Mike Richards, Kings hand Flyers first loss

Things couldn't have gone better for Mike Richards in his return to Philadelphia.  Fans did mostly boo him after an initial standing ovation but Richards notched the game-winning assist in overtime as the Kings handed the Flyers their first loss of the season, 3-2.  Here are a few thoughts on the game:

-It didn't really set in that Mike Richards wasn't a Flyer until I actually watched him in another uniform play against Philly.  I don't really understand why anyone would boo him since he did give a lot to this organization and it wasn't his call to leave town.  I guess it's just the Philly way.

-Former Flyer Justin Williams had the bigger impact on the outcome, picking up two goals.  Oh, and Simon Gagne also had an assist.  And Terry Murray coached the Kings to victory.  Flyers West indeed.

-It was nice to see Danny Briere pick up his first goal of the season.  Of course, Jaromir Jagr really made the play with a beautiful pass but it was nice to see Briere get on the board.  As for Jagr, he really looks like he turned back the clock about 10 years.

-While they lost, the Flyers did well to send the game into overtime and get a point.  Through their first four games, the Flyers have picked up 7 of a possible 8 points, a solid feat considering the quality of opponents (Bruins, Canucks, Kings) they have played so far.

-Still too many penalties for the Flyers, though the Kings had even more.  Perhaps I should stop blaming the Flyers and start looking at the officials, who have had a quick whistle so far this year.

-No goal by Claude Giroux tonight?  Guess he will have to pick up two next time to stay on pace for 82.

Flyers deal Mike Richards to the Kings

This will be a day that Flyers fans will never forget. Two players that were looked at as cornerstones of the franchise have been dealt away. First, it was Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets. Now, the captain Mike Richards has been traded to the Kings for forwards Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds and a second round pick. That's a lot to process.

Once again, these deals are all about being able to sign Ilya Bryzgalov, who wants 7 million dollars per year. With this deal, the Flyers trade away Richards, who was set to make 5.75 million a year through 2020, and receive Schenn, who will make just over 3 million a year for the next three years, and Simmonds, who is an RFA and made under a million dollars last season. This move, coupled with the Carter move, should give the Flyers all the cap space they need.

I'm not sure what I can say about what the loss of Richards will mean to the team. He was a polarizing figure in the Philadelphia sports scene but he did have some great moments with the Flyers. Just like Carter, he signed a huge long-term deal but was dealt right before his no movement clause started. Rather than be a Flyer for life and be the captain that brings this city a Cup, Richards will now likely spend the rest of his career in Los Angeles.

As for what the Flyers got in return, Schenn is an absolute stud. He will be 20 when the season starts and has played in just 9 regular season games and a handful of playoff games. He has tremendous playmaking ability and will someday be the number one center on the Flyers. As for Simmonds, he will quickly become a fan favorite as he has a ton of energy and hits everything that moves. He won't be a big-time scorer on an offensive line but he should develop into a solid 3rd line winger.

I'm still in shock that the Flyers blew things up like this. Yes, they got great returns for Carter and Richards but it's crazy that both possible franchise players were dealt within an hour of one another. It's a given now that Bryzgalov will be the Flyers goaltender but now we have to wonder if they have enough offense to compete for the Cup next year. I'll have more later once I've processed all of this. Who knows, the Flyers could have more deals in the works, too. At this point, the only untouchable player has to be Claude Giroux.

Guest Post: a frustrated Flyers fan gets a few things off his chest

Guest Poster Mark Trible has had enough. Here are his thoughts on the frustrating Flyers:

"It's frustrating and it has to change."

Above are the words of Flyers captain Mike Richards, and I can’t say that I don’t agree. I also can’t say that Flyers fans across the globe haven’t repeated the same sentiments frequently in the last 365 days. What we as a fan base are facing is Groundhog Day, only around 300 miles southeast of Punxsutawney. This is a reoccurring theme, going hand in hand with the repetition of quotes from El Capitan. At what point do we say we’ve had enough? Well, I’ve had enough. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t had enough to cut ties with the team (I’m a glutton for punishment), but I’ve had enough to write a blog post! I still hold some belief in this team, and hell, I may even believe they can win a playoff series. However, playoff series’ aren’t going to cut it in Philadelphia unless three or four are won. Without further adieu, here are the things that I am absolutely tired of watching night in, and night out…

Lack of a collective heartbeat: The Flyers only have the identification of a ‘team’ because they all wear the same color sweaters. While it is true that there are leaders on the team (most notably Kimmo and Prongs), it seems as if the boys in orange are never on the same page. Point the finger at Lavy, Richie, or whoever else you feel is the problem. All I know is that finding the heart and soul of this team is as easy as finding which way John Stevens is looking.

