Make It Rain

bag skate

n. in hockey, a team practice made of repetitive, strenuous skating drills and sprints, usually without pucks. Also as a verb.

Sometimes they're called suicides, "Herbies", or mountain climbing (among other unprintable names). Loved by coaches and hated by players, the actual value of them is much disputed. Whatever the real value, they certainly get a team's attention, one way or another.

You will probably recognize them best from this scene in the movie "Miracle"...

In the military, we called it 'cycling'... with an added bonus of having us get fully dressed in our winter gear, close the windows in the barracks, then 'cycle' (12 count body-builders, duck-walking, and other fun stuff) until it 'rains' (water literally drips from the ceiling from the humidity that's created). We always had to recite this chatty little ditty...

"The true meaning of discipline is not punishment, it's so that men can learn to work together to achieve a common goal." - GM1 Williams (my drill instructor)

We got to do push-ups in time with the syllables of this saying and, once completed, was equal to one (1) total push-up. You do the math... great fun.

Did it get us to perform as a unit... well, you basically were willing to do whatever was necessary to make the pain stop. Also, you got ripped like no one's business. So it had some bonuses.

That's what Laviolette is working to instill with the Flyers, and I say good. There are a number of players would need to work out some excess energy and/or get in better shape. Hopefully he doesn't overuse it, and hopefully it gets people's attention.

And the common goal? The Cup.

GM1 Williams would be proud.

Double Up, Unh-Unh

Now doesn't that feel better?

Peter Laviolette: "You look for your leaders to bring you out of it."

If we take that at face value then Richards, Carter and Giroux are the leaders of this team. I'm cool with that. Of course Pronger and Timo were in the mix (a combined 3pts and +3 for the night).

So Richie, Carts and Mr. X doubled up last night. I guess we should send a special thanks to Marty Biron and the slacktastic defense of the Isles... but, honestly, those goals were the result of hard work and finally some bounces going on our way.

The Flyers post-game comments returned to their normal milk-toast consistency, but I'm too pleased with the victory to be overly bothered by it. Again, though, it was just the Islanders so we can't get over excited.

Tomorrow's match-up against Ottawa will be a good test and then the team heads up the road to face Brodeur and the Devils. We'll have a better idea of how things stand come Sunday, but for now we can just fill our sails again with hope and breath deeply of the returning excitement.

Confidence is key nowadays and the team appears to have a bit of swagger back. With Emery out, the team will need a confident Boosh to carry the load. Homer suggested that the team might look to make a move but I think we're fine if we let it ride until Razor returns. With the defense firing on all cylinders and Lavi's new system taking hold, I think the Flyers can weather the storm and put together a decent December.

Gags is taking contact in practice now but is still at least a week away. Please be healed for good this time, Simon.

And Philly takes a collective sigh of relief. Go Flyers.

What Could Go Wrong?

I know what this kid is thinking... if I pull this off, it'll be EPIC. If not, it'll be an epic fail.

So what do you do?

You go for broke, hoping and praying that everything works out for the best.

The past is behind us... and we're forging boldly forward with Laviolette. So damn the helmet, knee pads and common sense. Let's go into Montreal and kick some French-Canadian butt.

Go Flyers!

Carbomb'ed

There is little to say that hasn't already been said about last night. It was a train wreck, plain and simple. Sure, Carbomb's stupid penalty (by him and the subsequent call by the refs) was certainly a factor in the blow out, but the Flyers played like garbage and there's no way around that.

So let's try to dissect the negatives and positives from last night's game...

Negatives:

