FLYERS: Laviolette Downplays Leadership Issues

FLYERS COACH DOWNPLAYS LEADERSHIP ISSUES

…There’s no doubt in my mind the Flyers miss Chris Pronger and Jody Shelley on a consistent basis in that locker room. When their both back, maybe the team’s in-game focus will increase, but it seems to me like veterans Mike Richards, Kimmo Timonen, and Danny Briere aren’t having as much effect as Pronger and Shelley clearly did earlier in the season.

I’ve said time and time again: Chris Pronger is the Flyer the team can LEAST afford to lose, and, unfortunately, my point is being very much proven over these last few games.

FLYERS: PostGame – Reaction

Paul Holmgren:

 

Mike Richards:

 

Kris Versteeg

 

FLYERS: Quote – The Thoughts on Adversity Being a Kick-Start

“I’ve answered this probably 40 times this year. You have some sort of quote on your microphone. We had a 10 [game losing streak] two years ago. Last year, we had some. I’m not going to keep answering the same question every single year.”

- Mike Richards to Sam Carchidi post-game earlier today.

 

…Usually I get mad when Richie ignores questions or is an asshole to reporters, but in this case I understand. The team is in a slump, it’s a bad slump, and there really hasn’t been a sign that it’s going to just disappear at the snap of their fingers. That being said, there aren’t many lineups in the league that can throw out a unit like the Flyers can, and I fully expect them to continue to contend for the top spot in the East. Whether they may have allowed teams to creep back into the race or not at this point, now that’s a whole other topic – and hopefully something we don’t need to revisit down the line.

FLYERS: Quote – The Chemistry Will Come

It’s about going out there and trying to get some chemistry going, and I feel it’s coming along. We’re starting to use each other really well, and the scoring chances are there. Something should be going in, and I don’t know why it’s not. But as long as you’re getting chances, I don’t think you should worry too much.

- Kris Versteeg on his lack of success so far with line-mate Mike Richards, today in the Philadelphia Inquirer

 

…I’m not really too worried about it, Kris. Versteeg was not brought here to be the team’s leading scorer, or even a top-3 offensive proponent to this squad. He was brought here to essentially duplicate the role he had with the Chicago Blackhawks, and I have very little complaints about him so far. Sure, you want guys to score when they are playing with players like Richards, but it just needs time. Versteeg is a good player, and eventually the bounces will come. It’s all about developing that chemistry: something that certainly will benefit Steeger and the Flyers in the long run.

FLYERS: Issues w/Laviolette’s Power Play Approach?

FLYERS’ MIKE RICHARDS CRITICIZES COACHES FOR POWER PLAY CHANGES

…When the powerplay is struggling, that’s obviously going to frustrate everyone. The two units that Whyno says are the finalized groups in this piece sound good to me. I would personally like to see Versteeg play a little more on the man advantage, but if I know Lavy is all about making his players earn their stripes and Steeger still has yet to do that.

Regardless, they need to get it together on the PP, because it could prove to be their undoing come playoff-time if they continue to suffer with the man advantage.

FLYERS: Briere Not at Practice; Rolly Had No Traffic in Front of Him

From practice today, via @SWhyno :

…Well, that’s not good. My guess: a maintenance day. Remember, Briere didn’t have an All-Star Break, per-se.

And, from last night, courtesy of @BroadStBull:

 

…Ya think? Roloson played a great game, but there’s no doubting he saw nearly every shot the Flyers threw his way. That has to change, because that’s not the way the Flyers play hockey – let alone a way in which this team can be successful.

FLYERS: Three in the Top-50 for Fantasy – NHL.com

MIDSEASON TOP-50 FANTASY HOCKEY RANKINGS

…I’m not really all that much of a fantasy hockey guy – I prefer Fantasy Football – but it’s cool to see three of the Flyers players in the top-50 amongst the entire league. Mike Richards (29th), Jeff Carter (34th), and Danny Briere (43rd) all make appearances. While I don’t really keep track of my fantasy team, I always only draft Flyers players, so I guess I’m doing well in my league because I know I have all three of those men on my team.

FLYERS: Player Report Cards – Mike Richards

NAME: Mike Richards

POSITION: Center

Regular Season Statistics: 82 Games Played – 31 Goals, 31 Assists, 62 Points. -2

Analysis: Where to begin with the regular season version of Mike Richards? The captain of this Flyers team showed his true colors as the season came down to the final stretch, but until he picked his game up when it mattered, plenty of fans – myself included – were looking at Richards as lacking what it took to captain this squad. There are some qualities of Richards that go overlooked amidst the criticism, however. He did compete in all 82 regular season games, at least giving the Flyers a consistent captain on the ice for the duration of the regular season. Richards also plays in a way, when he’s at the top of his game, that is reminiscent of a certain former Flyers captain named Clarke used to play back in his heyday. By that, of course, I mean Richie disregards his body and is willing to make whatever type of sacrifice it takes in order for his team to win. Another pretty solid aspect to Richards’ season was his 31 goal output, the highest of his National Hockey League career. If it weren’t for questions of motivation and work ethic from time to time, Richards would be on that Clarke-type level in the minds of Flyers fans. However, as he picked up another Bobby Clarke Trophy during the team award ceremony, Richards is quickly showing that his old reputation is merely that and he is progressing forward nicely as a member of this team.