Continuous effort on the offensive end: I don’t buy into the idea that the Flyers don’t have talent on the offensive side of the ice. In fact, I think the team is extremely talented. However, when talent and effort don’t meet somewhere in the middle, there is little success to be had. Richie isn’t the most outstanding offensive forward in the game, but he gives you all he’s got. Gagne, JVR and even CARCILLO exert a ton of energy on their shifts and skate hard, dump hard, chase hard, crash the net hard. As joyful as I would be to express nothing but satisfaction with these three there are problems with each one. Gagne is old, JVR is young, and Carcillo isn’t very talented. With that being the case, players like Hartnell and Briere have no more excuses to use. I’m sick of them. I’m sick of Hartnell falling down every time he attempts to mount a scoring chance, I’m sick of Briere going to the box every game for high-sticking and hooking. Most of all, I’m sick of having those two erratic forwards on the same line. Can anyone explain why Hartnell should be on a better line than JVR? I sure as hell can’t. Although I didn’t mention Powe, Asham, Lappy and Betts (due in large part to their lack of offensive ability), at least they do their jobs and show the same type of continuous effort night in and night out.

Braydon Coburn: Mr. Turnstile himself. With the current goaltending situation (or lack thereof), our defense has to be excellent. Coburn is about as excellent as Ovechkin is clean. Clean looks at the goal because Braydon is searching for his jock at the blue line are unacceptable and continue to occur night in and night out. I’ve got news for fellow Flyers fans, Boucher isn’t stealing the team any games anytime soon. He can be consistent and good enough for the team to win, but the defense has to protect him as much as possible.

Lack of passion: Effort and passion is not the same thing. But one certainly is the antecedent to the other. When I watched the Atlanta game on Sunday and the Ottawa game the other night, I saw a bunch of individuals who looked ready for summer vacation. I didn’t see hunger. I didn’t see the will to be the best. I didn’t see a team that is attempting to rectify the choke of last year’s stretch run. I saw no spark. Going through the motions is understandable in November. But in March? Not so much.

Lack of ACCOUNTABILITY: I know much has been made of this matter in reference to ‘oh captain our captain’, but there is more than enough to go around. After every game, we hear the same questions asked to the players, and the same responses are given. “Well, we need to show more urgency.” Or “We can’t be complacent with where we are, a lot of teams are hungry and clawing for the playoffs.” Insert whatever other clichés you’ve heard over course of the season. Why doesn’t anyone say, “It is MY responsibility to get this thing going.”? After the Ottawa game, Prongs said his piece about how the team needs to win games down the stretch, Richie said “It’s frustrating when guys aren’t playing their hardest”, Carcillo blamed the refs, Boosh blamed the refs, Lavy blamed the refs. GROW UP. Someone raise their hand and take some freaking accountability! The referees aren’t going to right this ship. It’s up to the bodies in the locker room. Take some initiative damn it!

Where do we go from here Flyers fans? I’m not sure, but I know I’m not going anywhere. The team can play like bums again tonight against the Wild (pick a name with an s on the end would ya?), and they’ll still be my bums. Things have been bad lately but it’s not too late to turn it around for a playoff run, and that’s what I’m hoping. Although, unless the previously mentioned problems aren’t fixed, look forward to an early offseason….full of watching Sidney Crosby highlights.

Follow Mark on Twitter (@Mtrible) for more great Flyers and Eagles thoughts.

Flyers at the Olympics: the Wrap-up

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Well, if that wasn't enough to convince the NHL to let its players go back to the Olympics in 2014, then I don't know what would. With the best players playing in huge games in front of millions of fans, it's impossible to call it anything but a success. Time will tell if it leads to higher ratings in the NHL but at the very least the Olympics have to be looked at as something for players and fans to salivate for every 4 years.

As Philadelphia fans, we should be very proud of how the Flyers fared in the Olympics. The Flyers sent 4 representatives to Vancouver and 3 went home with medals, including 2 with gold. Every one of the Flyers at the Olympics was a key contributor for their club, whether it was matching up against the opponents top lines (Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Oskars Bartulis), putting in work on the penalty kill (Mike Richards, Timonen) or just logging a ton of ice time (Timonen, Bartulis). While it kills me that Sidney Crosby of the Penguins will be looked at as the hero of the Olympics, we can be proud that our Flyers had a huge impact in some of the biggest hockey games of the decade.

