By ERIC FISHER
The script for this Flyers season is straight out of Hollywood. On second thought, this script probably would be rejected by Hollywood. The plot would be considered too improbable.
No, this script wasn’t written for Hollywood. This script could only have been written and produced in Philadelphia.
Call it Philadelphia Story, Part Two. Call it Hockey Rocky. Call it Orange Crush. Call it whatever you’d like. (And give yourself a pat on the back if you picked up on the semi-obscure Blue Crush reference.)
This isn’t cinema. It’s real life. But, as hockey analyst and former Flyer Bill Clement said of the mid-1970s Flyers in the outstanding HBO documentary Broad Street Bullies, if this were a reality show, nobody would believe it.
Six weeks ago, I wrote that the shootout victory over the New York Rangers on the final day of the season gave these inconsistent Flyers an opportunity for redemption. With their improbable run through the playoffs, the Flyers have done more than earn redemption. They’ve earned a place in our hearts.
They’ve earned that place by displaying the toughness and never-say-die attitude that fans in this region respect and admire. It’s an attitude embodied by Rocky Balboa. It’s an attitude brought to life by the 2009-10 Flyers.
The following is a look at some of the now-beloved stars of this compelling drama.
Michael Leighton: “Journeyman” doesn’t do justice to the career of this well-traveled goalie. This is Leighton’s second stint with the Flyers, who lost him on waivers once before and picked him back up on waivers in December. Without Leighton’s terrific play during the regular season, the Flyers aren’t in the playoffs. Period.
But the regular season was just a warm-up for this unlikely hero. Leighton suffered a high-ankle sprain in mid-March. He battled back to return to the lineup as a backup for Game 5 against the Boston Bruins, just in time to save the day when starter Brian Boucher was injured. All Leighton has done since then is go 6-1, recording three shutouts in seven starts.
Ian Laperriere: The veteran center blocked a shot with his eye during Game 5 of the opening-round series against New Jersey. In addition to facial injuries, Laperriere suffered a bruise on his brain. He returned to the lineup for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The previous paragraph is ridiculous. Read it again. It’s ludicrous. Then again, Laperriere was hit in the face with a puck in November, losing teeth and getting countless stitches (75 was a good estimate) – and returned for the third period. The sacrifices made by the 36-year-old Laperriere to reach his first Stanley Cup Final are inspiring to the fans and his teammates. If you’re not inspired watching Laperriere, you’re not a sports fan.
Simon Gagne: The longest-tenured Flyer broke a toe blocking a shot in Game 4 against New Jersey. He was supposed to miss three weeks. He returned a week early, with the Flyers facing a 3-0 deficit against the Bruins. Naturally, Gagne scored in overtime of Game 4 to keep the Flyers alive. Later in the series, he scored the series-clinching goal during the Flyers’ history-making Game 7 triumph.
Jeff Carter: Like Gagne, Carter was injured in Game 4 of the New Jersey series, breaking his foot when hit by a Chris Pronger slap shot. (Being a hockey player, Carter knocked the loose puck into the net before skating to the bench with a broken foot.) Like Gagne, Carter had surgery. He was expected to miss six weeks. He returned in four weeks. He played well in Game 4 against Montreal, then scored twice in the series-clinching triumph in Game 5. He was told his season was over. But he never gave up on the notion of coming back.
Brian Boucher: Ten years after the highlight of his career, Boucher turned in another one during the final game of the regular season. Boucher’s season-saving stop during the shootout in the final game of the regular season propelled the Flyers into the playoffs. Then Boucher outplayed future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur as the Flyers dispatched the Devils in five games.
Boucher’s fairy tale appeared to end when he was injured during Game 5 against the Bruins. But the Flyers rallied to win that series in seven games. Meanwhile, Boucher worked hard to return to the lineup. He will be Leighton’s backup when the Stanley Cup Finals begin Saturday night in Chicago.
Ville Leino: Acquired near the trade deadline, Leino spent most games in street clothes before getting an opportunity when Carter broke his foot. Leino certainly seized the opportunity, averaging a point per game and improbably, of course, becoming a vital cog in the Flyers’ lineup.
There are numerous other heroes on this team: captain Mike Richards; ironman Chris Pronger; the precocious Claude Giroux; dependable Kimmo Timonen; the quiet Matt Carle; the emotional Dan Carcillo. This list goes on and on and on.
The Flyers have sparked a love affair with the fans. If they win the Stanley Cup, the names of Carter, Richards, Pronger and Gagne will be inscribed alongside Clarke, Parent, Schultz and Barber. Not only on the Stanley Cup, but in our minds and our hearts.
Even if they don’t win the Stanley Cup, these Flyers will hold a special place in the fans’ hearts. After all they’ve overcome, however, it’s difficult to imagine these Flyers not winning the Stanley Cup.
