ORANGE C.R.USHER

20 games.

What a joke. What a disgusting, putrid joke. Downie gets the same suspension for this hit that Bertuzzi got for breaking a guy's neck? Look here: at numbers lower than 20 we see egregious, flagrant attempts at serious injury -- elbows to heads, sucker-punches, stick swings, etc. -- career-ending attacks have gotten fewer games than Downie's questionable hit!!

Ridiculous!!!! Explain it to me, people.

I'm sure the league is attempting to send the message that big hits that might give people concussions are bad, so don't hit someone hard, even in retaliation. But what about this message: why bother just running into a guy really hard? Might as well attempt to decapitate a guy, since the suspension will be the same (or maybe less!). Gonna be suspended; might as well make it COUNT.

Can the decision be appealed? If so, appeal it, please. It's outrageously excessive.

NHL, you've screwed this one up pretty badly. Next time Chris Pronger gets his elbow up, he'd better be getting 25 games. When Colby Armstrong hits a guy even half as bad as Downie hit McAmmond, I want to see him get 15. Next time Chris Neil clocks someone and says "Oh, he should have had his head up," I want him to sit for at minimum 15 games. When Ryan Hollweg boards someone, slap him with 13 games. And so on. Pretty soon, there won't be anyone left to fill a roster, because everyone will be sitting 10-, 20-game suspensions for hard, yet formerly-legal hits.

Come on, people. TSN, a tip for you all: it's hard to take what you have to say seriously when you allow an article like this to be posted. It's a terribly amateurish piece, riddled with pathetic typos and poor grammar.

McAmmond is reported to have said: "I was pretty grateful that I'm pretty much normal know." Now, know, silent k, whatever.

Apparently, "The NHL is reviewing the incident but are not expected to take any action until they have a full report." So, the NHL. Singular? Plural? Both, according to this sentence. Subject-verb agreement: something you learn in school and then forget while writing professionally, apparently.

"McAmmond was taken off on a stretcher. The Senators forward was carried off on a stretcher, but the Senators announced yesterday that there were no fractures." Just to be sure, here ... a stretcher was used?

Spell it Downey, Downie ... it's all good for this writer. Also, Christmas is not a word that requires capitalizing, in his (or her?) world. And were = we're, apparently.

The most egregious and head-scratching contribution (what is Paddock even really trying to say? 4-year suspension? I honestly don't know.) is this (and I copy this directly, so all mistakes with punctuation and spelling are not mine):

"I think this kid is the kind of player every team in the league wants, but you have to have control. To me for him to be in the NHL when he is 24-years-old, I think the league takes probably the most important thing in his life away from him for a while, Paddock said.

"I think he is a young guy who unfortunatley we all know his history in the OHL and stuff probably hockey is the most important, take it away from him, so hopefully he remembers, I think it would be the best thing for him so he can be playing in the league when he is 24 years old."

...what? Either Paddock is a repetitive mushmouth, or the author twice tried to summarize what he said, poorly, I might add, in successive paragraphs.

Finally, McGrattan may speak in run-on sentences, but please, when you write it out, use commas. For the love of God.

"I don't beat around the bush. I'm not the guy who whips out cliche after cliche you are going to get a straight answer out of me. At least I'm telling him I'm going to do it I'm not going to blindside him or hit him from behind."

Side note: am I the only one laughing at the way McGrattan said he isn't one to whip out cliche, but used one in his first sentence? Good stuff. I mean, you can't write this kind of comedy on purpose, can you? Oh, also, I spell it "McGrattan" which, according to the Senators' site, is how the name is spelled, not "McGratton" which is how the author spelled it. Did I just mention comedy?

So. Setting aside the appalling presentation, we can try get to the meat of the thing: is he saying Downie deserves a 4-year suspension? Also, it is OK for McGrattan to go around threatening him. (sarcasm on) Not only are these people completely reasonable, but they are genuinely good people, too. Very forgiving. (sarcasm off)

I find it very hard to take something seriously when it is written this poorly. I find it hard to take a medium seriously when it allows something like this to be attached to its name. Credibility: just some word in the dictionary.