Here is the statistical breakdown of the four Flyers who played in the 2010 Olympics:
Now let's get back to the regular season games. The Flyers take on the Lightning on Tuesday, and as much fun as the Olympics were, I can't wait to see the orange and black back on the ice once again.

Flyers at the Olympics: the Medal Round

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

So close! After a great run, Team USA came up just short in their quest for a gold medal. The US's loss was the gain of two Flyers, however. Here is a recap of how your Flyers did during the Medal Round:

Medal Round theme: Why did it have to be Crosby?

Gold Medal Game:
Canada 3, USA 2, OT After starting slow, the US clawed their way back into this one, getting a goal from Zach Parise in the final minute of regulation to force overtime. Ryan Miller was stellar in net all game long and only made one bad play; unfortunately, that bad play was in overtime on a shot by Sidney Crosby that won gold for Canada. While the US deserves a ton of credit for overcoming the odds and getting the silver medal, it was nice to see them not be happy with coming in second place after they lost the game. It's important to remember that this US team is really young and they just got a ton of experience on the world stage. If NHL players are going to Russia in 2014, the US has to be considered one of the favorites.

As for the Flyers in the game, both Mike Richards and Chris Pronger did their part to earn the gold. Richards had an assist on the first goal of the game by Jonathan Toews and he really settled into his checking role nicely for Canada. Richards played just under 15 minutes in the game and also had two shots on goal. Despite being largely criticized for his play in the tournament, Pronger put together a nice effort, leading the Canadian team with 23 minutes of ice time. He wasn't always out there when the Canadians needed to shut down the US but he was never on the ice when a goal was scored against him on Sunday. Let's hope Richards and Pronger can take this experience with Canada back to the Flyers and lead them to a championship of their own.

Bronze Medal Game:
Finland 5, Slovakia 3 Kimmo Timonen and the Fins knocked off Slovakia to earn the bronze medal. Timonen continued to be one of the best players on the ice for Finland, notching a team high 26 minutes of ice time and a pair of assists. He was a great player throughout the tournament, whatever the Fins needed him to do, Timonen did it. Hopefully he didn't get too worn down by the big minutes in pressure situations and now he can come back to the Flyers and continue to be his usual consistent self.

That's it for my daily game recaps of how the Flyers did on each day of the Olympics. Look for a complete statistical recap of each Flyer in the Olympics coming tomorrow. After that, this blog will return to its regular Flyers programming with the focus on what the orange and black can do to bring home the Cup.

Flyers at the Olympics: the Semifinals

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

USA! USA! We're on to the medal round! Here is a recap of how your Flyers did during the Semifinals:

Semifinals theme: Bring on the rematch

U.S. 6, Finland 1 Talk about an explosion. The usually defensively sound Fins got hammered right out of the gate by the U.S., who scored 6 goals in the first, including 5 in a 5 minute span. The one Flyer in the game, Kimmo Timonen, didn't play terrible, notching a team-leading 23+ minutes of ice time and finishing with a plus/minus of 0, a remarkable feat considering the score. The Fins will still have a chance to take home a medal on Saturday when the take on Slovakia. As for the U.S., they played about as well as they possibly could as they tuned up for their rematch with the Canadians. They are going to need the offensive roll to continue if they are going to knock off their North American rivals for the second time and take home the gold.

Canada 3, Slovakia 2 This one sure got interesting at the end. Canada seemed to be coasting to a win, leading 3-0 halfway through the 3rd period, when Slovakia started their comeback, scoring a pair goals to make things interesting. Canada managed to just enough to withstand the Slovakia attack and advance to a rematch with the U.S. with gold on the line. As for the two Flyers in the game, both Chris Pronger and Mike Richards had solid games. Pronger had his highest scoring game of the Olympics, picking up 2 assists in 18 minutes on the ice. While Richards didn't score a point, he did have three shots on goal in his 12 minutes of ice time. Canada was fortunate to get past Slovakia, who played a great last 10 minutes of desperation hockey.