Postseason Statistics: 23 Games Played – 7 Goals, 16 Assists, 23 Points. -1

Analysis: Remember all those questions we had about Mike Richards in the regular season, and even questions based off last seasons performance in the postseason for #18? Remember when we weren’t entirely sure if Richie could carry the load? Well, the captain proved us all wrong – myself, especially – en route to one of the more sensational Flyers postseasons in team history. Richards averaged a point a game as he became only the second Flyers captain (Eric Lindros, 1997) in the past two decades to lead the Orange and Black to an Eastern Conference title. In doing so, Richards created perhaps one of the best memories in Flyers postseason history, when he single-handedly destroyed Marc-Andre Bergeron of the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final to set up a goal that would tie the game at one a piece, and set the path for the Flyers to steamroll Montreal and move on to the Stanley Cup Final. It was a historical postseason for the Flyers and their fans, and Mike Richards was as big a part of it as anything.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Reasoning: The lone reason for the “-” is due to the fact that Richards had some questions about his determination frequently during the regular season. His postseason performance was something of the folklore variety and he certainly established himself as perhaps the most essential key to the core of the Flyers for years to come. He showed everyone during this postseason that he can be “the guy” in Philadelphia and that he most certainly can bring it every night to the rink. I personally was a hater of Mike Richards until the series against New Jersey. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate what he did for the Flyers, I just didn’t feel like his heart was totally in it to justify him wearing the “C”. Well, about five minutes into Game One of the New Jersey series, my mind was changed. Instead of a guy that seemed to be lollygagging behind the play and just going through the motions, I saw a player who was simply not going to let his team lose and do whatever it takes to make sure his squad got a very important win on the road. For me, that told me all I needed to know about the maturation of Mike Richards. That, of course, was simply: we have got ourselves a captain.

FLYERS: Storybook Run Comes to a Crushing Halt

And just like that, the dream is over.

In the blink of an eye, in the quickness of a Patrick Kane stutter-step, the Chicago Blackhawks staved off a furious push from the Flyers late in Game Six and claimed their first Stanley Cup since 1961. Kudos to the Blackhawks for playing a tremendous series: they were definitely the better team, and I think it’s obvious that they got better as the series went on.

Still, I more than tip my cap to the Philadelphia Flyers. They restored the Prince of Wales to his rightful home in the City of Brotherly Love and I’ve realized that lost in all this Stanley Cup hoop-lah surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks, is that the Eastern Conference goes through the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wachovia Center in 2010-2011. It will be a long off-season for the Flyers, who came two wins – and perhaps a crushing overtime goal to send this to a Game Seven – from wining the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 35 years. However, it simply wasn’t meant to be. How the hockey Gods can make it so that Ben Eager gets to sip from the silver chalice before Ian Laperriere is beyond me, but so it goes.

Chicago deserved to win Game Six, it’s that simple. They were quicker than the Flyers, and while the men in Orange and Black looked like their legs had given out on them and their bodies were running on empty, the Blackhawks looked like they had received an extra jolt of energy, and were ready to rock at puck drop. They outworked the Flyers for literally 55 of the 60 minutes of regulation time, and the fact that the Flyers sent the game into overtime was a prayer in itself.

The Flyers gave us all a wild ride in 2009-2010

I don’t want to go over what happened in this game, because I’m sure you all know. The ‘Hawks jumped out to a lead, the Flyers evened it up, the Flyers gained the lead, the ‘Hawks evened it up, then the ‘Hawks got the lead, and the Flyers tied it up, before the ‘Hawks claimed the Cup in overtime. I felt like it would only do the Flyers justice to put even a small post up today, but I seriously mean it when I say that this takes almost all the remaining energy out of me.

I’m crushed by what took place last night. Maybe I made things worse on myself by sitting there and watching that midget Gary Bettman come out on the ice literally from right below my seats in section 122. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched Jonathan Toews come claim the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup. Maybe I shouldn’t have seen Marian Hossa get the Cup in person and watch the euphoria he experienced when he raised it over his head. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched the Blackhawks parade around the ice. However, I’m kind of glad I did deep down. I saw that happen live, and it made me crave for the day when Mike Richards and the Flyers will take part in the finale. Guys like Danny Briere and Ian Laperriere, Blair Betts and Scott Hartnell – these men deserved a better fate. But really, what can you do? How do fans get through this off-season? How do the Flyers get through this off-season? Their professionals, I guess, so it’s just part of their job, but this one is going to sting personally for me for a long time. It’s never easy when the Flyers are bounced from the playoffs, but this was the longest run of theirs that I have experienced in my life.

And now, it’s over.

What do I do now?

Wait ’till next year?

Sigh.

FLYERS: What Needs to Change for Game Six

Bartulis played just 1:58 in Game Five

The talented Sam Carchidi has a bit of advice for the Flyers as they head into the first of (hopefully) two do-or-die games against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. Chicago is a mere one win away from claiming Lord Stanley, and it could happen on the Wachovia Center ice if the Flyers are not careful.

Carchidi lays out several guidelines he believes the Flyers will need to follow if they are to make a serious statement in this series moving forward. Among Carchidi’s requests: sticking with Michael Leighton, having Jeff Carter and Mike Richards step up, and perhaps even having Peter Laviolette insert Dan Carcillo back into the lineup for Game Six and scratch a defenseman (Oskars Bartulis), going with 13 forwards and five d-men.

You can check out the article, here: SOME (FREE) ADVICE FOR FLYERS