Honestly, cool your jets, folks. Chris Pronger didn't get a ban from the NHL for a much more blatant hit on McAmmond, did he? Not even after he tried to knock Holmstrom's block off a week or so earlier. He didn't even get multiple games, for crying out loud. So why are you all calling for such severe punishment for Downie?

Oh wait, Pronger is a superstar veteran, not some punk rookie kid trying to make a roster spot. Different rules, or something, right?

Look, I feel bad for McAmmond. But this is turning into a witch hunt, or similar. I am rethinking my decision to cheer for Ottawa in last season's SC finals. Can I go back in time and switch to the Ducks? Gah. A no-win situation there, huh? I retroactively cheer for neither team.

I listened to five minutes of last night's game while I was in my car on the way to the grocery store. I certainly did not go to the game, and except for those five minutes, I didn't listen to it, either. Consequently, the Flyers won over the Capitals, 2-1. Goals were scored by Boyd Kane (!) and Ben Eager (!). Interesting. Of course, Ovechkin was not playing, and Olie Kolzig was not in net, but let's not take everything away from the Flyers for this win.

Yesterday the bad news was released that:

1) Scottie Upshall will be out 4 to 6 weeks while he recovers from a broken wrist, an injury sustained in the game in Ottawa two nights ago.

2) Joffrey Lupul will be out 1 or 2 weeks, while he recovers from some injury (bad sprain?) to a wrist, an injury sustained in the game in Ottawa two nights ago.

3) R. J. Umberger will be out 1 or 2 weeks (?), while he recovers from a broken left pinky finger, an injury sustained in the game in Ottawa two nights ago.

4) Randy Jones will be out a week or so as he recovers from an injury to his hip, sustained in the game in Ottawa two nights ago.

Arguably the least of the worries there is Randy Jones. He's not one of the top D-men and there are probably one or two others who can fill his spot with no difficulty. 1 or 2 weeks is not a very long time for Umberger and Lupul, but the extended loss of Upshall -- definitely will not be making the home opener on the 13th, barely two weeks away -- is serious. Three forwards out. Gives some guys who were probably resigning themselves to the idea of the Phantoms some new hope to play for the Flyers, at least for a little while.

Some people might say that karma is, you know. That the Flyers deserve to lose four players in one night's time after the way Steve Downie took out Dean McAmmond. While I am occasionally prone to succumbing to strong bouts of superstition, especially where sports are concerned, I really just don't believe that. Payback? Nah.

Also, people: quit vilifying Downie for what happened. Yeah, bad result of an overenthusiastic hit. He didn't fly in there trying to kill McAmmond. Even if he was incensed after having been crunched into the boards by Schubert, I highly doubt he made the hit thinking, "God, I hope I concuss this guy into next year." Sure, he should have been penalized. Maybe he deserves a short suspension. But some people are screaming for his head, calling for 40-game suspensions, even going so far as to suggest he should be banned from the NHL. Please. Get a grip on yourselves. If you ban Downie for this, then I can think of a number of other NHLers who should be banned for similar -- worse! -- hits (cough e.g. Chris Neil's hit on Drury cough oh Drury should have has his head up and not been admiring his pass cough). I hate to sound whiny, but it really is starting to sound like people just want the Flyers to pay for something. Where were all these "BAN DOWNIE FOR A DIRTY HIT!" people when Umberger was clocked in the playoffs in 2006? (But that was a clean hit and R.J. should have had his head up!!) Where were all these people when Carter was hammered by Colby Armstrong last year (and then, when he did get up, was the only one penalized on the play?!*)? I could go on, but I have work to do today.

Flyers play again tomorrow night in Washington. I expect a tougher lineup then.

Following one of my favorite players: Edmonton won over Calgary last night, with Joni playing 28+ minutes of ice time. He assisted on the first goal. Season hasn't even started yet and he's already going to be racking up the points. I saw a picture of his back on the Oilers website, and, well, you know, well. It will probably take the entire season for me to really get used to that.