Saturday's Bronze Medal Game: Finland (Timonen) vs. Slovakia, 10:00 pm
Sunday's Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Canada (Pronger, Richards), 3:15 pm

Flyers at the Olympics: Quarterfinals

On to the Semifinals! Here is a recap of how your Flyers did during the Quarterfinals:

Quaterfinals theme: Um, Canada is really good

U.S. 2, Switzerland 0 They made us sweat a little more than they should have but the end result is what we expected. After many near-misses and disallowed goals, the U.S. outlasted the Swiss and their stellar goaltender, Jonas Hiller. While the U.S. only had a one goal lead for most of the game, you can't really say they looked past Switzerland considering how tough the Swiss have been to play against this Olympics. Let's hope the U.S. got all the near-misses out of their system as they are set to take on a tough Finland team in the Semifinals.

Canada 7, Russia 3 Was this a hockey game or a football game between two teams with great defenses? Canada definitely came into this one on a mission to just wipe out the Russians early and not look back. While they were certainly helped by some shaky goaltending by Evgeni Nabokov, the Canadian attack looked extremely dangerous as they poured in goal after goal in the first two periods. As for the Flyers playing in the game, both Mike Richards and Chris Pronger registered one assist. Richards played nearly 16 minutes in the game and didn't have a shot on goal and somehow managed to have a 0 plus/minus. Pronger played 14 and a half minutes and didn't do much of note except for a late holding penalty. The Canadians face Slovakia in the Semifinals. I'll be shocked if they slow down the Canadian attack at all.

Finland 2, Czech Republic 0 Kimmo Timonen and the Fins won a tough, low-scoring contest against the Czechs to move into the semifinals. No goals were scored in this game until deep into the third period when Niklas Hagman scored for Finland. Timonen continued his strong play for the Fins, leading the team with nearly 26 minutes of ice time. He has been out on the ice for nearly every big moment for Finland, including when they added the empty netter at the end of the game. Expect to see plenty more of Timonen against the top U.S. lines on Friday.

Slovakia 4, Sweden 3 Slovakia jumped out to a 2 goal lead twice in this game and they hung on in the third period to pull off the minor upset. The only former Flyer to have an impact in this game was Peter Forsberg, who picked up an assist. Some thought that if Forsberg turned in a good performance at the Olympics, he might make a comeback to the NHL. Foppa is clearly a shell of his former self, though, so I'm not sure teams are going to be knocking down his door with offers.

Friday's Semifinal games: Finland vs. U.S., 3:00 pm; Canada vs. Slovakia, 9:30 pm.

Flyers at the Olympics: Day Seven

REUTERS/Shaun Best

The Olympic Tournament is under way! Here is a recap of how the Flyers did on Day 7 of the Olympic Games:

Day 7 theme: Canadians beat up the little guys

Switzerland 3, Belarus 2, SO No Flyers in the first elimination game but it was still a pretty entertaining contest between two evenly matched teams. You knew the Swiss would win once the game went into a shootout because Jonas Hiller is that much better than anything Belarus can throw out there. Up next for the Swiss? Another loss to the US in the quarterfinals.

Canada 8, Germany 2 After scoring only 1 goal in the first period and probably making their entire country nervous, the Canadians exploded in the final two periods against the Germans and cruised into their quaterfinal match with the Russians. Despite being moved off the Sidney Crosby line (as if he's upset by that), Mike Richards had a goal and an assist in just over 10 minutes of ice time. Chris Pronger also had an assist on a Rick Nash goal. The Canadians looked strong but I didn't expect anything less from them against poor Germany.

Czech Republic 3, Latvia 2, OT The first Flyer has been eliminated: Oskars Bartulis of Latvia. Despite making a valiant effort to come back from a 2-0 deficit and forcing overtime, Latvia fell to the Czech Republic after David Krejci scored the game winner. Bartulis played 22 minutes and once again failed to score a point. While he didn't register even a single assist for Latvia throughout the Olympics, Bartulis played a ton of minutes as part on the top defensive pairing and did as well as you could expect. Next up for the Czechs will be Finland.

Slovakia 4, Norway 3 Norway gave them a bit of a scare in the late game but Slovakia hangs on and moves on to face Sweden tomorrow. Former Flyer Michal Handzus had a goal for Slovakia.

Wednesday's Quarterfinal games: USA vs. Switzerland, 3:00 pm; Russia vs. Canada (Chris Pronger, Mike Richards), 7:30 pm; Czech Republic vs. Finland (Timonen), 10:00 pm; Sweden vs. Slovakia, 12:00 am.

