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Shark attack on Flyers' Briere goes unpunished

THE CONFERENCE call, in which Danny Briere would explain his vulnerable position prior to being crunched by the Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic, with NHL dean of discipline Brendan Shanahan on the other end of the line, seemed inevitable.

"I think I got fortunate that it wasn't worse than it is," Danny Briere said. (Jeff McIntosh/AP/The Canadian Press)
"I think I got fortunate that it wasn't worse than it is," Danny Briere said. (Jeff McIntosh/AP/The Canadian Press)Read more

THE CONFERENCE call, in which Danny Briere would explain his vulnerable position prior to being crunched by the Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic, with NHL dean of discipline Brendan Shanahan on the other end of the line, seemed inevitable.

But it never came.

Shanahan reviewed the video from Tuesday night's dangerous hit with 4 minutes, 52 seconds remaining in San Jose and decided that it wasn't worthy of a suspension, a league source informed the Daily News.

The general consensus in the Department of Player Safety was that Briere knew Vlasic was coming and slowed down prior to getting hit, as his skates are obviously in a stopping motion. The hit, which sent Briere into the boards headfirst, was said to be more of Vlasic "extending his hands to brace himself," rather than to drive Briere into the wall.

Though upset, Briere was not injured on the play. He rejoined his teammates after two shifts in the waning minutes of the 1-0 loss.

Briere, 34, said he did not require a concussion baseline test.

"I wasn't expecting to be bulldozed there," Briere said. "It was a dangerous play, there's no doubt about it. Usually when you're in a vulnerable position like that . . . It was scary. I think I got fortunate that it wasn't worse than it is. I knew there was someone coming, but I just didn't think I was going to get run over like that.

"I was just lost there. Kind of flipped around, too. I think I was just dizzy there for a few minutes. I didn't even know what happened until I saw the video."

The Flyers, traveling back from San Jose, did not offer an injury update on Briere yesterday and his status for tonight's game against the visiting Islanders is unknown. After the game, Briere didn't lobby for a suspension for Vlasic, instead praising Shanahan's actions this season on hits with players in vulnerable positions. It's safe to say that opinion might be different today.

'Fighting' in Congress

Seated in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill yesterday, Flyers chairman Ed Snider was dressed in a dark suit. He looked serious, prepared to give remarks in front of members of Congress.

The discussion, though, wasn't about law or business. It was about hockey. But there was still bickering on both sides of the aisle.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman joined Snider, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and Dave Ogrean, the executive director of USA Hockey, at the Congressional Hockey Caucus. It was Snider's first appearance at the caucus.

"With all due respect to Ted Leonsis, let's go Flyers!" said representative Bob Brady, a noted Flyers fan and season ticketholder from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district in Philadelphia and Delaware counties.

Leonsis countered by saying, "We play the Flyers this weekend. Let me be the first to locally say the Flyers suck."

Snider then followed by saying "everyone loves the Flyers, as you can see," and told emcee Luke Russert from NBC News that Russert's Buffalo Sabres are "just pathetic."

"Drop the gloves!" Brady said.

The event, truly in good nature, was hosted by representative Pat Meehan, from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, which includes Delaware, Montgomery and Chester counties.

The focus was the positive impact community-based hockey programs, like Snider's Youth Hockey Foundation, have on the development of essential life skills, character, and academic success. The NHL announced a new partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, offering 4-year scholarships to Hockey is for Everyone participants to any one of the country's 47 historically black colleges and universities.

"We are convinced that we can use our sport to help change lives," Snider said in a statement. "We have collected empirical data from our participants' report cards to support our case. Ninety-six percent of our boys and girls are matriculating from one grade level to the next, keeping them on track for on-time graduation, which is remarkable considering these children come from the same inner-city neighborhoods and schools that graduate less than forty-five percent of their students."

Local update

Bensalem native Ryan Gunderson never has really landed on the radar of NHL teams, though Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren may want to take note of the local product who continues to turn heads in the Swedish Elite League.

Gunderson, 27, has 31 points in 52 games in the traditionally low-scoring league - good for second among all defensemen.

Gunderson posted 39 points in 52 games last year with Orebro in Sweden's second league, but spurned Peter Forsberg-owned club MoDo in the offseason and joined Brynas. Forward Rob Schremp, who played for the New York Islanders last season, has 40 points in 52 games with MoDo.

Gunderson, a Holy Ghost Prep product who played 4 years at the University of Vermont, recently signed a 2-year extension to stay in Brynas. The contract has a clause to opt out for the NHL at any time, to fulfill the childhood dream of every hockey player.

Slap shots

According to FearTheFin.com, the Flyers outchanced San Jose, 13-11, on Tuesday night . . . Ilya Bryzgalov could follow up one of his best games of the season with his sixth straight start tonight against the Islanders, as New York guns for a season-series sweep in Philadelphia . . . The Islanders have gained two more points (29) than the Flyers since Jan. 1 . . . The Islanders, still mired in fifth place in the Atlantic, have won two straight at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time since 2006-07. Evgeni Nabokov, who shut out the Flyers on Feb. 7, is expected to start.