Following some other players: while browsing transactions notes, I saw that Dan Jancevski was moved to Tampa Bay over the summer, and will be spending time in Norfolk -- so I will see the former Iowa Stars captain on October 5. J. showed me a picture yesterday of Dan Ellis in a Predators uniform. I knew that he was UFA and that Iowa/Dallas had not elected to offer him further employment, but I didn't know where he ended up. Apparently, with the Predators. And unless he ends up being good enough to back up Mason, a position I feel may go to Pekka Rinne, I suppose he will be facing his former teammates 8 or 10 times next season as a backstop for Milwaukee. It sounds as though he did pretty well, though. On the Preds site, he was described as having stood on his head in the period he played relieving Mason. But he did give up Atlanta's winning goal in the shootout. I liked Ellis OK when he was in Iowa but he made me extremely nervous with his tendency to leave the net and play the puck. (Biron was doing that the other night, against the Devils, and I was having Ellis flashbacks.)

*I was at that game. I was boggled then, and am boggled now. I cannot understand how Carter was the one penalized, and Armstrong gets to skate away free. Help me understand?

Well. I did not see or hear last night's game, and it appears as though I missed out on some major controversy. Steve Downie's hit on Dean McAmmond: legal? I saw it on YouTube and, well, it certainly was a big hit. There is debate over when he left his feet, whether he intended to injure McAmmond, whether he would have been given a match penalty had McAmmond not been knocked out, and there is debate over a large number of related issues. I will let the debate rage. My only contribution will be that I'm pretty sure that much of the uproar would be silent had McAmmond not been hurt. Downie would probably still have been penalized (charging?), but, as has been pointed out by many other hockey fans, hits like that happen all the time without people getting hurt and without match penalties being assessed. That is not to say that wild hits that do not result in injury should be encouraged. I did not see the game so cannot judge the context of the hit. I have read that Downie was hit at least once without repercussions being dealt, and perhaps his frustration led to a [possibly unnecessarily] big hit in retaliation. Unfortunately, McAmmond was badly hurt. And what will follow? Will McAmmond be OK? Will Downie be suspended? (Already "indefinitely suspended" because of the match penalty, but will the NHL lay down something specific?) Will he make the Flyers' roster? Will he cool his heels in the AHL?

It has overshadowed the Flyers loss to the Sens, 4-2. Ruzicka and Lupul scored. Flyers are now 2-3 in pre-season play. There is an article in the Inquirer today about concern over lack of 60-minute effort on the Flyers squad. This was a major part of the Flyers' downfall last season. It cannot continue if they are to do anything but tank this season. There are a handful of games left before the season starts next week. Plenty of opportunities for the good guys to show that they mean business. Next week this time I want to have a good feeling that the bad days are past, and the good days are stretching before us.

Tonight: Flyers v. Capitals at the Wachovia Center. I'm not going to this game, because I already threw $105 out the window on Monday. If it didn't cost so much even for a ticket in the rafters, I would go, even if my presence is counterproductive to the scoresheet!!

In other stuff: Joel Lundqvist featured on the AHL site. He didn't feature much in last night's game against the Avalanche as far as the box score is concerned (no goals, no assists, no penalties, on the ice for two of CO's 4 goals) but since I didn't see the game, or hear it, and he wasn't mentioned in the brief recaps, I can't say he didn't have an impact. I think I will miss seeing him play. I did late in the season last year, when he was down playing for Dallas. Now, with the exception of the Stars/Flyers game on December 1, I'm not going to see him in person at all. Maybe on TV once or twice, but ...