Flyers at the Olympics: Day Six

AP PHOTO

What a Day 6 of Olympic hockey! Yeah, no major efforts by the Flyers, but some great action nonetheless:

Day 6 theme: USA! USA!

Late Saturday:
Belarus 5, Germany 3 The Germans ended their preliminary action without picking up a win. Former Flyer Dennis Seidenberg scored a goal for Germany but it wasn't enough to knock off Belarus. The Germans now get the privilege of playing against a pissed off Canadian team in the first round of elimination games. Good luck with that.

Sunday:
Russia 4, Czech Republic 2 No Flyers in this game, either, but it was an intense, hard-fought game between two countries that definitely hate each other. And that hit by Alexander Ovechkin on Jaromir Jagr? OUCH. Hated Penguin Evgeni Malkin netted a pair of goals for the Russians.

U.S. 5, Canada 3 What a game! For more of my thoughts on it, see the previous post. Ryan Miller had to stand on his head but the US made noise when it mattered. As for Mike Richards and Chris Pronger, they were thankfully quiet for Team Canada. Richards had a few good shifts with Rick Nash and Sidney Crosby but he was a poor -2 in his 12 minutes of ice time. Chris Pronger made a bad play that led directly to a US goal and was a -1 in the contest. Neither Richards or Pronger had a point.

Sweden 3, Finland 0 With Sweden's win, the U.S. is now the #1 seed for the Olympic playoff. Obviously, given the shutout, Kimmo Timonen didn't have any points for Finland in 21 minutes of ice time. Former Flyer Peter Forsberg still hasn't registered a point for Sweden. It's safe to say a comeback to the NHL probably isn't in the cards for Forsberg.

Next games are on Tuesday, 2/23: Belarus vs. Switzerland, 3 pm; Germany vs. Canada (Richards, Pronger), 7:30 pm; Latvia (Bartulis) vs. Czech Republic, 10 pm; Norway vs. Slovakia, 12 am.

Flyers at the Olympics: Day Three

(CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP/Getty Images)

Three days in, here is your daily recap of how Flyers players are doing at the 2010 Olympics:

Day 3 theme: The Swiss are good for something besides cocoa and knives!

Late Wednesday:
Czech Republic 3, Slovakia 1 No Flyers in this one but it was interesting to see that Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist. We'll see how he does against some tougher opponents.

Thursday:
U.S. 6, Norway 1 On the scoreboard, it looked like the U.S. rolled yet again, meeting very little resistance from former Flyer Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and the Norwegians. On the ice, though, the Americans didn't put away this weak Norway team like they should have. This game was within reach for Norway until late in the third period when the U.S. tallied three goals to turn the game into a blowout. If the U.S. wants to hang with the big boys in the coming days, they are going to have to put together 60 minutes of solid hockey

Canada 3, Switzerland 2, SO This was by far the best game of the day and of the tournament to this point. The Swiss goaltender, Jonas Hiller, stood on his head for 65 minutes and forced the game to go into a shootout. The Canadian team squeaked out the win after Sidney Crosby finally got one past Hiller but the Swiss really made the rest of the tournament stand up and take notice with their effort. We all know that a hot goaltender can carry you in a tournament situation so the Swiss might be a team to watch for in the coming days. As for the two Flyers on the Canadian roster, Mike Richards and Chris Pronger, neither had a single point. Richards didn't get a ton of minutes in the game but did provide good energy when he was out there. Pronger didn't seem to get quite as much ice time in this one for whatever reason.

Games tomorrow (2/19): Slovakia vs. Russia, 12 am; Belarus vs. Sweden, 3 pm; Czech Republic vs. Latvia (Bartulis), 7:30 pm; Finland (Timonen) vs. Germany, 12 am.

Flyers at the Olympics: Day One

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

This is your first in a series of daily recaps of how Flyers players are doing at the 2010 Olympics:

The theme for day one: Go North America!

United States 3, Switzerland 1 The U.S. doesn't feature any Flyers players but they cruised past the Swiss behind solid goaltending by Ryan Miller and timely goals. Former Flyer Luca Sbisa is on the Swiss team and didn't do much.

Canada 8, Norway 0 There was speculation early in the day that Mike Richards wasn't going to play for Canada in this one which would have been quite a surprise. Richards had practiced with Canada's top power play line so it didn't make much sense for him not to play. Fortunately, Richards did suit up and he even netted a goal (although he should have had two--he missed a gimme earlier in the game). Chris Pronger also saw a ton of ice time on Canada's top defensive unit and picked up an assist when Dany Heatley deflected his shot from the point for a goal. Overall, this game was simply a breeze for Canada as Norway put up a fight for a period but then folded against the mighty Canadian attack.

