Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips – December 2, 2011
FLYERS Headlines
1. Philadelphia Inquirer – Flyers' Pronger still fighting mysterious virus
2. Philadelphia Inquirer – Flyers Notes: Flyers seeking to recall defenseman Walker
3. Philadelphia Daily News – Staying with Flyers suits Bourdon just fine
4. Philadelphia Daily News – Flyers' vets make rookies pay
5. Philadelphia Daily News – Walker likely to play Friday
6. Philadelphia Daily News – Flyers' Going Longer Without Pronger
7. CSNPhilly.com – Tonight's game notes: Flyers at Ducks
8. CSNPhilly.com – Flyers can expect the unexpected from Ducks
9. CSNPhilly.com – Pronger on virus: 'Never felt like this before'
10. CSNPhilly.com – Walker to rejoin Flyers ... if he clears waivers
11. CSNPhilly.com – Flyers arrive in Anaheim at odd time for Ducks
12. Delaware County Times – Pronger concerned over 'mystery' ailment
13. Bucks County Courier-Times – Pronger disheartened but still determined
14. Camden Courier-Post – Pronger's illness currently a mystery
15. Will Ducks trade Ryan after all?
16. NHL.com – Pronger recovering from knee, 'virus'
17. TSN.ca – HBO cameras soon to join Flyers and Rangers for '24/7'
Anaheim Ducks Headlines (FLYERS next opponent)
1. Los Angeles Times – Ducks hope coaching change gives them a boost of energy
2. Orange County Register – Ducks' lost weekend brought down Carlyle
3. Orange County Register – No more excuses for Duck players
4. Orange County Register – Boudreau quickly takes charge of Ducks
5. Orange County Register – Ducks’ Boudreau familiar with change
6. Orange County Register – Selanne on Carlyle: ‘This came as a big shock’
7. Orange County Register – Boudreau hiring a real slap shot
Phoenix Coyotes Headlines (FLYERS Saturday opponent)
1. Arizona Republic – Winnipeg Jets shut out Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
Adirondack Phantoms Headlines
1. Glens Falls Post-Star – Phantoms set for long road trip
2. Glens Falls Post-Star – It's all about the record, of course
NHL Headlines
1. TSN.ca – Player agent Walsh slams Blue Jackets' Arniel in statement
2. TSN.ca – Fraser: Why refs don't work in teams on a game-to-game basis
3. TSN.ca – Grier announces retirement after more than 1,000 NHL games
4. ESPN.com – Mailbag: NHL's best available coaches
FLYERS Articles
1. Philadelphia Inquirer – Flyers' Pronger still fighting mysterious virus
Sam Carchidi
WESTMINSTER, Calif. - Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, who underwent surgery on
his left knee on Tuesday, said he is still battling a mysterious virus.
In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Pronger said he was not over the virus and
added, "I don't know what's going on."
The Flyers had said that his virus symptoms were almost gone and that if he didn't have
the knee problem, they were hopeful he would have been able to play Friday.
Pronger, 37, said he has been experiencing headaches and nausea like never before. He
revealed he passed a concussion test.
"It's been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on," he said. "I did some blood
work, and we're trying to get to the bottom of what's going on."
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren has said the blood work showed "no worries."
Pronger's surgery was his fifth in 16 months. He said most of the injuries were fluky,
caused by getting hit with pucks, and implied he wasn't breaking down because of his
age.
He said he would start his knee rehab Friday.
The Flyers said Pronger would be sidelined for four weeks. Pronger said that was a
"ballpark number" and that it could be three to six weeks.
The Flyers play in Anaheim, the franchise Pronger helped win its first Stanley Cup in
2007, on Friday night. If the Flyers were playing in the playoffs, Pronger said, he would
not have had the surgery and would have played through the pain.
"But it got to the point where I wouldn't have played very well," he said. "We can always
say we can play, but at what level and at what detriment are you playing? At this stage in
the season, not knowing the other side of it, it was prudent to get it done now so that if
I'm able to return in four weeks, let's say, then I'm able to get three weeks in before the
all-star break and then put the hammer down after that, as we get into the playoff stretch."
Pronger has missed 10 games this season. He missed 32 regular-season games in 2010-
11, which he called "the year from hell."
"It's a little disheartening," he said of his latest surgery. "It sets you back" after "you're
just starting to get your rhythm. . . . I have to go through that whole process again
whenever I do get back."
The 6-foot-6 captain said his knee has been bothering him since he went out with his eye
injury on Oct. 24.
In July 2010, Pronger had surgery on the other knee, and in both operations "loose
bodies" were removed. After the 2010 surgery, it took about nine weeks before he played
in a game. He said that surgery was more involved than the latest one.
"There was a little bit more damage on the one a couple years ago," Pronger said. "There
were pretty big chunks they took out, and it was not as clean as this knee was. The doctor
was pretty pleased when he got in there to see what exactly was involved."
Pronger, who leads the Flyers in average time on ice (22 minutes, 28 seconds per game),
wasn't sure how he injured the knee.
"I don't remember ever getting hit. I don't remember ever catching it in a rut or doing
anything," he said, adding he has "a couple suspicions" on how he was injured, "but I
don't really know."
Pronger not only anchors the defense, but he also keys the power play and penalty kill.
The Flyers have won just 21 of the 42 regular-season games he has missed the last two
years.
2. Philadelphia Inquirer – Flyers Notes: Flyers seeking to recall defenseman Walker
Sam Carchidi
WESTMINSTER, Calif. - Concerned that they may not have enough experience on
defense, the Flyers are trying to recall veteran Matt Walker through reentry waivers from
AHL Adirondack.
Walker, 31, who has played 10 games with the Phantoms, can clear at noon on Friday. If
he clears, he may replace rookie Kevin Marshall in Friday night's lineup against host
Anaheim.
He would give the team "experience, size, and a little bit of toughness," general manager
Paul Holmgren said after Thursday's practice. "He's been playing well down there."
Teams can claim Walker for half his salary, which is $1.9 million this season and $2
million next year.
The Flyers, who have veterans Chris Pronger and Andreas Lilja on the long-term injured
list, have been pleased with the play of rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon. But
they haven't seen enough of Marshall to make an evaluation.
Bourdon looks as if he will be with the Flyers for at least a month.
"I'm just going to play hard and practice hard . . . and make the best out of it and try to
prove I can stay here for a little longer maybe," Bourdon said.
Bourdon admitted he was "pretty nervous" in his first few games, but said being with his
teammates this week in California has made him more relaxed.
"All the boys hung out together, and I know a little bit more about everybody on the
team," he said.
New Anaheim coach
The Flyers will be facing an Anaheim team that will be playing its first game under new
coach Bruce Boudreau, who replaced the fired Randy Carlyle after the Ducks' 4-1 win
over Montreal on Wednesday. Boudreau was fired by Washington on Monday.
The Flyers expect the Ducks to have lots of energy Friday.
"Usually when you get a new coach in, guys are a lot more fired up and playing with a lot
of desperation," center Danny Briere said. He said the Ducks would be "in their own
survival mode" and "want to prove to the new coach that they deserve the ice time. It's a
blank sheet for each of their players now."
Breakaways
Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is expected to face the Ducks, though Laviolette wouldn't confirm
it. . . . Claude Giroux leads the Flyers in faceoff percentage (51.1 percent). The team's
other primary centers are Briere (48.8 percent), Sean Couturier (46.9 percent), and Max
Talbot (41.3 percent). Talbot is expected to move to wing and be replaced at center by
Brayden Schenn on Friday. - Sam Carchidi
3. Philadelphia Daily News – Staying with Flyers suits Bourdon just fine
Frank Seravalli
WESTMINSTER, Calif. - When Marc-Andre Bourdon left Glens Falls, N.Y., on Nov.
21, he decided to pack light. With Chris Pronger and Braydon Coburn out of the lineup
against Carolina that night, Bourdon assumed he would play a game or two and be
shipped back to Adirondack.
More than a week later, Coburn has since returned to the lineup. Pronger is still out, with
Andreas Lilja joining him on the injured reserve, and Bourdon has remained in the
lineup.
And with slim pickings on the remaining injury-depleted rosters in the NHL, the Flyers
will be sticking with the hard-hitting Bourdon for the time being. General manager Paul
Holmgren told the Daily News in a text message that free-agent defenseman Bryan
McCabe was not a consideration to sign.
It's safe to say Bourdon, a third-round draft choice in 2008, has reworn his favorite suit a
few times over the last 8 days.
"Injuries came, so I might have a little more time here than I thought," Bourdon said
yesterday after practice at the Ducks' Westminster Ice. "So, I'm just going to play hard,
practice hard and try to prove that I can maybe stay here for a little bit."
Bourdon, 22, admitted that he was nervous when he made his NHL debut last week.
Those nerves lasted for two more games, but they've finally started to dissipate.
In his first four games, Bourdon has averaged 13:16 in ice time and is a plus-1. He also
has six hits and four blocked shots.
"I was pretty nervous for the first three games. And against Montreal, because I knew a
lot of [friends and family] were watching [in Quebec]," Bourdon said. "But now I'm not
as nervous. We've been here all week and I know a little bit more about the team."
Bourdon has bent the ear of frequent defensive partner Matt Carle since his arrival,
asking the veteran nearly any question that pops into his mind.
"Some things are different here than [the AHL]," Bourdon explained. "I just want to
make sure that I know everything I can. I don't want to be in a position that I'm not
supposed to be in on the ice."
Now, with an increased role and more familiarity, Bourdon is expected to help shoulder
the load without Pronger and Lilja. Fellow rookie Kevin Marshall, who also made his
debut on Nov. 21 and has played two games, might not have the same expectations.
The Flyers put defenseman Matt Walker on recall waivers yesterday. Walker, 31, arrived
in Southern California last night. If he clears waivers by noon (Eastern Time) today,
Walker could bump Marshall from the lineup.
Duckin' Boudreau
The move itself was not surprising - but the timing of it all was mind-boggling. Anaheim
coach Randy Carlyle was fired 40 minutes after winning on Wednesday night, as the
Ducks snapped a seven-game skid. And Bruce Boudreau, who was fired in Washington
on Monday, was plucked from the job line just 66 hours after being canned by the
Capitals.
Boudreau's quick turnaround was the fastest from one team to another in league history,
according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He was in Anaheim yesterday to run practice with
the Ducks for the first time.
And the Flyers, well, they aren't really sure what to expect from the Ducks.
"Guys will be fired up, a lot of desperation, in survival mode," Danny Briere guessed. "It
will be their own survival mode. Players will want to prove that they deserve the ice time.
They want to play. It's like starting over."
Briere said he believed it would be tough for Boudreau to institute his system in less than
48 hours and with just one practice. That makes it tough for Peter Laviolette's crew to
game plan, having to mix between player tendencies, Carlyle's old habits and plays, and
Boudreau's familiar tactics.
"It's really hard to tell," Laviolette said. "You can go back and look at what personnel is
in the lineup, maybe check what Bruce was doing in Washington. He used to use a 1-3-1
forecheck in the neutral zone, then he switched to the trap. I'm not sure what to expect.
We'll have to adjust on the fly."
Pronger still struggling
More than a week after sitting out for four games with a virus, Chris Pronger said
yesterday that he is still "not himself." He had surgery on Tuesday to clean out loose
bodies in his left knee.
"It's been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on," Pronger said. "I've just never
felt like this where you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you're nauseous."
Pronger said he took and passed a concussion baseline test. The wonder is whether these
symptoms are caused by the high-stick that nearly cost him vision in his left eye on Oct.