The Senators' expected lineup for tonight's game against the Flyers (in Ottawa):

Forwards
Foligno - Spezza - Alfredsson
Kelly - Nikulin - Heatley
Eaves - Vermette - Neil
Donovan - McCammond - McGrattan

Defence
Phillips - Volchenkov
Redden - Meszaros
Corvo - Schubert

Goaltender
Emery

Um. With Gagne, Briere, Knuble, Upshall, Timonen, Smith ... all having played last night, what are the chances that they will play again tonight? I'm trying to think who didn't play last night that could replace them ... Lupul (has he done anything yet?). Eager? He didn't play. What other forwards? And on the blueline: Kukkonen, Jones, Gauthier? How they mix the lines tonight, trying to rest some people while hopefully fielding at least a partially competitive roster, should be interesting. Will it be AHL vs. NHL? Or will it be a combination of Phantoms/Flyers (with the fraction of Phantoms larger than it was recently)? As much as I like the Flyers to win, I wouldn't be too upset if they scratched "the important guys" rather than risk them getting hurt. It isn't the real season, after all. Let the Sens feel like big men for beating the Phantoms, if that is what must come to pass.

If I am not too wiped out by my running tonight, I'll pay attention to the game.

UPDATE: Line-ups including the Flyers. No Briere, Knuble, or Gags. As expected.

I take full responsibility for last night's loss to the Devils 3-1. I showed up. I was in the Wachovia Center. And we all know how well the Flyers do when I am sitting there, in person, watching them.



Remind me never to go to another game versus the Devils. Snoooooze. Clog the neutral zone. CLOG THE NEUTRAL ZONE!! zzzzzzz The Flyers struggled against it and it was not a very exciting game. One of the biggest cheers last night came when the jumbotron showed the in-progress score of the Mets / Nationals game, with the Mets losing badly (apparently, a very good thing for the Phillies, who are struggling to make the playoffs). Next, the biggest roars of approval were when they showed Dancing Shawn, the orange-shirt-wearing ... large guy up by the rafters, who dances shamelessly for our amusement. I suppose the goal Danny Briere scored -- his first in a Flyers uniform! -- garnered the loudest cheers, as it should have, but it was otherwise astonishingly quiet, for a Flyers game. The arena was only half-full, I suppose. And it's not like what was going on was gripping. CLOG THE NEUTRAL ZZzzzzzzzz.......

On the other hand, I like the look of Claude Giroux. He is pretty quick, and a little tenacious; he just isn't very big and got bumped off the puck and physically prevented from doing what it was he wanted to do. He had a sweet steal in the middle of the ice toward the end of the game; the puck was being passed up the ice by one of those dastardly Devils, and he was suddenly there, snagging it. Unfortunately, it didn't turn into anything, but it was lovely to see anyway. He probably won't be staying with the Flyers, but going back to juniors this season, but next year, or the year after? Nice. We'll see, anyway. Maybe he will get a longer look. If he were only a bit bigger.

Speaking of size, the new jerseys -- still don't like them much, but I am becoming immune to them ... however, I think they make the guys look smaller. I was sitting back about 20 rows farther than I usually do while at Flyers games, but I don't think that had anything to do with it. Hatcher looked tall and skinny, nothing like the monster smashing dinosaur he has in the past, and Jeff Carter a bean pole. I realize Carter is tall and lacks serious bulkiness, but he looked like Yao Ming. Danny Briere was a pipsqueak down there on the ice. Mike Richards -- a little boy. Kapanen -- never a big player, now seemed wee. Not just the Flyers, the Devils seemed shrunken, too. All of them, diminished in size -- except Martin Brodeur, who looked enormous. It can't be all equipment, can it? Poke him in the belly and see if he "teehee!"s.



He only played one period, replaced by ... uh .... Frank Doyle? .... yeah. Some dude who wore the number 1 on his jersey. Someone I've never heard of. Rightly, I did not think, "Oh, the Flyers will now walk away with this, because who is this guy?" I mean, they scored 5 times on Lundqvist, who is on his way to becoming a household name. I don't really give 'em a pass for not scoring on Brodeur, but the dude just reaches out with his ten-foot long arm without even looking and snags it out of danger, so ... But Doyle? Pardon me for thinking the Flyers would score more than once. But they couldn't really score on him, either. I don't think he was making any outstanding, eye-popping saves, but there were a handful of moments where I just could not believe the puck didn't go in. Heartbreaking, especially late in the third period when the game was very nearly tied, but nooooooo. This nobody kept it out.

