HOPES CHICAGO IS FOG-FREE TONIGHT
Claude Giroux, the hotshot 20-year-old winger who was the Flyers' No. 1 selection in the 2006 NHL draft, seems like he's going to start the season with the AHL Phantoms.
Flyers head coach John Stevens gave a less-than-glowing report on Giroux's progress in camp.
“I think Claude has done just OK, to be honest with you,” Stevens said after today's practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. “I think there was a lot of pressure on this kid coming in.”
Expectations were high after Giroux scored an astounding 51 points _ 17 goals, 34 assists _ in 19 playoff games with his Quebec Junior League team last season.
A few weeks ago, just prior to the start of the veterans’ training camp on Sept. 20, Giroux had four impacted wisdom teeth extracted and it kept him out of rookie camp for three days.
“I just ate ice cream, watched TV and got a lot of rest,” Giroux said of his recovery from the surgery.
During the preseason, he has not scored in four games and is a minus-three.
“I thought his worst game was probably his first game, and his best game was probably his last game,” Stevens said. “As the pace went up today, I thought he was one of he young guys who elevated his game a little bit. That’s the normal process a lot of these young guys go through. They come in and they’re under the gun to make a big impression to make the team. I think he’s gotten better as we’ve moved along, which is what we want to see.”
Giroux, 20, who nearly made the team in last year’s camp, still has a chance to make an impression. The Flyers play three exhibition games in the next four nights, including Wednesday's contest against
The Flyers have been going with center Mike Richards flanked by wingers Simon Gagne and Danny Briere on their first line, and Jeff Carter and wingers Scottie Upshall and Mike Knuble on the second line.
Based on camp, it appears the third line will be composed of center Glen(CQ) Metropolit with wingers Joffrey Lupul and Scott Hartnell. Steve Downie, who appears to have made the team with a solid camp, will likely center the fourth line between Riley Cote and Arron Asham.
That seems to leave Giroux headed to the Phantoms for more seasoning.
“He’s still being evaluated as we move along,” Stevens said. “But either way, I think he’s going to play some games. Whether he starts here or goes to the Phantoms and comes back, I don’t know.
“If he does start the year down there, it just means we’re deep enough here. If you look at our three lines, left and right side, Claude can play either side. We’re pretty strong over the first three lines on the wings.”
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Backup goalie Antero Niittymaki, recovering from hip surgery, skated for 30 minutes today and is hoping to be ready when the season starts.....The Flyers sent 13 players to the Phantoms, including hard-nosed forward Matt Clackson.....Gagne, who missed most of last year with a concussion, sounded ecstatic today when he talked about how well he felt after playing in Saturday's exhibition.....The Flyers will have a three-day bonding camp in West Point, N.Y., on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The Flyers plan to take 23 to 25 players to West Point......It appears that veteran Jim Dowd will have a difficult time making the team, though he could be one of the extra forwards who is a healthy scratch.
It was never flashy, never pretentious.
But, in its own way, the Spectrum was a jewel. Our jewel.
It was a no-frills, blue-collar arena and virtually every seat in the building was close to the action. Even those in the second level felt they could reach out and touch the ice.
Led by Mike Richards' two shorthanded goals, the Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes today, 4-2, in the final NHL game ever played in the Spectrum.
Never mind that it was only a preseason game. The building was electric _ from just before the game, when a stirring ceremony was held to honor past Flyers captains, to the final minute, when a "Let's Go Flyers" chant was given for old times' sake.
It was the first time I had been in the building _ which will be demolished next fall _ in about 15 years. And lots of memories came rushing at me.
I can remember going to my first NHL game there in 1968 and watching the expansion Flyers score a stunning 2-2 tie against Rod Gilbert and the New York Rangers. (Any point an expansion team could get agaunst an Original Six member was considered a big deal.)