26. He has undergone blood work to "try and get to the bottom of what's going on."
With regards to his knee, Pronger said Dr. Peter DeLuca was "pretty pleased" with what
he saw during surgery. The 4-week timetable for Pronger's return, though, is just a
ballpark figure.
"It could be 3 weeks, it could be 6 weeks," Pronger said. "Once I get my rehab going, I'll
know a bit more."
Pronger said he expects to start light rehab activities today in Voorhees.
Slap shots
Jaromir Jagr likely will play tonight against the Ducks . . . James van Riemsdyk was on
the ice with his Flyers teammates yesterday for the first time in a week but did not
participate in any drills and remains doubtful to play at all this weekend . . . The Flyers
held their annual "rookie dinner" on Tuesday night in the Newport Beach, Calif., area
with the team's seven first-year players picking up the tab . . . Even with the Flyers'
mediocre 6-4-2 record at home this season, the Wells Fargo Center was voted the NHL's
toughest place to play by Sports Business Journal. Philly edged out Montreal, Detroit,
Boston, the New York Rangers and Chicago.
4. Philadelphia Daily News – Flyers' vets make rookies pay
Frank Seravalli
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With 7 rookies on the Flyers’ roster, they were bound to be targeted
by the veterans at some point during the season.
Just a couple weeks ago, we wrote about the fun the Flyers’ veterans might soon have
with their rookie teammates. Well, the Flyers held their annual rookie dinner on Tuesday
night in the Newport Beach, Calif., area.
That meant first year players like Zac Rinaldo, Brayden Schenn, Harry Zolnierczyk, Sean
Couturier, Matt Read, Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon were left with the
check.
That’s especially tough for players like Marshall and Bourdon, who have only been
collecting an NHL-sized paycheck for a little more than a week. So, the Flyers gave those
two guys the flexibility of paying next year.
Instead, Bourdon said they both obliged to lessen the load on their rookie counterparts.
They likely earned some props in the process.
“I decided to pay,” Bourdon said. “I think it was a good choice because there are a lot of
rookies and it came out cheaper. I just wanted to feel a part of the team.”
Bourdon said it cost “a couple grand,” which is a sizable portion of his normal $65,000
salary in the AHL. He’ll make up for it in his stay with the Flyers, which looks like it
could be longer than even he originally planned. Bourdon makes $4,730 per day with the
Flyers, which has already added up to $37,840 in his 8 days on the roster.
BOOTING SCHENN: When Brayden Schenn returns to the Flyers’ lineup on Friday
night against Anaheim, he will do so wearing a clear, protective boot over his skate.
Schenn’s custom molded boot will try and minimize the impact of a shot or slash against
his fractured foot. He is still looking for his first NHL goal.
For some players, the boot is a hindrance to their skating and turning. The Flyers’ players
regularly add them onto their skates in practice for drills (like the penalty kill) that
involve shots in harms way, but players rarely wear them during a game.
“Everyone skates differently,” Schenn said. “For me, I just tell myself that I have to wear
one. I’ve got to keep my foot protected. I can’t let the puck [get close]. To be honest, it’s
fitted to my skate and I can’t even tell. There’s so light, you can barely tell.”
BRYZ BACK: Nearly a week after he said he was sick, Ilya Bryzgalov is expected to get
the call in net tonight for the Flyers. Bryzgalov, who has been on the bench for 5 out of
the Flyers’ last 7 games, notified the media on Wednesday that he was struggling with an
illness.
Bryzgalov would not say, however, whether it impacted coach Peter Laviolette’s decision
to run with Sergei Bobrovsky.
“I don’t know, maybe it’s just a coincidence,” Bryzgalov said on Wednesday. “I’m just
telling you, I was sick.”
Peter Laviolette would not announce his starting goaltender on Thursday, but all signs
point to Bryzgalov. He would not also lend credence to the fact that Bryzgalov’s health
over the last week played a role into his starter’s decision.
“I think there’s something to be said for rewarding a player who does well,” Laviolette
said Wednesday. “Bryz is our No. 1 goalie ... It’s a long season, and I’m sure there will
be another opportunity for Bob to steal a couple games in a row. He’ll come in and do the
job and we’ll reward him by putting him back in the net.”
The biggest question of the road trip is whether Bryzgalov plays both ends of the back-to-
back against his former teams, both Anaheim and Phoenix. They are separated by less
than an hour’s flight and Saturday’s game against Phoenix is less than 24 hours after the
contest in Anaheim.
STRANGE STARTS: Bruce Boudreau’s first game as an NHL coach was against the
Flyers on Nov. 23, 2007 - when his Capitals, then ranked dead last in the NHL, topped
the Flyers, 4-3, in overtime.
Nicklas Backstrom scored the game-winner. Boudreau was the Capitals’ interim head
coach, having earned the title early on Black Friday as the former Hershey Bears head
coach before the Flyers’ annual matinee game.
On Friday, Boudreau’s first game as the Ducks head coach will also be against the Flyers.
If that wasn’t strange enough: Peter Laviolette’s first game as the Flyers’ coach on Dec.
4, 2010 was against Boudreau and the Capitals.
Boudreau is an astounding 201-88-40 since that game in 2007 at the then-Wachovia
Center.
THE IRONY: Just a few miles north of Anaheim, a former Flyer had a tough night at the
Staples Center. Kings forward Mike Richards was knocked out of Thursday's game
against the Panthers after a fierce hit from Florida's Sean Bergenheim.
It was Richards, if you remember, who caught Florida's David Booth (who has since been
traded to Vancouver) with a nasty hit in 2009 that sparked controversy throughout the
league. Richards was not suspended. But after watching the hit on video, Richards said he
would not have made the same hit again, choosing to let up with a player in a vulnerable
position and the puck readily available to be stripped without a bone-crunching hit.
On Thursday, it was Richards who was the recipient. He left the game with a non-
descript, "upper-body" injury. Richards had been on fire, posting 10 points in his
previous 10 games. He had also been riding a 5-game goal streak that was snapped earlier
in the week.
PROJECTED LINEUP: Subject to change, but here are the Flyers' lines I am projecting
for their matchup agains the Ducks:
Hartnell - Giroux - Jagr
Simmonds - Briere - Read
Schenn - Talbot - Voracek
Zolnierczyk - Couturier - Rinaldo
Coburn - Timonen
Carle - Bourdon
Walker* - Meszaros
Bryzgalov
Bobrovsky
* denotes: if clears re-entry waivers by 9 a.m. Pacific Time.
5. Philadelphia Daily News – Walker likely to play Friday
Frank Seravalli
WESTMINSTER, Calif. -- Matt Walker is not a big name acquisition.
But Walker, who is on re-entry waivers today after the Flyers re-called him from
Adirondack, will provide the necessary experience and reinforcement on the blue line
with Chris Pronger and Andreas Lilja out for the next month.
Walker is en route to California and is expected to arrive later on Thursday night. After
all, there isn’t exactly an easy way to get from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Southern California.
Walker, 31, will be available for Peter Laviolette’s lineup on Friday night against
Anaheim, provided that he clears waivers.
A source close to the situation said he believes “99 percent” that none of the other 29
teams in the NHL will take a flier on Walker, despite the fact that quite a few other teams
are also dealing with injuries, because of his salary.
Walker’s cap hit is $1.7 million and he still has next season left that will pay him $2
million in cash.
Should Walker be claimed, the Flyers will be on the hook for half of his salary and cap
hit this season and next, splitting it with the claiming team.
Even though a prorated $850,000 for the remainder of this season would be closer to
Walker’s fair market value at this point in his career, the extra year of payment would
likely make teams think twice.
Walker has played 3 games with the Flyers this season, as a minus-2 while averaging
11:35 in ice time per game. He’s played 7 games overall with the Flyers since being
acquired in July, 2010 in the Simon Gagne trade with Tampa Bay.
Even with the long flight out to the West Coast, Walker would appear to be likely to play
against the Ducks on Friday night, which would leave rookie Kevin Marshall as a healthy
scratch. Walker will know his fate by 9 o’clock Pacific Time on Friday morning (12 noon
Eastern).
Should Walker be claimed, he’ll likely be packing up for another long flight.
Pick up a copy of Friday's Daily News for an in-depth look at the Flyers' defensive plans
and what they're expecting against an Anaheim team that just hired Bruce Boudreau on
Thursday.
6. Philadelphia Daily News – Flyers' Going Longer Without Pronger
Bob Vetrone, Jr.
Since they are facing at least four more long weeks sans defensemen Chris Pronger, we
thought we'd take a look at how the Flyers have fared with and without him since the
beginning of last season.
By the way, in order from the start of the 2010-11 season (and including playoffs), he has
missed 2 games, played 31, missed 13, played 15, missed 1, played 4, missed 21, played
3, missed 3, played 8, missed 6, played 5 and missed 4 and counting.
Their overall record and power play success are just two of the numbers that bear out his
importance.
With Pronger
Games 66
Record 41-18-7
Goals/Game 3.29
Opp. Goals/Gm. 2.64
Power Play Pct. 19.9%
Opp. PP Pct. 15.9%
Without Pronger
Games 50
Record 23-19-8
Goals/Game 3.02
Opp. Goals/Gm. 3.06
Power Play Pct. 12.3%
Opp. PP Pct. 19.6%
7. CSNPhilly.com – Tonight's game notes: Flyers at Ducks
Tim Panaccio
Flyers at Ducks, 10 p.m. on TCN
Records
Flyers: 13-7-3 (Third in Atlantic Division, Sixth in Eastern Conference)
Ducks: 7-13-4 (Fifth in Pacific Division, 14th in Western Conference
Previous games
The Flyers are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Rangers. It was the first of four straight road
games for the orange and black. The Flyers will host the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park
on Jan. 2 for the 2012 Bridgestone Winter Classic.
The Ducks ended their seven-game slide on Wednesday by beating the Canadiens 4-1.
Coach Randy Carlyle was dismissed shortly after Wednesday's victory and Bruce
Boudreau, who was fired by the Capitals two days prior, was named his replacement.
Who's hot?
Claude Giroux is leading the Flyers in goals (13), assists (16) and points (29). Giroux has
two goals and five assists in his last four road contests.
For the Ducks, Corey Perry has a seven-game point streak, totaling five goals and five
assists in that stretch.
Storylines
Boudreau will make his coaching debut with the Ducks Friday night when they host the
Flyers.
The orange and black haven't played since Nov. 26 and look to bounce back from a
sloppy 2-0 loss to the Rangers.
Each team remains without key veteran defenseman Flyers captain Chris Pronger and the
Ducks' Lubomir Visnovsky both recover from injuries.
Injuries
Flyers: Chris Pronger (knee, virus), James van Riemsdyk (upper-body), Andreas Lilja
(high ankle sprain), Erik Gustafsson (wrist), Blair Betts (lower-body).
Ducks: Dan Ellis (groin), Lubomir Visnovsky (finger), George Parros (torn left retina),
Jason Blake (forearm laceration), Matt Smaby (thumb).
Sound off
Which Flyer will have the biggest impact against Anaheim?
8. CSNPhilly.com – Flyers can expect the unexpected from Ducks
Tim Panaccio
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – The best that can be said for the Flyers on Friday is to
expect the unexpected.
Bruce Boudreau, fired from Washington earlier in the week, replaced Randy Carlyle as
Anaheim’s coach less than an hour after the Ducks defeated Montreal 4-1 on Wednesday
night.
The thing is, no one knows what to expect from Boudreau’s new club in his first game
against the Flyers.
It’s hard to think Boudreau could implement the same “systems” he had in Washington in
so short of time.
Then again…
“It’s hard to tell,” said Flyers coach Peter Laviolette, who is very familiar with Boudreau,
having coached against him in both the Southeast and Atlantic Divisions.