But Briere's goal was nice. It happened in the third period, which was about when the Flyers decided to pull it together and really play. He brought it around, and it didn't go in; the puck went back to Gagne, who was behind the goal, who tapped it right back to Briere, who snuck it around and in, right into a sliver of open space. It happened on the other side of the ice from me, so all I saw was a knot of bodies and Briere on the side of the net, but I saw the puck in the net and was up on my feet with everyone. It was a satisfying goal, happening shortly after a deflating second Devils goal (which seemed to be the result of a total Flyers breakdown, product of just not knowing each other as well as they should).

The last two minutes was a tough push, but no dice as the Devils sealed the game with an open-netter.

Biron played all three periods, disappointing me, as I had hoped to see Niitty at least one stanza (on the ice, that is; I saw him sitting down on the bench).

I was worried that going to a pre-season game might make the home opener less special, less exciting, because now I have seen the new Flyers play, but while I was sitting there I realized that it will not have been like sneaking open Christmas presents a week early. Because the arena was not jam-packed, because it did not have an electric vibe of anticipation, and because the team is still fluctuating, it felt like ... a pre-season game. And the real game on 10-13-07 is going to be a thousand times more exciting, not least because I will be 21 rows closer to the ice than I was last night.

I'm not sorry I went to the game last night, because I was itching to see hockey and it was great to have my first game of the new hockey year be a Flyers game. I am, however, becoming fed-up with expensive disappointment. ($100+ for the lower-level ticket, plus $11 for parking, and time spent in crawling traffic jams on I-95*) It's really starting to add up. 7 games now, with this one the only one for which I paid "face value." (Plus fees, of course. $3.25 for will-call! WHAT?!) The opener's price will be doubled; please, please, please let me get what I want.

On the other hand, the Phantoms beat the Lowell Devils 2-1 in a shootout. While I am thinking about the Phantoms, I must ask, when I will hear concluding information about my season tickets? When will I receive them? The season starts in a week and a half! Isn't it about time?!

*As I sat in an accident-induced jam near Kerlin Street on I-95 NB, I reminded myself that every single Phantoms game I will go to this year -- and I have tickets for 40 of them -- will likely require me to take I-95 NB, unless I am, for some reason, on some weekend, perhaps, already up in Pennsylvania. Certainly, the Friday and other weekday games will require it, me leaving from work and heading north, on a route that will only have a million other motorists on it, doing things like getting into accidents. Crusher, I told myself, get used to it. Heck, get used to it anyway, because there isn't much I can do about it. Surprising that I have not yet, after ... well, this isn't the forum for complaining about I-95. Suffice it to say that I did worry I would be late for the game, but miraculously, I was not.

On my way home from a day at the shore Saturday, I listened to the last 10 minutes of the third period of the Flyers/Rangers game happening in New York. Mike Knuble had just scored his second goal of the night and put the Flyers up on the Blueshirts 5-0. 5-0!! The Flyers!! And it wasn't as if the Rangers were rolling the Wolfpack, either. Jagr was out there. Drury. Gomez. You know, their big, expensive guns. And no back-up goalie, either: Lundqvist, out of character?

It was great.

I am seriously considering heading up to Philly to see the Flyers/Devils game at the Wach. Sure, it's a little expensive, but I might just get an upper-bowl ticket and enjoy myself all the same. An NHL-caliber lineup is expected from the black and orange (including Briere, Gagne, Knuble, Upshall, et al.) with Biron and Niittymaki backstopping. Waiting to hear if I will attend on my own, should I decide to go ...... I have impatience, and I figure, if I'm here, and I can make it up there, why not take advantage of the situation? I've got the evening off from running ... it all makes sense ... why not?

Pitkanen report: assisted on the OT-game winner for the Oilers over the Flames. Nice job, Joni. You're in the wrong town and wearing the wrong uniform, but it's still nice to read about something good you've done. Even if it's just pre-season. (He also took 2 for interference, but, you know. It doesn't appear as though it led to a Flames goal. It can be forgiven. Though he was on the ice for 2 of Calgary's 4 goals. Oops. Maybe the OT assist was his way of apologizing?)

