The 2010 Winter Classic is a little over 2 weeks away and my lady's intuition tells me that there should be about 5,000 to 10,000 Flyers fans making their way up to the great Northeast this New Year's Eve. Even for those of you that know Boston, and especially for those of you that don't, we put together a pretty simple guide on what to expect. From getting up there to what to do with yourself after the game.
Boston's a great city, but don't forget you're entering enemy territory on one of the biggest party weekends of all time. Chances of spending the night in Boston Commons are significantly increased if you don't read this entire guide from front to back. Left to right. And then put your hand up on my hip - when I dip, you dip, we dip.
Feel free to take advantage of all the buttons on the clever little contraption below. Download a copy, email it to your mistress, tweet the shit out of it. Do all that stuff.
And if you're from Boston and you're all pissed, save it. You're my second favorite city in the U.S. I love you. There, I said it - I Love You. But the fact of the matter is you guys do crush the shit out of it. I've never seen anything like it in an place that wasn't Las Vegas.
This one time, in Boston, I was outside the BHP (in line of course) and this total ja-moke came outside, ripped of his button-down and challenged all the bouncers to a fight. This giant dude got off of his stool and started walking towards the guy and as the guy went to take his undershirt off over his head the bouncer popped him right the jaw. The guy was laying on the freezing cold cement, shirtless and unconscious. And they left him there! I've never seen anything like it.
Oh yeah, and Flyers fans. The BHP has that power punch game in the back on the left, if you need to warm up or just want to impress some girls from Umass-Dartmouth.
Last night I found myself feeling bad for a group of 20 guys who make over $50M combined. Guys who have the world in the palm of their hand.
Then I found myself feeling bad for me, because hockey games take a long time to watch. 2:30 is not an insignificant amount of time in the 4 hours I'm at home and not getting ready for work or asleep.
Then I felt bad for Riley Cote. 31 seconds of ice time. That's almost more embarrassing than being a healthy scratch. During the third he almost got a shift, but then there was an icing and I think in the end he just hopped over the the boards and came right in the door.
But then I felt bad for me again, because more than Malkin, more than Crosby, more than Tyler Kennedy, I hate seeing Jordan Staal score for some reason. Always shorthanded too. Right in my face.
Then I went back to feeling bad for the Flyers and, specifically, Chris Pronger. No one has reminded me more of Derian Hatcher since, well, Derian Hatcher. Pronger looked so slow skating. So slow to turn. And for some reason kept falling all over the place - into the boards, in open ice, even when he was cross-checking guys in the corner. What a bad play he made pinching and not getting the puck on the Staal goal that more or less ended the game in the first period.
But ultimately it feel back to me. And the hope that the person traded will not be Ian Laperriere, which I highly doubt it will be. But something's gotta give. Almost all of the Penguins shots last night were hold-your-breath real opportunities to score. For the Flyers if we just get a puck on net I wish it would have somehow snuck in.
A little later today we release our 14 page Flyers Fan's Guide to Surviving the Winter Classic ebook. Make sure to come back and pick up a copy to send it to your grandparents for Christmas. You can stuff it in their Santa Sack so they actually have something useful in it.
(What an embarrassment for the NHL. There's a reason that the Islanders and the Avalanche aren't playing in the Winter Classic this year - because they sucked last year. The NHL thought it'd have a match up featuring the two top teams in the East on January 1st. Boy did we get them.)
I haven't been this excited for a game since October. The Flyers are in Pittsburgh tonight to take on not just their rival, but a team playing dominant hockey and ahead of them in the East, in a hostile barn, after playing the night before in Boston. Lavvy sure got thrown right into the fire, eh? After last night's win the Flyers look to keep that good play going when they take on Sid, Geno and the Pens in what is sure to be a great game. Excited for Flyers hockey. Not really the way to describe the end of November and the beginning of December, but that's how fickle this game can be. One game, one good(not great) 60 minute effort can turn the tide, swing the confidence pendulum back to your favor and give you that extra edge you need to win at this level. Best part about it is that we get to see if there were in fact any fruits to the Flyers labor as they play right away.