“When coaching changes are made they’re really difficult to play against in the first
game. I would expect it be a hard fought game and they’ll be wanting to prove that their
worthy of ice time and power play time, so we have to be ready to play.
“We go back and look at personnel in the lineup. Maybe check with what Bruce was
doing in Washington. It’s really hard to tell. Bruce used to play a 1-3-1 in the neutral
zone, then, he switched to a trap. I’m not sure what he’ll do. We’ll make adjustments on
the fly.”
When Laviolette took over the Flyers on Dec. 4, 2009, his first game was an 8-2 loss the
next day to Boudreau’s Capitals in which he threw a lot of new systems at his players and
then built upon that as the season went on.
How ironic now that Boudreau’s first game is against Lavy.
“It’s hard and I don’t know what they’ll be putting in,” Laviolette said. “I’d be
speculating on all of this. It’s crazy to speculate. I don’t know how much he’ll put in or
what we won’t put in. When I’ve done it, I jumped in and put things in right away and
worked on things along the way. It’s hard to say what happens tomorrow.”
Danny Briere, who has been in the NHL for 14 seasons, says he doesn’t expect to see the
Boudreau-Caps systems, but has a keen sense on what to expect from the Ducks’ players
themselves.
“You don’t turn around a new team with a new system in just one day,” Briere said. “Just
look at our experience here with Peter. It took three, four weeks before we started playing
the way he wanted us to play.
“I think the first two or three games they will be playing on adrenalin. They’ll be skating
all over the place and playing with a lot of emotion and passion. That’s what is dangerous
for us more than anything.”
Given the Ducks finally snapped a seven-game losing skid on Wednesday, there should
be plenty of juice in their collective tanks for this game.
“When you get a new coach in like that, guys are more fired up and play with a lot of
desperation,” Briere said.
“Survival mode, their own survival mode, each and every player. They want to prove to
their coach that they deserve the ice time. They want to play. It’s like starting anew with
a blank sheet for each player. I’m sure they will be fired up.”
The Flyers had four games in six days, ending with a loss to the Rangers in New York
last Saturday. They have not played since. After that game, a number of players and even
Laviolette said the team was low on energy.
Since then, the Flyers have had some hard practices and three days here at a gorgeous
resort to re-energize.
In other words, the Flyers should be ready to play on Friday night.
“I don’t know if the break helps, but I really believe hanging out together the last few
days is always good for team spirit,” Briere said.
“And we’ve played a lot of games in the previous 10 days, so this break came at the right
time. Our tanks were a little empty that last game in New York. Definitely good timing.”
Maybe.
But it could also be good timing for Anaheim, as well.
Loose pucks
James van Riemsdyk again wore the yellow “no contact” jersey at practice and is
doubtful to play on Friday. … Laviolette would not say who his goalie is for Anaheim,
but Ilya Bryzgalov indicated earlier that he would be starting that game.
9. CSNPhilly.com – Pronger on virus: 'Never felt like this before'
Tim Panaccio
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- The good news is that Chris Pronger says his left knee
clean-up surgery wasn’t invasive, and he feels pretty good.
The bad news is Pronger is still feeling the effects of a mysterious virus. Despite various
medical testing, including for a concussion, he hasn’t found a definitive answer as to
what exactly is wrong with him.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” Pronger said during a conference call on Thursday.
“We’re still trying to ascertain what is going on … I really don’t know what is going on.”
Pronger has missed four games with this mysterious illness and also elected to have
surgery during this time to repair some loose bodies in his left knee.
The virus – not his knee – has him worried because it is lingering.
“I just didn’t feel well, I didn’t know what it was,” Pronger said of the virus, which struck
him on his return from Winnipeg on Nov. 19.
“I never felt like that before with headaches and nausea, and that stuff. I had a concussion
baseline test and passed that ... I got lightheaded, had headaches, you're nauseous.
“It’s been a bit of a mystery as to what exactly is going on. Did some blood work and
we’re trying to get to the bottom of what is going on.”
Pronger had knee surgery on Tuesday and will begin rehab on Friday. He is expected to
miss four weeks, but says it could shorter or longer.
“Starting the rehab, as I progress, then I’ll know more,” he said. “We kind of gave a
ballpark number because we don’t really know.”
The off-season surgery he underwent on his right knee on July 27, 2010, required about
nine weeks of recovery and caused Pronger to miss the first two games of the 2010-11
season.
This surgery, to his left knee had less complications, he said, adding that orthopedic
surgeon Peter DeLuca was “pleased” at not finding any major damage.
Pronger’s knee began bothering him when he returned to the lineup in early November
after missing six games with a right eye injury. When the knee began affecting his dry-
land training, he knew something had to be corrected.
“I don’t remember getting hit, I don’t remember catching it in a rut, or anything,” he said.
That said, Pronger added that if this were June and the Flyers were in the Stanley Cup
Final, he would have played through his knee injury.
“But it was to a point where I would not have played very well,” he said.
“We can always say we can play, but at what level and what detriment are you playing?
At this stage of the season, not knowing the other side of it, it was prudent to get it
[surgery] done now and return in four weeks let’s say, so I’m able to get three weeks in
before the All-Star break and put the hammer down after that as we get into the playoff
push and stretch drive.”
Pronger said three of his major injuries – broken foot, broken wrist and eye injury – have
involved pucks or sticks and are “fluke” injuries that can happen to any player and not an
indication that his body is breaking down at age 37.
“I get hit with a puck, I broke my foot,” he said. “Get hit with a puck in the hand, and I
broke my hand. Get slashed in the face and hurt my eye. The knees are things, like I hurt
my knee in the Stanley Cup playoffs against Boston.
“This one [latest knew], I don’t really know. The only one that was really perplexing was
my back [injury last year]. I don’t know how or where and probably never will. It was
just one of those things.
“You look at the number of injuries, they would seem to be fluky. You get hit with a
puck or stick. They’re everyday hockey occurrences that could happen to anybody. When
you play the game hard and that many minutes, you’re inclined to have something
happen to you.”
He admitted the five or six surgeries he’s undergone in the past 16 months have “taken a
toll” on him and there is frustration involved, as well.
“I was pretty pleased with how my summer training went … I felt like I got off to a good
start of the season,” Pronger said.
“Then you have a fluke injury where you get slashed in the face with a stick and now the
knee. It’s a little disheartening. I felt I was playing pretty well when I got hurt [eye
injury] the first time.
“It sets you back. You just start to get your rhythm, you’re starting to get your groove and
your comfort level is very high. This sets you back. You gotta kinda go through that
whole process again when I do get back.”
10. CSNPhilly.com – Walker to rejoin Flyers ... if he clears waivers
Tim Panaccio
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Assuming he clears re-entry waivers, defenseman Matt
Walker will rejoin the Flyers in time for Friday’s morning skate in Anaheim.
Walker was en route to California on Thursday. Given his $1.7 million salary cap hit,
Walker should clear waivers.
Right now the Flyers are playing two rookies on defense – Marc-Andre Bourdon and
Kevin Marshall - in place of Chris Pronger and Andreas Lilja, both of whom are on long-
term injury.
The Flyers will know by 9 a.m. Pacific whether Walker clears.
If claimed, Walker’s pro-rated salary would be split 50/50 this year and his full salary
next year in a cap hit to both teams.
Walker, who was with the Phantoms, is expected to replace Marshall in the lineup Friday
against the Ducks.
“Right now we have two young kids in our lineup,” general manager Paul Holmgren said.
“So, he certainly brings experience, size and toughness. With Chris [Pronger] out and
Andreas Lilja out, we lost a lot of experience.
“[Walker] played well down there which was something important to us – just to get him
playing.”
Bourdon is paired with Matt Carle and Marshall has been with Andrej Meszaros.
Holmgren said so many NHL clubs are looking for a defenseman that making a trade is
difficult. Hence, he went the Phantoms’ route.
“There’s a lot of injuries right now in the league and a lot of them are to defensemen,”
Holmgren said.
11. CSNPhilly.com – Flyers arrive in Anaheim at odd time for Ducks
Tim Panaccio
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- It figures to be a rather strange situation for the Flyers on
Friday night when they meet the Anaheim Ducks.
Randy Carlyle is gone.
Fired less than an hour after his club had ended a seven-game losing skid on Wednesday
night with a 4-1 win over Montreal and replaced with a guy more familiar to the Flyers –
ex-Caps coach Bruce Boudreau.
Boudreau was fired last week in Washington but didn’t even have to wait long enough to
apply for unemployment.
“This was an extremely difficult decision,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a
statement. “Randy is a terrific coach and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons.
We thank him greatly for his hard work and dedication to our franchise.
“At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed. Bruce is a proven winner with a
great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his
leadership.”
The question that remains unanswered with whether the club will continue to shop
winger Bobby Ryan. Sources say the Ducks need to unload salary and have a gaggle of
clubs interested in Ryan.
The Rangers and Carolina appear to be the leading candidates if Anaheim moves Ryan.
The Flyers are not in the picture.
But now with Boudreau coming aboard, you have to wonder whether he’s going to want
Murray to hold off on trading one of the team’s most valuable assets.
12. Delaware County Times – Pronger concerned over 'mystery' ailment
Rob Parent
Chris Pronger has had to deal with a string of injuries dating to last year, but it’s the
nagging malady he doesn’t know much about that has him concerned.
Pronger said Thursday he’s awaiting the results of blood work aimed at identifying
symptoms that were originally deemed by the club as “a virus.” That pseudo-diagnosis
also had been presumed by the media as a cover illness after it was announced Pronger
would need the knee procedure.
Not so, says the impatient patient.
“We’re still trying to ascertain what’s going on,” the Flyers captain said of the symptoms.
“I’ve never felt like this before.”
Pronger was speaking on a media conference call coming two days after the knee
surgery. He said orthopedic surgeon Peter DeLuca had told him the knee procedure was
not as extensive as Pronger’s last knee surgery in July 2010, which took him about nine
weeks from which to recover.
This time, Pronger’s recovery timeline has him out for about four weeks, though he said
it realistically could be anywhere from three to six weeks. That currently pales, however,
to Pronger’s concern about what’s going on in his head.
Pronger said he’s been suffering “headaches and nausea and that stuff.” He added that
he’d had a baseline test for a concussion and had passed it. The symptoms haven’t
passed.
“I got lightheaded, had headaches, you’re nauseous … It’s been a bit of a mystery,”
Pronger said. “We’re trying to get to the bottom of what is going on.”
Asked about the timing of this knee surgery – on top of the “virus” he was suffering
from, not a month after returning from a right eye injury, not far removed from foot and
hand fractures and back problems that came as a result of getting in the way of speeding
pucks or errant sticks – Pronger said, “It’s a little disheartening.
“It just sets you back,” he said. “You’re just starting to get your rhythm, you’re starting to
get in your groove and your comfort level is very high and this kind of sets you back. I
have to go through that whole process again whenever I do get back.”
As with everything with Pronger, questions about his health are going to be underscored
by his age.
“You have to look at the injuries in their totality,” he said. “I got hit with a puck and I
broke my foot. I got hit with a puck in the hand and I broke my hand. I got slashed in the
face and hurt my eye. The knees … I hurt my knee in the game against Boston in the
Stanley cup playoffs and this one was from I don’t know what. The only one that was
really perplexing was the back.
“You look at the number of the injuries and they would seem to be kind of fluky.”
Now comes something that is just as fluky, not as clear and more than a little concerning.
Chris Pronger doesn’t know if or when he’s going to shake these symptoms that sound an
awful lot like concussion symptoms, but apparently are not. He’s hoping results of lab
tests can help ease concerns.