They're here!! Well, in Iowa, anyway.

I remember when I got tickets to my first Flyers game, in November 2005. They were delivered FedEx from StubHub. I held them and quivered. You might have thought I had the winning Powerball ticket in my hands.

Last night's Dallas/Colorado game involved the following:

6 goals by the Avalanche
3 goals by the Stars (Khomitski, Modano, Zubov)
2 fighting majors and 2 roughing minors by Krys Barch
1 instigator, 1 fighting major, 1 misconduct, 1 game misconduct by Todd Fedoruk.

Junior Lessard: 1 penalty. Joel Lundqvist: no goals, no assists, no penalties.

Barch and Fedoruk: penalty machines.

We have hit the less-than-two-weeks mark to the start of the NHL season. Technically it begins next weekend, when the Kings and Ducks play a game abroad, but for the rest of us it begins on the 3rd (Flyers on the 4th). And today it is two weeks until the Phantoms home opener. These are good times.

UPDATE: Cable TV set to be installed evening of October 1 -- just in time for the goodness. I can't believe how much hockey I am set to watch this year. 40+ Phantoms games, if you consider playoff possibility; 82 Flyers games (not counting playoff possibility); any random games on Versus that I may choose to look at -- I want to apologize in advance to my family and those friends who will not be attending / watching games with me for the decreased amount of contact that will occur. Yes, I will be alive. I just won't be talking to you as much, unless you want to listen to me delivering live color commentary over the phone waves.

Kids played last night and the Phantoms Flyers lost to Binghamton Ottawa 4-0.

I only listened to a fraction of the game, because after my running last night I was exhausted with the kind of exhaustion that leaves a person incapable of dealing with Giroux, Downie, Ruzicka, et al. not scoring.

Imagine my shock, however, when I heard the name "Rathje" over the airwaves, as in "Rathje takes the puck behind the net."

I wondered for a moment if I had run so hard and/or fast that I had been transported back in time.

All told, lots of shots and a good look at some boys who will probably see purple and orange this year as solid call-ups. A pre-season game with a pre-season line-up against another team with a pre-season lineup. Maybe I will go to New York this weekend to see the Flyers in Madison Square Garden. I bet I'd see more of an NHL situation going on there.

Oilers played last night but Joni didn't. Dallas played last night (6-5 win over the Blues) and Junior Lessard scored the first goal (from J. Jokinen and former Flyer-slash-Phantom Nolan Baumgartner). Why, you are asking, do I care about how the Dallas Stars do? Well, I tell you, I don't; I care how (former) Iowa Stars players are doing. Joel Lundqvist: no goals, no assists, three penalties.

Last night was the Flyers' first pre-season game, held in Trenton, against the New Jersey Debbies Devils. I did not see the game, nor did I listen to it (having had a long day being orientated at the Plaza downtown, my brain was basically enmushed* and it completely slipped my mind that there even was a game going on -- what kind of Flyers fan am I??), but reading about it today has been entertaining, to say the least.

A 3-2 win for the good guys, including goals by Kukkonen, Richards, and Upshall (the game-winner). 5 fights right off the bat. Cam Janssen left the ice apparently crying like a baby. Ok, maybe not actually crying, but he certainly looks like he's whining up a storm. Biron held his own against the Devils, but when Niittymaki got in the net, he allowed a goal on their first shot against him. [sigh] You can already hear the Niitty-naysayers, but look: first goal was on a 5-on-3 when he was cold off the bench, and the next was another 5-on-3 PP. I've got a soft spot for Niittymaki, it's true, but even if I didn't, I'd be giving him the benefit of the doubt on this. He starts tonight, and I don't even consider it a second chance.

The Devils didn't field their whole A-list, but not a bad way for the Flyers to start out the pre-season thing, developing chemistry, etc. Tonight they are in Canada to play the Senators. I guess the game is on TV but I have not been on the ball about getting cable set up, so I won't be watching it.