• Carbombed: what was Carcillo thinking? There was apparently some trash talk between him and Bradley beforehand and Bradley himself said that he thought they were going to go. I'm not sure what Toronto saw in the video but 4 games is pretty harsh and certainly a reflection of Carcillo's checkered past. While I'm sure it could be argued both ways, I still think Danny should have just kept skating. It was a dumb play even if it was a quick knock-out. Then the refs blew it up and basically handed the games to the Caps... and then so did the Flyers.
• Dull Razor: Emery repeatedly gave up goals his stick side. Goals #1, #3*, #4, and #5* were all on his right. The starred ones, 3 & 5, were nearly identical shots and ones that I've seen result in goals a number of times already this season on Ray - mid-high stick side. He seems to float to his glove-side post in positioning for an odd man rush coming down his left side, thus exposing the stick side post for shooters... and they're making him pay. He needs to regain his confidence and get back to the fundamentals. Generally, he's been out of position and giving up too many weak goals. A good deal of the problem has been shoddy defense, so not all the blame can go on Ray's shoulders, but he's certainly not looked sharp lately. No, not at all.
• Where have the top-two lines gone? Our 3rd and 4th lines continue to be our best, night-in-and-night-out... and that's never a good sign. Both of last night's goal were scored by mainly 'lower-tier' players. Pyro's was off of some hard work by Carcillo and Hartnell's goal was off a feed from Kalinski. I'm not bashing those guys. In fact, you want to see those lines putting up points, but they can't be your main source of offense. It's no secret, everyone's saying the top scorers need to pick up the pace. Something ugly needs to happen... a dirty goal... and the flood gates will burst. Hopefully.
• Getting in a hole: For the ump-teenth time now, the Flyers have given up the first goal. It's not crazy math to figure out that constantly playing while trailing isn't the way you want to do things. You can see the Flyers playing erratically and undisciplined for this very reason... they're getting so used to playing from behind I think they're starting to like it. Wait, they were blowing leads regularly about a month ago, right? So apparently they don't like playing with leads either. Guess this theory goes right out the window.

Now for some positives:

• 6-foot Rule: Pyro's goal from about that magical six foot range. He was parked out front and ready to put in the rebound. He slide it five hole on Theodore to tie the game up (wow, can't even believe it was tied at one point). Until the Flyers sticks start slinging pucks like they know how again, I don't wanna see any of these outside shots. I want to see guys crashing the net. every. single. time.
• Throwing Trash Cans: Between hearing that Pronger was furious at Carcillo during post-game interviews to Richards saying he talked to Danny, it appears that some level of accountability has started to surface in the locker room - even if very slight. A small start is still a start.
• Richards ready to lead: In his post-game interview, Richie told the reporters "I’m ready to lead the team forward.” Good. Now do it.

Just for the record, I still don't think that John Stevens was the problem here in Philly. However, he's gone now and Laviolette is running the show... so we just deal with it and move ahead. For Laviolette, I'm sure last night's game wasn't how he wanted to start his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love. But, you know what, it's a great opportunity for him to win the guys' confidence. Everyone knows it's easy to coach or lead when things are going well. The true measure of a leader is when things get tough. And this month couldn't be any tougher.

Laviolette will only have a handful of full non-game practice days to instill his system. This won't be easy, rest assured. But more has been done with less in the past, so here's hoping he's up to the challenge.

Let's hope a quick trip to Montreal will cure what ails the Flyers.

Hold Up There

He looks how I feel.

While I'm writing a ridiculous paper about whether the Obama Administration should follow a path of multi-lateralism in trying to revive the Doha Round of the WTO (have you fallen asleep yet?), the Flyers have been pursing their own version of multi-suckism in an apparent full-on effort to tank their season. There's all this controversy swirling about whether Stevens will lose his job, or Richards will lose the 'C', or that Homer's going to make some big trade.

So I'm gonna briefly sound off on all the hot topics:

