Long time Flyers’ beat writer Chuck Gormley hit on a rumor in his blog, that the Flyers could be the first team to target Devils’ UFA center John Madden, saying that “The Flyers recognize the need for a defensive centerman who can win key face offs, and Madden is the perfect fit.”
Filed under Offseason
At the conclusion of the Flyers’ season, it was announced that defenseman Randy Jones would need exploratory surgery to figure out why the same hip that needed a procedure done to repair a torn labrum at the beginning of the season, was still giving him pain. After getting the hip checked out by professionals, it turns out Randy did not re-injure himself, but just needed a clean up.
On Wednesday, Jones underwent a surgery to clean up scar tissue and inflamed tissue in his hip.
“Jones had immediate relief from the surgery they did today,” Holmgren said.
Jones finished the season under extreme pain caused by the sore hip and serious surgery was a potential concern. But with him possibly on the trade block in the offseason, not needing months of rehab is not only a breath of fresh air for Jones, but for the Flyers as well.
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Dmitry Chesnokov published Friday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Ruslan Fedotenko admits that despite losing the first two games of the second-round series against the Washington Capitals, playing Philadelphia was much harder.
“The Capitals have a lot of skilled players,” said Fedotenko, who is a former Flyer. “They try to beat you one on one. They convert on almost all their chances, especially on power play. But I think that it was tougher to play against the Flyers, even if you cannot say so by [looking at the] score.”
Despite losing the series in six games, the Flyers pushed the Penguins to the brink. They let a late lead slip away in game two and watched a three-goal lead disappear in game six. The Flyers also failed to convert on eight power play chances in game four, in which they lost 3-1.
However, when asked the same question, forward Evgeni Malkin stated that Washington’s speed makes them tougher to face.
“Every round is getting more difficult,” said Malkin. “It is a long season and the fatigue is accumulated. And all games are every other day. And Washington is playing quicker than Philadelphia.”
Filed under Around the NHL, Offseason
Shortly after announcing its move from Philadelphia to Glens Falls, NY., the Adirondack Phantoms have released the new jerseys for the 2009-10 AHL season.
The main colors will be orange and black, with a hint of purple down the sides and back. The Flyers logo will appear as a shoulder patch on the jersey as they remain the Flyers’ affiliate.
Filed under Adirondack Phantoms, Offseason, Philadelphia Phantoms
For the past week, the Flyers’ front office has been talking up the idea of bringing troubled goaltender Ray Emery into the organization to be the starting goalie in 2009-10. With Marty Biron set to hit the free agent market, is the Flyers’ interest in Emery legitimate? Or just a tactic to get Biron to lower his asking price?
With less than five minutes to play in the third period, the Washington Capitals took the dominating 4-2 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins with the third goal of the night from Alex Ovechkin. As the hats came flying off at the Verizon Center in celebration of the hat trick from their beloved superstar, Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby could be seen chatting up the referee.
When asked about what he and the ref talked about, Crosby did the worst thing possible: Answer that question honestly to the media.
“People kept throwing hats,” he said. “I was just asking if he could make an announcement to ask them to stop. I mean, the first wave came and then I think they were all pretty much picked up, and then more started coming. So for us, we just wanted to make sure we kept kind of moving and kept the game going, wanted to try to get back in it. So wasn’t complaining about anything.”
For a player who has the infamous reputation of whiner and complainer, Crosby did no favors for himself admitting to his attempts to cease the fan’s celebration, like his demands could even be met.
And as Crosby, who netted a hat trick himself, whines about the celebrations, Ovechkin continues to separate himself from the league-appointed savior, as the real king of the NHL.
Filed under Around the NHL, Stanley Cup Playoffs
Phila.Bright 