4. Philadelphia Flyers
You want it, you got it
Everything you needed and more
You said it, I heard it
Careful what you wish for
Deleted, defeated everything you’ve ever been
No mercy, it’s the way of the fist
— “The Way of The Fist” by Five Finger Death Punch
The Flyers won a Stanley Cup in their seventh season of existence in 1973-74; they won another Cup the following season. In all, Philadelphia has made seven Cup finals appearances in 30 years. It’s quite a run. It’s no mystery why the Flyers have such a passionate and loyal fan base. Besides the cool-sounding name, a name that fits like few others in sports, and how the DNA of hockey fits perfectly with the DNA of Philly, the Flyers simply have been good for a long time.
If you were born in the mid-’60s in Philadelphia, you have been privy to one of the most consistent and entertaining hockey teams in the NHL. Cups, Broad Street Bullies, Bob Clarke’s toothless grin, Ron Hextall, Eric Lindros, the Legion of Doom, Keith Jones!, 378 goalies since 1997 and the current crop of players (drafted, traded for and/or free agents). The Flyers are once again an elite team, and there is a 7-year-old kid in south Jersey who will put on skates for the first time in the winter, fall in love with the game and this season’s Flyers team and become a Flyers fan for life.
But it’s been 11 years since the Flyers’ last Cup finals appearance, and we are coming up on 35 years since they won their last Stanley Cup. Since that last Cup finals appearance, the Sixers have reached the NBA Finals, the Eagles have gone to a Super Bowl and the Phillies have won a World Series.
What about this season? Well, the Flyers are once again among the favorites in the East. They have enough young players in key spots to give them a good chance at breaking the 100-point mark. But to make a mark in the playoffs, Jeff Carter and others need to develop a killer instinct and desperation to accompany their talent. That is Crosby’s biggest strength: leading his team with a desperation and seriousness. When your most talented player is your hardest and most serious player, like Pavel Datsyuk in Detroit, championships follow.
The Flyers did take some risks during the offseason in an attempt to start taking that next step, which begins by beating the Penguins in the playoffs. (The Pens have ousted the Flyers in two straight postseasons.)
Philly lost 52 goals in Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul and is banking on those goals being replaced by a healthy Danny Briere ($6.5 million cap number for six more years!) and Claude Giroux.
Briere will never live up to his outlandish contract. He will turn 32 soon, and durability will be an issue. As he loses half a step from age and injury buildup, he will be in contract-buyout territory. But Briere still has a window to be productive and is a power-play force. He is arguably in the best shape of his life and is very smart, so maybe he can pull it off. He wants to earn his money and help his team.
I really like Giroux. He has genie-wish hands, poetic hockey sense and a sturdiness to his game that can make him a big-time player. He is the real deal. You really have to hand it to the Flyers’ scouts. Giroux was a 22nd overall pick. Mike Richards was a 24th overall pick and Carter 11th. Even Simon Gagne (a great two-way player) was a 22nd overall pick in 1998. Giroux, James vanRiemsdyk and, don’t forget, former Princeton forward Darroll Powe, who played big minutes last season and is the team’s fastest skater, give the Flyers young depth. Powe, Blair Betts and Ian Laperriere will help take the penalty-killing load off Richards and Carter.
And then, there’s Chris Pronger. On paper, this changes a lot in the East. His acquisition helps the Flyers in many areas, but it really is designed for one man — Crosby. Crosby does most of his damage around the net; a force like Pronger can make life a lot harder there. Pronger is one of those players who has earned the respect of officials because of his status in the game and gets away with a lot. That helps a team. Pronger and Crosby should have some mean battles with crosschecks to the teeth and slashes to the back of the knees this season.
But will the Flyers get the goaltending? That’s what it comes down to. Ray Emery is the latest installment with Brian Boucher there as insurance. So far, Emery has had a good attitude and is in great shape. This is an important season for his future net worth. Having lots of goal scoring and Pronger will help any goalie.
The Flyers are tougher and deeper and have higher expectations. They should. They are good; if they raise the Cup in June, it will not be a shock.
(from espn)