• Stevens staying or going: If you come here regularly, then you know I've said enough about this. To summarize though, I think Stevens is a decent coach. Is he good enough to win the Cup? I'm not sure. That's a question that swirls around coaches all the time, whether you've won it before or not. Bringing in a guy like Keenan or Laviolette will carry the same doubts. These guys haven't won it again since they did it before. So I don't think it's about whether you've been there before or not. It's about knowing your team. Stevens, if anybody, knows this team. He coached many of them through the minors and he knows how each of them tick. Whether he's lost his touch or the players have stopped listening to him is yet to be determined. Let's be clear though, Stevens is not last year's Therrein. All indications are that Therrien HAD lost the Penguins. Nothing we're hearing indicates that for John. What the question really comes down to is, can Stevens coach this team to win the Cup? Right now, I say he is able. Whether the Flyers' brass agrees is an entirely different matter. The next few weeks will tell for certain.
• 8 Straight Scoreless Periods: You can pile on 50+ shots a night but, if all you're doing is shooting from the outside, you're not going to get much. As a goalie, I love teams that just shoot from the perimeter while not clogging the slot. You can shoot at me all day like that. I don't have to even worry about giving up a rebound because there's no one there to take advantage of it. That's what the Flyers are doing all the time now. If you watch the video, there's hardly ever anyone sitting up in that primo rebound area about 6 feet out from the net. Hartnell is right in the goalie's face but he really doesn't block that much sight line. So many times last night, there were HUGE rebounds in that 6 foot range and no Flyer was there to pounce on them. That's a defense and goalie's dream. No one is crashing the net. Here are your forwards: You've got a guy below the goal line, one by the boards, and one either right in the goalie's face or slightly off the post. No one is in any position to pick up that big slot rebound. You can constantly watch Flyers reaching for those rebounds but getting beat, time after time. That's part coaching but it's also part heart. You get beat down in that area and guys have been hesitant to get there. Until that changes, we'll keep making average goaltending efforts look Herculean.
• I like Mike. Mike Richards is a good kid and has been a leader his whole life. For whatever reason, he's a quieter guy who wants to lead by example. There's nothing wrong with that. There have been great captains who have been from that mold (hello Yzerman?). What I see this as is a transition time for Mike to move from good player and leader to GREAT player and leader. He's only 24, he's still figuring things out. I tell you one thing, I'd rather have a quiet leader like Richards than a whining wench like Crosby. Maybe Pronger will take on the 'C' for the rest of the year, whatever. If it wins us the Cup, I say good on you. But I would prefer to see Richie with the 'C' when he's hoisting Lord Stanley at the end of this season.

Yeah, there's lots that needs fixing right now. I hate seeing the lifeless effort that we did last night. But I think the team is solid and I really don't think any major changes need to be made. The Flyers will pull out of this tail spin and starting rocking fools night-in-and-night-out. Better now than the end of the season.

So let's hold off on the panic button just a bit longer.

Johnny B. Good

The bandwagon is picking up steam... John Stevens is on the hot seat. Or, at least, we'd like to think so. Frank Seravalli's recent Philly.com article about Coach Steven's current situation is a decent glimpse into what's going on behind the scenes. After rattling off a 5-game win streak, the Flyers have squandered whatever progress they made by dropping 5 of their last 6 games, with at least 3 of those games being arguably winnable.

Homer is frustrated. Stevens is frustrated. The players are frustrated. The fans are frustrated.

How much longer will this be allowed to go before something is done?

I've pondered a number of times about when Stevens would face the chopping block this year, in particular since it appears that Holmgren is looking to win now. The Flyers aren't winning now and, in fact, only a handful of the players seem to be playing with any heart. Finger-pointing is starting on many levels and it's easy to see that the coaching staff would be the most vulnerable group for change.

So what are the Flyers options?

• "Iron Mike" Keenan: many people are calling for the hard-nose coaching of Keenan to return as a change of pace to Stevens more measured approach. While this may sound attractive, Keenen's iron has been tarnished over the past few years after repeated failures in St. Louis, Vancouver, Boston, Florida (a huge flop) and Calgary. In all those stops, he's failed to repeat his success with the Rangers (or Flyers). The good? He'll keep the players accountable and squeeze every last drop out of them he can. The bad? He's terribly hard on goalies, which could be a potential disaster for a suddenly struggling and not-completely stable Emery. In the end, I think Iron Mike's time is done as a coach. He might catch on for a short-term some place but I don't think he's a good fit for the Flyers right now.
• Kevin Dineen: The former Flyer captain has been making a name for himself as a solid AHL coach with the Portland Pirates. He's an up-and-coming name who would be a recognizable face to the organization and one familiar with the pressures of playing in Philadelphia. He's still a relative wildcard though and it's difficult to gauge if he'd be a significant upgrade over Stevens, who has a similar pedigree.
• Peter Laviolette: the former cup-winner with the Hurricanes lost his job over an injury plagued season about a year ago. He's a solid coach who is able to do much with little, which could bode well for leading a talented team such as the Flyers. The American-born Laviolette is a proven winner and is available.
• Craig Berube: Another familiar face and current assistant coach on the Flyers. Talk has sprung up lately that he could be a potential replacement for Stevens. While certainly a 'tougher' guy, it's difficult to tell if he'd be an upgrade over the much more strategically minded Stevens. Too much of a wildcard for my tastes.

In defense of Stevens... he's been facing significant time lost from injuries and sicknesses, and that's difficult to overcome. Let's face it, AHL replacements don't hoist the same talent as NHL regulars. However, that's when a coach needs to change his system and adapt to the players he has. It's not clear that Stevens has effectively done so. His system appears unchanged even though there has been a significant change to the personnel.

