Two minutes for cross-checking

So I had this list of hockey going on the week before I left Delaware for Iowa:

Flyers vs. Avalanche, Dec. 16th. A nice payback for the horrific 5-2 loss in October -- a 5-2 win. After giving up the first goal, the Flyers threw in four of their own that were unanswered. A second Colorado goal came at the end of the second period, but the Flyers scored again in the third to seal the 5-2 victory. Nice! The win had them 6-0-1 in the month to that point.

Phantoms vs. Senators, Dec. 17th. This was a weekday home game that I ended up not going to, because I had a lot of other things that I needed to get done with respect to my upcoming vacation. The Phantoms won 3-2. Randy Freaking Jones was playing his first game since having surgery earlier this season, in the purple and orange for a conditioning stint before rejoining the Flyers. He made a difference, assisting on a Claude Giroux goal. Michael Teslak was in his first start of the year and got his first win when Nate Raduns scored the winner in OT. Sorry I missed it, but you do what you have to do.

Flyers vs. Canadiens, Dec. 18th. An away game that started and ended badly. The Flyers got down three goals to get things going and scored only two, from rather unlikely sources (Asham and Coburn), and lost 5-2. The Flyers took a lot of penalties (or, at least, had a lot of penalties called on them) and two of Montreal's goals came on the PP. The odd thing was that I wasn't that mad about this loss. After all, the Flyers can't win every game, right? And they had been doing so well that I managed to take this one regulation loss in stride. I wonder if I can find that acceptance again.

Phantoms vs. Devils, Dec. 19th. Another home game, another game I didn't go to. My early flight Saturday morning precluded my attendance, not wanting to be out until 10 p.m. and also having a lot of packing left to do. Another game that would have been nice to see, since the Phantoms won 5-2 and crept closer to the top in the division. It was the Phantoms' seventh win in a row.

Flyers vs. Capitals, Dec. 20. I was on my way home while this game was getting played. I started getting updates from J. via text message while I was sitting in the Minneapolis airport, my flight being a little bit delayed. The fact that it was only a little bit delayed was a miracle, given the snow that was falling. When I finally arrived in Iowa, after another hour's delay while the plane was deiced (note to woman sitting behind me: usually deicing is only done when considered necessary, so your constant harrumphing about the delay was uncalled for. Would you prefer that they did not take preventative measures and risk damage and danger? You were going to get home, right? A lot of other people were not, so suck it up.), there were messages from J. tallying up goal after goal. The Flyers beat the Capitals 7-1. Talk about a trouncing. It made the loss in Montreal look like what it felt like -- a little blip.

Phantoms vs. Norfolk Admirals, Dec. 20. The Ads handed the Phantoms their first loss in some time, beating them 3-2 in a shootout. What a distasteful way to have the win streak ended (but not point-streak, I guess).

Iowa Chops vs. Peoria Rivermen, Dec. 20. I managed to get to Iowa in a window of weather opportunity that did not last long enough to allow for travel to Des Moines to see this game. High winds and snow prevented the journey, and you know what? The Chops lost 4-0 anyway, so it's not like I missed anything. I would have felt the money I am out on the tickets was wasted anyway.

While I was trying to survive a deep freeze (back in Iowa, the 27th had highs that did not even crack 0 Fahrenheit) and, when it did "warm up", snow and ice, there were games that I didn't get to see but got to hear about. The Flyers lost to the Devils in a shootout on that bitterly cold day (well, bitterly cold for me), and later that week beat the Senators 6-4 in what sounds like a back-and-forth game. The Flyers were at home; of course they would win, right? That was six in a row in the Wachovia Center. The Phantoms were off until Friday the 26th, when they lost 4-0 (ouch) to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and that night was bad for the Flyers, too. I got to watch this game on television, as they were playing the Blackhawks in Chicago and Iowa City happens to get their Comcast SportsNet. In HD, even -- my parents' new TV is enormous and it was astonishing. How can I watch hockey on my peon TV set again? Unfortunately, all the HD did was allow me to see the Flyers play a bad game in shocking clarity. It seemed like the only players we saw on the ice were Asham, Powe, Giroux, Cote, and Gratton. What the hell? Of course we had the Blackhawks' announcers so we had no idea what was going on on the Flyers' bench. Of course, Patrick Sharp scored against his former team. It was embarrassing and annoying to watch. The Flyers lost 5-1. Apparently they had some travel difficulties and some players were injured and maybe the accumulation of these problems added up to another loss in Columbus last Saturday (3-0). I was hoping to get to see that game, as I was supposed to be back to Philadelphia International Airport by 3:30 p.m., but in the end, I did not get there until almost 8:30 and I didn't get to see the game -- all for the best, I think. After the travel stress I endured this year (not as bad as last year, though) I don't think I would have enjoyed, at all, watching the Flyers manage zero goals against the Blue Jackets. I hope that they can get themselves straightened out by Tuesday, because I don't want to have to watch anything like what I saw Friday again. Even if the Flyers don't win, I don't want their losses to be like those suffered recently. Ugh.