Hope you're ready for a war Flyers fans. So much talent all over the ice. The next two games will feature 10+ Olympic hopefuls, All-stars, Cup winners and buttsniffin' gorilla dicks (see: Talbot, Rupp, et al) Battles with Pittsburgh always make your blood boil. Seems like the Flyers can never stop Sid, but then again, not many teams can. The problem I see when playing the Penguins is that you have to shut down their secondary scoring. Schlubs like Kennedy, Fedotenko, Dupuis and Cooke always seem to get points...and if they are going to get on the scoresheet, we need our grinders to answer. I'd say next to Danny Breeze, Aaron Asham has been our best forward in the past week. He is flying under Lavvy's system and always works hard. Look for Asham, JVR, and Pyorala to pace the Flyers forechecking, and hopefully open up Briere, Richards and Carter for some better matchups.
Aside from John Tavares I haven't heard any player mention Chris Pronger's ability to get under their skin. Tonight, we need #20 to be as shut down as one gigantic man can possibly be. With OKT trying to be Simon Gagne the Flyers will be using Danny Syvret & Oskars Bartulis, two capable, yet green defenders. Pronger, Carle and Kimmo will be asked to do work tonight, and should be ready for the task.
Tonight, I'm excited for the match-ups, the puck battles, the scrums and the yippin'. It's always a barn burner when the Penguins and Flyers meet. Tonight we get to see if the Flyers did indeed 'turn the page' last night, or if that was a flash in the pan.
The igloo will be packed. The Steelers are a losing product, which will cause the parasites to flee from one dying host to the one still breathing. The Penguins don't need any help, and all they'll get is pain. Saint Primeau is on our side for an epic week of hockey. Let's Go Flyers.
There were way better pictures to nab off the webs today that more accurately captured the thrill of last night's Flyers win so much more than this one, but there was no picture that looked more like two Bruins fans in photo 2341 of the log flume ride.
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I mean, I cannot stop laughing at that guy's expression. Or his flume partner from Happy Gilmore boxing the air.
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Yeah the Flyer won last night, but we got lucky. It was about time we got some, and you should all thank Fran for begging his God (the little girl robot from Small Wonder), but still, that goal in the first probably should have counted and there were some serious non-calls against the Flyers.
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Which takes me to my next point - Andy Brickley and Jack Edwards are the best husband-wife commentating team in all of hockey. I'm actually only saying that to gain good favor with you fellow Flyers fans. The truth is that I actually find the two very entertaining. So much so that -gone blind, deaf, and dumb from the number of Santa Sack and Lexus Club ads during the Flyers broadcasts of late - I actually watched the NESN broadcast last night. Knowing Edwards and Brickley piss yellow and poop black is paramount to being able to enjoy a game they're covering. If you go in expecting to feel like you're sitting at the Black Rose in the North End between an alcoholic Suffolk professor and an off-duty cop then you can take a great amount of enjoyment from their ludicrous homerism.They're 2 years away from waking up one morning and being Statler and Waldorf.
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And to my last point, what exactly was Matt Carle doing on this play except blocking John Kalinski from playing defense? He's in the right place but he never even puts a stick on Sobotka until after Sobotka deflects the puck. That is weak play. The Flyers need the type of toughness where a defender is hounding that guy in front before the play happens more than they need to fight 6 times a game. Even though, for the record, I'd be fine with that too.
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And sorry, these were my last points - Carcillo looked good out there, I've been saying it all over God Damned Tweeter but the Flyers need to bring Stefan Legein (5th leading goal scorer in the AHL)up and put Riley Cote back in the press box, OKT should have been cast instead of Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable, and the Flyers are in Pittsburgh right now - don't you feel bad for them? I hope they don't touch anything.
Tonight the Flyers are in Beantown to take on the Bruins. The last time these two will meet before the Winter Classic. Boston always provides the Flyers with a tough task and tonight will be no different. After searching for their identity in the early parts of the year, the Bruins have settled down and now look to dominate the Northeast Division. The Flyers, who started oh so promising, are in desperate need of some goals, some edge and a win.
Both teams would like this one. Boston is two points behind Buffalo for 1st place. The Flyers have a rough week and would love to get two points out of this contest. Boston is mostly all healthy, sans Milan 'Loooooch' Lucic. They have a great blueline anchored by the brute Zdeno Chara and the slipperiest goalie in the league in Tim Thomas. Tukka Rask, their backup net-minder is also legit (he was in net in the first meeting of the season, where the Flyers won in OT) Two well rounded, complete goalies to choose from for Boston....one backup and a green rookie for the Flyers. Life is cruel at times. The Bruins play the type of game the Flyers want to be able to. They attack, and muck and grind and dig deep and defend and block shots and create turnovers and handle the puck in the offensive zone. Solid built team revolving around team effort gets the B's wins. They don't rely on a "Scott Hartnell drop pass to a Jeff Carter who tries to cross the ice to Matt Carle who then 360 spins and blind passes it to a wide open Jeff Carter for a goal".....they just attack the net and get rewarded for it.
