No x Largest Power You Can Imagine

Ray Emery? Her? Really?

So, as a fan, my official vote is WTHFN?!?!?!???!!!

And that's not just my splitting headache, upset stomach, and general achiness talking either.

08-09 Repeats: Defense & Goalies

Dear Gentle Readers,

Ryan's back to his hilarious hijinks. Kristin is sorting through her options for this season's favorite. K-Mart will settle into classes and Flyers headlines, then come out swingin' with his own insight. I'm obsessing over which Tshirts and tickets to buy.

Although we're into the second week of September, hockey fans are still languishing a little bit, due to the lack of action. So while the icy faithful pray for things to cool off outside (and believe me, I can't wait for the Wednesday high of 73 this week!) and to heat up in the rink, it's time to trot out the preview of the serious passes some established guys* are going to have to make to woo me over for the 2008-09 season.

I'm breaking this into a two parter. Up for your viewing tonight: goalies and defensemen.

Defensemen

Timonen/Coburn 08-09: Kimmo for President, Braydon for VP. Really, if you're a hockey fan, there's no explanation required here. Always sexy on the big plays, yet always reliable on the mundane tasks. K+B are your squee pairing from last year and should hold the title again this season.

Randy Jones and Ryan Parent: Randy worked hard, he moved up to another level in his game last season, and he needs to continue the forward progession. Similarly, Ryan served us well when called up to pitch in mid-season and in the play-offs. With added work over the summer, he's scrambling for one of the spots and may shake things up.

Derian Hatcher: This time last year, I was very anti-Hatcher. I sort of reconsidered that posture during parts of the season. But let's face the facts for this year: He's 36, he's had chronic knee and ankle injuries, he's big but he's slowing down. Much as I love the size, experience and - weirdly enough - the calm he can bring to the ice, I wonder how effective Derian can be with so many young guns charging for his job.

Lasse Kukkonen: Last year's Mister Healthy Scratch. It was frustrating to watch Lasse end up there, although there were times it was warranted. Again, with off-season work, Kukkie has possibilities that I look forward to seeing.

Goalies

Full disclosure: I'm completely biased when it comes to goalies. They are my favorites. They are what I know best. So if I get a little gushy, you'll just have to understand. ;p

Martin Biron: Marty worked it last year in his first season as our starting goalie. There were times his goal-tending is what kept us in the game, and some when it seemed nightmarish. Fortunately, he turned into a brick wall with a lucky streak running through it during the semifinal series against Montreal. Additionally, Marty's entertaining. Here's to more video, mic and blogging opportunities for my favorite F-C goalie.

Antero Niittymäki: In those games where Marty broke down, Niitty stepped in and took over the show. Rehab for the hip worked well, which he proved with niiiiice displays of stretching during pre-game warm-ups. It was interesting how Niitty's play was on when Marty's was off, for the most part. But, that's what you want with a 1-2 goalie situation.

Both Marty and Niitty can improve on last season's performance. However, my take is this is the strongest and most stable goalie situation we've had for awhile...Cechmanek anyone? And while Philly Marty may not be the dominant force of a Jersey Marty, we have a solid, capable and competent back-up who's been tested and done well.

Next time: Come on a journey filled with a top-heavy slew of young, talented, 20-goal scoring forwards.


*I do not speculate on the newbies until I see them for myself. It's the only reliable way for my woman's intuition to work when it comes to hockey.

Barometer: Conference Finals

Season Barometer = Gut-Check Time

Dear Guys,

Yep, some of the Penguins fans (read: not of the HLOGer variety) have found this space. Probably has something to do with those farcical posts from earlier this week.

I'm very happy that you've made it this far. That being said, some of you have more work than others this round.

Blondie: I don't care if it's assists or goals, get some points. Make like the Mikes and Danny are injured again (even though they aren't). I'm going through withdrawal over here!

Tiny!Briere: Your paycheck...dude, it's HUGE. Make sure you earn it. (And no side competition for Best "Who, Me?" Face with Cindy, all right? Stand up, stay up and skate.)

Vinny: Where the hell are you? What are you doing? Don't get me wrong, the set-up work is invaluable. Just...I don't know...put one or two in, 'kay?

All of the D: One word...Malkin. If you require an explanation, talk to Marty or Niitty.