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I eventually got back to Delaware Saturday, five hours later than I was supposed to. I am not complaining -- I am grateful to have gotten home on the same day I was supposed to. I even got bumped up to first class after I had to get rebooked on a later flight when delays in Cedar Rapids meant I wouldn't be making my connection in Detroit. And I got home to open a present from B., and it was joyous:



That would be two tickets to the Flyers/Penguins game on January 13, 2009 -- section 101, row 7, seats 1 and 2. These must have cost a fortune. How lucky am I?

On Saturday, I was busy while the game against the Penguins was being played. I wore my new Upshall t-shirt in honor, though, and made sure I didn’t see a TV while out to eat or listen to anyone who might be talking about the game, so that when I got home later in the day and could sit down to watch it, it would all be a nice (or not?) surprise. J. texted me as I was turning the game on, asking if I was still out. I replied that I was just getting to it. “Oooh, good,” was her response. Based on that, I figured it must turn out well. I will have to mention to her that she should be more circumspect in her texts when I don’t want to have any information or hint of what’s to come.

It did turn out well, though I wondered how that could happen because Biron was in goal. I’m just not ready to feel good about that again. Not even now, after he did not blow the game Saturday. The Flyers kept scoring and scoring, and the game got to be 5-1 in favor of the good guys. I’m sure Carolina fans felt pretty secure about that last Thursday, only to have it taken away from them. I guessed the chances of it happening twice in a week involving one of the same teams were slim, so I didn’t worry too much. The final score was 6-3. The game was not quite the GRRRRfest that I thought it might be, but there was still some good bad blood going on. As far as hockey goes, there is almost nothing I like to see better than the Flyers beating the Penguins handily, with Crosby getting no points in the process and Malkin a paltry secondary assist.

Saturday night was Hockey Night at the House of Crusher, as I also watched most of the Hurricanes / Rangers game, hoping for a Carolina win, only to be disappointed as it went to a shootout and Lundqvist saving the day for the Rags. At the conclusion of that game, I turned to watch half of the Stars / Predators game, where it was former Iowa Star goalie vs. former Iowa Star goalie, Dan Ellis for Nashville and Tobias Stephan for Dallas. (Apparently Mike Smith was playing Saturday night too, for Tampa Bay; if only Silverthorn and Sauve had been playing in the NHL that night, then all Iowa Stars goalies I can recall ever seeing play would have been on the ice Saturday.) The score alone showed the order of the goalies back in Iowa – Ellis was the #1, Stephan the backup – Nashville 3, Dallas 0. It was interesting watching, as we saw a handful of former I-Stars on the ice for Dallas and former Milwaukee Admirals out for Nashville. Division match-ups from the minors meeting in the majors.

I considered staying up to watch St. Louis and San Jose, but I had run out of fuel.

The weekend for the Phantoms was quite successful. Friday’s game was away; a 4-1 win over Springfield. Last night at the Spectrum, the Phantoms played Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This year, I think the Bears are my most hated foe, but there is a special place for the Penguins in the Halls of Hate. It was a close game. Claude Giroux was putting on a show, with some really excellent stick- and puck-handling and a goal to show for it. It’s too bad that half the time his linemates are not quite on the same page as he is. He had at least one goal picked out of the air by Penguins goalie John Curry. The other goal was scored by Boyd Kane. It was a low-scoring game, with one goal per period: in the first, Kane’s goal; in the second, the Penguins’ only goal; in the third, Giroux’s. Munroe was excellent again. In the first ten minutes of the game he did not have much to do, as the Penguins managed only a few shots on goal (2 or 3) and for most of the time the action was down in the Penguins’ end. It evened up a bit as the game went on, but in spite of the close score I’d say the Phantoms did most of the playing in that game. They just had their usual problem of not quite being in the right place at the right time, being just a few inches away, passing just a few inches off, etc. With this regulation win, the Phantoms drew even in points with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and with a game in hand are above them in the standings [now 3rd in the division, five points behind Bridgeport (!) and seven behind Hershey.]