For the Flyers, a steady performance from Boucher is a definite. We may need him to steal us a game, and this could be one where it happens. If the Flyers can keep the PP-to-PK ratio in their favor, then they have a great shot at getting two points. The offense needs to wake up at some point, and I'm hoping the aggressive style of play the Bruins incorporate will shake the cobwebs from some of our struggling forwards. I don't know how much luck plays into professional sports. Has to be a decent amount to be able to play a game for your livelihood, and I'm hoping there is some extra special christmas magic luck the Flyers are about to uncork. Regardless of conditioning, scoring droughts and lazy play, at some time there has to be a lucky bounce or call that'll go in the Flyers favor. Hell, I don't like asking for luck, or hoping that luck helps us, doing so makes me feel like an old chain-smoking lady pumping nickels into a Jeopardy slot machine at Harrah's in Atlantic City. But without luck, can this team's psyche get a win?
Troubling stat: The Bruins have the best PK in the league. The Flyers can't score for shit. Edge: Baston.
Awesome stat: That's Captain Jean-Luc Picard's dome that the Birddog's face is on. You know, for luck.
Start of an important week. Scott Hartnell should cut his hair. Rumor has it that the Flyers are going to win tonight. Let's Go Flyers.
Let's assume, for a moment, that the drama is true, and inside the Flyers locker room more closely resembles an episode of Jersey Shore than a unified team of 20 men. Let's assume that Chris Pronger came in and could not believe how close John Stevens was to his players, and was an instrumental force in blowing things up. Let's say that Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are secret lovers. What does any of this have to do with how the Flyers play on the ice?
Your cube at work or your truck at the site or your car in the parking lot or stall number 4 is your one person locker room. You are an adult (or else you're a college kid, in which place you should crack a beer right now and start drinking it - forget about class and finals - you'll understand when you're in your late 20's). We all face adversity every single day at the workplace, but we present ourselves in an adult like fashion - meaning be bottle it up, work hard and take many shots to the chin, and then blow of steam when our job is done. Our league minimum is not $525k. That is 10 years of our lives.
I would never think to challenge all the hard work that these guys talk about putting in. There's no doubt they work their bodies into incredible shape. But when does a player that is highly touted from the time he is 12 years old ever find the time to put in the mental work that turns you into an adult? When do they ever face adversity? On Saturday night the Flyers dressed 12 players that were drafted in the first 2 rounds of the NHL Draft. Meaning that year, and in fact all of their formative years, they were one of the best 50 hockey players in the world. The WORLD. They've always been the best. When faced with problems they don't know how to handle they skate harder, ride the bike longer, and study the opposition closer.
At the same time there's no denying that attitude, confidence, and emotions in general can effect every aspect of your life. This might be most easily seen in a tale from on of hockey's all-time greats.
As Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, approached his impending retirement, during two seasons where he felt like he was being treated unfairly by the Red Wings front office, he put up 71 points and then 53 points before he hung up his skates for a job in the bowels of Joe Louis Arena. Two years later the owner of the WHA's Houston Aeros came to Howe's summer home and asked him what he thought of playing with his two sons the coming season. It had been a lifelong dream of Howe's and he had had enough of Detroit. Truth be told the Aeros owner was more interested in Mark and Marty Howe, Gordie's boys, but he thought bringing in the old man couldn't hurt the box office draw. That season, at the age of 45 Gordie Howe recorded 100 points in 70 games in the WHA. The next year he notched 99 and the year after that he had 102. He played on a line with his youngest, future Flyer Mark, while big Marty defended the back end. At some point during this amazing run a reporter asked him what had changed that had resulted in this resurgence. And Gordie simply answered "It's amazing what you can do when you're happy."
So maybe I'm underestimating the importance of a unified, proud, and strong locker room - if this rift is even real. But if that is the case, I would think Paul Holmgren would be aware of it, and I would think he'd figure out a move that could possibly alleviate some of this cloud of unhappiness.