Until then, only one thing is clear to Pronger: “I don’t really know what’s going on,” he
said.
13. Bucks County Courier-Times – Pronger disheartened but still determined
Wayne Fish
When a towering, sure-of-himself player like Chris Pronger admits he’s a “little
disheartened’’ by his recent string of injuries, the headline writes itself.
The Flyers’ captain, beginning a month-long rehab from Tuesday’s left knee surgery
while still battling the effects of a mysterious virus-like ailment, sounded frustrated by his
bad luck in a Thursday conference call.
It’s been one thing after another over the past couple seasons, but he wants to make it
clear that some of the problems stem from freak accidents, like suffering a broken hand
and a broken foot from blocking shots last year and taking a stick in the eye this season.
What he’s not going to tell you is that his 37-year-old body is breaking down, even
though he’s had work done on both knees as well as his back.
“When you have a fluke injury where you get slashed in the face with a stick and now the
knee, it’s a little disheartening,’’ Pronger said. “But I felt like I was playing pretty well
when I got hurt the first time. It just sets you back.
“You’re just starting to get your rhythm, you’re starting to get in your groove and your
comfort level is very high and this kind of sets you back. I have to go through that whole
process again whenever I do get back.’’
The way Pronger plays the game — with such a physical style — injuries are bound to
happen. Pronger might be disappointed by some of these injuries but hasn’t lost faith in
his future in the sport.
“You have to look at the injuries in their totality,’’ he said. “I got hit with a puck and I
broke my foot. I got hit with a puck in the hand and I broke my hand. I got slashed in the
face and hurt my eye. The knees are things that, you know, I hurt my knee in the game
against Boston in the Stanley Cup playoff and this one was from I don’t know what.
“The only one that was really perplexing was the back. I don’t really know how or what
happened there and probably never will. It’s just one of those things. You look at the
number of the injuries and they would seem to be kind of fluky. Three of them I got hit
with the puck or a stick. Are those everyday hockey occurrences? Yeah, it could happen
to anybody.’’
While Pronger is sidelined by the knee, he’s hopeful doctors will be able to figure out
what’s causing this drag on his overall health. He’s taken concussion tests, which were
negative. Now he’s having bloodwork done to see if there’s something going on there.
He’s feeling a little better now but one gets the sense he’s not out of the woods just yet.
“We said it was a virus but I didn’t know what it was,’’ Pronger said. “I had never felt
like that before, where I had headaches and nausea and all the rest of that stuff.
“So I had a concussion test. I took the baseline test and passed that. I’ve just never felt
like this where you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you’re nauseous. It’s been a bit
of a mystery with what exactly is going on. I did some bloodwork and we’re trying to get
to the bottom of what’s going on.’’
As for the knee surgery, the theory seems to be this was more of a wear-and-tear thing
than a one-shot traumatic incident.
Pronger doesn’t remember anything that happened on the ice.
“Not that I know of,’’ he said. “I don’t remember ever getting hit; I don’t remember ever
catching it in a rut or doing anything. I don’t know what it’s from ... have a couple
suspicions, but I don’t really know.’’
But it didn’t just pop up over night.
“Well, my knee had kind of been bothering me,’’ he said.
“It’s gradually gotten worse since I came back from the eye injury. When I stopped
skating, as I started to try to work out, it started to bother me. I’d do daily workouts and
try to do legs every other day and it got to a point where I couldn’t do my leg workouts so
I knew something was wrong.’’
14. Camden Courier-Post – Pronger's illness currently a mystery
Randy Miller
Flyers captain Chris Pronger, 48 hours removed from arthroscopic surgery on his left
knee, missed the past four games with a sickness that was more head related than what
the team has been calling a virus.
Listening to Pronger, the five-time All-Star defenseman feared that he had a concussion,
or at the very least, concussion-like symptoms.
“I just didn’t feel well,” Pronger said in a conference call, his first interview since
Tuesday’s surgery. “We said it was a virus, but I didn’t know what it was. I had never felt
like that before where I had headaches and nausea and all the rest of that stuff. So I had a
concussion test. I took the baseline test and passed that. I’ve just never felt like this where
you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you’re nauseous.
“It’s been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on. I did some blood work and
we’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on.”
Meantime, Pronger’s left knee had been getting more sore by the day, so he figured it was
a good time to get it taken care of now. That way, when he’s ready to play in four weeks
or so, he should be completely over his “virus” as well.
“I think if it was the playoffs or the Stanley Cup Final, I could play (through the recent
knee pain), but it was to the point where I wouldn’t have played very well,” said Pronger,
who had a similar procedure on his right knee in August 2010. “At this stage in the
season, it was prudent to get it done now so if I’m able to return in four weeks … then
I’m able to get three weeks in before the All-Star break and then put the hammer down
after that, as we get into the playoff stretch.”
Pronger hopes he’s back in time to play in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, maybe even
sooner.
“Once I start getting my rehab going, as I progress through that, I’ll know a bit more,” he
said. “Gauging off of when I had my other knee done a couple of years ago, a month
sounds about right, but it may be three weeks, it may be six weeks.”
It’s been one thing after another for Pronger, who has had five surgeries in the last 16
months plus his scary eye injury and “virus” this season. He’s 37, but thinks he’s been on
a run of bad luck as opposed to all these issues being a sign that his body is wearing
down due to 1,167 games as a physical blueliner over 18 NHL seasons.
“Well, you have to look at the injuries in their totality,” said Pronger, who already missed
42 games over the last two seasons. “I got hit with a puck and I broke my foot. I got hit
with a puck in the hand and I broke my hand. I got slashed in the face and hurt my eye. I
hurt my [right] knee in the game against Boston in the [2010] Stanley Cup playoff and
this one was from I don’t know what.
“The only one that was really perplexing was the (herniated disc in the) back. I don’t
really know how or what happened there and probably never will. It’s just one of those
things. You look at the number of the injuries and they would seem to be kind of fluky.”
Empty netters
The Flyers have placed minor league defenseman Matt Walker on re-entry waivers. If he
clears, he could be in the lineup Friday at Anaheim.
15. Will Ducks trade Ryan after all?
Randy Miller
Bobby Ryan had been thinking he might be moving a lot closer to home real soon.
The Anaheim Ducks star right wing and pride of Cherry Hill was on the trading black,
and if you believed all the gossip, the 24-year-old sniper possibly was headed to the rival
New York Rangers or Buffalo Sabres, not the Flyers, as nice as he’d look in orange and
black.
But following a few days of hot rumors, everything apparently changed late Wednesday
night when the Ducks made a much different big move by firing long-time coach Randy
Carlyle.
“Let’s see what happens now because Randy and Bobby butted heads quite often,” NBC
hockey analyst Pierre McGuire said. “Maybe Bobby Ryan no longer is on the market
place.”
What’s happened is Ducks general manager Bob Murray apparently now plans on
holding on to Ryan.
“Bob told me things should settle down now for the time being,” Ryan told reporters on
Thursday. “I’m looking forward to pressing restart on this season.”
Tonight, the Flyers will get an up-close look at a local product when returning from a
five-day break to play the Ducks in Anaheim.
If Ryan indeed stays put, this will be his only game this season against the Flyers, whom
he’s scored a goal and two points against in four career games.
A 6-foot-2, 210-pound power forward, Ryan had been on the market because he’s off to a
slow start and the Ducks are sporting the NHL’s worst record.
After topping 30 goals in each of his first three full seasons, Ryan has just seven goals
and 12 points in 24 games this season. Meantime, the Ducks are 14th in the Western
Conference — and 12 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot — with a 7-13-4
record.
Ryan has only three points in his last seven games, but assisted on the go-ahead goal in
the second period Wednesday night when the Ducks beat Montreal 4-1 to snap an eight-
game winless streak (0-7-1).
Afterward, Ryan was asked by the Orange County Register if he expected to be traded
and responded, “I wouldn’t be surprised. That’s all I’ll say about that.”
16. NHL.com – Pronger recovering from knee, 'virus'
Adam Kimelman
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger said surgery on his knee Tuesday went
well, but that's about all the good news he had in speaking with reporters Thursday.
The Flyers estimated their captain could be out a month recovering from the procedure to
clean up loose bodies in his left knee, but Pronger said he really has no idea how long
he'll be out.
"I haven't started my rehab," he said. "As I progress I'll know more. Gauging off when I
had my other knee done a couple years ago, a month sounds about right. It may be three
weeks, may be six weeks. We gave a ballpark number because we don't know."
Pronger said the knee had been bothering him since he returned from his eye injury Nov.
9.
"It's been gradually getting worst since I came back from the eye injury," he said. "When
I stopped skating, as I stared to work out, it started to bother me. I do my daily workouts
and try to do legs every other day. It got to the point where I couldn't do my leg workout,
so I knew something was wrong. We got the MRI, got on it quickly and got it fixed."
If it's four weeks, Pronger could be back by Dec. 27, and would miss 12 games. Any
longer and his participation in the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic would be in
jeopardy.
"If it was the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final, I could play," he said. "It was to the
point where I wouldn't have played very well. We always say we can play, but at what
level and what detriment are you playing? This stage of the season … it was prudent to
get it done now so that if I'm able to return in four weeks, then I'm able to get three weeks
in before the All-Star break and put the hammer down after that for the playoff push and
stretch drive."
More troubling than the knee, however, is the reason Pronger missed four games prior to
having surgery.
The team said he had a virus, but Pronger said neither he nor the doctors he's met with
have any idea what's been affecting him.
"We said it was a virus but I didn't know what it was," he said. "I've never felt like that
before -- headaches, nausea, all the rest of that. I had a concussion test, did the baseline
test and passed that. I've just never felt like this where you get light-headed, you have
headaches, you're nauseous. It's been a bit of a mystery what exactly is going on. Did
some blood work, and we're trying to get to the bottom of what's going on."
Pronger said he's feeling a bit better, but still isn't 100 percent.
"We're still trying to ascertain what's going on," he said. "I've never felt like this before. I
don't really know what's going on."
17. TSN.ca – HBO cameras soon to join Flyers and Rangers for '24/7'
Canadian Press
These are the final moments of privacy for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York
Rangers.
Starting Monday, the next stars of HBO's "24/7" all-access series will open their doors to
cameras for four weeks unlike any other. As the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh
Penguins learned a year ago, virtually nothing is off limits once the HBO crews embed
themselves.
It's a model the network has mastered across a variety of sports. But the NHL remains the
only league willing to grant such an unprecedented level of access in the midst of the
season.
"One of the things we learned while shooting it last year is 'Oh my God the intensity level
is so different,"' Dave Harmon, the co-ordinating producer of the series, said this week in
an interview.
"We know now how serious it is shooting with teams in the regular season as opposed to
boxing, when they're in training camp, or NASCAR, when they're just getting ready for
the Daytona 500," he added. "Right from the start it's 'Stay out of their way, this is their
profession, this is their business. Just be flies on the wall observing."'
The format for the Flyers/Rangers series will closely mirror that of the original: Four
episodes built around the Jan. 2 Winter Classic outdoor game between the teams at
Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Ballpark.
The first one-hour episode airs Dec. 14 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO Canada and will be
followed by one per week afterwards.
Virtually the same 50 people who worked on last year's series are back again, including
producers Scott Boggins and Bentley Weiner, and narrator Liev Schreiber.
But viewers can expect some changes. For one, HBO is hoping to gain even more access
than it had a year ago, when it showed footage from inside the dressing rooms, training
rooms, players' houses, team planes and even the NHL's video room on a disputed goal
review.
"I can't really tell you what (else we'll do) yet because it's not approved, but we're hoping
for other microphones and cameras in places outside the rink that'll give you a feel for
everything that's being decided and going on," said Harmon.
