Bryz missing his flash cards
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Bryz missing his flash cards
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
If the Flyers are going to win their first Stanley Cup since 1975, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov probably needs to be their best player, not their best interview.
Bryzgalov these days gives the impression he would rather have root canal performed than talk with the media. He is disinterested, won’t answer questions about himself, and is a shell of the person who was so engaging in the season’s first four-plus months.
There may be a method to his madness. Ever since he started giving short, curt answers and stopped talking about himself, his play has, for the most part, improved.
Here is his group interview after Wednesday’s practice in Voorhees:
Q: How can the guys stay fresh this week?
Bryz: “Eat more veggies.”
Q: Bored with all this practice?
Bryz: “Yeah, bored with you guys.”
Q: Bored with the practices? Would you prefer the games to begin?
Bryz: “We’re working on some things. Always having fun in practices.”
Pause.
“What else?”
Q: Will you be happy when you know the name of your opponent so it makes it easier to prepare?
Bryz: “I can’t control this….Really, it doesn’t matter.”
Q: What are you doing to stay sharp? What are doing right now?
Bryz: “Going in the shower.”
Q: What are you doing on the ice to stay sharp?
Bryz: “Trying to stop puck. Do my job.”
Q: Can you talk about how the defense has stepped up after losing a lot of guys?
Bryz: “We have depth in the D-line. We have pretty good players playing in minors, too. I told you all year: It’s not only obligation of the D to play defense, it’s the obligation of the WHOLE team. If it’s only the D that plays defense, you’re not going to have any success. When the whole team tries to defend your net, it’s much easier for everybody.”
Q: Have you seen the younger forwards improving as season has progressed?
Bryz: “Yeah, with every game you got more experience and understand game better.”
Q: Were the last two games of the Pittsburgh series easier from a goaltender’s standpoint because it was less chaotic? They looked like normal playoff games.
Bryz: “There’s no easy games in the playoffs.”
Q: I’m doing a story on Coach Laviolette. What is he like to play for?
Bryz: "Huh? I’m not sure. I don’t have the flash cards for this answer."
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Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
SAM-CONSIDERING YOU DIDN'T EVEN PICK THE FLYERS TO BEAT PITTSBURGH, DO US ALL A FAVOR AND TAKE THE REST OF THE PLAYOFFS OFF. NOBODY CARES WHAT YOU THINK. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU SPENT THE FIRST 2 MONTHS OF THE SEASON TRASHING BRYZ & TRYING TO RUN HIM OUT OF TOWN. I HOPE HE KEEPS STONEWALLING YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN JUST OUT OF SPITE.— thomaspfoolery- Come on, Sam. If Bryz and the Flyers win a cup you'll be busy writing articles for a long, long time. I think we can all deal with a lack of goalie articles now if it means Bryz is playing better lol— plowboy7250
- what does it matter the flyers will lose in the playoffs like they always do...people in philly put this team on some pedestal because they won 2 stanley cups in the stone age. the reality is that since the 70's team this team has choked as hard as the eagles have...possibly worse if you count the fact they made the playoffs like every year except one— AlexSp
- No wonder Bryz is so disintereested. Look at the stupid lame questions he's being asked.— PhillyfanstuckinVa
- So the guy answers from his heart and the media skewers him. He learns his lesson, and keeps his mouth shut...and the media skewers him. The guy can't win.— Nova
- This comment has been deleted. — Quixote II
- I don't think Bryzgalov was going for a "corporate hockey dig", considering "corporate hockey" is the only reason he can fetch $9+ mil for his talents. Rather, I'd say he nicely deadpanned an answer reflecting the boiler-plate nonsense that is sports interviews in general.
— icarus - Oh no, Sam may actually have to do some work now to write a story!!! Truth be told, simply cutting and pasting that interview was more enlightening than most of Sam's articles. Hey Sam-- How about writing an article about how wrong you were to doubt the team when they owned the Pens all season? The title can be: Paid columnist who follows team 24/7 knows less than fans. I hope the whole team blows you off after that "prediction" of yours, because that is exactly what you deserve.— snipesmorris
Hmm, maybe Richards was on to something. Quit badgering the guy. Hows about you stop 100+ mph hunks of rubber with your body for a living and see if you aren't a bit "off". Let him (them) focus on the game and stop asking them the same questions over and over and OVER again as if you're the first person to come up with it...- glad someone worked with Bryz and dealing with reporters... he doesn't need the distraction... just stop the puck. thats what its all about...
— Inchon - I'm tired of Bryz's act on and off the ice.
— VicM - Whoa, folks, what's the venom towards Sam all about? When you and I thought about the upcoming Penguins series we all (don't lie!) had our doubts. Sam is not us; he's a journalist, and what he thinks about an upcoming series gets written down for all to see. So he picked Pittsburgh, so what? How many of you would have done the same if you'd been forced, with no way out, to bet the ranch one way or the other? Huh? That's what I thought. And if Sam had chosen the Flyers in 6 and then Pittsburgh eliminated us in 5, the same posters would be just as vitrolic in questioning his smarts.— Richard S
- Not so fast. If you look at the article in which Sam picked the Pens, I was the first one to comment and I called him gutless-- this was before the series started. While I was nor forced to "bet the farm," I did literally bet the series and profited handsomely from it (I had also commented right before the series that the Pens were "easy money."
There were plenty of reasons to pick the Flyers. Maybe b/c they OWNED the Pens all season? Maybe b/c they OWNED the Pens in the Consol Energy Center since it opened? Maybe b/c the Flyers had a franchise best road record? Maybe b/c our biggest question mark (Bryz) had just been awarded the NHL's #1 star for the month of March? LOTS of reasons to pick the Flyers, but Sam relented to the mass media, wimped out in front of his readers, and voted against the guys he has to talk to everyday. I doubt hometown fans would ride a local reporter for picking their team if they lost, but if you are going to bet against the team you report on, you better be right. Sam wasn't. - I said "Flyers in 5, maybe 6, but definitely not 7." and I think I was the second to post. Sam can make this all go away by eating the crow on one of these articles, but we're still waiting. Tick Tock. Maybe Sam's just trying "to keep it real." Either way, Sam was wrong in his pick and we want to hear it from him. Just like Bryz wants to hear it. If Sam doesn't want to eat crow, then he's open season. I do agree we don't have to spew venom at him, but we definitely have to bust his chops until he eats crow. — Voytas
- Every comment about carchidi is right on. He's a waste. I'm sure Timmy Pistascio or Donnellon will chime in with their Bryz article also. It's laughable when this crew is on DNL. They don't know a thing about the game. The reral guys like Jones,Therian, tocchet, etc make them look like the idiots they are. Love what Bryz is doing. Stupid answers to stupid questions.— spittooncj
- I really can't understand the point of asking such inane questions like, "Have you seen the younger forwards improving as season has progressed?" What answer can one expect from Bryzgalov? No, our forwards are not improving?
Or, "Can you talk about how the defense has stepped up after losing a lot of guys?" Is the reporter expecting a detailed x's and o's answer?
— DavidMoz 
You guys are a tough crowd. I like to take a few shots here and there but man... rough. Sam, just a heads up... how about Flyers over Devils in 6? You in?— Jiggs700- I hope at some point Bryz is comfortable enough to start speaking his mind again after the fans have completely embraced him. The guy is funny and I love listening to him, even when he's completely disinterested. I was once a sports reporter (collegiate level) and I don't know anyone that worked on our Sports Desk that couldn't ask better questions than these guys can.— MJFur51