The Phantoms won in Trenton yesterday, too -- beating the Lowell Devils, also 3-2, so it was 0-2 for the Devils club yesterday. Who will cry about that?

Iowa Stars won't have a pre-season game until the 29th, when they face the Flaming Q's.

I was looking at other scores from yesterday, and the Penguins lost (in spite of you-know-who having a multi-point game) so, you know, HA HA. And the Oilers won vs. the Panthers, but Pitkanen didn't have a point. There are rumors that the Oilers are shopping Joni for a top-6 forward, possibly to Buffalo. I was pretty steaming mad about his being traded anywhere, but the fact that it was to some place out west where he would not be much of a problem for the Flyers except in an occasional one-off when East meets West in the regular season or possibly in some playoff run (either way, not a regular foe) made it at least palatable; if he ended up with the [blank]ing Sabres?

I would be livid.

Though I would get to see him play more often, seeing him in a Sabres jersey would make me physically ill. I saw a picture of his back from last night's game and that was enough to sadden me thoroughly. Being physically ill is worse than being saddened, you see. It would be a nightmare, seeing that.

While the Oilers fans are calling the rumors of a possible Pitkanen trade a buncha nothing, you have to remember that for months, Flyers fans called the rumor of a possible Pitkanen trade a buncha nothing, too.

*enmushed: having been turned to mush. Making up words = fun.

Trusty fan with camera phone gives us peek at new jerseys. I am relieved the Phantoms one is purple, not blue, and the front looks decent, but I do not like the half-and-half of colors on the back. The black Flyers jersey is tolerable, if only by comparison to others I have seen. I saw a picture of the Anaheim Ducks' new jersey and thought what a relief it is that the Flyers did not put a swooping, angled stripe along the bottom. Horrible. Better to have no stripe than that corny design.

Guess I won't grumble too much. I do look forward to an orange third jersey though, and I cannot see myself buying a new jersey this season. But don't hold me to that.

When I find an "official" picture, I'll post the link.

UPDATE: OH GOD MY EYES MY POOR EYES. The back of the Phantoms jersey is worse than I thought at first glance. I did not notice the purple on the sides under the arms making it look like the space with the number is a backpack or something. I hate it. HATE IT!!!! And I paid $600 to look at it 40 games this season!

And I saw pictures of Briere wearing the new jersey. Could it look more like he is about to play football (especially that third picture down)? Ick. The shirts are too tight over the pads.

What a roller-coaster this new jersey thing is. (Different than a New Jersey thing.)

So I was in the emergency room again last night (but this time not for myself) and while I was waiting for my friend to have his obviously broken/dislocated pinkie finger x-rayed, I was sitting in the hall with a fellow who was about to have his ankle/foot x-rayed. He was telling how only a few months ago he had been there, having his chest x-rayed, because he had broken a couple ribs playing ice hockey. Later in our conversation, he mentioned he was from Buffalo.

"So, ice hockey and from Buffalo," I said. "You must be a Sabres fan."

"Yep," he said, "sure am."

"We will have to agree to disagree about some hockey, then," I said.

"Are you a Flyers fan?" he asked.

"Indeed."

Because the fella was in pain, I said, "I think Buffalo will still be competitive despite having lost you-know-who and you-know-who" instead of saying, "HA HA SUCKA!!!"

We chatted a little bit more about the upcoming season before he was wheeled in to have a picture taken of his ankle.

But let's talk about you-know-who, here. Today is the first day of training camp. Briere on the ice with Gagne, Knuble, et al. Only a few short weeks to learn how to play together effectively, only a few short and crucial weeks to show the NHL world that the Flyers mean to make a difference this year. Briere is a key piece. I am not 100% sold on his addition, but I look forward to this former Sabre's contribution. As long as I don't see any shenanigans in the vein of Ovechkin-spearing. As long as he scores. As long as he is effective.