I can remember being there when the Flyers came back from splitting two games against mighty Montreal in the 1973 Stanley Cup semifinals.....and watching the amazed expressions on the Flyers' faces as they went through their pregame skate and looked up at the adoring fans as they gave them a 10-minute standing ovation. (The ovation was for the team's shockingly strong play in Montreal. The Canadiens won the series in five tough games, but you had the feeling the Flyers were going places.)
I can remember being there when Rick MacLeish tipped in Andre "Moose" Dupont's shot and Bernie-Bernie-Bernie Parent was perfect in the nets as the Flyers defeated the heavily favored Bruins, 1-0, to win the 1974 Stanley Cup.
It was a victory that sent our then-sad-sack sports city toward a revival, one that would turn Philly into the City of Winners. And, so, yes, there was a lot of emotion from the 17,000-plus fans at today's game.
Feel free to post some of your favorite Spectrum memories, whether they're good (the win over the Rangers in the '74 semis) or bad (the long goal that Minnesota's Barry Gibbs scored _ Parent apparently lost it in the sun that was shining through the windows _ and knocked the Flyers out of the playoffs.)
As club chairman Ed Snider said, people shouldn't feel sad that the Spectrum is going to be demolished. The bricks and mortar don't mean much, Snider said. It's the memories that matter.
And there are hundreds of them.
The Flyers, rebounding from a lisless performance on Wednesday, looked much sharper last night as they blanked the Islanders, 4-0.
Speaking of sharp, goalie Marty Biron looks like he did in last season's first two playoff series. He is unscored upon in four periods in the preseason. The Flyers are now 2-1 in exhibitions.
I've talked to several Flyers _ most of whom weren't even born when the club won their Cups in 1974 and 1975 _ and it's interesting to hear the awe in their voices as they talk about the Spectrum.
Sometimes, we're so close to the situation that we don't appreciate what's right in front of our eyes.
Yet, talk to the current Flyers, and they mention the Spectrum with the same reverence that is given to baseball cathedrals like Wrigley Field and Fenway Park.
The Flyers will play the Carolina Hurricanes in one of the two farewell Specrtum games at 1 p.m. tomorrow.(The other Spectrum game is Oct. 7 vs. the Phantoms) Eleven former Flyer captains will be there for pregame festivities and it should be an emotional day.
A block party will be held at 11 a.m., and fans are encouraged to get there early _ or use public transportation _ because the Phillies play across the street at 3:55 p.m.
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Simon Gagne (For some reason, I start to type "Nolet" almost every time I type "Simon") will be on the first line tomorrow with center Mike Richards and RW Danny Briere. It will be Gagne's first preseason game. Returning from a concussion that sidlined him for most of last season, Gagne missed the first three preseason games.
The Flyers plan to play mostly veterans tomorrow. One exception: Eye-opening rookie defenseman Luca Sbisa will be in the lineup. That says a lot about the 18-year-old's ability.
Tomorrow's Spectrum game will be televised by Comcast and the NHL Network.
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By all accounts, highly touted rookie Claude Giroux played much better last night than in his first two preseason games. Will Giroux make the team? Right now, it looks like he needs more seasoning, but the next few exhibition games will give us a better indication. Giroux will not dress for tomorrow's game.
Usually, young prospects energize a team, but that wasn't the case last night. The Flyers, playing mostly youngsters, looked listless in their 3-1 loss in Ottawa. The Flyers were outshot 34-11, including 15-1 in the opening period.
Coach John Stevens will be looking for a better effort when the Flyers, now 1-1 in the preseason, play the Islanders tonight in London, Ontario.
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Biron said teams that win Stanley Cups don't eke into the playoffs _ like the Flyers did last year _ and he issued a challenge to his teammates to avoid the up-and-down play that plagued the club in last year's regular season.
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Left winger Simon Gagne, who missed most of last year with a concussion, is expected to play in his first exhibition game of the season Saturday afternoon when the Flyers play Carolina at the still-rocking-after-all-these-years Spectrum.
Eleven of the Flyers' former captains will be there for a ceremony honoring the venerable old building, which will be demolished next year.
