Extra Attackers: Flyers/NHL Headlines November 21, 2009

You see this feature in basically every topical blog. Links and quick thoughts on whatever’s up on a particular day. In sports blogs, they’re usually titled with some clever terminology from that sport, and this one’s no different.

Some Flyers-based notes as you try to contain yourself thinking about Dan Carcillo’s return to Phoenix and Scottie Upshall’s return to Philadelphians’ TVs…

• I, myself, am not fond of reading recaps after I stayed up until 12:30am to watch a Flyers loss, but just in case you are, [Broad Street Hockey], [Frank Seravelli at the Philly Daily News], and [The Panotch at CSNPhilly] have you completely covered.
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• Did you see Mike Richards block a shot with his balls last night? I’m a woman, so I can’t say for sure, but damn, that must’ve hurt.
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• The terrible ice at the HP Pavilion didn’t stop the McDouchey and whiny Dany Heatley from recording a hat-trick last night, while his very respectable teammate Joe Thorton picked up his 600th career assist. And the [Sharks Staff Writer] reminds us of that. Thanks, jerks.
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• If you weren’t ecstatic when the Flyers waived Randy Jones, you should’ve been. But take a look at this NHL headline from [FOX Sports]: “Randy Jones has gone from being a Flyers cast-off to a key contributor in the Kings’ rise from mediocrity to respectablility.” Not only did they spell “respectability” wrong, they make him sound like kind-of a good player. Both are entirely unacceptable.
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• [Frank Seravelli], or F-Sera as I like to call him has a pretty intense blog on the Richards’ hit on Booth a few weeks ago. I know what you’re thinking: the hit was perfectly legal, it was a hockey, and Richards was “just trying to separate Booth from the puck. All of those things are true. But take a look at this Q & A excerpt that the Sporting News checking up with David Booth just recently.
  

  Question: I imagine the best advice is to not rush back?
  Booth: That’s the biggest thing. You feel good during the day, you want to get back out there … I hate doing nothing. I feel like a slob. I want to do anything I can. It’s been difficult.

  Question: So what do you do to pass the time?
  Booth: Nothing … The first couple of weeks, I’d go for a walk or something and I found that to be detrimental … I think I just have to do nothing.

Game #19: Caracharodon carcharias November 20, 2009

From gadgetcat on flickr.

A very quick look at tonight’s Flyers and Sharks battle as the game starts in 12 minutes. I’m sorry and the real previews will be much better, I pinky promise.

Caracharodon carcharias, the scientific name for the Great White Shark, get it? I’m a nerd.

Facts:

• Mr. Ray Emery will be the guy in between the pipes tonight for the O & B.
  -O & B sounds like a monopoly railroad, doesn’t it?

• At this very second, Jeff Carter leads the Flyers in points at 19.
• The Flyers lost the last game to the Sharks 4-1 at home in a truly uninspired loss goalie’d by Brain “The Waterboy” Boucher.

Opinion:

• Danny Briere will have at least one goal tonight.

If you want to take an acual look at tonight’s game, see Flyers’ Goal Scored By! preview here.

As Mac from Always Sunny would say: Heyyyooo! Go Flyers, bitches.

Hungry For More, & With A Vengence April 15, 2009

Does that picture annoy you? No? It really should. Here’s why:

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin (71), of Russia,
celebrates his second goal of the game against Philadelphia
Flyers goalie Martin Biron, right, in the second period during
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in Pittsburgh. 5/10/08

Yeah, and nobody wants that again. Actually, nobody wanted it in the first place, but that was last year. Also last year: Arguably the Flyers’ biggest rivals knocked Philadelphia out of the play-offs in five embarrassing games. The Flyers had a nice run last year, sure, but that was probably the worst way for it to end. But I digress, history is history and the present can’t change that. If you thought getting bounced by Pittsburgh hurt a lot last May in the third round, I hope you bought twice as many tissues this year because it only gets harder. I’m sorry, and I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand anyone associated with the Penguins in anyway. I hate Crosby. I hate Fleury. I still hate Michelle Therrien. I hate their PR guy. I hate “The Igloo”. I hate the rats that occupy “The Igloo”. I hate everything about them, so why would the Flyers post season being ended by them feel better this time around? It won’t, it’ll be even worse, and I’m sure the guys know that. Nobody liked Penguins in 2004 and why would they? Penguins are ugly, I mean not just Malkin and Crosby, but actual Penguins too. Pittsburgh averaged 11,877 people at home (dead last), and just for good measure the Flyers were fourth with 19,375 on average that year. The worst season in Flyers franchise history was the 06-07 season. The Flyers (avg. 19,282 at the end of ’07) still had a little less than 2,000 more people in the seats than the Pens (avg. 16,424 at the end of ’07) could manage that year. How’s that for true fans?

I wanted to do a post before the play-offs started because after tonight’s game, I’ll either: A. Not want to jinx the Flyers for the following games since they’re up 1-0, or B. Will be livid about being down in the series already. And to be honest, my hopes are really high. I know they shouldn’t be. I could tell you about how two analysts and one hockey monkey picked the Flyers out of 48 people/animals, but I think ‘Flyers Goal Scored By…” did a pretty good job on that already.

So there you have it. At the end of this series, it’ll either be the sweetest revenge or us, the Flyers Faithful, will have to endure another early demise with Sidney Crosby’s hands around our collective throat. I have no idea which one it’ll be and ‘quite frankly’ (as a one John Stevens likes to say) I’ll have no impact on the outcome. I won’t be in attendance for any of these second season games, unfortunately, nor do I suit up for/have any real contact with the Flyers. All I know is that it’ll be a crazy ride and the only ones who can truly affect the game are the players themselves. We just have to have confidence in them. Yes, even Randy Jones. And if we have a motto here at the 215 411, it’s: In Mike Richards We Trust.

Start this full-fledged attack the right way and shove the gold
and black down their throats like we got the good ol’ O & B down ours last year.

LET’S-GO-FLYERS!