Scott Hartnell was at the game last night, hosting a glove-and-mitten toss for a good cause. Before the game, he was on the concourse signing autographs.



I had considered having him sign my scarf, but the signatures from Randy Jones and Ben Eager last year are starting to fade, and I didn’t want that to happen to Hartnell’s. Fortunately, they had small picture cards for him to sign for people like me that did not bring in anything special.



I took two pairs of gloves to toss, and received two raffle tickets. I did not win the autographed jersey or pair of gloves. Boooo!

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What’s up this week?

Tuesday, Flyers vs. Avalanche (at home).
Wednesday, Phantoms vs. Senators (at home).
Thursday, Flyers vs. Canadiens (away).
Friday, Phantoms vs. Devils (at home).
Saturday, Flyers vs. Capitals (at home).
Saturday, Phantoms vs. Norfolk Admirals (at home).
Saturday, Iowa Chops vs. Peoria Rivermen (at home).

I added the last one because that is where I am going to be on Saturday evening. I’m heading west to the homeland for the holidays, so I will miss the Saturday Phantoms game. I will probably also miss the Friday Phantoms game, since I have a very early flight Saturday. Given that I will not be in the Philadelphia broadcast area, I will also miss the Flyers’ game against the Capitals (though I record it and may watch it when I get back, though I will have long since known the way it turned out). At least, with the three weekday games, I will get my Philadelphia hockey fix in before I head out of town. I’m looking forward to going to a game in Des Moines again, even if it’s not the team that I knew when I left, instead being one with a name that I really cannot stand. On the other hand, they’re a pretty good team this year, 15-9-1-2, in third place in the division [but only one point out of first and tied, points-wise, with Milwaukee (and Peoria behind them]. It might be a better outing than was last year’s return to Des Moines.

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It has been announced that Sean Avery will not return to the Dallas Stars. You will find the people who did not expect this under a rock somewhere. I am amused that they think “anger management” training will help him. I doubt managing his anger will do much for managing his enormously inflated sense of self.

I certainly hope the Flyers do not display a monumental lack of sense by even considering this guy. He is a detriment, no question about it. The Flyers have finally gotten a sense of chemistry and identity going, and bringing in a no-question chemistry and locker-room killer would be breathtakingly stupid. I have confidence that the Flyers are cleverer than that.

It's Friday, the Flyers play tomorrow, and here is a pretty statistic to get you through until the game at 1:

In the Flyers' last 15 games, they have had only one regulation loss (that stupid game in Toronto).

Since going 0-3-3 to start the season, the Flyers have gone 15-4-3.

With 36 points, they are 6th in the league. They are followed directly by Pittsburgh (also with 36 points, but they have played one more game than Philadelphia). So the game on Saturday vs. the loathsome Penguins is going to be all the more gruesome for the meaningful points that will come out of it. I will try to spend the next 27-or-so hours as stresslessly as possible in order to be prepared for the GRRRRR that will happen during the game.

OMFG. I am just about speechless. Flyers down 5-1 going into the third and end up going to a shootout, and winning by dominating the shootout?

If I hadn't watched it all, I wouldn't believe it.

Nice job on the hat trick by Hartnell. Great goals by Upshall and Gagne to bring the 5-1 disaster to an improbable 5-5 tie. Great job by Niittymaki (if you pretend the first two periods full of soft goals didn't happen) -- in the third, keeping the 'Canes from making it worse, and holding them off on the PK in the OT. And to blitz in the shootout -- stars in my eyes again.

P.S. Some rancid refereeing early in the game. I just don't know how you eff up like that unless you are trying to. Take that, stripes! HAHAHAHA!!!!! FLYERS WIN!!!