Goalies: Please observe every single one of your superstitions, no matter what anyone in your family or on the team says. (After all, I'll be doing my part in this arena, too!)

Coach: Drop the whole politically correct "urgency" thing. If they slack, tell them in no uncertain terms that you are not happy. A second option is to let a few (slightly disgruntled but not drunken) Flyers fans in the room. We don't just boo and yell "Sucks!" at players from other teams, as you well know.

Ciao!
Nadine

Updates and Celebrations

Updates

No hockey since Saturday. No hockey until tomorrow. So here's a few bits and pieces to tide me over to then.

1. Niitty will get the start in Atlanta. Yes, Marty had his third shut-out of the season, but Antero has some sweet stats against the Thrash. (Bad boy has seven straight wins against them and made 27 saves on 28 shots in the last tilt.)

2. Lups sports a good baseline test and clear MRI. Although both tests show good resolution of the concussion and spinal contusions Joffrey sustained on January 4, doctors have not cleared him to return to the line-up until February 14 at the earliest. I'm hoping to see him in February 17's game against the Habs, just in time for Fan Appreciation Night.

3. Forsberg fodder continues. Holmgren took a scouting trip to Sweden. (Fine, fine but please get us some more Finns! I want to see an all-Finn shift on the ice.) While there, he talked with Peter Forsberg and his agent, fanning the flames on the rumor mill just a little bit more.

Either do it or don't, but, Peter, if you really want to make it up to the fans in Philly, find a way to come back without breaking our CAP or forcing us to trade anyone away. Even under those circumstances, I still wouldn't be comfortable with the message it sends.

4. Going completely off-topic: Thank you to the NY Giants! While I admire the Pats' all-for-one mentality, I'm so tired of Tom Brady. He is just so over-exposed. On the other hand, Kristin did have an interesting idea related to his penchant for dating models in a recent post.

Celebrations

1. Mike Knuble's hat-trick!

2. Marty Biron's shut-out!

3. Kristin's surrender to The Pronger Effect! (Just kidding!)

4. My 100th post!

Official (Unofficial) Points Race

As always, brought to you by moi!

Richie: 21 G + 36 A = 57 (+/- is 12)
Briere: 20 G + 30 A = 50 (+/- is -15)

I'm sooooooo enjoying this! Hee-hee.

Dear Antero Niittymäki

Now that is some SERIOUS stretching!

Niitty,

We haven't forgotten you. We all know you're waiting for your turn between the pipes. Yeah, we're sticking with Marty right now, 'cause he's hot. (You know how that goes!)

But I feel like some people may not know very much about you. So, here are my favorite things about Niitty.

1. You have kick @$$ black kickers!
2. For the week ending Nov. 16, 2003 (when you played with the Phantoms), you had a 0.41 GAA and .984 SP.
3. On Apr. 11, 2004 (still playing for the Phantoms), you scored a game-winning, empty net, overtime, short-handed, unassisted goal.
4. You stepped in as the goalie for the Finnish national team at the 2006 Winter Olympics as a relatively unknown player.
5. You were named the tournement MVP for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
6. You played with a torn labrum during the whole 2006-07 season. (The hip injury was sustained during training camp.)

By the way, that goal was the first overtime one scored by a goalie in North American professional hockey history.

Last season stunk for the whole organization. However, you had the summer to get better and shake it off. I'm looking forward to seeing you play one of these times and giving us the show we've seen before.

Barometer: How's it feel?

So here's the thing, I'm quite happy with the Flyers' first two games. One win. One loss. These are the pros and cons I see so far:

Good News

• Team Chemistry. Some fans were really worried about this. I wasn't. (Yes, that's me saying "I told you so.") So many of the "new" guys either played together before coming to us, played together at earlier levels, or are friends, that team chemistry would be one of the least iffy areas.
• Lines. These are coming together pretty well. Small tweaks need to be made for each individual player for his current line or whichever one he ends up on.
• Holy goaltending, Batman! Martin Biron. all I can say is "Thank you." Keep calm. So far, the ride is totally b****ing! (Niitty, I'm sure you've shaken off last season. Good luck to you this season.)