There’s only one way for this improbable underdog story to end.
Flyers in six.
May 28, 2010
GRITTY FLYERS HAVE WON OUR HEARTS
October 1, 2009
FLYERS PRIMED TO CHALLENGE PENS
By ERIC FISHER
The Flyers’ first-round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last April contained two lessons. First, it demonstrated how close the Flyers were to beating the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
Second, it revealed what needed to be done to close the gap.
The Penguins, who have eliminated the Flyers the past two seasons (including the 2008 Eastern Conference finals), aren’t going anywhere. With centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins should be Cup contenders for years. If the Flyers want to win that elusive Stanley Cup – the franchise’s last Cup was in 1975 – they’ll have to get past the Penguins.
General manager Paul Holmgren quickly addressed the Flyers’ most pressing needs. Improve the defense? Check. Acquire a veteran forward to take some pressure off budding stars Mike Richards and Jeff Carter? Check. Improve the goaltending? Check.
Holmgren also managed to make the Flyers even nastier. Few opponents will look forward to facing the orange and black this season.
The defense was improved with the blockbuster trade for Chris Pronger, whom the Flyers promptly signed to a long-term contract. Pronger (6-foot-6, 230 pounds), a former NHL MVP and Norris Trophy (best defenseman) winner, elevates an already-good defense to another level.
Pronger, who will turn 35 a week from Saturday, can help in numerous ways. Despite his age, Pronger can still log a ton of ice time. His shot will help the power play. His experience will help the younger defenseman and the team’s young leaders. And his physical presence and mean streak will have opponents’ heads on a swivel as they enter the Flyers’ zone or dig for pucks near the net.
Pronger was the marquee addition, but the quiet signing of veteran forward Ian Laperriere also was an adept move. Like Pronger, Laperriere, 35, adds veteran experience and toughness. Most importantly, Laperriere’s penalty-killing and face-off skills will give Carter and Richards a break.
Carter and Richards (both are 24) excelled last season, but both players were seemingly on the ice in every key situation. Many felt this dynamic young duo wore down by the end of the season, although shoulder injuries certainly impacted both players’ production during the Penguins series.
The final item on Holmgren’s checklist was goaltending. Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki were both good, but there was a feeling that neither was good enough to lead the Flyers to the Cup.
The Flyers’ choice of Ray Emery as their new goalie raised some eyebrows. Emery misbehaved himself out of the NHL after a few turbulent years with the Ottawa Senators. Forced to play in Russia, the hot-tempered Emery didn’t help himself by taking a swing at the team’s trainer, a video clip that got played and replayed all over the world.
The Flyers, however, saw a talented goalie seeking another chance. They remembered that he led Ottawa to the 2007 Stanley Cup finals, a level the Flyers haven’t reached since 1997.
The Flyers took a risk by signing Emery, but it isn’t a big one. His relatively inexpensive contract is for one year. Considering he just turned 27 earlier this week, Emery could find himself a long-term home with good behavior and better goaltending.
Did I mention that Emery, who has adorned his goalie mask with pictures of Philadelphia boxing legends Bernard Hopkins and Joe Frazier, is a heckuva fighter?
Adding Pronger, Laperriere and Emery renewed the criticism that Holmgren and the Flyers organization are living in the past by trying to recreate The Broad Street Bullies.
Although it’s meant as criticism, the Bullies analogy works. The Bullies were renowned for their brawling, but they also were extremely talented. Bob Clarke, Bill Barber and Bernie Parent are in the NHL Hall of Fame. Rick MacLeish and Reggie Leach were top-notch snipers. Even chief enforcer Dave Schultz scored 20 goals during the Flyers’ first Cup-winning season.
So, yes, the Flyers added Pronger and Laperriere to a roster that already includes the pugnacious Riley Cote, Dan Carcillo and Arron Asham. But they also have tons of talent, most of it young.
Carter (46 goals last season) and Richards (30 goals) are joined in the 30-goal club by 27-year-old Scott Hartnell (30 goals). Joining these young guns this season are 21-year-old center Claude Giroux, who was impressive in half a season last year, and 20-year-old left wing James van Reimsdyk, the No. 2 pick in the 2007 draft.
Even Simon Gagne (34 goals), the longest-tenured Flyer, is just 29. If Danny Briere can bounce back from an injury-plagued season in which he played just 29 games, the Flyers’ offense could be fearsome.
After Kimmo Timonen and Pronger, the talented defense is also young, with Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, Ryan Parent, Ole-Kristian Tollefson and Danny Syvret all 25 or younger.
The Flyers already have a spot in the big game – the Winter Classic at Fenway Park on January 1. But their eyes are on even bigger games, the ones that take place in late May and early June.
With their mix of experience and youth, combined with talent and toughness, they just might get there.