Peter Laviolette is going to skate the asses of this team today. I'm just thinking that it's too bad that gone are the 4 days breaks and one game in 10 day stretches of October and November, because I think every Flyers fan would love to hear about 2 hour practices with no pucks. Maybe with players carrying around 25 pound weights in their underpants.
Last night I couldn't help but picture the post-game skate that Herb Brooks famously put his team through on the way to the gold in 1980. I fell asleep picturing the Flyers being made to ride back on the train in full equipment and a bus taking them right down to the Wach for an all night sprintfest.
I wonder how funny Scott Hartnell thinks his hair is now. Other teams must be getting a kick out of it at least.
Earlier today a Flyers fan, who we will identify here only as "guest" to protect his/her identity, posted a comment on a post that clearly struck....close to the heart, if you will. The editors of that post would like to be explicit in the fact that we understand that a) time travel is rarely possible and b) that "people should not be talking shit about shit that they don't know fuck about."
Ya heard? The puck drops in 20 minutes. We can win this one. Last year it was the Devils who served as a stepping stone out of our 0-3-3 hole. This year we need more of the same.
Also, Jeff Carter was spotted at a night club in full hockey gear, drinking a vodka soda in Newark just 10 minutes ago. Him and Ron Artest have reported plans to go bowling together.
The Flyers and Devils will battle it out in Newark tonight as the Orange & Black look to break out of their funk against a old nemesis. Jersey is good, as usual. They are off to their best start, ever....gotta respect an organization that is a constant winner. No matter who is playing in that stinktown, they seem to be able to put together a winner. Lots of rookie contributions, old stalwarts and the goalie of forever will be tough to beat for the Flyers. With the confidence of the fans, and perhaps the team in jeopardy, New Jersey might not be the best place to be playing tonight.
Really, I want to sound optimistic. I was promised a Porche this year, and I'm afraid the dealer sent me a 1999 Toyota Camry with a broken taillight. Maybe thats how we'll define this first half of the season. Forget the marketing schmucks who gave us 'Relentless', it feels more like 'Perception vs. Reality' should be the tag line for this years club. The talent is on the ice, but the confidence isn't there yet. Shoot, on paper, the Flyers have a better, more experience team than the Devils, however that translates about as well as a French speaking Korean in the boxscore. One thing about Lavvy's system, is that the defense is playing well. Boucher, Pronger, broken-toed Kimmo, are doing there part. The penalties and lack of 5-0n-5 scoring is what has this team stuck in nuetral. Not to mention driving me bat-shit crazy while watching these games.
Am I alone? I can't be the only one pulling my hair out. As fans, we want the teams we watch to succeed more than anything else. It gives us pride, excitment and bragging rights. It is also our duty as fans to suffer with the bad times. A wise person said 'You can't taste sweet without tasting the sour.' It would be easy to walk away from this team and get interested in them once they figure out their offense. It would be easy to drop your loyalty for the next sport your city has to offer. But people, let's get one thing straight. This is not Pittsburgh. We do not give up on a team that lays in front of pucks, sacrificing 7 teeth and this year's Christmas card. We do not give up on our history, our Captain and our new coach. To keep this cliche-filled entry going, 'When the going get tough, the tough get going." And that is where we are Flyers fans. It may not be pretty, but when they hoist the Cup this year, it will be worth it.
Need a bright spot? Well the Flyers are 4-1-0 against Atlantic Division opponents this season.
Time to do work. It's never easy against the Devils, but if it's not hard, it's not worth doing. (Annnnnnd that's what she said.) Lets Go Flyers.
I was poking around the internet this morning when I happened upon the Flyers schedule. Their next three games are against the Devils, Penguins, and Bruins. When are we going to be able to win a hockey game? I was shortly thereafter availed of that thought when I then found the picture below, and my thoughts changed to "Jeff Carter is really grabbing onto that lady's boob. Like Cliffhanger or something."
Good work Jeff and Mike. Especially Mike, for blocking off that dweeb trying to squeeze his head in in the back.
With the speed of the internet and information these days I have to assume that this was late last night in a Newark night club. Mike Richards must have pushed really had to get his hair to grow out to 2005 length. A length of hair when things were oh so much simpler.
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Peter Laviolette is going to skate the asses of this team today. I'm just thinking that it's too bad that gone are the 4 days breaks and one game in 10 day stretches of October and November, because I think every Flyers fan would love to hear about 2 hour practices with no pucks. Maybe with players carrying around 25 pound weights in their underpants.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 