Friday night, the Phantoms game was not very interesting for the first period or two. Some goals were scored, but the action seemed subdued. There were two early fights, but even they seemed half-hearted and didn't really stir things up. It was close for a little bit, but the Phantoms were 3-1 at one point. I was at the game with D. (who was a season ticket holder pal last year, but is not this year). She seemed to think that this was a decent lead. I told her that I have seen the Phantoms blow leads like that in the last minutes, so there was no relaxing. And the score got to be 3-3. Hartford wasn't going to let things get away with them ... not yet. By the end of the game it was 6-3 and the Phantoms won handily.

Besides the win, the best part was one of the guys in the crowd heckling the player named Weise. This guy hit the glass between the benches really hard with his stick, apparently mad at himself for something. After that, a guy in section 202 started yelling, "WEISE!! WEISE! WHY DO YOU SUCK?? I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!! DON'T IGNORE ME!! WEISE!! WHY DO YOU SUCK?"

It may not look so funny so transcribed, but believe me. It was.

Saturday night, girls' weekend at hockey continued and I was at the game with a coworker (usual companion K. is out of town) who used to go to Flyers games at the Spectrum when she was younger. I was afraid the the Phantoms would do what they normally do when I take someone to a Phantoms game who has never gone -- that is, completely blow. They actually played pretty well, and Binghamton did not. They allowed three goals in the first period, and that was enough -- Glass came out, Elliot went in. He did better, only allowing one more goal while he was in net, and Binghamton scored two. Munroe was in net both nights, and the back-to-back worked out well. Patrick Maroon scored a hat trick last night, including an empty net goal at the end (I don't think anyone threw any hats down!). He had a five point night, grabbing two assists as well. Sometimes I think Maroon is always just kind of almost in the right place, almost making the right move, shot, pass, etc., and sometimes managing to actually be there; last night, he really was always in the right place, doing the right thing.

And the Flyers played Saturday night too, in Carolina. I got updates -- Richards with yet another shorthanded goal, the 'Canes tying it at 1, and a win by Carter in OT. I watched the game today, knowing what was going to happen; the Flyers took waaaay too many penalties and while I know they are a threat shorthanded, they really shouldn't take a chance. The first period was good, the rest of regulation was kind of boring and the Flyers got lucky that the Hurricanes were not playing an awesome game; the OT was exciting. Niittymaki was in net, as he should have been. He should be next game, too; and the next game; you get the idea.

Tonight the Phantoms played Wilkes-Barre, an away game; Munroe started again (that surprises me), but was great, allowing only one goal, and the Phantoms won 4-1. As the website notes, a perfect weekend for the Phantoms.

This evening, while working on a Christmas present project, I watched two periods and some change of the Caps/'Canes game; it was 1-1 when I quit watching. It seemed like I was having to watch the Hershey Bears again, since I guess the Capitals have been rather decimated by injuries and have a huge contingent of call-ups, including Helmer, Alzner, Aucoin, Gordon, and some others I have forgotten. You know how tired I am of watching Bears. So I was pretty much rooting for Carolina, even though I am not very fond of their farm team, either; at least they are not the Bears and I am still a Joni Pitkanen fan, though was cringing to be so today watching him take a couple lame penalties (one very egregious leading to a penalty shot that at least Leighton stopped). I turned the channel at 7 when the Chicago/Phoenix game started, and I guess the Caps/'Canes game turned out to be in favor of Carolina, 3-1. I figured it would probably go to OT again.

This Chicago game was in no danger of OT. They probably should have quit after 1 for pity's sake. Before the game was even half over, the Blackhawks had scored 7 goals, including two by Ben Eager. That alone should tell you how bad things were going for Phoenix. Bryzgalov was never pulled, which suggests that Tellqvist is a little bit injured or sick; why else leave your shellshocked goalie in for the duration? Phoenix actually scored one so it wasn't a complete disaster, though the difference between the disaster that it has been and complete disaster is just about negligible. Phoenix: LOL.

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A few weeks ago I was running in my 'hood and saw a house that had a University of Iowa flag on their porch. It was the weekend the Hawkeyes were beating Penn State. I was kind of perked-up to see an Iowa connection so close, though I just ran on by and didn't see anyone to say "hey" to. Last week, I was going by the same place and saw that house had hung out a Hurricanes flag. Talk about going against the grain entirely in this area. Also, my opinion of these possible comrades went down a few rungs. Hurricanes? Really?