Camera crews have already spent time with the Rangers and Flyers gathering footage and
some long-form interviews, but there will likely still be an adjustment period for the
players and coaches once they move in permanently for a month.
The experience for the Penguins and Capitals was overwhelmingly positive last season,
even though Washington found itself in a long losing slide as the series began. When all
was said and done, Pittsburgh went 7-4-1 with HBO's cameras rolling and Washington
was 5-4-3.
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma was arguably the star of last year's series but admitted last
week that the ever-present cameras came with some challenges.
"The tough part is after you've lost a game and they're there," Bylsma told reporters in
Pittsburgh. "We saw that last year. I felt it when we lost in the Winter Classic game --
you feel the scrutiny with the cameras there.
"You feel like you have to say something. You feel like you don't want to say something
because the camera is there and you're in a vulnerable moment."
In many ways, it's those vulnerable moments that help make the show such a success.
This is true reality programming with producers unable to manipulate or control
storylines. Facing a quick turnaround time, they must simply follow whatever
developments crop up around the teams.
They'll be joining the Flyers at a time when they've just lost captain Chris Pronger for
approximately four weeks after knee surgery. Harmon identified the veteran defenceman
as one of the players HBO had hoped to focus on. The Rangers, meanwhile, have been
hot and look like serious challengers in the Atlantic Division.
Even without the Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin dynamic this time around, there should
be plenty of intrigue.
"Anticipation for the series is greater because people know what to expect now," said
John Collins, the NHL's chief operating officer. "The bar is high in terms of the access to
the teams, the storylines that develop during the four weeks of shooting, and how the
series showcases the players and coaches in a way that most fans don't get to see.
"It's real and viewers are drawn to the series whether you are a fan of the two teams or
not."
There is no shortage of personalities for HBO to spotlight -- whether it's the abrasiveness
of Rangers coach John Tortorella, the aloofness of Flyers star Jaromir Jagr or the
playfulness of Philadelphia's Max Talbot, among others.
Harmon hinted that they might try and go more in depth with some players this time. Last
year, HBO had hoped to give viewers a better sense of Alex Ovechkin and Alexander
Semin, but scrapped the idea when the Caps were stuck in a losing streak for fear it might
portray the players in an unfair way.
Whatever they end up putting together, they'll find a rapt audience. Most of the hockey
world will be watching closely.
"I want them to be themselves," said Bylsma. "I can't wait to see the Rangers and Flyers,
a closer look on the inside."
Anaheim Ducks Articles (FLYERS next opponent)
1. Los Angeles Times – Ducks hope coaching change gives them a boost of energy
Helene Elliott
The Ducks had gone through many slumps under Coach Randy Carlyle but he had always
steered them through a screeching U-turn and back into playoff position. So when they
slipped into a funk after a 4-1 start, General Manager Bob Murray wasn't initially
alarmed.
But when Murray saw players lose hope as often as they lost games, when slumped
shoulders and bowed heads became their natural posture, he knew Carlyle could no
longer lead them.
Up next for the Ducks: Friday vs. Philadelphia Up next for the Ducks: Friday vs.
Philadelphia
Penguins beat the Capitals, 2-1 Penguins beat the Capitals, 2-1
Ducks fire Randy Carlyle, hire Bruce Boudreau as coach Ducks fire Randy Carlyle, hire
Bruce Boudreau as coach
NBA can learn some things from the NHL NBA can learn some things from the NHL
NHL: Pluses and minuses around the league NHL: Pluses and minuses around the league
"It was just the way we were losing, the body language and how we were losing," Murray
said. "I just don't think they believed in themselves anymore and I had never seen that
before in six years we've been here."
He first thought of making a change Sunday after the Ducks coughed up several leads
against Chicago and fell flat against Toronto, and the idea solidified Monday after the
Washington Capitals fired Bruce Boudreau as their coach. Granted permission by
Washington to contact Boudreau, Murray heard an unmistakable enthusiasm the Ducks
needed.
"It was time for this group to have a new voice in the locker room," said Murray, who
insisted he acted on his own and not under pressure from owners Henry and Susan
Samueli.
Minutes after the Ducks defeated Montreal on Wednesday, Murray fired Carlyle and
signed Boudreau to a two-year deal. Orange ballcap jammed on his head, the 56-year-old
Toronto native presided over his first practice Thursday at Anaheim Ice with a positive
voice that had been missing for too long.
"They've been a really good team. They've just sort of lost their way a little bit,"
Boudreau said at a news conference. "I told them this morning that I believe in them. I
think they're a really good team.
"I wouldn't have done this if I didn't believe they have a really good shot at doing a lot of
good things this year. I want them to believe in themselves and if they do, then good
things can happen."
He instantly won their approval by reuniting the big line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf
and Corey Perry, a significant move because Murray had said he was listening to trade
offers for Ryan. Murray said the coaching switch might be change enough and that he'd
"like to settle things down right now," rather than deal the winger who has scored 100
goals the last three seasons.
Boudreau, who will make his debut Friday when the Ducks face the Philadelphia Flyers
at Honda Center, also sketched plans to cycle the puck less and score off the rush more.
The promise of more offensive freedom appealed to players who felt constrained by
Carlyle's system.
"I think the guys are excited to have him here and you could just tell in practice
everybody was ready to go, even in the dressing room," Perry said. "The dressing room
just feels a little livelier right now."
Carlyle hasn't commented publicly since his dismissal, and a Ducks spokesman said the
former coach requested a few days to retrench. Murray said Carlyle is "a terrific coach
and will be a terrific coach again," but he wasn't the right coach for the Ducks anymore.
That's partly an occupational hazard. It's worth noting that of the last 10 Stanley Cup-
winning coaches — a list that includes Carlyle in 2007 — only Scotty Bowman was with
that team more than four seasons at the time he won. Carlyle was the fourth NHL coach
fired this season and third this week.
Winger Teemu Selanne, who credited Carlyle with reviving his career in 2005, said he
was shocked that Carlyle and assistants Dave Farrish and Mike Foligno were dismissed.
"I thought some players were going to go before the coaches," Selanne said. "It has been
a great, long road together so I really felt sorry for those guys. They had to pay the price
for what we did on the ice."
Carlyle, gruff and old-school, got a lot out of not much raw material for a while,
including a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference last spring. But his words
became background noise, his bark ignored.
"I think that over time it's a natural progression for some guys to tune out certain things
and maybe not buy in quite as much as they should be," Getzlaf said. "That's on us as
players, not on the coach. …
"Nobody could really put their finger on why everything was going on and why we
couldn't put things together. I thought that Randy was trying different things and trying to
get through to us and it just didn't work."
Now, Boudreau gets his chance to fix what's broken.
"This is a team that before the season started, if you read a lot of the clippings, should
really contend for the West and Pacific crown and I think they're very capable of doing
it," he said. "I want them to believe in themselves. That's the message for today, believing
in themselves."
But never forgetting that the clock starts Friday for him, and for them.
2. Orange County Register – Ducks' lost weekend brought down Carlyle
Eric Stephens
ANAHEIM – Giving up a lead and then a game in a matter of minutes that could have
ended a long losing streak would turn the stomach of any NHL general manager.
Losing the next game in a dreary manner sent Bob Murray, the Ducks' chief architect,
into action.
Murray responded to consecutive home defeats to Chicago and Toronto over the weekend
by discussing a coaching change with owners Henry and Susan Samueli and Ducks CEO
Michael Schulman.
Then Murray replaced Randy Carlyle on Wednesday night with Bruce Boudreau, whom
he began to court three days earlier.
"I called Mike late Sunday night and said I'd like to talk to you all Monday morning,"
Murray said. "And we all came to ... it was a total conclusion that it was time to start
looking for something else. Once I talked to them, it was unanimous."
The Ducks had won just two of 18 games until they defeated Montreal, 4-1, on
Wednesday, which ended a losing streak that stretched to seven games. Carlyle was on
the bench, but the victory did nothing for his status as Murray's mind was made up.
Murray received permission from Washington general manager George McPhee to speak
with Boudreau, whom McPhee fired Monday after a 5-9-1 swoon after opening the
season with seven consecutive victories.
Boudreau had one more year on his contract with Washington. Murray was on the
telephone with him Tuesday morning.
"I'm a patient person with lots of things and it took me a long time to get to this point,"
Murray said. "But once I make my mind up on things, I'm going in that direction."
Boudreau, 56, expressed to his new team how much he wanted them to be positive and
play with energy.
"This was a team before the season started, if you read a lot of the clippings, which they
said would really contend for the Pacific Division crown," Boudreau said. "I think they
are very capable of doing it.
"I want them to believe in themselves. That is the message for today, to believe in
themselves."
Murray acknowledged the awkwardness of seeking a replacement for Carlyle while
having him coach the team in practice earlier this week and in Wednesday's game.
"It's been an awful three or four days," he said, solemnly.
The slow starts in every season since Carlyle coached them to the 2007 Stanley Cup title
were overcome with tremendous second-half pushes, resulting in playoff appearances in
all but 2009-10.
But this season was different. The players were no longer responding to Carlyle and the
message he was selling.
"That is exactly what led me to the decision that it was time," Murray said. "We had done
this before, but it was just the way we were losing, the body language and how we were
losing. It hadn't been there before.
"I just didn't think they believed in themselves anymore. I had never seen that before in
the six years we've been here."
The Ducks are expected to hire Bob Woods as an assistant coach. Woods coached with
Boudreau and also was let go Monday.
Woods will join Brad Lauer, who was hired Wednesday night. Lauer, a former assistant
with Ottawa, was on the staff at Syracuse (AHL), the Ducks' AHL affiliate.
3. Orange County Register – No more excuses for Duck players
Jeff Miller
ANAHEIM – So, like they always do, the players ultimately got their way.
That's how it works in sports, where removing dozens of hands is simply too messy
when, as an alternative, a head or two can be lopped off.
These Ducks underachieved – more dramatically than any team in franchise history – to
the point where they got four people fired, including Randy Carlyle and his two
assistants.
The old coaches are gone. So are the old excuses.
Ducks, if this is what you wanted – and all the talk Thursday about suddenly being re-
energized and filled with fire again certainly suggests that's the case – congratulations!
Now prove Carlyle was the problem.
A team everyone agrees is sufficiently skilled, was good enough last spring to be the No.
4 seed in a steep Western Conference and still possess the reigning league MVP, today is
free to display the will it has chosen to mostly hide this season.
General manager Bob Murray said Thursday that this group's potential was the only
reason he decided to fire rather than torch. To be accurate, Murray used the phrase
"blown things up" in reference to what he could have done to the Ducks' roster.
From his position on the ice, goaltender Jonas Hiller can see the bigger picture better than
anyone. Identifying the source of the embarrassment we've all witnessed lately wasn't
difficult.
"I don't think it was wrong or anything, what Randy taught," Hiller said. "But it seemed
like he couldn't get through to all the guys. Some guys, I don't know if they were tired of
hearing it, if they didn't believe in it, but it seemed like he couldn't get us going every
night."
We're not saying Carlyle deserved to keep his job, no. This team had every symptom of a
group that had stopped listening to the message. The players left Murray no choice but to
replace the voice delivering that message.
We're also not suggesting anyone should feel sorry for Carlyle. This is a big-boy business
and people are canned all the time. Besides, we'd probably have more success trying to
convince Ducks fans to feel sorry for the swine flu virus.
Our point here is that the players are more accountable, more responsible than ever today,
accountable for what they've done or not done, responsible for what they'll do or not do in
the future. Ducks, it's on you, each of you.
The old coaches are gone. So are the old excuses.
