I just realised while browsing over the last few things I have wrote that I never talked about the Flyers game 7 victory over Boston a few days back in one of the most dramatic games of Hockey I have ever seen and certainly the greatest comeback in the history of the NHL. Indeed, the Flyers done the unthinkable and became just the third team in the history of the game to come back from 3 games down to win their best of seven series 4-3, but what made it more dramatic than the Leafs in the 50’s and the Islanders 70’s? The fact that in game 7 itself the Flyers went down 3-0 to Boston before fighting back in that game, just like in the series, to tie the game and then win it and move on. Unbelievable stuff and to say I was on the edge of my seat would be an understatement.

The team will be exhausted now no doubt and as I write this they are already underway in their conference final matchup against Montreal, but they will be filled with confidence and after only getting into the playoffs itself on the final day of the NHL regular season and then doing this against Boston they would be forgiven for thinking there is some kind of destiny around them.

It has been a rough season for everyone involved with the Philadelphia Flyers. Expectations were high coming into the season and they were expected to challenge for a cup. The first half dozen games or so went swimmingly but suddenly the wheels came off. They started losing – a lot, the coach was fired, the fans got frustrated, there was talk of players partying more than playing and rifts within the dressing room. It seemed the team were going to completely blow the season. Then came the Christmas period and New Year.

They won four in-a-row over Christmas to end December and their captain, Mike Richards who has been struggling at times through the season, got named to the Canadian Olympic team and started to pick up his game.

A late comeback by Boston against the Flyers at the Winter Classic game on New Years day at Fenway Park and another loss a few days later against Ottawa had some worrying that they were reverting back to poor form, but the team showed heart, grit and fight against the Leafs on Wednesday night and then again last night against rivals and cup holders, Pittsburgh, last night.

The game against the Leafs was live on TV here and was incredibly the two teams first meeting of the season and after the game I cannot wait for the rest. The Flyers played tough and they played well. They scored some pretty goals (especially via enforcer/agitator Dan Carcillo) and they stirred it up and dropped the gloves (especially via enforcer/agitator Dan Carcillo). There was eight goals in the game (6-2 Flyers) and four fights and the longer the game went on the closer you felt it was going to get to breaking out into an all out brawl. I’ll have to put some cash aside for the first Flyers game in Toronto this season and try get myself down to the ACC.

Last night beating Pittsburgh though was perhaps even more important. Toronto are a struggling team, while Pittsburgh who are also struggling are a team expected to turn it around and compete for the cup.

I sense a corner is being turned by the Flyers these last two games and with the win against Pittsburgh I am more confident now than I have been in months that they can build on the result and put together a proper run of form that will pull them back into a playoff spot. Let’s face it, the talent on the team says cup contender, so something was wrong that had them so far down the standings, but whatever it is, I think new coach Peter Laviolette is sorting it out and the players are finally buying into his system and bouncing back.

Brian Startare is reporting that the Philadelphia Flyers are talking with the Atlanta Thrashers about acquiring superstar forward Ilya Kovalchuk. The asking price is expected to start with Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux.

Kovalchuk will be an unrestricted free agent following this season, and wants a contract extension; however Atlanta are not willing to pay Kovy the money he deserves. He reportedly wants a 10-year contract worth $11.3 million—the maximum amount allowed by the NHL.

In 28 games this season with the Thrashers, Kovalchuk has tallied 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points. He averages over a point a game this year, which is something Philadelphia could desperately use.

— Tim Dougherty, vyous.com, 22 Dec ‘09

Interesting stuff indeed and what to think about it? Kovalchuk is a brilliant player, a true sniper and guarantees you goals. The only problem I have with this is that the Flyers would be giving up too much in two talented players – one of which is a 40+ goal scorer himself (Carter) from last year – considering Kovalchuck’s contract is due to expire in June 2010. If of course the Flyers can negotiate a new contract with Kovalchuck then I would certainly say the deal would be worth making, but not if you were only going to get him for a handful of months – are we that desperate to give up that much in order to gamble that he pulls us back into the playoffs this year?

Another catch is the terms Kovalchuk is looking from Atlanta. Ten years worth $11.3 million is probably not something the Flyers can afford to give up. They are near the cap limit as it is and moving Carter and Giroux probably won’t cut it. They already have Richards locked up for over ten years and putting a second player on such a contract would be a no-go in my view. Here is hoping the Flyers would be able to offer him a solid shot at glory in the hopes he would lower his numbers down a little and the term of the contract.

