Laviolette eyes Finals; Pronger-Byfuglien matchup looms
After the Flyers won the Eastern Conference title with a rivetting 4-2 victory over Montreal on Monday, winning coach Peter Laviolette looked ahead to his team's ultimate goal _ bringing home its first Stanley Cup since 1975.
Laviolette eyes Finals; Pronger-Byfuglien matchup looms
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
After the Flyers won the Eastern Conference title with a rivetting 4-2 victory over Montreal on Monday, winning coach Peter Laviolette looked ahead to his team's ultimate goal _ bringing home its first Stanley Cup since 1975.
Asked what it would take to defeat the favored Chicago Blackhawks, Laviolette didn't blink.
"I'm always a believer if your team can play their style and their system and implement their game, you've got a good chance of winning hockey games," he said. "We'll start preparing for the Chicago Blackhawks, and we'll be ready when the puck drops.
"I know they had a great year," said Laviolette, who directed Carolina to the 2006 Cup, "....But in order for two teams to get this far, I think both teams have to be playing well, so it should be a good series."
Chicago's massive Dustin Byfuglien, a 6-foot-3, 246-pound winger, had three game-winning goals in the Hawks' Western Conference sweep of San Jose.
"He's a big guy. I'll be honest, I haven't looked too much into Chicago yet. That would be a good question for a couple days from now," Laviolette said when asked how the Flyers would contain Byfuglien "But you're right, he's a big man. The goal _ I think the goal he scored to put them in the Finals _ exemplifies what he does best, which is to get to the front of the net."
Laviolette paused.
"We've got a big guy out there too, No. 20. He does a pretty good job of tying guys up in front of the net. So I'm sure they'll see a lot of each other."
Laviolette, of course, was talking about 6-6, 220-pound defenseman Chris Pronger. The Pronger-Byfuglien matchup is just one of the many great storylines of the Finals.
One of the many others: The series will bring together former Blackhawks goalie Michael Leighton and former Flyers forward Patrick Sharp. Chicago gave up on Leighton, much like the Flyers gave up on Sharp.
Now they are thriving with different teams.
Hey - -I got a good idea.... let's watch the series and see how it goes instead of making useless taunts, predictions and assumptions before it even starts.— 26cheesesteaks- Let's not generalize all Hawks fans by what you read here. I'm sure most are rational and polite. Let's also remember that some of the Flyers fans here are irrational as well. I come here for the news and post purely for entertainment purposes. The posts today have exceeded my expectations.— vafan
- Hey dr anon, I encourage Pronger to use his elbows to stop Kane and Toews, 2 minutes every time he does.— Happy Hawks Fan
- hey fman, if you guys are just good as the HAwks how come you had to sneak into the playoffs the last day of the season????— Happy Hawks Fan
- hey 26cheese, lets have some fun before the Finals start. Let's compare the centers from the Flyers four lines to the Hawks centers.— Happy Hawks Fan
- phillyboy - Are you telling everyone that you're a lawyer!?? Are you really saying that people pay real money for YOUR billable hours?? The hand that wrote, "That is the interesting psychology ( pathologic ) of you, but it is interesting in any event." is the same hand that writes legal motions for judges and counsel?? There is nothing I can possibly say that is funnier than this. Please post your email so that the deluge of client offers can begin.— Lorne
- Oh, and since you've asked again and again and again, I'm from Houston but currently in Montreal (wife's family is from here). I've been in town since Sunday so I missed most of the fun, but I have to tell you this is really a beautiful city and the people - french and english - mostly friendly. 90 degrees today and I'm sitting here in a cafe in this artsy area that reminds me of Soho in NYC and parts of Austin. Now can someone please explain why where I live is so important?— Lorne
- hey vafan, I second your opinion— Happy Hawks Fan
- yo, Happy - I admire Keith for coming back into the game after getting however many teeth knocked out. BTW - I think if only one had been knocked out, I'd still admire him. HOWEVER, he got boinked in the mouth while standing up. Laperriere intentionally put his body in the line of fire. If your keeping score, I think that gives Lappy the edge! I think The Hockey News concurs as they awarded him the Ferguson Award for toughest player. BTW - Lappy also lost 7 teeth AND received 50-100 stitches after blocking a shot with his face against the Sabres earlier this season. He returned to the game as well. My point - we both have some tough, tough players on our teams. Here's the proof: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20091129_Flyers_Notes___Laperriere_skates__7_teeth_lighter.html#axzz0p43PhQLE— vafan
- Hey vafan, now thats news I can use. What else should I know about the Flyers that I won't read in the daily paper?— Happy Hawks Fan
- Game one, first ten minutes - a non-stop pound fest with both teams trying to mark their territory. Looking forward to it settling down and watching guys like Toews, Kane, Gagne and Carter go to work. Seriously, it's great to see two new teams in the finals.— Lorne
- hey Lorne, welcome back to the hockey blog. I thought you and Phillyboy were gonna go at it all day long. The first few minutes are going to be critical. A quick goal early and the whole game changes.— Happy Hawks Fan
- Not so fast, Happy. While I generally agree that the first goal is big it's still only 1 goal. The Habs scored 59 seconds into Game 5 and the Flyers methodically pounded away for the other 59 minutes and 1 second. The Flyers will not panic if the Hawks score first but I hope the Hawks don't score first. I agree with Lorne and think it settles down into some great hockey after the pre-game hype wears off.— vafan
- flyler- you are exactly correct. i'm a flyers fan who lives in chicago, and have watched and enjoyed the hawks all year- until now. putting pronger on byfuglien will not work,and allows kane to do his ice capades routine. put a smaller faster man on buff. he is not a superstar- he scored 17 goals this season, and is hot now- but can get very frustrated. also- the hawks checking line is on fire, and scoring- neutralize bollard. most of all- do not lose your cool and take stupid penalties- the hawks are highly skilled moving the puck around and will tire you out quickly- they dominate the 3rd period when the defense wears out from chasing them all game. and re barry melrose- didn't he coach for about 7 games before getting fired? enough said.— stopbooing
- DROP THE PUCK ! ! ! And let the whining and blaming begin !— ybob