Games tomorrow (2/17): Russia vs. Latvia (Bartulis), 12 am; Finland (Timonen) vs. Belarus, 3pm; Sweden vs. Germany, 7:30 pm; Czech Republic vs. Slovakia, 12 am. Check back tomorrow to see how Oskars Bartulis does against the potent Russian offense in the late game tonight.

Your guide to the Flyers at the Olympics

We've officially hit a lull in Philly sports action. The Eagles have long been eliminated, the Phillies are just getting under way, the Sixers are more interested in trading for next year and the Flyers are off for two weeks for the Winter Olympic break. Fortunately, just because the Flyers aren't playing any games as a team, there are still a few individuals headed to Vancouver to represent their countries.

While Jeff Carter just missed being added to Canada's roster today and Matt Carle arguably should be on the U.S. roster, there will be four current Flyers playing in the Olympics this year. Here's what to expect from them:

Oskars Bartulis, D, Latvia: Will be top defender on a weak team
Chris Pronger, D, Canada: Could be on top D pairing for Gold favorite
Mike Richards, C, Canada: Expect more of a checking/PK role
Kimmo Timonen, D, Finland: Should get plenty of ice time

If you are feeling a little more nostalgic, there are also ten former Flyers at the Olympics:

Peter Forsberg, C (Sweden)
Michal Handzus, C (Slovakia)
Lasse Kukkonen, D (Finland)
Antero Niitymaki, G (Finland)
Joni Pitkanen, D (Finland)
Branko Radivojevic, W (Slovakia)
Luca Sbisa, D (Switzerland)
Dennis Seidenberg, D (Germany)
Patrick Thoreson, W (Norway)
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, D (Norway)

While all indications are that it's Canada's Gold to lose, there should be some entertaining games along the way, especially the Canada/U.S. and Canada/Russia tilts. As for who you should root for in the Olympics, that's your call. Despite not having any Flyers on the roster, I'll certainly be rooting for the U.S. but I'll have my eye on how the Philly guys are doing. As long as the U.S. has a decent showing (Top 4) and none of the Flyers get hurt, I will consider the Olympics a success.

It all kicks off tomorrow at 3 pm when the U.S. takes on Switzerland and it ends on Sunday, February 28th in the Gold Medal game. Click here for the complete Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Schedule.

Five Flyers to take part in 2010 Olympics, none for Team USA

Following the Winter Classic, USA Hockey announced the players that will represent the United States in the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver. Unfortunately, no Flyers were selected to play for Team USA. After their hot starts this season, both James van Riemsdyk and Matt Carle were believed to be in the running for a spot but both came up short. Goaltender Brian Boucher is the only other American on the Flyers roster and his injuries this season likely eliminated whatever slim chance he had of making the team.

There have been five Flyers selected by their respective countries to play in the Olympics in February, four of them defensemen:

Oskars Bartulis, D (Latvia)
Chris Pronger, D (Canada)
Mike Richards, C (Canada)
Kimmo Timonen, D (Finland)
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, D (Norway)

Jeff Carter was also chosen as an alternate for Canada.

Mike Richards: to suspend or not to suspend?

UPDATE: Not suspend. The NHL has chosen not to suspend Mike Richards for his hit on David Booth. Read the comments to this article for some backlash from an anti-Flyers fan.

The Flyers put together a solid win Saturday night against the Panthers, blowing them out by a score of 5-1. Danny Briere had a pair of goals that will hopefully get him going and Arron Asham also added a goal, his third in the last three games. Ray Emery also played well in goal for the Flyers, stopping 17 of 18 shots.

The story of the night, however, is whether Flyers Captain Mike Richards will get suspended for his hit on Panthers forward David Booth. Late in the second period, Richards leveled Booth in the face with his shoulder, knocking Booth out and forcing him to leave the ice on a stretcher. Richards was given a 5 minute interference penalty and a game misconduct for the hit which tossed him from the game. Here's the hit:

Since Richards was given a game misconduct, the NHL will review the hit and decide if it was worthy of a suspension. While the Panthers firmly believe that Richards' hit was dirty, Richards and Flyers GM Paul Holmgren both believe that the hit was clean, with Holmgren saying that Richards "isn't a dirty player" and Richards himself saying that he just wanted to "separate (Booth) from the puck".