Another factor is the potential that he's lost the team. The Flyers have been inconsistent performers going back into last season, flopping at the end of the season and giving up a strong position in the standings for barely squeaking into the playoffs. If Coach Stevens has lost the Flyers - or if they just won't play for him with heart, then there's only one thing that can change... and that's at the helm. You can't pinpoint a 'trouble-maker' so John would be the target.

The upshot is, Stevens is a good coach tactically. He out-coached Therrien, Boudreau and Gainey. Sure he's had a lot of talent to work with, but he's put a decent system in place to effectively utilize what he's got. At best, this is just a blip on the radar of what will turn out to be a great season and an eventual Cup (even great teams need to go through adversity to find out who they are). At worst, these are the dying flops of Stevens' career here in Philly.

Either way, something's gotta happen soon.

Time to Man Up

I'm done listening. No one wants to hear the litany of excuses and lame proclamations of how "you need to look in the mirror." Enough talk. Put your money where your mouth is.

The Flyers went from high flying to sad sacks in 0.3 seconds this past week. This is one time where I think the team should follow Mike Richards lead. Stop talking, making excuses and 'soul-searching' epitaphs about taking responsibility. Go out there and prove who you are.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to make excuses at this point. With five regular starters out of the line-up (Gags, Briere, Betts, Powe and OKT - for those counting), the team could come up with plenty of reasons why could take on the Island.

No one wants to hear them.

All I want to hear at the end of the game is Steve Coates interviewing Mike Richards after having a career night. I want to hear Bundy talk about the tremendous shut out that Boucher pitches. And I want to have seen Pronger crush Tavares multiple times to teach the rook that you don't come near the Flyers net unless you're ready to pay the price.

I want to see Hartnell play with his head screwed on straight and be the pest in front of the net that he's so capable of being. I want to see Carter rip a hole in the fabric of time - and the back of the net - with his missing wrister. I want to see Asham bully a kid or two up in the stands with a glare. And I want to see Stevens climb out of the bench to fight the Isles mascot.

I want to see ice girls hip-checked, and the beer guy sent to the emergency room from an Coburn slapper. I want the organ player to lose some teeth.

And if none of those unlikely things happen... the one thing I won't accept is seeing the Flyers come back home like a dog with its tail hanging between its legs. Win, lose or draw... the Flyers better play 60 minutes of bully hockey. 3,600 seconds of in-your-face domination that requires the Long Island ice team to have to fix the boards before next game.

The Isles better wish that they'll never have to play the Flyers again after tonight... ever.

No more excuses.

Digging a Hole

"It wasn't good enough." - John Stevens, post-game interview

No kidding.

Let me provide you with some other descriptors/adjectives of the Flyers' effort last night.

• Gutless
• Lazy
• Sloppy
• Uninspired
• Lackluster
• Devoid
• Pitiful
• Stanky
• Craptastic

And I could go on... and on... and on.

To say it "wasn't good enough" is a vast understatement. I'm going to repeat something that a lot of people are saying, because it bears repeating... when Claude Giroux and Danny Briere are your physical presence on the ice for a hockey game, there's something wrong. Where is Pronger, Hartnell, Carbomb or even Richards when it comes to mitt-dropping time?

Yes, Gutless.

You can't go down 5-2 in a game and hope that you're going to come back and win. Has the team completely forgotten how to play defense all of the sudden?

Homer's not happy. We, the fans, aren't happy. And you can see it on Stevens' face that he's not happy. Unfortunately, John is digging himself a hole rather quickly here. No one expects the team to go undefeated the rest of the season, but stretches like this where the team is playing without heart... where the team's leaders are playing without heart... leave you wondering what's going on.

In the end, I don't think you can pin the whole blame on one person. Many coaches have screamed at the top of their lungs until players stop listening to them. Being a team means that people respect each other and listen to one another... that everyone plays their role and is dedicated to the whole group's success. You don't see that now with the Flyers and it's worrisome.

If players like Richards and Carter are happy to be satisfied with just being good, then the issue is much deeper. More centrally, if Richards wants to pout about getting picked on by the media, then perhaps it's time to yank that 'C' off his chest and give it to someone who's mature enough to handle the responsibilities of being 'the man'. There are plenty of guys on this team who can fill that role.