I say ’shot at glory’ loosely of course. The Flyers this year were expected to challenge for the cup and be a top three team in the conference. Things started well but in the last few months they have absolutely fallen apart. They sacked their coach John Stevens but results still have not improved and with such a talented bunch the media and fans are really starting to speculate as to why things are going wrong. Making a player move is the next natural progression following a coach firing if results do not pick up and this certainly would be a blockbuster move. Let’s see what happens…

My pre-season prediction of the Philadelphia Flyers was to see them making the Stanley Cup Finals. The first month and a half of the season things looked to be on track as the team was playing up to expectations. Then suddenly someone flicked a switched, the team stopped scoring, stopped winning, their coach was sacked and they kept losing even when Peter Laviolette was brought in to put things right. There was talk of a dressing room split between the vets and the young players but nobody expected it to run as deep as some rumors are suggesting. Such as this:

The Philadelphia Flyers are in a tailspin, having lost 11 of 14, and according to the rumor-mongering internet, the team is divided because center Jeff Carter allegedly had an affair with winger Scott Hartnell’s wife. The rumored affair is being talked about (and dismissed) in a various places on the web. We need to mention that the site that started it all also claimed that the Eagles were going to trade McNabb to the Dolphins. Last month. So there’s that. The best Philly nugget culled from that message board reading? That the hard-partying Flyers might have crashed a Temple sorority party last year. Nice. [Philly Four]

I sure hope this is rubbish because if it is true nothing short of a trade for one of the two players is going to fix the team and if the dressing room is split in half then there could be serious problems that winning some games of hockey won’t fix. Again, it could be all nonsence and I could be wasting my time typing, but what if it is true. Then what?

I’m sure Tiger Woods is wishing Hockey was a much bigger sport globally for this might take some of the shine off of him!

Well since the coaching change that I didn’t think was quite necessary, the Philadelphia Flyers are now 0-2 making it zero wins in their past five games and eight defeats out of nine. That isn’t meant to be seen as a shot at new coach Peter Laviolette, who clearly has his work cut out for him, but rather a statement that the Flyers problems might have ran deeper than their now ex-coach John Stevens. What that problem is, I am not too sure, but the Flyers had dam well better pick up their play or risk falling far behind in the playoff race. After a pretty solid start to the season the Flyers, who many expected to compete with the Capitals and Penguins for the conference title, have fallen 3 points out of the playoff spot and while that doesn’t seem much it is quick to lose ground. Thankfully for the Flyers there appears to be a lot of parity around the league this year with everyone able to beat anyone else on any given night and it has kept the standings very close from top to bottom. Considering the abuse I have given the Leafs over the first portion of the season and their brutal start to the year, they now sit just 2 points back on the Flyers and appear to be going in the opposition direction.

The Philadelphia Flyers, losers of three straight and six of their past seven games, have fired head coach John Stevens according to Comcast SportsNet writer, Tim Panaccio.

TSN has learned that the Carolina Hurricanes have granted the Flyers permission to speak to Peter Laviolette, who is believed to be Stevens’ successor.

— TSN.ca, 4 Nov ‘09

I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear the news, but I was. I know some sections of the Flyers fanbase were calling for Steven’s head, even before the latest losing streak of three games, and six in the past seven, but I thought the team would give him more time, more of an opportunity to get out of the mess and put things right considering he had lead them out of last place three seasons ago and into the playoffs the last two years. I had kept the faith that Stevens could fix things, but more importantly the Flyers management had lost the faith and the chance has been made.

A lot of talk will now revolve around what brought about Stevens’ demise. I know about the loss in form, but what caused a talented cup contending team to turn so bad? It certainly wasn’t lack of talent, and Stevens himself didn’t forget how to be a good young coach. I think a lot of the fans attention will turn to the players who will have to look at themselves in the mirror now knowing their actions and lazy play of late has got their coach fired. Stevens didn’t deserve that and I hope he lands in a good job before long … and I think he will. A new face, if it is indeed Laviolette, will hopefully help and bring about a new attitude. It’ll give the players a kick up the backside to get back to playing like they should.

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…regular season games I have ever seen. It might sound a little strange but it is true, and I’ve seen many regular season games. Coming in October it seems even more strange considering there is little desperation hockey to be played, with the trade deadline and playoff spots seemingly a life-time away. But last night two teams … two teams expected to fight it out for the conference title, went at it and went at it trying to prove a point. I decided to give it a watch since it was my first chance to look at the Flyers team 09/10 after they had went 2-0 to start the season and while I expected a good game but with some rusty play, I wasn’t treated to a classic.

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