Screw-ups at my job include:

1) Microscope out of focus; pictures suck.
2) Forgetting what magnification I used; improper scale bar results.
3) Late report; customers annoyed.

These things are rare. Rarer are such eff-ups as burning myself with liquid ethane or liquid nitrogen or spilling some chemical (I don't actually use very many).

None of those eff-ups, including the burning-self-with-liquid-ethane agony, even begin to approach the magnitude of the eff-up(s) of Martin Biron last night.

The Flyers had that game in hand. It was one of the most boring games I've ever seen, until the the third period frenzy introduced by Simon Gagne's absence and the announcement that Holmgren would update his medical condition after the game. That seemed...unusual, leading to rampant speculation. At the top of that list of speculation is that he was concussed again, though no one could remember seeing a hit. Left to their own devices, brains will spin off into the realm of Worst Case Scenario. The failure to provide any hint of information during the game seemed to indicate something very bad might be going on (did he have to go to the hospital? Was he ... dead?). At least we had something to think about while the Flyers and Devils droned their way through the game. The Flyers managed to score two goals and the Devils one, and in the last two minutes of the game that's the way it stood and it looked like the Flyers were going to beat the Devils for the third time this season (3 for 3, yay!).

And then Biron made a play that was every bit as inexplicable as the vacuum of information on Gagne. You know what I'm talking about. The puck that came down that would have been icing had he only let Braydon Coburn get to it. Instead, he waited for it to come into his playable area and wrapped it up around the boards just as Coburn was arriving. That negated the icing. And, it went right to a Devil. Who promptly put a soft goal past Biron.

The only explanation is that Biron had been lulled to sleep during the game and was somnambulant. He can't have been fully conscious for that. And listening to him try to explain himself at the end of the game -- really, I'm baffled. It was a play that 100% did not make sense.

So, the game was tied and it went to overtime. And Biron, still asleep in the crease, let the Devils score again -- freaking Elias, whose job title must be "Flyer Killer in Overtime".

That loss is squarely on Biron's shoulders. He would not have had a chance to biff the OT goal had he not completely effed up in regulation.

I just can't stand it. And then, Holmgren came on TV and very tersely described Gagne's problem has having been "dehydrated". You know, they said that last year too. And then he ended up being concussed. It may be all that was the issue, but the whole thing was weird and I'm inclined to be skeptical. I will be happy to be shown otherwise.

And then, you know, I realized I hadn't seen Timonen out there either. A "slight upper body injury". Shoulder, I guess? I hesitate to wonder what's next.

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Since we are talking about screw-ups, I will note something you probably already have read: Sean Avery was suspended six (6) games by the NHL. I am going to refrain from judging the punishment. I figured he would be suspended, and figured it would not be based solely on the incident earlier this week. (That is to say, he had this coming.) I partly understand people's frustration with the magnitude of this suspension when compared to far more harmful infractions being punished with fewer games (if at all). I agree that there needs to be a consistent policy for head hunting and deliberate attempts to injure and that two or three games in most situations may not be adequate. This six-game suspension for basically running one's mouth too often (and, this time, too crudely, too deliberately, and too publicly) has inevitably brought up arguments of suspensions of a shorter duration for damaging hits -- but I just don't think they are comparable situations.

Whatever the NHL did, probably is no more than the Stars would have done. Perhaps Avery should simply have been fined by the league and left the Stars to suspend/discipline as they saw fit. As it happens, it seems very unlikely he will play in their uniform again, if they can manage it at all. Some people advocate burying him in the AHL until his contract is up (assuming he isn't picked up on waivers as he is sent down, and what NHL team in its right mind would take a chance on this guy now?). What makes them think the AHL teams want him? According to this story, the Manitoba Moose didn't. And that was before this whole Big Mouth Strikes Again thing. I bet the remaining teams on which Dallas has scattered its prospects (Hamilton, Grand Rapids, Houston, Iowa, and Peoria) are avoiding eye contact with Dallas so as not to have to be asked too.

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Tonight! 7:05 p.m.!!! PHANTOMS VS. WOLF PACK at the SPECTRUM!!

Get even more AHL action tomorrow night -- PHANTOMS VS. SENATORS, also at the SPECTRUM!!!

It’s a decent time to be a Flyers fan, though you wouldn’t know it from this blog. Don’t think that because I haven’t been writing, I haven’t been noticing, or watching, or following along.