So, is Richards' hit worthy of a suspension? The hit was a little late but it was within the flow of the game. Since Richards has no prior record of an incident like this, I think he should be let off the hook. Of course, we all know how the NHL feels about any slightly dirty hit the Flyers make. Knowing how the NHL operates, they will see the black and orange and they will suspend.

Mike Richards fails to win the Selke Trophy

By all accounts, the Flyers had a disappointing season this year. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in the previous season, the Flyers were supposed to take the next step in the 08/09 season and at least get to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Penguins stood in their way, again, and sent the Flyers packing in the first round.

While they were disappointing as a team, the Flyers had several players who put together solid individual efforts. Simon Gagne had an excellent bounce-back year as he netted 34 goals and proved he was fully recovered from his concussions. Jeff Carter also excelled, finishing second in the league in goals with 46. However, the best effort by any Flyer came from Mike Richards, who had 80 points, a plus/minus of 22 and led all forwards on the team in minutes played. Richards did everything for the Flyers from killing penalties to quarterbacking the powerplay, proving he was an excellent player on both ends of the ice. He was all over the ice, netting a league-leading 7 shorthanded goals and getting into his fair share of scraps. He was simply the best all-around player on the ice for the Flyers, and as we learned after the season, he did it all while fighting through a shoulder injury.

The NHL agreed that Richards was an excellent all-around player, making him a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, given to the forward who "best excels in the defensive aspects of the game". Unfortunately, Richards did not take home the award, instead Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings was deemed the best defensive forward.

Congratulations to Mike Richards for being a finalist for the award. I am sure that Richards would have been happy to win, although he certainly wouldn't have been satisfied with just a Selke Trophy. He wants the Stanley Cup, and he will do whatever it takes to bring it home next season, even if it means hurting both his shoulders.

UPDATE: Richards lost the vote 945-942 to Datsyuk, the closest Selke vote ever. I demand a recount!

Flyers rout Rangers on National TV

(AP Photo/John Dunn)

There's nothing better than a little Sunday afternoon hockey, especially when it's the Flyers whipping the Rangers. The Flyers beat the Rangers 5-2 in a game that was even more of a blowout than the final score indicated.

The Flyers scored first in the opening period when Claude Giroux netted his 3rd career NHL goal. Philly then blew the game wide open with a 4 goal second period to take a commanding 5-0 lead and never looked back. The Rangers played listlessly throughout the game although they were able to net two inconsequential goals.

Philly had several great efforts in the game. Mike Richards had a spectacular breakaway 5 on 3 shorthanded goal early in the second period. That goal was the third 3 on 5 goal scored by Richards in his career, an NHL record. Giroux also played one of the best games of his career, scoring that early goal and adding a pair of assists. Martin Biron also played well in net, stopping 35 of 37 shots.

As one would expect in a lopsided contest between two rivals, the game was chippy throughout and had a pair of fights and a couple of game misconducts. In a weird scheduling quirk, it was the first time the Rangers and Flyers had played each other since the Flyers first game of the season on October 11th. Now the two teams will play each other 4 more times in the final 27 games so expect a lot more bad blood as the two teams battle for playoff positioning. Of course, with the way the Rangers, losers of 7 of their last 8, are playing, they may be out of playoff contention when these two teams meet up again.

Jeff Carter named only Flyers All Star

The Flyers roster is loaded with star players who are having excellent seasons this year. It all starts with Mike Richards, the team leader who is 13th in the league in points. Of course, there is also Jeff Carter, who is tied for the league lead in goals. Simon Gagne is also scoring goals at a high rate and is 11th in the league in goals scored. Defensively, Kimmo Timonen is 14th in the league in points for defensemen and is also excellent on the other end of the ice.

With all of these stars playing well for the first place Flyers, you would think most if not all of them would make the All Star team. Apparently the NHL and its fans think differently. No Flyer was voted to be a starter, instead 4 Canadiens were voted in because the Montreal fans, who are hosting the All Star game, stuffed the ballot box. The Flyers could've still had several reserves added to the roster but the NHL named the Eastern Conference reserves today and only one Flyer was on the list: Jeff Carter.

Carter is certainly deserving for the excellent numbers he is putting up but I have a hard time with Richards not being on the team. He is the best player on the Flyers team and plays both ends of the ice with intensity and passion. How can you have an All Star game when you are missing such a big star?

