Who spilled the sand?
NBC's Pierre McGuire reported on national television during Saturday's 3-0 win over the Canadiens that sand had been spilled in the hallway of the Flyers' locker room, leading to an inordinate number of skate repairs.
Who spilled the sand?
MONTRÉAL – There is not a beach within 180 miles of Montreal.
But during the second period of Saturday’s 3-0 shutout of the Montreal Canadiens, NBC’s Pierre McGuire reported during the national broadcast that “sand or some other foreign substance” had been spilled in the hallway leading from the Flyers’ locker room to the Bell Centre ice.
Sand can wreak havoc on the edges of hockey skates, causing players to slip and fall unexpectedly. It could be an explanation as to why an inordinate number of players were forced to leave the game for periods of time to have their skates re-sharpened.
No player or coach would confirm the incident post-game – or even suggest malice was intended – but by the third period, the Flyers laid down towels in the hallway to prevent the reoccurrence.
“We had skate issues, that’s for sure,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “You know, we lost [Mike] Richards three times, Kimmo [Timonen] two times, and I don’t know.
“I’m not familiar with the rumors, but we certainly had some skate issues.”
Scott Hartnell, Darroll Powe and Claude Giroux also missed shifts during the game to have their skates repaired.
“I think it was five times that I had to get my skates sharpened tonight, which is obviously a bit much,” Richards said. “I’m not sure [what happened]. I didn't check the carpet for [sand].”
Richards said Flyers assistant equipment manager Harry Bricker, the man in charge of skate sharpening, said the substance on the floor was “a little too big for being sand pellets.”
One player told the Daily News he had “never seen anything like it,” and confirmed the accuracy of McGuire's report.
Off-ice gamesmanship is nothing new in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for road teams. Players and coaches have long complained about having the hot water turned off for the post-game shower or even about between-period stat sheets not being available. But having an off-ice issue like that turn into an on-ice problem is a rarity.
To the Flyers’ credit, no player or coach was willing to point a finger and say the mystery substance was anything more than a mistake.
It’s just one more thing to watch for on Monday, as the Flyers attempt to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 13 years with a win over the Canadiens in Game 5.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter (http://twitter.com/DNFlyers).
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Hartnell must have had sand in front of his locker all season.— BlairW
Comment removed.- If that is the outcome when we have sand...I hope they do it again next game. Four shutouts!— phillyjhawk
Cheaters never win and thats why the Flyers won 3-0. Cant wait to close this series out Monday when the Flyers go to the Finals. Peter Laviolette deserves alot of credit for bringing this Flyers team out of the gutter many times. It started with a shoot out at the end of the season and beating New Jersey and then coming back down from a 3-0 series to win 6 straight. This is a memorable season for the ages if you are a Flyers fan.— briandawkins20
Cup - The Montreal player with the skate issue it wasn't the blade, it was the boot. Philliekev- the Flyers haven't pointed fingers, but they did have a lot of guys going off for skate issues, and they did cover the hallway in towels, and after that no more skate issues. So it happened, the only speculation is how much it affected the skates. These things are razer sharp, and they don't cover them walking to the bench. Dumping some sand on the carpet could easily dull the edge— Pelti- Well-said SyddBarrett, nice Jerry Garcia reference. Flyers in five.
- where are all those big talkin Canadians ? awww what happened no more faith in your squad you fair weather f*cks— bhamss
- Stanley Cup...the defenseman on Montreal's skate buckle went, not his skate blade. Dope.— underdunk
- At least someone- the fans- have the guts to point the finger. The writing staff here for some reason can only make vague observations.— finalsay665
- wylies, even if it was a fan the team needs to be accountable for it. Just like with the pittsburgh replay cheating, the team enabled the cheating, regardless of whether it was done by team personnel.— Pelti
- Comment removed.
- sand? it's not even Memorial Day yet!— Remember Tim Kerr
- See if this makes national headlines....can you imagine if the sand was in Philly?— PattiA
- It was funny, because even the guys on NBC sorta hinted that they thought it was a setup. Had the Flyers lost, the NHL most likely would have had to do something. Since the Flyers won, I doubt the NHL does anything about it. The league probably should though no matter what.— buttermilk67
- typical— topher1987