Random comments about recent events to follow …..

It was refreshing to a) see some team other than Hershey play against the Phantoms last Friday and b) see the Phantoms win. It was not refreshing in any way to see the Phantoms lost – to Hershey, naturally – the next night, 9 to freaking 0. The score was 7-0 with time left in the second. Had this been a home game, I would have stalked out. I just wouldn’t have been able to stand it.

In related news, Aubin was announced to start the game against Springfield last Friday. No one likes to hear this news, especially the season ticket holder guy who sits a little bit to the right and behind us in the Spectrum. At the game against Hershey a couple weeks ago, he yelled at Aubin that he was the worst goalie in the AHL. At the time, he was only the third-worst goalie. K. and I laughingly told him that, and so he amended his yell: “You’re the third worst goalie in the AHL!” Well, by last Friday, Aubin had sunk to the very bottom. When it was made known that he would be starting, there was a mixture of despairing noise (boos) and half-hearted cheers (those fans that can’t bear to be negative, even about having the league-worst goalie start). As for me, I just kind of mumbled. Aubin was not in net very long, however. He made a save – I’m trying to picture it in my head, he was standing, perhaps he stretched – and then went face-down on the ice and didn’t get up. He didn’t move for a while, either. No one wants Aubin to play over Munroe, but this isn’t a good way for that to happen. Eventually, Aubin was helped up and out, and Munroe took over. Early enough in the game such that he wouldn’t have gotten completely cold sitting on the bench. When Aubin left the ice, it was to applause. Was it the usual “hurt guy got up” appreciation applause, or was it “thank god now Munroe can play instead” applause? Discuss.

The new orange jerseys look fantastic. However, they seem a slightly darker orange on television than they do in person. I was browsing through racks of them at the fan shop last Friday and they seemed … really bright ORANGE! orange, not a slightly redder, deeper orange, and I wondered why the color disparity. Then, I was looking at pictures online, and I think it was just the TV. They are really bright ORANGE! orange.



And all I saw were Richards jerseys, and I haven’t decided if that’s who I want. I was thinking that since I already have a Richards jersey, I might go with someone else – Carter, Gagne, someone maybe as likely as Richie to stick around. I might have gone with Briere, but the dude is hardly playing this season, seemingly made of glass. Out for a while with that abdominal injury, two minutes later out with a groin injury, and last night, didn’t even make it a full game before going out again hurt. I’m thinking a Carter jersey might be a good investment, considering the way he has been playing like a monstrous monster lately. Tied with Thomas Vanek for the league lead in goals (18 as of this writing)? Second in the league in shots taken? Is Carter actually turning into the player that everyone dreamed he could be, given the hot glimpses he has shown in the first few years? In the Inquirer yesterday, he was being mentioned in the same phrase as “scoring title” and “Selke trophy”. As awesome as those things would be, this is uncharted Jeff Carter territory. Remember his past streakiness. He is doing great right now, but let’s let some more of the season go by before we start jumping off to those conclusions.

Another discussion question for you. Upshall’s boarding major last night (and subsequent game misconduct): weakest major call you’ve ever seen? I’m flummoxed. I saw the replays and think a) that was not boarding, for as I recall it Upshall kind of got him from the side, and the dude he hit is about a foot taller than he is, so I am not sure how Upshall could have even been thought to have been attempting a headshot, if that’s what the ref was thinking b) how do you get 5 minutes for a hit that is not really even boarding in the first place (Upshall did not leave his feet, did not knock him into the boards from several feet away, etc.)? 2 minutes maximum for that play, if it gets called at all, which I don’t think it really should have been. I don’t know if you remember back to the game against Montreal, but things were happening (to the Flyers, of course) in that game that were orders of magnitude worse than the hit Upshall made last night – for examples, Kovalev’s despicable headshot on Gagne, that hit that sent Jared Ross headfirst into the boards. There should be some holding-accountable of bad refereeing, either concerning overblown calls like that or calls that were not made that should have been. Can’t figure out the game misconduct on such a weak infraction – did Upshall run his mouth? Wouldn’t be a surprise. I enjoyed the booing every time a Lightning player touched the puck during that 5 minute penalty kill. I also enjoyed the Chicken Dance “HEY REF YOU SUCK” bit. In my opinion, we don’t hear that often enough, and it is definitely warranted often enough.