The main reason Richards, Gagne and Timonen were left off was due to the ballot-stuffing Canadiens fans. Montreal is a good team but there is no way they should have that many representatives. The most ridiculous Canadien voted in was goaltender Carey Price. You remember Price from last years playoffs, he was the kid the Flyers completely rattled and exposed him as a terrible goalie under pressure.

Several Flyers were robbed of All Star spots they deserved but I'm sure the players won't mind too much. Instead of going to Montreal and playing an extra game they can stay home and heal up for the stretch run. I'd rather have a healthy group of players that will lead the Flyers deep into the playoffs anyway.

Click here for a complete list of the NHL All Star rosters.

Winning streak! Flyers win 2 in a row

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The curse of Sarah Palin is finally over. The Flyers won both games in a home-and-home with the Devils on Friday and Saturday to finally get themselves into the win column and out of their early season funk. The two wins puts the Flyers record at 2-3-3 which actually isn't a bad way to start the season.

The big star on Friday night's 6-3 win was Mike Richards, who notched 4 assists. The Flyers did an excellent job of staying out of the penalty box and not giving the Devils a bunch of powerplay chances.

The penalty situation in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win was completely different as each team racks up 40 penalty minutes. There were four fights in the game, including this double-fight:

This was all something that should have been expected given it was the second game in as many days between two rivals. Most of the penalties offset but the Devils still had five powerplay opportunities, scoring on one of them. Jeff Carter scored on a deflection for the game winning goal for the Flyers in overtime.

The Flyers earned both wins without Danny Briere, who will be out 3 to 4 weeks as he recovers from abdominal surgery. In Briere's absence, the Flyers have called up Darroll Powe and re-called Jared Ross and shuffled their top line to include Glen Metropolit at center between Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. Philly seems like they are a forward short even when Briere returns, unless they plan to play Ross, Powe or Andreas Nodl every game.

The Flyers have finally broken out of their early season slump. If you've followed this team at all, you know how streaky they can be. They started the season with no wins in 5 games so I expect them to run off a 5 game winning streak at some point this season.

Now that the curse of Sarah Palin has been lifted, we can get back to a normal hockey season.

Flyers say goodbye to Spectrum, hello to Simon Gagne

While the Flyers are still gearing up for the regular season, they played one of their most important preseason games Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Not only was this preseason game the final time the Flyers would play another NHL team in the old Spectrum, the game also featured the return of Simon Gagne, who hadn't taken the ice for the Flyers since February 10th.

The Spectrum, which was the home of the last Philadelphia sports franchise to win a championship, got a proper send-off today as the Flyers welcomed back a number of former team captains to celebrate the history of the building. Captains like Bobby Clarke, Eric Desjardins and Bill Barber were all honored before the game, although there were a few notable former captains who were absent from the ceremony, like Eric Lindros and last years captain, Jason Smith. The Flyers haven't played their final game in the Spectrum, as they will play one more game in the building against their minor league affiliate, the Phantoms, on October 7th.

Even more important for the current Flyers squad was the return of Simon Gagne to the ice. While Gagne didn't score a goal, he did have an assist and looked smooth on the ice as he shook off some of the rust. The Flyers experimented for most of the game with their new first line that features Gagne on the left wing, Mike Richards at center and Danny Briere on the other wing. If Gagne returns to his 30 goal form, that line will be a force.

As for the game itself, the Flyers defeated the Hurricanes 4-2. Richards showed all of the former Flyer captains in the building that the Flyers are in good hands with their current captain, scoring a pair of shorthanded goals. Richards has had a phenomenal preseason, scoring 4 goals so far, and he looks more than ready for the season to start. Braydon Coburn also added a goal and an assist for the Flyers.

The Flyers should be happy with the sendoff they have given to the Spectrum. They played their last NHL game in the building and went out the way they came in: a winner.

No surprise: Flyers name Richards Captain

In a move that was obvious to anyone who follows the Flyers, Mike Richards was named the new team captain today. Despite having just 3 years of experience in the NHL, Richards has shown tremendous leadership qualities and always plays hard. Since he made his debut with the Flyers, it has more been a question of "when" he would be captain, not "if". Expect Richards to be the Flyers captain for a number of years considering his contract doesn't run out until 2016.

The Flyers also named Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen as the alternate captains. Timonen was probably the only other player considered for the captaincy and could have been given the role if Richards wasn't deemed ready. The Flyers captain last season was Jason Smith, who signed with the Ottawa Senators this offseason.