Philadelphia Flyers

I don't believe I mentioned it here when I meant to, but I went to the Flyers game on Monday night against Detroit. Here are my thoughts, which were already posted on GameFAQs.

Holy shit that was great. Nothing says Red Wings/Flyers hockey like Joey McDonald and Michael Leighton. The Red Wings haven't won here in ten years.

I think I did a good job of fitting in despite being a n00b to live hockey. I got into all of the chants pretty quickly and matched the excitement level of everyone else. That was probably one of the best sporting events I've ever been to, second to only maybe the Labor Day Phillies game against Houston last season. All of the fans were really getting into it and I enjoyed all the Detroit fans getting heckled leaving early. Maybe the Wings can try again in three years or whenever they come back again. Damn you Gary Bettman.

Hockey seems to have a quicker pace and be a lot faster live. TV doesn't do the speed of the game justice. Maybe it's just the Flyers playing more aggressive though. Once they scored on the 5 on 3 (when it counted), and took the momentum, they could really open things up and let the good skaters (plus the Fridge) make plays. When things finally started heating up offensively for them, they weren't dumping the puck in and forechecking. They did a good job finishing shots and actually scoring, but that might've been more on McDonald. Now if they could do it in a shootout one of these times...

I don't know how Leighton only allowed one goal on 30-something shots. He moves so slowly and doesn't see the puck very well. I won't complain though, one goal is one goal. Just get pads that aren't Nashville colors and he's all set.

Even though the Flyers won very easily, the Red Wings were clearly a more skilled and better coached team. Their passes were a lot more crisp and their forwards are great skaters with good hands. They execute the basics and that's probably why they're always at the top of the standings. The point men hold the puck in the zone much better, they're better on faceoffs and they'll do great until the playoffs. The Flyers were still hustling and the energy really picked up late in the first period. That's all you can ask for from a team that's playing as poorly as they are this year.

You can't fully appreciate how bad Derian Hatcher is until you see him in person. He actually had a nice play where he carried the puck into the zone and deked past a guy, but he blew it somehow. I don't remember how though. Randy Jones looked like he had a pretty good game, even though it took me half the game to figure out who he was.

It's cliche and all and just trying to find a positive from this awful season, but the young guys are playing better. Guys like Carter and Richards are learning how to be pros and play on both ends of the ice. Their physical game is getting a lot better and they've been contributing a lot more lately. It seems that Joni Pitkanen is being left behind though. He always seems lost and a step behind what's going on. He never takes shots and seems to be hesitant on what to do next. I've never played hockey though, he's probably better than I am.

Kapanen had a good game on both ends. He always seems to work hard down low and do some of the dirty work. If anyone sees a website that sells Kapanen player T-shirts, let me know. I would buy a sweater but they're ridiculously expensive and I really don't wear long sleeves.

It was a great experience. The Primeau thing before the game was great. He got several ovations during the whole presentation and all the fans loved it. I never really appreciated him until the 03-04 playoffs, but he was a really good player here for a few years. The posters were kinda lame, but it was still cool.

I hope I can go to another game again sometime soon, and hopefully see a winning team. We were all winners tonight though. Except for the Red Wings and their fans. They lost horribly.

Since the NFL season is officially in the books, look for a position by position review of the 2006 Eagles and an offseason preview.