The Flyers better get it together, and fast... or Homer's gonna start pulling the trigger on some trades or firings to get the team moving again.

A Weak-end

The true character of a man is not if he loses. All men are defeated at some point by something... and some of us more than others. But the true test of a man is how he responds to a loss, especially a humiliating one. Does he continue his downward spiral, or does he rise from the ashes to reclaim his glory and soar to new heights?

This was the test facing the Flyers following Friday's 6-3 debacle in San Jose, and it seemed like Phoenix would be a fitting place to come back to life.

It was not.

Lots of people will complain about the officiating of the game as a reason Philly lost. Let's be clear... it was horrible. The numerous officiating blunders were reminiscent of many of our adult league games where the ref has little or no clue, or just wants to rush the game so he can go home and watch American Idol. BUT, it doesn't matter how bad a job the officials did, no good team ever lets the officials beat them. You scrap and fight and find a way to win.

The Flyers didn't do any of that.

Going back to the Sharks' game, the same thing goes for the ice. Honestly, that ice looked bad on the TV... even the grainy internet streaming that I am so grateful for. After seeing the team flop around in LA then the same thing again in San Jose, one has to wonder if there's a decent sheet of ice in all of CALI. BUT, again, crappy ice can never be an excuse for a good team. Good teams find a way to win.

The Flyers didn't.

Am I saying the Flyers aren't good? Not exactly. What I'm saying is they're not playing like a good team right now. They've still got a ways to go and games like these remind us of that fact. The five game winning streak showed us what they're capable of, but hockey is a game of inches and bounces and those haven't been going the Flyers' way recently.

Some thoughts...

• Emery was a good call: Some may question the reasoning of throwing Emery back between the pipes so quickly after letting in so many goals in San Jose. I think it was a strong move of confidence in him and an absolutely solid call by the coaching staff. You don't want a goalie to sit and think about a game like that for too long. In turn, Emery played a good game in Phoenix and gave the team every chance to win that game.
• Stevens Questionable: Other than the call on Emery, it's clear that Stevens lacks the ability to inspire his players to bounce back quickly from a bad loss. After a game like Friday's, you gotta hit the ice spitting mad and ready to destroy a team that is clearly your inferior (no offense, Phoenix). Saturday should have brought a fiery win from the Flyers. Instead, it was a lackadaisical loss blamed on poor officiating. Not impressive.
• Terrible NHL Scheduling: How does the NHL go from 2 games in nearly 2 1/2 weeks to scheduling a double-header with start times less than 24 hours apart? That includes traveling to a completely different city and trying to get a decent amount of sleep. If you ask me, that's the reason why Betts was lost to injury and we're lucky more guys weren't hurt. I hope that Homer is giving them the what-for, though I also realize that it wouldn't matter.
• Injury Bug: Staying with the injury topic, now the Flyers are faced with possibly 2+ months of lost man time with Betts and Powe going out. Betts has unquestionably been a stabilizing force on the team with his crucial faceoff wins and solid defensive play. Powe, on the other hand, has been the team's energizer bunny who's surprising goal production has been invaluable while our regular scorers still try to find their grooves. Time for Carts, Richie and Briere to step up.

The Flyers have traveled to Colorado to face the Avalanche tomorrow. The Avs have lost a considerable amount of talent since their glory days and have also been plagued by the injury bug. This should be a winnable game for Philly, and a good time to stop the downward spiral.

Go show us what you're made of.

Claude the Bruiser

Since when did Claude Giroux's play warrant 4th line time? John Stevens does some crazy stuff sometime but this one really takes the cake.

A guy who has done just about everything but put on Emery's pads this year gets 'demoted' to the 4th line so Stevens can put him at center. Sure, it spreads the scoring out a bit more, but how's he gonna impact with his 10 minutes of ice time. (don't you love hyperbole?)

Seriously though. Even though he's got two capable wingers in Powe and La-liberte(!), the kid is magical on the puck and deserves more quality time. And for the first time, I'm beginning to wonder what his future with the team is. Stevens can't seem to find a spot for him and, even though he's easily one of our most talented forwards, he can't seem to settle in anywhere.

How much more complicated will it get when Gags returns?

As for tonight, well, it's gonna be a dog fight. The Sharks are deadly on their home ice but our boys have been kicking butt and taking names. I really don't have a prediction... just too many variables to account for. One thing is sure, it could be one of the best games of the year so far.