Archive: September, 2011
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Below are the players the Flyers are expected to dress for today's 5 p.m. rookie game against Washington at the Wells Fargo Center.
Admission is free, but a ticket is needed. Go to philadelphiaflyers.com for more info.
The Flyers' rookie roster:
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is making so much progress that general manager Paul Holmgren expects him to be ready for the Oct. 6 opener in Boston.
Speaking for the first time since he broke his shoulder and ribs in a bicycle accident on Sept. 5, Holmgren said Pronger was “on track” to start the season with the team.
“Physically, Chris is feeling better than even he thought he would,” Holmgren said after the rookies went through the second day of prospect camp at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. “He’s pushed the envelope a little bit the last few days, going on the ice and shooting the puck. I asked him the other day how far behind he is in terms of what he would have done in a normal year. He said, ‘I probably would have skated a couple weeks ago.’ So I think he’s right on track for all he’s been through.”
Pronger had four surgeries (back, hand, foot, knee) in a 9½-month span last season. He skated Friday for the first time in four-plus months, and he has skated two more times since that day.
“I’m excited for him being ready at the beginning of the season, and I believe he is, too,” Holmgren said.
Video: Flyers center Sean Couturier, the team's first-round pick in 2011, talks about the first day of rookie camp and his goals for the season.
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Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Centers Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier are taking different approaches as they try to earn spots on the Flyers’ roster.
Couturier is trying to gain weight on his slender frame, while Schenn is more particular about what he eats and is attempting to hone his body.
Cheesesteaks are off limit, Schenn said with a smile.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Though he still seems like a longshot to be ready for the Oct. 6 opener in Boston, Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger took a positive step on Friday.
Skating for the first time in 4 1/2 months, Pronger showed no ill effects at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.
Pronger, who will turn 37 next month, skated for 25 minutes and was able to take slap shots, saying his surgically repaired right hand felt totally healed.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger has started lifting weights and, on Friday, will take another step toward his recovery when he skates for the first time this summer.
Pronger, a future Hall of Famer who will turn 37 next month, is coming off what he called “the year from hell” _ four surgeries in 9½ months.
He said on Thursday he was making progress, but that he wouldn’t be ready for the start of training camp on Sept. 16. He said he did not know if he would be ready for the Oct. 6 opener in Boston.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Several Flyers were informally working out at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on Wednesday morning when they heard the stunning news: At least 43 people had died, including the Lokomotiv hockey team, in a plane crash in Russia.
Brad McCrimmon, 52, the head coach of the team and a former Flyers defenseman, was one of the people who died.
The news jolted the Flyers, some of whom were too upset to speak.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, who suffered broken bones in a bicycle accident Monday in Avalon, told a team spokesman on Tuesday that he was "sore but in good spirits."
Holmgren, 55, was wearing a helmet when he lost control of the bike.
He is at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he is being treated for a broken shoulder and ribs, the Flyers said.