And the others? Let's see ... Joffrey Lupul. I'd like to see him do something. His last season, in Edmonton, was less than spectacular; heck, less than decent. I'd like to see him make his acquisition (in an ill-advised trade I will never approve of) something more than superfluous. I have no doubts that Jason Smith, the other half of the trade, will make his presence known immediately. However, I hope his presence is shown to be more than superfluous, too; even in intangible ways. Timonen -- I'm greatly looking forward to the addition of this Suomalainen on the blue line. Of all the off-season action, this is the one I was most excited about. I don't know too much about Hartnell but expect that he will have an impact as well. I certainly hope so.

The other "new" guys, Upshall, Biron -- have already shown flashes of excellence and I look forward to seeing #9 and the bright-eyed goalie help get the Flyers off to a fast and fantastic start, even in the pre-season.

As for the rest, I want to see Jeff Carter fill the role that everyone expects him to take; I want to see Mike Richards dig deep and make good things happen, have a monster year. As much as I like Biron between the pipes, I want to see Niittymaki step up and challenge him for the #1 spot. And Kapanen, he's a solid piece of the foundation that the team stands on. A pleasure to watch as he throws himself wholly into a game, regardless of what's on the line. I get tired of the cliches about heart and soul, but this guy has orange and black insides.

We'll see soon enough who else makes the cut. Mike Rathje (ack!) insists upon giving the season a try. I just don't know how the Flyers will pay for him if he does manage to come through camp in game condition (speculation has him being waived and sent to the Phantoms, which seems sad given the struggle he has gone through the last year and a half, and given the fact that for a while, at the start of the 2005-2006 season, he was a very effective stay-at-home NHL defenseman, but also seems about the only thing they can do, because he's too expensive; aren't there younger, cheaper, faster options?). Speculation also has Hatcher or Gauthier being moved somewhere down the line in order to make money room for the addition of Forsberg (or someone); 12 defensemen trying to make the team, Hatcher is certain to do so, but Gauthier is another story. I have no strong feelings about this player. He goes out there and lays out big hits, but sometimes seems like he is focusing too much on making that hit and gets exposed. Also, doesn't he often get hurt? I'm trying to decide who I'd prefer to take his place, but thinking about the young D-men I don't know. I like Alex Picard, who shows poise and flashes of critical thinking skills. Randy Jones is not my favorite. And some of the newer guys, I don't know much about at all.

Ok, I have rambled a lot. You can read "professional" training camp previews for yourself in the Inquirer and the Daily News.

The new jerseys are OFFICIALLY revealed today. Having only glimpses so far, you already know my general feelings. It will help to see them "for real", but I suppose the big test will be seeing them in actual action. Really, the away jersey looks not too bad. But the home ... blah. And in the NHL jersey madness I had forgotten that the AHL was introducing new jerseys as well. This morning I saw a screenshot from the NHL 08 viedo game that has the AHL jerseys. The Phantoms jersey isn't too bad, though there is something about the shape and lines that I just don't care for; and in the picure I saw it looks like blue and orange and white rather than purple and orange and white. Perhaps it's just a function of colors having been poorly translated between video game / being posted on the web. I really hope they don't go to blue. It's very generic. Besides, I have a soft spot for the Phantoms purple. They're revealing the Phantoms jersey today, too. I'll update later.

Away jersey?!

Much better than the home, with all that orange on the shoulders, but, because I am not to be satisfied under any circumstances, apparently, there is still something about it that I just don't like.

But I will get that Gagne figurine. It will join the Forsberg and Clarke ones I was given by my dad. (Am I lucky or what? A dad who understands.)

Hate the socks. Hate them, hate them hate them hate them!!!!

Better mood: regular training camp starts Friday. Countdown to hockey will begin!

Apparently, this is what the new home jersey will look like.

Eh.

I wasn't a big fan of the home black to begin with, and this one doesn't appeal to me much either.

I wish they would stripe the bottom. That would have done a lot for me, anyway.

In a couple weeks, we'll see the away jersey, too, unless someone leaks it in advance. I am actually surprised either of them hadn't been leaked before now.