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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It gave Montreal bad karma, made the puck bounce over their sticks. Keep the the great work, go Flyers!— hallux- Lame. If this happened to the Habs in Philly, the story would be everywhere. It would probably lead off SportsCenter. Since it happened to us, no one cares. As long as the boys keep winning, though... And definitely no fans have access to that area. Employees only.— xphile101
- I hate the Habs... 2nd rate team, 2nd rate fans... even giving them the benefit of the doubt in this case, 2nd rate security and 2nd rate press office.— goeagles87
- Syd Barrett is right on the money "Work hard in the daytime...............sure get stoned at night"— Pulpit420
- Duh? Of course the sand was put there deliberately. And the skate problem the Hab D-man experienced on Giroux's goal was a velcro instep guard over his laces coming loose and getting caught under his blade causing him to fall. In the end however, the sand was just as pathetic as the Habs effort on the ice. It is very easy to dislike Quebecois. It's easier this year.— rjsmith
- Hey Syd.. You're giving me mad cap laffs with that Garcia comment. Jery didn't write Big Boss Man. It was written by Willie Smith and Mr. Dixon, but that withstanding... My question here is this. Has any goalie ever pitched 4 shutouts in 1 playoff series? My search of NHL records has turned up nothing. The number of records the Flyers are breaking or tieing this year is unreal. 3 or 4 more today. Tied lowest number of shots allowed 1 period. 3 S.O. against the Habs, Most S.O.'s by a Flyers goalie 1 series & 1 year, Finally, When our open net attempt was stopped by a good play, the player also dislodged the net and was utouched. Why wasn't a delay of game penalty called? And rememebr, the Flyers don't need to win 5 more games, they only need to win 1....the next one.— dedhed
- Will make closing out the series on Monday all that much more enjoyable.— deserteaglesnest.com
- Of course in the 1962 Stanley Cup final, a disgruntled Habs fan tried to steal the cup out of the Blackhawks dressing room right as Chicago was about to win it all. I guess it's nothing new for them.— camtheman
- The Habs' d-man's skate problem (I think it was Gorges), had nothing to do with the blade, it was a strap which held a plastic foot guard on. The strap came undone and kept getting under the blade of Gorges' skate.— kprimo25
- uh syd, johnny cash sang that song. elvis too. jerry was the king of cover tunes.— bigsteve
- One game at a time. The Cans will not roll over. We are not in the Finals yet. Let's not look ahead. All four teams left are capable of winning it all. Keep playing tough. This is a good year to be a Flyer fan. Go Flyers.— LuckyDog
And not a word of this in the news anywhere outside of Philly. Now if it happened to the Habs in Philly.... well, you know the rest of the story.— verve- Hartnell has walked on sand all year to get ready for this game. I love the coach, he has done an amazing job with the "Old City Boys". I question why was Leino a healthy scratch for 3/4's of his time here. He has been awesome.— phlyersfan
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That sand is falling through the cheating Habs' hour glass.