Bad News

• Team Chemistry. The guys are on a team building trip to Whistler, BC before next Wednesday's Canucks game. They can be really good times to cement lines and cameraderie. So guys, I'm begging you, get through this without anyone making an "I thought I was just being funny, how was I supposed to know that so-and-so's wife/girlfriend/mother/kid was_____________" crack.
• Defense. It already looks different from that pre-season game I attended. I'm happy to see more hustle in your "real" games. Keep it up. (Hatcher, I had some doubts...I'm honest if nothing else...but they fade away a little more each time I see you get to the puck quicker.)
• Those annoying, small things that can add up to really big ones. House-keeping, boys, house-keeping. The not-thinking mistakes have got to go.
• Continuing contrast to last season. Just side-step all those comparison questions by the media. Have them contrast it against earlier games in this one. Let that sleeping dog lie in peace.

By the way, I'm blaming last night's loss on the Oilers' tribute to Jason. Nothing against them (they're great people), it was a nice gesture (and therefore expected, because they're nice people), but it delayed getting you onto the ice (which I think was just strategy). : p

So have fun in Whistler. Play well against the Canucks. Kristin and I can't wait to see you next Saturday.

P.S. re: He who shall not be named - The suspension started this week with him on the NHL roster, not the AHL one.

Open invitation: Martin Biron

Dear Marty,

I'm really enjoying your contributions to the Flyers' road trip blog this year. Thanks for the mid-workday laughs and insight into my hometown hockey team this week. I can't wait for the other posts.

By the way, as I understand it, that blog will only be posting when you're on this road trip (and not all the others). So this is an open invitation to post here any time you want. I'd be honored to add you as an official contributor.

See you and the guys at home on the 13th and 18th!

Blogger Biron

Even if I don't get my wish for a live feed to Flyer goalie Martin Biron during games, I'll get something awfully darned close:

Marty will be contributing to the Flyers' road trip blog, providing his perspective of the day's happenings to Kevin Kurz, Flyers Manager of Communications and New Media. Plus, Marty will answer a question submitted by a fan each day.

Put your thinking caps on, but don't wait too long! The Flyers' regular season home opener is October 13.

Exhibit C: Why I love goalies

Q: What's 6'2", 200 lbs., and has shoulders 45" wide before pads?

A: My little brother Eli, aka "Igor," the goalie.

Eli's played goalie in three different sports: soccer, olympic-style roller hockey, and ice hockey. He's played at über-competitive levels and been invited to the Olympic Training Center several times. As you'll see below, Eli likes his hockey just a little bit rough, probably a legacy from his occasional rounds as a defenseman.

When I started this blog, I knew I wanted to explain why I love goalies so much. Well, Eli, you're the real reason why.

You see, as Lifetime-movie as this sounds, Eli is a hero of mine. So, here's an introduction to my absolute favorite hockey player of all time:

1. Which goalie style do you think is best: stand-up, butterfly, or profly?

Butterfly

2. Which style did you use as a goalie? Why was it best for you?

I mostly played butterfly, but stayed up too much for certain people. The major con against this style is that it leaves the top parts of the net open for shots. With my size, my shoulders and upper body covered more of the top than most other goalies.

3. What did you like best about being a goalie? The least?

The best thing was the saves, crushing the other team's hopes and dreams for scoring. The worst part was the shots I missed.

(Editor's note: Hey Eli, what about that time you stopped the 100 mph shot with your head, and it knocked the bolt out of your helmet - not to mention making you "fruit-loopy?")

4. You played goalie and defenseman. Which did you like more?

I liked playing both positions. I had a strong slapshot and could check, but I could play goalie better than most guys my age. (I had more years of experience at it.)

5. Favorite Flyers goalie?

I like Bernie Parent and Ron Hextall.

6. Best goalie of all time?

The same two, or possibly Patrick Roy.

7. What do you feel has been the greatest goalie contribution to the game?

My favorite goalie memory is seeing Rox Hextall and Grant Fuhr fighting. They proved that goalies can fight too, damn it! We don't just stay between the pipes.

8. Best NHL coach?

I'd have to say that I really liked Roger Neilson.

Niittymäki: 1:12

Dear Coach Stevens,

I've lived with a goalie (my younger brother). I've seen the hard work it takes to learn and play that part of the game.

