A
special sidebar to all readers as 2014 draws to a close...My
fellow media members serve as positive role models who always advance
my hockey knowledge whenever I cover Philadelphia Flyers home games
at the Wells Fargo Center. The media, as a whole, represent
hard-working people, in both old, new and hybrid media forms. Their
efforts help the public to better analyze one of the globe's greatest
sports.
There
are plenty of quality hockey resources available. Bill Meltzer's
ever-great HockeyBuzz
blog, David Strehle's always-insightful Twitter feed @DstrehleTFP
and connected articles, and new colleague Charlie Flowe's
WorldSportsShow.com are
worth regular digital reads.
Iced
Pregame Tidbits
Entering tonight's action the Florida Panthers front a 13-8-8 mark (34 points), while the Philadelphia Flyers have a record of 11-14-5 (27 points).
This is the last date of a four-game homestand for Philadelphia. Next, the Flyers are off to Toronto
(Dec 20), Winnipeg (Dec 21), and Minnesota (Dec 23) before a short
Christmas break. Philadelphia continues its eight-game road trip in
Nashville (Dec 27), Phoenix (Dec 29) and Colorado (Dec 31), Carolina
(Jan 2, 2015) and finally, in New Jersey (Jan 3). While this road
trip won't seal the season. The available points to be gained could determine playoff viability in the very near future.
Steve
Mason started in goal for the Flyers. His 6-10-4 record is reflective
of the Flyers' team issues this season, as his .918 save percentage
and 2.58 GAA are both better than his counterparts were entering the
game.
Roberto
Luongo started in net for the Panthers. He had a 11-6-6, .908 save
percentage and a 2.70 GAA.
First
Period
9:47:
Scottie Upshall (4). Assists – Tomas Kopecky and Dylan Olsen.
Shots:
12-8 Panthers.
Flyers
looked sluggish.
Lecavalier back in action. Little to report in this
first frame.
Second
Period
4:07
Jacob Voracek (12). Assists – Nicklas Grossmann and Pierre-Edouard
Bellemare.
Number
93 continues to open eyes around the League this season. His
off-season focus and career maturity are evident on nearly each
shift. He also recently became only the sixth Flyer in team history
to record 10 multi-point games over the first 19 games of the season,
joining Peter Forsberg, Brian Propp, Tim Kerr, Mark Recchi and Bob
Clarke.
Total
shots: 23-17 Panthers.
Third
Period
No
goals.
Back-and-forth
action. Flyers had some scoring chances, but were unable to push the puck past Luongo to secure the extra point.
Total
shots: 30-22 Panthers.
Overtime
Total
shots: 32-26 Panthers.
Flyers
had sustained pressure. Luongo made a few key saves, including a
sharp glove save with less than a minute to go in the game. However,
it was on to the...
Shootout
Panthers
scored first (Brandon Pirri).
Lecavalier
missed.
Panthers
missed.
Giroux
missed.
Panthers
missed.
Voracek
scored.
Panthers
missed.
Read
missed.
Panthers
missed.
B.
Schenn missed.
Panthers
scored (Dave Bolland).
Couturier
missed.
Panthers
win 2-1.
Final
thoughts
The
Flyers continuing inability to finish during the shootout is costing
them valuable points. It seems challenging to believe that Craig
Berube's team will suddenly become more than what it is at this moment in time.
General
manager Ron Hextall has limited options as he moves through his first
season. Some players may be dealt by trade deadline day. But, the
long-term strategy story number 27 told when he was hired surely means
that a few-season rebuild is underway.
The Flyers travel to face the Maple Leafs at 7pm on
Saturday night. At 19-10-3, that Canadian team will provide another
point of measure for an organization that continues to develop its
future plans.
Insight Overtime
Here's a past post about some past transactions in history...
5 Stunning Philadelphia Flyers' Trades
The Philadelphia Flyers have made many trades in franchise history. Here are ten of their most surprising. Some of these deals are only known by the hardest of hardcore fans. Others, are enlightening because of the historic names that are about to be mentioned.
This list has been prepared in chronological order, verses that of chosen importance.
#5: Rick MacLeish “traded” to the Boston Bruins - October 18, 1967
Yes, this trade took place in the 1960s, but MacLeish didn't officially become a member of the Bruins until 1970.
The Flyers obtained Rosaire Paiment from the Boston Bruins for their number one pick in the 1970 National Hockey League amateur draft. That number one pick was used to select MacLeish with the fourth pick.
#4: Barry Ashbee obtained for two no-names – May 22, 1970
A vital part of the Flyers' first Stanley Cup team, Ashbee suffered a career-ending eye injury in April 1974. He was originally acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Darryl Edestrand and Larry McKillop in the spring of 1970.
#3: Bernie Parent traded to Toronto Maple Leafs – January 31, 1971
Parent told me directly, during my one-on-one interview with him at his business office in the fall of 2010, that being traded from the Flyers to the Maple Leafs helped his career. While in Toronto he asked Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante, who was the Maple Leafs' starting netminder at the time, to teach him how to play goal.
Plante's lessons helped Parent to turn his career around and helped him to set the bar for excellence upon his return to the Flyers in May 1973.
#2: Reggie Leach obtained from the California Golden Seals five days after the first Cup was won – May 24, 1974
It's not just that the Golden Seals dealt Leach after he had scored 51 goals for them in slightly over two seasons of play. But, they traded him to the Flyers for Larry Wright, Al MacAdam and the Flyers 1974 first-round draft pick. That draft pick was held by the team that had just won the Stanley Cup five days earlier.
Wright, who was a free agent, re-signed with the Flyers in September. MacAdam had only played five games for the Flyers until that point, but did later score 240 goals in his NHL career. The first round draft pick was used to select Ron Chipperfield, who jumped to the World Hockey Association and never played for the Seals.
#1: Fred Shero traded to New York Rangers – June 2, 1978
The Flyers received a first-round draft pick, as agreed upon compensation, in return for Shero being allowed to accept a job as the Rangers' head coach. The Flyers selected Ken Linseman with the seventh pick in the 1978 NHL amateur draft.
(My feature, which I hold all rights to, originally appeared on Yahoo Sports-YCN.)