OK, Ryan Getzlaf, now you're playing for Bruce Boudreau, who talked more about
offense on Thursday than Carlyle did in a typical month. Time to develop into a top-10
player to match your top-10 talent.
Bobby Ryan, you're officially unleashed now, too, free to play hard every shift and every
night because Boudreau will embrace your creativity, encourage you to be a blur all over
the ice.
Luca Sbisa? Boudreau's system could make you an offensive weapon. Francois
Beauchemin? You could emerge, as well, if you stop spitting out turnovers. Cam Fowler?
Just hang on until Lubomir Visnovsky returns, OK?
Calling out these guys would be more satisfying if there were a Sean Avery among the
group. But there's nothing even close to that here.
Getzlaf never has been anything but accommodating and professional, always standing
up even when he or his teammates fall face-first.
Ryan is as decent a person as we've ever encountered, inside a locker room or otherwise.
Beauchemin? Sbisa? Fowler? These are guys we'd gladly sit and drink a beer with, even
if Fowler's still too young to do so legally.
All the Ducks who've spoken publicly about Carlyle so far have said the exact proper
things. And, sure, we believe them when they say they feel badly for their former boss.
"You almost feel like you let coach down, you let all three coaches down," Ryan said.
"They worked. They were fair in all categories. They wanted to provide us with a
winning atmosphere. There's a little bit of a letdown there."
Said Getzlaf: "We feel like we let Randy down a little bit. You never want to see your
coach, or anybody for that matter, get fired...We let him down a little bit."
And Hiller: "I owe him a lot. He gave me the chance to play here. He gave me the chance
to be a No. 1. So I really appreciate that."
They've taken the classy route, which is admirable, even if some of the Ducks privately
rooted for this day.
Well, they ultimately got their way and now have to prove they deserved it.
The old coaches are gone. So are the old excuses.
The new Ducks have dawned, that light Carlyle spoke of recently eclipsed by deaf ears
and relentless underachievement.
4. Orange County Register – Boudreau quickly takes charge of Ducks
Eric Stephens
ANAHEIM – Bruce Boudreau was introduced on Thursday as the Ducks' eighth coach in
franchise history but not without some lament for the previous bench boss.
Boudreau replaces Randy Carlyle, who won the most games by far of any coach over the
Ducks' 17 seasons and guided them to their only Stanley Cup championship.
Carlyle got the news Wednesday night from Ducks general manager Bob Murray less
than an hour following the team's 4-1 home victory over Montreal.
"I think he's very sad," Murray said at a press conference at Anaheim Ice. "As I said, he
did a terrific job here. Unfortunately, this is part of our business. When you've been with
a team for awhile, it happens.
"It's not his fault. It seems to be happening more and more with these teams that have
won championships. ... They go for awhile and it just happens."
Murray moved into action when Boudreau was cut loose by Washington on Monday, first
informing ownership that he wanted to look for a potential replacement and then asking
Capitals GM George McPhee for permission to talk to Boudreau.
Boudreau, 56, flew into Orange County on Wednesday in order to sign a two-year
contract and meet the team Thursday morning before running his first practice. He was
201-88-40 in four seasons with the Capitals, winning Southeast Division titles in each.
"If I didn't believe that this was a team that had the possibilities and the makings of
something special, I think I would have sat at home and waited," Boudreau said. "But I
don't think opportunities like this come around every day, with the talent that we have
here."
Said Murray: "When I talked to Bruce, I wanted to sense in his voice if he was ready to
go right back at it or not. That was important to me. I moved fairly quickly."
Murray consistently supported Carlyle, his good friend, through the slow starts the Ducks
have had ever since their Cup season and resisted call for his firing. But the team's 2-12-4
run over six weeks and weekend home losses to Chicago and Toronto were the final
straw.
"We've been through funks before with this group and we were in one," he said. "After
watching the way we played on Friday and Sunday, I decided that it was time for a new
voice. It doesn't mean that the guy has become a bad coach or a bad person.
"It was just time for this group to have a new voice in the locker room. It was time to
move forward."
5. Orange County Register – Ducks’ Boudreau familiar with change
Mark Whicker
ANAHEIM – If you're making a change, make a real one.
If you think the former coach was too negative, get positive.
If you think your offense was too stuffy, release Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa and all the
other hounds.
And if you have seen Bruce Boudreau pull a hockey team out of deepest quicksand, you
must figure he can do it again.
The Ducks' awfulness finally dissolved Bob Murray's reluctance to fire Randy Carlyle. It
presented him with the choice – players or coach – that only brings one answer.
So, about 13 hours after Carlyle was summing up the Ducks' victory over Montreal
Wednesday night, Boudreau was standing at a greaseboard at Anaheim Ice and coaching
Carlyle's former Ducks.
That was three days after Washington had dismissed Boudreau.
It is the way meritocracy is.
When things don't work, the leader does not take a $100 million parting gift.
When things don't work, the leader is not allowed to blame others (i.e., Jacksonville's
Jack Del Rio, who threw offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter under one too many
motorboat).
When things don't work, the leader cannot extend his failed five-year plan to 10.
He gets replaced, just as Carlyle will replace another NHL coach someday.
Boudreau told the Ducks how much he believed in them.
He also said, "There's no reason we can't be a great team defensively and offensively."
Later, he remembered Mike Green, who is the only active defenseman besides Nicklas
Lidstrom who has a 70-point season.
"I had Mike in Hershey (in the AHL)," Boudreau said. "I said, make as many mistakes as
you want and eventually you'll learn, you'll get it.
"Now you can't do that on the NHL level because the costs are much higher. But I see a
little bit of the same qualities with Cam. And in time, maybe Cam will develop like Mike
did."
A little wistfully, he added, "We were 8-0 this year (in Washington) when Mike was
healthy."
Boudreau was still in Hershey when the Capitals fired Glen Hanlon on Thanksgiving
Day, 2007.
Those Capitals and these Ducks could have been twins. Washington was 6-14-1 when the
axe fell. Boudreau's debut game was a 4-3 victory over the Flyers, whom the Ducks play
tonight.
"I had some advantages there because I had coached seven of the guys in Hershey,"
Boudreau said. "Here I don't have that knowledge of the players. But, back then, I was a
little wide-eyed about being in the NHL."
His players couldn't tell. Five minutes into his first practice Boudreau made one Capital
skate a lap because he was the final man to get to the team huddle.
But he unbuttoned Washington's skill, particularly Alex Ovechkin, and owner Ted
Leonsis observed, "Glen was a technically wonderful coach but he didn't want to make a
mistake. With Bruce, he wants teams to succumb to our will."
By Jan. 9 of that first season the Capitals were 21-21-5, and Boudeau announced, "We've
officially reached mediocrity."
They won 11 of their final 12 regular-season games, began filling the arena (there is a
waiting list for season tickets now) and lost in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs.
That pattern continued, but Boudreau got to 200 victories quicker than any NHL coach.
Still, he did not forget the midnight buses of Biloxi and the shivering locker rooms of
Muskegon. For 15 years he was a continuous head coach in the minors and won two
championships.
On Thursday, Boudreau was discussing Game 7 of the 2006 AHL semifinals, when
Hershey beat Portland.
"I'm just glad Ryan hit the post in overtime," he said, meaning Ryan Getzlaf, who joined
Portland, with Corey Perry and Dustin Penner, for that specific game.
What he didn't say was that he and Portland coach Kevin Dineen had shouted each other
down that morning when Dineen tried to scout Boudreau's practice.
It was "Slap Shot" brought to life, and in fact Boudreau appeared in that 1977 classic,
with Paul Newman as Reg Dunlop. The apartment where Dunlap lived? It was really
Boudreau's, in Johnstown, Pa.
Boudreau was a great minor league player – his junior hockey scoring record stood until
Wayne Gretzky arrived – and so loved coaching the Kings' affiliate in Manchester, N.H.,
that he plans to retire there.
"I coached George Parros there for three years," Boudreau said. "And I coached Andrew
Gordon in Washington. Now I'm waiting for three guys (here) to tell me I coached them
in the minors."
You never know. When Boudreau scored his first NHL goal, for Toronto in 1976, he got
an assist from a combative defenseman named Carlyle.
Boudreau's concentric circles stretch to hockey's ceiling. The Ducks hope one of them is
still unbroken.
6. Orange County Register – Selanne on Carlyle: ‘This came as a big shock’
Eric Stephens
Randy Carlyle had been the Ducks’ only coach since the 2004-05 NHL lockout and his
time behind their bench will always be marked by the franchise’s greatest success.
As with the majority of coaches in sports, Carlyle’s time ultimately ran out Wednesday
night as Ducks GM Bob Murray fired him and brought in former Washington bench boss
Bruce Boudreau.
Teemu Selanne weighed in on the firing after the Ducks’ 4-1 victory over Montreal as
Samuel Savolainen of Finnish-language sports magazine Urheilulehti caught up with him
for his thoughts. Here’s the original article in their native tongue but Savolainen was
gracious to provide Ducks Blog an English translation:
“This came as a big shock,” Selanne told the magazine. ”I feel sorry for him, also behalf
of myself. The business is tough sometimes.”
“We sat with five players at the GM’s office, when he told us. All of us just sat there
quietly. When he [got] his three-year extension, I couldn’t expect that he could be fired.
This was tough news. All I can hope is that this will rejuvenate the team. It’s sad that a
wake-up call like this has to be made, before we get back on track.”
“I’m very grateful for the coaching staff for them giving me an opportunity to get a silver
lining to my career. After all, we won a Stanley Cup together. All of the guys have been
very important for my career, especially Randy. He gave me an opportunity after my
reconstructive knee surgery, even though I was an older guy.
“I’m quite down about the news right now.”
7. Orange County Register – Boudreau hiring a real slap shot
Mark Whicker
Wow.
Bruce Boudreau began the week as the coach of the Washington Capitals. On Thursday
he will be introduced as the coach of the Ducks.
They announced Randy Carlyle was fired after the victory over Montreal. Carlyle led the
Ducks to the ’07 Stanley Cup and to playoff berths every year but one since 2006.
Will Boudreau do for the Ducks what he did for the C’apitals? Ducks fans can only hope.
He took over the Capitals when they were 6-14-1 in 2007-08. They finished the season
37-17-7 and finished first in the Southeast Division.
The next three years, Washington won 50, 54 and 48 games. But this year, after being
picked as Stanley Cup favorites by most, the Capitals started the season 12-9-1 and
Boudreau was fired.
The Capitals won only one playoff series during Boudreau’s tenure, but the Ducks aren’t
worried about that. They wanted a different voice, even though Boudreau’s voice will
sometimes be as raspy and demanding as Carlyle’s.
Boudreau is also one of the game’s characters. He was a proliic minor league scorer and
coached six different minor league teams, including Manhester in the Kings ‘
organization.
“Slap Shot,” the definitive movie about minor league hockey, featured Boudreau in a
cameo role, skating against the Hanson Brothers.
Hiring Boudreau was about as bold a move as the Ducks could make. And it didn’t cost
them Bobby Ryan.
Phoenix Coyotes Articles
1. Arizona Republic – Winnipeg Jets shut out Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
Staff Reports
WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- A night that started with boos for Winnipeg's former team
ended with a well-deserved standing ovation for the new Jets.
Ondrej Pavelec made 33 saves in his second shutout of the season, and Bryan Little's
first-period goal held up as the Jets beat Phoenix 1-0 on Thursday night in the Coyotes'
first game back in Winnipeg since leaving for the desert in 1996.
Some fans showed that hard feelings haven't died when it comes to the Coyotes, who
deserted Winnipeg after the 1995-96 season. The Coyotes were booed when they came
on the ice, and that treatment continued every time a Phoenix player had the puck,
including captain Shane Doan, one of the last original Jets left in the NHL.