Sorry to make this an essay test, but discuss this too. Hartnell’s desperate and abjectly ridiculous glove-toss at the Lightning player on a breakaway very nearly cost the Flyers a great deal. Do you think he would have been benched had the situation been different, or turned out differently? The announcers made a point of noticing that he was back out playing again after Biron made the save on the penalty shot; well, of course he was back out there. The Flyers were two forwards down, with Upshall having gotten himself booted and Briere aggravating his injury and not playing. Even if Stevens would have preferred to bench Hartnell for sheer stupidity, there was a game to win, which might be difficult three forwards down. It seemed such a wasteful act. Hartnell was having a good game to that point. Obviously, his brain died for a second. I remember being horrified that someone was breaking away on Biron (and don’t tell me your heart didn’t sink, too, thinking of all those one-on-ones he throws away). And Marty made the initial save, too, making Hartnell’s desperate distraction attempt completely unnecessary. I was sweating it when Biron had to stop the penalty shot, too. I was blown away when he did. WOOHOOO! (I hate that I have to be so thrilled when Biron actually stops a one-on-one.)

Richards. Short-handed goals. It’s an art he is delicately mastering. As much time as the Flyers were forced to spend on the PK last night, he had plenty of practice. I love to watch the other team frantic while he takes the puck and makes their PP his own. I am amazed at his patience, the way he drags the puck around, dragging opposing defensemen around at the same time, and scores.

So, Downie. Why couldn’t you do anything right when you played for us? I kept waiting for your stupid easily-pickable cross pass, and you didn’t give one up. Instead, you scored. Come on. Also, Prospal’s goal was pathetic. The blooper gods scored that one.

Final discussion question, I promise. Sean Avery: biggest [bleeeeeep]ing [bleeeep] [bleeeeep] stupid [bleeeep] ever? The fact that he is a [bleeeeep]ing [bleeeep] was already well established, but the stupidity he displayed in making the comments he did was probably even deeper than Hartnell’s glove-toss. What do you think the odds are that the league didn’t entirely suspend him for what he said, but to keep Dion Phaneuf and Co. from killing him? Avery would no doubt have turtled from anyone coming toward him looking for some action, but Dion Phaneuf is a hellacious freight train in normal game situations. Imagine him steamrolling Avery in anger/retribution. The league probably saved Avery the functional use of his limbs and brain by finding a reason to keep him from playing last night. I’m sure that stuff worse than what Avery said goes back and forth on the ice; that is where it belongs, not on TV in the calculated way Avery made it. From what I’ve read, the idiot went up to a group of reporters, asked if there was a camera, and said what he said as deliberately as possible. It was not heat-of-the-moment trash talk. It was not accidentally picked up by a mic near the ice. It was a crass and ugly and frankly sexist personal remark made to be heard by as many people as possible, and it was stupid of him. What a colossal ass. He was obviously only thinking of himself when he did that; I’m sure he knew he was going to ignite some fires, but he put his team into an uncomfortable position too. What if the Flames took out their displeasure on his teammates? What if Phaneuf did run him down and injure him? What are his teammates supposed to do then? There are video interviews with them on the TSN site about the incident, and most of them seem to imply that he would be on his own. Honestly, I’m glad he’s finally being slapped, though I doubt he will “learn a lesson” or anything. The dude is an embarrassment to the league in so many ways (they showed a replay of him waving his stick and harassing Brodeur last year; what a damn joke he is). I despise him enough to wish that he had just been clocked into 2015 instead, and I don’t really feel that bad for being that bloodthirsty. The Stars should release this joker, and hockey gods willing, no other team will be stupid enough to pick him up. He can just go work at Vogue for the rest of his life and quit embarrassing the game of hockey. It doesn’t need his stupid personal crap on TV like that. This is not the WWE.

After such a crappy start to the season, the Flyers are doing well. I hope it continues, because I like to have the logo upright on my car and I like feeling that all is well with the world after a Flyers game. I hate to go to bed all steaming mad because they fell apart or something. And it was nice to see the Phantoms win again. They are doing OK. I would like to see them do better. They don’t have to play Hershey again for a couple months, so maybe they will.

Upcoming games: Thursday, Flyers v. Devils. Friday, Phantoms v. Hartford. Saturday, Phantoms v. Binghamton, Flyers v. Hurricanes.