Leighton makes my head explode

--Thinking Grossman, Timonen, Coburn, Mez, Gervais, Foster was an NHL defense

--A coaching staff made up of people including Craig Berube.

--A "system" (term used lightly and NO I WON'T EMAIL IT TO YOUR DAMN SOURCE!) that is probably counterproductive given the make up of the team and the shortened season/condensed schedule.

--The incessant line changing. Dude, if you have **** playing with **** attempting to do ****, you're still going to end up with ****.

--Just to name a few mindnumbing problems with the team and the GM that put it "together" (term used lightly)

Worse AHL squad

A dearth of draft picks

Either no plan or a really bad one.

No acknowledgement of the fans coming back from the lockout.

Just a cluster of an organization all the way around.

Wow. Very well spoken. The rant added a nice flavor and intense seasoning. Best part, no ack of the fans. Just stick it up our zsses with ticket prices and take us for grated. F you Snider and Comcast. You gonna have a real hard time getting this fan to spend it with you next year. Take that you CLUSTER.

[BearOnIce]

I don't know, maybe it is all about Losing Pronger, Jagr and Carle + replacing them with pretend NHLers like Gervais and Foster. But "coming up small" seems to be a disease that quickly spread throughout the lineup. I can't help but feel that Patient Zero is Ilya Bryzgalov. I go back to last year when the team is exceeding expectations on so many levels, only to see your Big FA goalie blow 3, 4, FIVE goal leads...maybe it starts to take a toll ... carries over a bit to next [this] year...then the lockout and guys start thinking FU Ed...there's no Jagr and his midnight workout madness, no Pronger...stuff adds up... Yeah they're supposed to be pros, they're paid millions...but feelings, resentments, they get in the way of the best of us sometimes.

edit: I guess my point is the "quit" started before this season. It began the minute the Pens' series was finished. I can't lay it ALL on Bryzgalov but boy did he suck for most of last year...and frankly he was the only one, everybody else was "over-achieving," if there is such a thing. By rights Bryzgalov should've been forgiven for last year and started this year fresh (which he did on his own) but so much other resentment-producing crap happened that now - now who cares?

Good points. These players are guys that were supposed to be part of a special team assembled to compete and win a Cup. Thats what they were sold by management. They were lied to. Everything you said is correct. So they are pissed. And they don't care because as much as us they see the failure in this organization. Comcast, you want to end up a bottom feeder you sit by and let an 80+ year old man still call the shots. You got a big problem. Just look at you players you F idiots at Comcast. That's right Lukko. You are a joke.

[jammer2]

@radoran "Or, maybe: WHY DO WE HAVE ANY FAITH THEY WILL GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME?"

BINGO....I would rather have you or I pick the next Flyer goalie, rather than the powers that be in Flyer management. I've been saying all along, either we have BRUTAL pro scouts, or their advice was simply ignored. So, even if Homer makes a bad decision, there is no fall back guy, no pro scout to step in and say.....NO....this is not the right direction to take!! I always wanted to know, was it bad advice, or just ignored advice....maybe after Bryz leaves town, somebody will ask this question in an interview....casue inquiring minds wanna know!!!

[flyercanuck]

@ruxpin

Leighton was terrible. But he was kind of a feel good story, AHL calibre goalie claws his way to the NHL then injury forces him to play in the playoffs and he actually does ok...until, well, you know.

Bryz had some good numbers and was FA. He declared he wanted to be paid like the awesome incredibly superior goaltender that he was, and Holmgren and Snider bit hook line and sinker. He came in and played a few good periods and then looked like...an AHL calibre goalie, only with really stupid comments and a HUGE contract.

I think as a player it's much easier to like the underdog who's overachieving than the overpaid who's underachieving. Kind of like, who do you enjoy watching more right now, Rinaldo or Briere?

[ruxpin]

As a fan, I prefer watching Rinaldo but that would be the case if both were vets or both were rooks--but I get the point you're attempting to make.

