I'll make my first post a meaningful one.....I'm a big Flyers fan from outside the Philadelphia area and i've been following this team for many cupless years. That wont change this year.
Coming into the season i believed this team was a perennial contender for the cup as usual, with Peter Forsberg and Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje, the great rookies in RJ Umberger, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Antero Nittymaki (who did play before the lockout but is technically a rookie), and all the new additions and new rules that should have helped the Flyers i felt that they would at least reach the Eastern Conference finals. But that wont be so....
Not because this team is talented, because this team isn't well coached, because of mediocre goaltending, or because this team doesn't have the speed of teams like the Sabres, Canes and Senators. The reason this team wont go far in the playoffs is because they have no heart.
The hallmark of the Flyers franchise has always been heart, toughness and to down right out hustle your opponent. Not the finesse, not the fancy play or high scoring, not the great strategy, but the effort. Look at the Flyers of the 70's with Bobby Clarke and Billy Barber, Bob "The Hound" Kelly and Dave "The Hammer Schultz. The toughness of those players, the heart....there is NOBODY like that on this team. Look at the 80's with Timmy Kerr and Brian Propp, Rich Tocchet, Mark Howe. More tough grinding players, again there is no one on this Flyers team like that.
I am extremely disappointed with the effort of this team, not only is it a slap in the face to the great franchise but it's a slap in the face to the fans who pay 85 dollars for lower level tickets and sell-out EVERY game. The Flyers get outplayed, outhustled, out-EVERYTHING'D by the Devils and Leafs, in two CRUCIAL games. They just come out flat....The Devils are a rock solid team, but this isn't the Devils of old here, there is no reason for that poor of play. They cant kill powerplays, the sitback and REFUSE to play aggressively. Using a football analogy the Flyers are AFRAID to Blitz. They sit back and dont pressure trying to defend and eventually they break. Rather than take a chance and get aggressive. I'm fed up with it..
Fans have blamed it at the begining of the season on the "NEW RULES". The Flyers have to get used to the "NEW RULES". Then it became the "INJURIES" with all the games lost to injury for the Flyers. Each are legitimate excuses....but NOW what is it? The team just has no heart, and without Kimmy Johnson and Keith Primeau back in the lineup for the playoffs they will be gone rapidly, so see you next fall.