Doan wasn't surprised he and his teammates were booed.
"They're a passionate fan base and they love their Jets," he said.
The Jets gave the fans plenty to cheer about, playing a strong team game against one of
the better clubs in the Western Conference.
Pavelec was particularly impressive, rebounding from a shaky performance in Tuesday's
6-4 loss to Ottawa in which he gave up five goals.
"It's always important after you don't play well, especially me, I didn't feel good in the
Ottawa game," Pavelec said. "It was great I had the chance to play again and bounce
back. It's always a good feeling when you help the team to win."
Winnipeg (10-11-4), the former Atlanta Thrashers who relocated before this season,
snapped a two-game losing streak. After the game, the crowd gave the new Jets a
standing ovation and saluted them at center ice as the players raised their sticks.
Smith faced 31 shots as Phoenix (13-8-3) had a two-game winning streak broken. He was
out of position on Little's goal off a rebound at 6:53 of the first period, but was otherwise
solid.
Pavelec, making his 22nd start of the season, faced 33 shots. He praised his teammates
for limiting the dangerous scoring chances.
"As soon as they crossed the red line they threw the puck on me, and the guys did a great
job to (let) me see the puck," he said.
"Outstanding effort, team effort, and that's the way we want to play. We had a lot of
scoring chances. We deserved to win and it was a great win."
Doan was a rookie during that last season in Manitoba and is one of only three NHLers
still playing from that old squad. The others are Anaheim's Teemu Selanne and
Edmonton goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.
Doan later got a standing ovation from the sold out crowd of 15,004 after the rink
announcer asked fans to recognize his place in Jets history.
"It's what makes it fun to be in the building," Doan said. "By all means, as a fan that's
what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to cheer on your team and make it hard on
the other team, and they did a great job."
However, he was surprised by the ovation he got in the first period.
"What do you say other than thanks," said Doan, who turned the puck over just before
Little scored. "I was very thankful for that.
"That was above and beyond anything they needed to do, but I really appreciated it that
fans would do that."
He even added a joke at his own expense.
"I wasn't sure if (the ovation) was for me turning the puck over on the first goal and
giving it to them or if it was for something else," he said.
Evander Kane assisted on Little's goal when his shot hit the post, and Little put in the
rebound.
NOTES: C Kyle Turris made his season debut with the Coyotes following a long contract
holdout. He played just under 12 minutes and registered a team-high four shots on goal.
... Phoenix couldn't get even despite outshooting the Jets 16-9 in the second period and
holding a 27-19 edge in shots after 40 minutes. ... The game had only five penalties.
Winnipeg was 0-for-3 on the power play, and Phoenix finished 0-for-2. ... Winnipeg will
host New Jersey on Saturday, while the Coyotes will face Philadelphia in Arizona.
Adirondack Phantoms Articles
1. Glens Falls Post-Star – Phantoms set for long road trip
Tim McManus
GLENS FALLS -- Joe Paterson doesn't really see it as a bonding experience over and
above the ordinary.
"I think we spend enough around each other on the bus," he said, laughing, this week.
But there's no doubt that even by the standards of the American Hockey League, this is a
whopper of a trip.
The Phantoms left Glens Falls on Wednesday night after playing Syracuse for a 4 1/2-
hour bus ride to Voorhees, N.J. After a scheduled practice at the Philadelphia Flyers'
practice facility Thursday, they were due for another 5 1/2 hours on the bus to Norfolk.
Following two games there, the Phantoms will bus to Wilkes-Barre for a respite in
Pennsylvania, before continuing on to Hamilton, Ontario for a game next Tuesday.
By the time they return in the wee hours next Wednesday, they'll have traveled in the
neighborhood of 1,600 miles and spent close to 24 hours on the bus.
"I can't say I'm really looking forward to it," Phantoms defenseman Cullen Eddy. "But it's
a part of this league."
The games won't be easy, either. Norfolk, which has won three straight, leads the strong
East Division and is just one point off the conference lead.
Norfolk won the only previous meeting between the teams 5-4 in a shootout on Oct. 26.
The Admirals lead the league in scoring at 3.73 goals per game. Cory Conacher is tied for
the league lead with 12 goals and both he and Trevor Smith are in the top five of overall
scoring.
"This is going to be a test for us," Paterson said.
That test got bigger Thursday when the Phantoms lost another key defenseman. The
Flyers placed Matt Walker on recall waivers.
If he isn't claimed, Walker will play for the Flyers on Friday in Anaheim. The veteran
had one goal in 11 games with the Phantoms and an even rating.
With the injury to Blake Kessel, that momentarily left the Phantoms with just five healthy
defenseman. But Friday afternoon rookie Brandon Manning, injured over the summer,
posted to his Twitter account that he had been cleared to play and was joining the team in
Norfolk.
If Manning plays, that will give the Phantoms three rookies on defense.
They previously lost Erik Gustafsson, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall to the
call-ups.
2. Glens Falls Post-Star – It's all about the record, of course
Tim McManus
GLENS FALLS -- A columnist should probably never begin by admitting he's about to
argue the patently obvious.
Bear with me anyway.
The Phantoms' poor attendance last season created a lot of discussion. In some quarters, it
led to more than just talk.
It's no coincidence that there are eight people holding different jobs in the Phantoms'
front office than this time last year.
The attendance woes had consequences. People got fired. Fans fretted over whether this
was really still a viable AHL market.
Those problems may not have evaporated completely this season, but they've been
pushed to the back burner.
Through 10 home games, Phantoms attendance is up about 9.8 percent from the first 10
games last season. They've cracked the 4,000 mark, long trumpeted as the Holy Grail,
four times already. That happened just three times all last season.
If you just look at the last five home games, attendance is up nearly 20 percent from the
start of last season.
Both comparison periods include nine weekend dates and one weekday, so the difference
can't be written off as an anomaly.
So, what gives?
Here comes the obvious part, so shout it out with me: they're winning!
The Phantoms just won as many games in six days - three - as they did in the first 61 days
last season. They reached their 12th win on Nov. 30. They didn't get there until Jan. 16
last year.
Even more so, they're winning at home. The Phantoms have won 14 of their last 17
games at the Civic Center dating back to last season.
The new Phantoms staff seems to be doing an admirable job finding creative ways to
market the team, so I mean to take no credit away from them. But nothing they could
dream up is a better advertisement than the product on ice.
Good, old-fashioned winning hockey sells. Who'd have thought?
Yet Phantoms ownership seemed reluctant last season to acknowledge the role a good
team plays in driving attendance. You surely can't give up your sales effort just because
you're saddled with a team that wins about once a moon cycle, but if those numbers don't
prove it certainly matters, nothing will.
For sure, the number of hard-core fans, the ones who can quote Denis Hamel's scoreless
drought - eight games and counting, by the way - is probably in the 15- to 20-percent
range. That's the portion of the fan base who checks the blogs and comments on message
boards, likely many of you reading this.
The trick, as the theory goes, is winning over the majority who don't know the team's
record verbatim and just want a quality night of entertainment on the town.
There's certainly truth to this as well. But the reality differs in a few ways that make all
the difference.
It's not as easy as saying, "Well, there's a large group out there that doesn't know we're in
last place. Let's reach them!"
People talk. They may not be able to quote the team's record or roster chapter and verse,
but they have a general sense of whether the team is good, or at least not an
embarrassment. They know when they're missing something worth missing.
I sit by the coffee pot at work - a fortuitous placement - and people from all parts of the
newsroom stop by and talk Phantoms all the time. Most are the occasional type fan, those
who don't study the sports page.
They all know the team is better this year. They know there's a different buzz. The energy
is contagious.
It's either there or it's not, and you can't fool people, even if you season a press release
with a year's worth of exclamation points.
Minor-league sports are experience driven. That's true. And there's no better experience
than winning.
It supersedes the mascot, lovable as he is. It trumps video boards and speakers. Their
value to the atmosphere complements what happens on ice. It doesn't replace it.
This isn't minor-league baseball where you grab your beer and a brat and enjoy the nice
weather while the action on the field stays a passing concern.
Hockey is a passion game. You feel hockey.
At it's best, it's last Saturday. At it's worst, it's the mausoleum the Civic Center was last
November when the team lost 20 of 21 games.
You tell me which one you'd rather sell. But that's obvious, right?
NHL Articles
1. TSN.ca – Player agent Walsh slams Blue Jackets' Arniel in statement
TSN.ca Staff
Player agent Allan Walsh released a statement on Thursday, slamming Columbus Blue
Jackets head coach Scott Arniel.
Walsh is none pleased with his client, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Derick Brassard,
spending so much time in the press box as a healthy scratch.
"While I have tremendous respect for Scott Howson and the rest of Columbus'
management team, the situation regarding Derick Brassard has become untenable,"
Walsh wrote. "This coach has a history of burying players and using them as scapegoats
to mask his own lack of success on the ice. Derick has been singled out, almost from the
very beginning of the season to be the fall guy in case things don't go well. The
Columbus organization cares about Derick and has been good to him, but at some point
enough is enough."
Howson later responded through a team release, stating this would be all he had to say
about it.
"Scott has my full support with respect to his decisions on who plays and the handling of
our hockey team. We all want Derick to play better and be the player we know he can be.
The only person who will impact Derick's playing time is Derick himself."
The 24-year-old Brassard has two goals and two assists in 18 games. He's the Blue
Jackets' first round pick (6th overall) in 2006.
2. TSN.ca – Fraser: Why refs don't work in teams on a game-to-game basis
Kerry Fraser
Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable
NHL stories? Kerry Fraser wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca!
Hey Kerry!
First snow day of 2011 in your hometown of Sarnia! I have a question about referee
scheduling. A few years back before the four-man officiating system I had a chance to
spend some time with local referee Don Van Massehoeven at a game in Detroit.
He said NHL referees don't work in teams on a game-to-game basis, but work in different
combinations each game. This is in stark contrast to officials in the NFL, Major League
Baseball, etc. Why is/was this system in place rather than working more regularly with
the same group of officials to develop cohesion amongst a set grouping as seems to be
more common in other sports?
Regards,
Phil Winch
Sarnia, Ontario
Part of the answer to your question is based on the history and tradition of our game
dating back to the Original Six teams. Another element in the assignment process
includes something that none of us will ever have control over - the weather!
Weather first. Hockey is played during the dead of winter unlike the MLB or
considerably shorter NFL schedule. The theory was to send two or even three officials
from different directions so that in the event of inclement weather the odds were pretty
good that at least one official could make it to the game. In the days of train travel a crew
might jump on the train out of Montreal (the train was held until the teams and equipment
were all aboard) and go as far as Chicago for a game the next night. Of course Boston,
New York, Toronto and Detroit were other platform options if the crew of three was
broken up.
Paul Stewart and his crew got stranded in Carolina for the better part of a week one
season when a freak blizzard paralyzed Raleigh-Durham. Nothing could come in or out
of the Crabtree Marriott Hotel they were staying in. The biggest dilemma the patrons
faced was that the hotel ran out of food and beer.
In my final season, six days prior to Christmas I worked a Saturday afternoon Flyers
game (close to home) and was scheduled to fly to Carolina the next day. Brad Watson
was working a game in Carolina and then assigned to the next Flyers game two nights
later. We would pass one another in the air.
Problem was "the perfect storm" was forecast up and down the eastern seaboard. It
actually started to hit as I was driving home from the Flyers game so I called NHL
assigner, Randy Hall and suggested he leave Watson in Carolina for the next game and I
would take his assignment in Philadelphia. I knew nothing would be moving on the
ground let alone in the air. Great decision from Mr. Hall since three feet of snow fell the
overnight followed by another two feet the next day. Both games were covered.