Maybe there's a difference, but I think even a bobble-head doll replica had to know the Leighton thing was doomed to failure. And that's not a tune I'm changing after the fact. I railed against him the entire time he was here. I'd just be stunned to hear that the players were actually confident in him. As people, I buy them liking the cinderella thing and maybe that's actually psychologically enough. I just don't buy that Bryz is enough of a drop off from what we've had the last 15 years or so that it's a "soul killer" on a team which I still doubt has a soul.

[flyercanuck]

@ruxpin

He's not a drop off. He was brought in, and paid, to be a legitimate #1. Instead he's more of the same. only with a bad attitude. Ok, a weird attitude. And not goalie weird, just plain weird.

[radoran]

@ruxpin

He's not a drop off. He was brought in, and paid, to be a legitimate #1. Instead he's more of the same. only with a bad attitude. Ok, a weird attitude. And not goalie weird, just plain weird.

Well, let's make sure we have an ice cream social for the team to meet potential goalie candidates first.

That can be after everyone gets a gold star for playing this season.

Wait, I thought they canned Stevens.

I thought these were hockey players. Apparently, they're whiny, privileged, faint-hearted waifs who can't possibly act in a professional manner.

Good to know?

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

Ya, it pretty much is why the draft is looking so good while the Pens are loading up.

The big difference I can say rad is, I've seen some of these other guys have good or great seasons for the Flyers. Bryz' good or greatness is measured in days, or minutes..

[ruxpin]

Bryz' good or greatness is measured in days, or minutes..

I think it was a Wednesday. It was raining.

[flyercanuck]

@ruxpin

I remember it like it was yesterday. Wednesday that is.

[radoran]

@radoran

Ya, it pretty much is why the draft is looking so good while the Pens are loading up.

The big difference I can say rad is, I've seen some of these other guys have good or great seasons for the Flyers. Bryz' good or greatness is measured in days, or minutes..

Like 249 minutes, 43 seconds?

Seems like for a lot of players, their greatness is measured in how great people say they are.

And, quite frankly, if they can't bring themselves to play hockey in exchange for millions of dollars simply because of their goalie, I can't IMAGINE what they will do in front of whatever dreck Homer finds to replace Bryzgalov next season.

Because there ain't a whole lot of options out there for 2013-14.

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

I'm not counting on buying out Bryz and bringing in another high priced FA. What i mean is, that isn't what I want to happen. I can even handle one more year of Bryz as long as he's gone after that(if you can handle me b1tiching about him). I'd just like to see our gm (whoever it is) take a few years and try this rebuild a slower methodical way. Methodical meaning a method, over the usual madness.

[radoran]

@radoran

I'm not counting on buying out Bryz and bringing in another high priced FA. What i mean is, that isn't what I want to happen. I can even handle one more year of Bryz as long as he's gone after that(if you can handle me b1tiching about him). I'd just like to see our gm (whoever it is) take a few years and try this rebuild a slower methodical way. Methodical meaning a method, over the usual madness.

b-b-b-but, players can't possibly be expected to compete hard and play hard if they don't like their goalie.

It's just common sense. Right?

I totally concur that they need a new model of building to win around here. But that model seems to conflict with the conventional wisdom being offered to explain why the team is playing like warmed over dog crap.

[doom88]

b-b-b-but, players can't possibly be expected to compete hard and play hard if they don't like their goalie.

It's just common sense. Right?

I totally concur that they need a new model of building to win around here. But that model seems to conflict with the conventional wisdom being offered to explain why the team is playing like warmed over dog crap.

You and rux HAVE to be the same person.

[radoran]

You and rux HAVE to be the same person.

We have yet to be seen in the same place at the same time.

[ruxpin]

We have yet to be seen in the same place at the same time.

or have we?

[flyercanuck]

or have we?

Grassy knoll, '63?