As for the game, all eyes will be on Gagne, who scored a total of 88 goals in his two previous seasons before last year.
Someone from the Flyers' crack PR staff asked Gagne to compare his situation with that of Patrice Bergeron, who, like Gagne, missed most of last season with a concussion. Bergeron played in the Boston Bruins' preseason game on Monday and registered a goal and three assists in an 8-3 win over Montreal.
"First of all, I'm happy for him," said Gagne. "And yes, it helps having someone who went through the same thing and you see he had success right away. Hopefully it will be the same for myself."
The Flyers will have an interesting mix of youngsters and veterans in tonight's lineup when they open the preseason by facing the New Jersey Devils at the Wachovia Center.
Goalie Marty Biron will play the first two periods, with Maxime Ouellet in the nets in the third period.
The defensive pairings: Braydon Coburn and Osst Vaananen; Luca Sbisa (remember the name) and Steve Eminger; and Ryan Parent and Sean Curry.
Sbisa, thye club's No. 1 pick in the June draft, says his goal is to make the club this year. Yes, he has a lot of confidence for an 18-year-old kid. "I like that," coach John Stevens said.
Tonight's lines look like this:
Andreas Nodl-Mike Richards-Scott Hartnell;
Scottie Upshall-Jeff Carter-Claude Giroux;
Jon Kalinski-Steve Downie-Arron Asham;
Riley Cote-Darroll (that's not a typo) Pow-Matt Clackson.
It'll be especially interesting to see how Giroux, Clackson, Nodl and Sbisa perform.
Simon Gange, limited to 25 games because of a concussion last season, scored two goals _ one an empty-netter, the other on a penalty shot _ in the Flyers' intra-squad scrimmage in Voorhees today.
Gagne didn't absorb or give any checks, so it'll be interesting to see how he responds after conatct. That could happen in Sunday's scrimmage, or in an exhibition game _ though coach John Stevens doesn't plan to play Gagne in Monday's contest against the New Jersey Devils at the Wachovia Center.
Still, Gagne looked sharp on a new line with center Mike Richards and center-turned-right wing Danny Briere. They played on Team Snider, which defeated Team Barber, 6-2. Briere also scored a goal.
A packed crowd about 500 watched as the Flyers opened their training camp.
Rookie Claude Giroux, using some pretty dekes, scored on a penalty shot for Team Snider. Giroux's speed was eye-opening in the scrimmage.
Newly acquired defenseman Steve Eminger and Joffrey Lupul (penalty shot) scored for Team Barber.
Players were given penalty shots for any penalties committed.
All in all, it was a good first day. And remember the name Luca Sbisa, the Flyers' No. 1 pick in June. The defenseman doesn't figure to make the club this year, but he displayed poise beyond his years.
I was at a Center City function recently and Ray Didinger, one of the area's most respected journalists, was asked which of Philly's four major sports teams would be the next to win a championship.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Didinger replied:
"I'd say the Flyers. Their core group is young and they're just going to keep getting better."
Will it be this year?
Probably not. The Red Wings look head and shoulders above the rest of the NHL.
Still, there is reason for optimism in Flyersland. They retain a strong nucleus from the club that reached last year's Eastern Conference finals.
That said, there are numerous questions as the club begins training camp Saturday. (The club's prospect camp starts tomorrow.)
Has Simon Gagne recovered from a concussion?
Will Marty Biron be able to carry his strong postseason play into the regular season?
Are Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen recovered form postseason injuries?
How much will the club miss forward R.J. Umberger and assistant coach Terry Murray?
Can rookie Claude Giroux make an impact?
Who deserves to be named the captain (Mike Richards? Timonen?)
Will Danny Briere be moved to a line that includes Richards and Gagne?
Should the Flyers put an enforcer on Gagne's line to offer him some protection?
Et cetera. Et cetera.
If you have other questions that you think are imperative, feel free to fire away.