The cost of doing business: Former Referee in Chief, Ian "Scotty" Morrison told me the
team owners wanted his assurance that each referee would work an equal number of
times in their building. This was especially true through the years of expansion when new
officials were added to the staff. Since the owners paid an equal portion of the officiating
budget they wanted an equal share of the more experienced and higher rated referees as
opposed to a regular diet of rookies. Overexposure of one official was never a healthy
idea for either the official or the team.
One time when my game assignments overlapped from one assignment period to another
I noticed that I was scheduled to work the Montreal Canadiens six games in a row while
they were on the road. Attention had been paid to the home team cities in my assignments
but the visiting team fell through the cracks. When I brought this obvious oversight to the
attention of the Officiating Department a change in a couple of the games was made.
Bobby Clarke, as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers felt there wasn't enough
familiarity between referees and players because a team might have a young referee one
game and not see him again for a month. Bob felt this contributed to a lack of
relationship building between officials and players. This was especially magnified (in
Clarkies opinion) if the first game didn't go well since there was no quick opportunity to
mend the fence for the referee or the player(s). Let's not forget the coaches as well.
Bobby Clarke's remedy to this perceived problem was to take the senior referees and
make them crew chiefs. The veterans would be assigned a pool of younger officials that
would rotate amongst them for a number of games at a time. He also felt the groupings
should remain within a division/conference for half the season at a time.
As we moved from one referee on the ice to two there were growing pains in
implementing this new system. No differently than through expansion of teams that
elevated inexperienced players, the NHL Officiating staff doubled in size with the
implementation of the four man system.
Every official experiences growing pains until they gain experience and become accepted
by the players. Experience aside, the most pressing challenge was to mesh two
independent thinking referees into a team that exercised similar judgment from one end
of the rink to the other - establish some form of consistency. That's what the players want
most so they know what they can and can't do. (And then try and get away with all they
can.)
I think the officiating team has come a long way (most of the time) in this regard. To be
more direct Phil, there is a standard system in place that each official must work within
on a nightly basis no matter who they are partnered with. Their responsibilities don't
change nor does their obligation to communicate with their partner on the ice.
Some people are certainly more compatible with certain individuals than others; that's
just human nature. There has been an effort made through the assignment process to keep
pairings and crews together for a few games at a time to act as mentors and establish
familiarity and cohesiveness as you suggest. This is always the case during the Stanley
Cup Playoffs where pairings occur with both the referees and linesmen until the deck
might be reshuffled towards the later games in a series.
I think a crew that was assigned together for the whole season would have to be very,
very compatible. Familiarity might even breed contempt! They might even resort to
pranks on one another.
In the days of riding the rails during the original six team league the officials were a
small, tightly knit group. They also didn't make very much money and resorted to all
kinds of measures to save on expenses. The stories told about rough and tumble
Linesman, George Hayes are legendary. He travelled light to be able to fill his equipment
bag with beer for the long train rides and would pack a lunch to save money.
Referee, Eddie Powers thought he would help Hayes save money by packing him a
"special lunch" for the train ride from Montreal to Chicago. Powers had picked up a can
of dog food that afternoon and on the train that night after a couple of beers offered the
'meatloaf' sandwiches to Hayes which he ate heartily. George commented that the
meatloaf tasted a little different but thanked Powers none the less for saving him some
per diem money.
The Montreal Canadiens were in their private car on that train and playing in Chicago
that next night. Powers happened to tell one of the Montreal players that he had given
George Hayes dog food sandwiches. That night in the Chicago Stadium every time a
Habs player came near Hayes or he dropped the puck at a face-off the Montreal center
would begin barking like a dog.
Finally George Hayes asked them what the hell was wrong with them. Near the end of
the game one of the Habs players let the cat out of the bag and George learned that he had
eaten a can dog food. Rather than chase Powers around the ice he said it was the best dog
food he ever ate. Woof...
I really don't see an advantage to keeping a crew together for the extended periods, Phil.
3. TSN.ca – Grier announces retirement after more than 1,000 NHL games
The Canadian Press
TORONTO -- Mike Grier has decided to call it a career.
The 36-year-old announced his retirement from the NHL Thursday after more than 1,000
career games over 14 seasons. Grier spent last two years with the Buffalo Sabres.
"I was very fortunate to be able to play 14 seasons in the NHL with some great players,"
he said in a statement. "The memories and friendships that I have built during my time in
the league will last a lifetime. I would like to thank my former teammates, family and
fans for helping make my career so memorable for me.
"It was a great ride, and I am now excited and looking forward to my post-playing
future."
Born in Detroit and raised in Boston, Grier was a ninth-round draft pick of St. Louis in
1993. He was traded to Edmonton while still at Boston University and went on to play his
first six seasons for the Oilers.
In all, the checking-line winger racked up 383 points (162-221) in 1,060 NHL games for
the Edmonton, Washington, Buffalo and San Jose. He also appeared in 101 playoff
games.
Grier, his wife Anne and their three children plan to live in the Boston area.
4. ESPN.com – Mailbag: NHL's best available coaches
Craig Custance
In compiling questions for our Friday mailbag, I was asked to name my top five coaches
in the NHL. But considering the turnover we've seen this week, as well as the likelihood
that more changes could be coming, a look at the five best available coaches might be
more useful. So for all the fans hoping their team makes a change behind the bench, here
are the top five experienced candidates:
1. Randy Carlyle -- Bruce Boudreau got snapped up in less than a week, so it's hard to
imagine Carlyle lasting long on the open market. The Ducks would be more than happy
to grant permission to anyone interested in hiring Carlyle, who signed an extension in
August that lasts through the 2013-14 season. The budget-conscious Ducks would
welcome help in paying that deal.
But most importantly, Carlyle deserves the opportunity. He led the Ducks to a Stanley
Cup and is among the most respected coaches in the game. It's a natural to connect him to
Brian Burke in Toronto, but Ron Wilson has that team in position to make the playoffs.
Burke himself got out front of the story with his tweet, "Sad to hear about Randy Carlyle.
But our coach isn't going anywhere!" It'll be interesting to see if that comment from
Burke is enough to quiet Carlyle rumors if the Leafs string together a few losses. A Ron
Wilson contract extension would go a long way toward ending rumors in Toronto.
2. Craig MacTavish -- MacTavish's Chicago Wolves haven't exactly set the world on fire
in the AHL, where they went 9-7-2 in his first 18 games behind the bench. But
MacTavish has a strong resume, including eight seasons as coach of the Edmonton
Oilers, where he led the Oilers to more than 300 wins, including a trip to the Stanley Cup
finals in 2006.
3. Bob Hartley -- Hartley signed a two-year deal to coach the Zurich Lions in Switzerland
and politely declined to disclose the details of his contract and whether or not he could
pursue NHL jobs during the season. But he did mention he's thoroughly enjoying
coaching in Switzerland. "Things are great in Zurich," Hartley wrote in an email. "I'm
working with a great bunch of guys."
Like Carlyle, Hartley guided a team to a Stanley Cup, and his ability to lead the
Thrashers to the playoffs looks more and more impressive in hindsight. If the hiring and
success of Ken Hitchcock in St. Louis is an indication that teams will favor experience in
future hires, Hartley's stay in Switzerland won't be too long. He's close with GM Jay
Feaster in Calgary and would be a natural in Montreal. Garth Snow nearly hired him for
the Islanders opening that was ultimately filled by Scott Gordon.
4. Paul Maurice -- For his age, he certainly has a lot of experience. He's still just 44 and
should get another shot behind the bench. During his two stints in Carolina, he guided the
Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002 and the Eastern Conference finals in 2009.
5. Michel Therrien -- Colleague Pierre LeBrun caught up with Therrien this week. It's
now been more than three years since Therrien guided a young Penguins team to the
Stanley Cup finals, and he's ready for another NHL job. "It's a luxury to coach in the
NHL," he told LeBrun. "The more you're out, the more you realize it."
And now, on to the weekly mailbag:
What d-man will the Chicago Blackhawks go after near the trade deadline? --Don,
Columbus, Ohio
There's no urgency to make a move in Chicago, but the Blackhawks could use some help
on defense. Nick Leddy has shown great strides, but come playoff time, veteran depth on
the back end would go a long way for the Blackhawks.
Chicago fans have eyed the Nashville defensive stars as potential targets, but that's not
realistic. Instead, look to Carolina, where GM Jim Rutherford has depth on defense and
could be willing to make a move, especially if he's convinced some of his talented young
defensemen are ready for more ice time. He'd be more than willing to move Tomas
Kaberle, although I'm not sure that's a fit in Chicago. Tim Gleason is an unrestricted free
agent after this season and makes a very reasonable $2.75 million, which will make him a
commodity if Rutherford decides to deal him.
What would the San Jose Sharks be able to get in a trade for Antero Niittymaki? --
Mitchell Blomseth, @mitchblomseth
He's back at practice as he continues to move closer to a return from offseason hip
surgery. He told CSNBayArea.com that he hopes to be ready to rejoin the Sharks lineup
in two weeks.
The Sharks really like Thomas Greiss, who has played well behind Antti Niemi, so
someone is going to have to go. With Niittymaki scheduled to be an unrestricted free
agent on July 1, he's the best candidate. Ideally, the Sharks can showcase Niittymaki for a
few games to show he's healthy, because teams might be hesitant to trade for a goalie
fresh off of surgery. The trade return depends on how many teams are interested. I'd look
to the Dwayne Roloson deal last season as an indication of what the Sharks could expect.
The Lightning sent minor leaguer Ty Wishart to the Islanders to land Roloson.
Regarding realignment, explain to me why Winnipeg and Nashville switching divisions
isn't considered the simplest option, as opposed to reinventing the wheel? --Eric, Los
Angeles
It'd be a tough sell to put Nashville in the East when there would still be two teams
(Columbus and Detroit) in the Western Conference who are currently in the eastern time
zone. Not to mention that Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch has said on multiple occasions
that the Red Wings were promised a move to the East if realignment was ever on the
table.
Nashville has developed strong rivalries in the Central and I think they'd be interested in
staying with teams like Detroit and Chicago rather than trying to re-establish rivalries in
the Southeast. If you're looking for simple solutions, what about Detroit to the Southeast
and Winnipeg to the Central? The bottom line is this: A couple of owners aren't going to
be thrilled with the solution regardless of the outcome.
I've heard rumors that teams like the Blue Jackets were inquiring about Tuukka Rask.
Should Boston consider trading him? What kind of package would it receive in return? --
John C., Connecticut
I know the Rask camp had internal discussions as to whether or not he should request a
trade this summer, and Rask was adamant that he didn't want to go anywhere. He's
handled Tim Thomas' success with class and has been very patient in sharing time with
the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. When I spoke to Peter Chiarelli about the situation
during the summer, he said the two goalies are very aware that there is a succession plan
that will take place at some point. "It's been discussed with Tim and Tuukka," Chiarelli
said.
If I'm the Bruins, I'm not trading Rask.
How long do you think it will be before Sidney Crosby takes over the points lead, and do
you think there is a chance that James Neal and Crosby finish one-two in the scoring
race? --Joe, Pittsburgh
Crosby has 11 points in the six games since he's returned from his concussion recovery.
That would put him at a pace of 150 points over an 82-game season, so I think it's safe to
say he'll slow down a bit. He showed signs that he's still not quite 100 percent in the win
over the Capitals last night. Not only was he held without a point, he struggled to win
faceoffs. My top three candidates right now to win the points race would be 1) Daniel
Sedin, 2) Claude Giroux and 3) Steven Stamkos.
– FLYERS –