I love goalies...I truly believe they are the most important part of the team. I love philadelphia flyers goalies best. (I can't wait to see Biron in action on October 13.)

But...p l e a s e...help Niittymäki with his game! His objective is to keep the puck from entering the goal. That's not what I see happening with him this pre-season.

I'd say send Niitty to the phantoms for remedial goalie school...because sitting him down won't fix this. But on the other hand, we need a back-up goalie on the bench in the big show.

I understand that against the Devils there were two separate two-man advantage power plays contributing to the situation. But what were the extenuating circumstances for last night?

I'm sorry...but Niitty's playing soft and it has to stop! He needs to lock that thing down, and he can do it.

Exhibit B: Why I love goalies

Goalies aren't just the crazy men wearing pillows that stand in the crease and let people shoot frozen, galvanized rubber biscuits at them that travel somewhere near 100 mph...

...they take shots and score goals, too! In fact, Flyer Ron Hextall was the first to do it.* here are some clips to review and enjoy.

Ron Hextall - take 1 - first goal by a goalie

Ron Hextall - take 2 - first playoff goal by a goalie

Martin Brodeur - first goalie to score a game winner

Chris Osgood

Jose Theodore

Evgeni Nabokov - first goalie to score a power play goal

*Hockey school: Billy Smith, Mika Noronen, Damian Rhodes and Chris Mason are all credited with scoring a goal, even though they didn't shoot the puck. In each case, they were the last player to touch the puck before it entered the goal.

Freebie: I couldn't find Mika Noronen's goal, but I did find him cleaning windows, er, the glass.

Great hockey quotes and jokes

Two of these are really skewed towards my love of goalies. Enjoy!

Jacques Plante: "How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?"

Wayne Gretzky: " You miss 100% of the shots you never take."

Herb Brooks, 1980 US Olympic hockey coach: "You don't have enough talent to win on talent alone."

Jim McKenny: "Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental."

Wayne Gretzky: "Some people skate to the puck. I skate to where the puck is going to be."

Author unknown: "Ice hockey players can walk on water."

Descriptions of Team Positions:

Team Coach
Leaps tall buildings in a single bound
Is more powerful than a locomotive
Is faster than a speeding bullet
Walks on water
Gives policy to God

Team Captain
Leaps short buildings with single bound
Is more powerful than a switch engine
Is just as fast as a speeding bullet
Walks on water if the sea is calm
Talks with God

Assistant Captain
Leaps short buildings with a running start and favorable winds
Is almost as powerful as a switch engine
Is faster than a speeding BB
Walks on water in an indoor swimming pool
Talks with God if special request is granted

Defenseman
Barely clears a Quonset hut
Loses tug-of-war with a switch engine
Can fire a speeding bullet
Swims well
Is occasionally addressed by God

Forward
Makes high marks on the wall when trying to leap buildings
Is run over by a locomotive
Can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self-injury
Dog paddles
Talks to animals

Rookie
Runs into buildings
Recognizes locomotive two out of three times
Is not issued ammunition
Can't stay afloat with a life preserver
Talks to walls

Referee
Falls over doorsteps when trying to enter buildings
Says "Look at the Choo-choo!"
Wets himself with a water pistol
Plays in mud puddles
Mumbles to himself

Goalie
Lifts buildings and walks under them
Kicks locomotives off the tracks
Catches speeding bullets with his teeth and eats them
Freezes water with a single glance (who needs a Zamboni?)
He IS God

Let me count the ways: I love goalies

September has arrived. Yeah. Hockey news is s l o w. The puck doesn't drop for real until October.

What's a goalie-obsessed fan to do? Thank God for YouTube and lead you to the goalie videos that keep my little heart content!

Here you will find what I call "Exhibit A." These guys are the best. After all, would you have the cojones to face down the likes of Al MacInnis (100+ mph), Al Iafrate (105.2), Shawn Haines (106.0 and no cracks about him not being in the NHL) or Chad Kilger (106.6)?

Hope you enjoy some oldies and the current stuff.

NHL Goalies - "Lunatic Fringe": Because the song's title says it all.
NHL Goalies 2006-07- "Y'all ready for this?"
Finnish NHL Goalies 2006-07 season: I know some HLOGgers that like their Finns.
NHL goalies - "Right Now"

I love these crazy buggers!