Archive for the ‘Hockey’ Category

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What’s up with all the Negatives in Sports

April 17th, 2012 by Craig C. | 1 Comment | Filed in Baseball, General, Hockey, Sports

What's Up??

Sports should be about rooting for your team to make the playoffs, or getting pissed off that they lost a close game. Sports should be something to put a wager on if you so desire.  Sports should be something to sit in front of a huge television and drink a beverage of your choice with your friends.

As of late, it seems like the headlines of sports now are something you might see on the 6:00 News. Lets see here, we have Ozzie Guillen showing his love for Fidel, we have Bobby Petrino getting into a fender bender with a pretty blonde on a motor cycle. We have Vladamir Gurrerro who likes to push and shove police officers in the Dominican Republic. We have Scott Hall (Razor Ramon from the WWE) choking his girlfriend. This is just the news within the past week.

I think we should go back to complaining how crappy our Sixers are playing (Tuesday was a good game), complaining how our Phillies have no offense,  and complaining how Danny Briere isn’t allowed to talk about when or if he can play.

This type of news should be the dominating story lines in sports, not people who utilize the 1st amendment,  have infidelity problems, or have anger management problems. That’s not sports, it’s tabloid fodder.  What do you think??

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Flyers Take Commanding 3-0 Series Lead In Afternoon Thriller

April 16th, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | 2 Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

What else can you say about yesterday’s game?

Game 3 between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins had all the makings of an outstanding playoff game. There were fights, there were goals, there were dirty hits, there were ejections, and of course, another Flyers win, this time at home.

I’m not going to sit here and break down every goal, seeing as how there were twelve of them, but if you weren’t satisfied with the Flyers performance after yesterday’s matinee, I honestly don’t know what else you could possibly want from a hockey game.

The Flyers seemed to have an extra jump in their step, and even though Pittsburgh still struck first, the Flyers didn’t take very long to even up the score and for one of the first times in this series, actually take a lead against the Penguins. There was just something about the way the Flyers played yesterday that gave everyone in Philadelphia a big boost of confidence. Every line was scoring. The rookies have done more then their fair share. For the most part, the Flyers shut down Pittsburgh’s offense, which is considered to be the best in the league by most “experts”.

Rookie Sean Couturier has done a fine job of shutting down Evgeni Malkin, who has been nearly invisible in this series. Matt Read continues to contribute, as well as Wayne Simmonds. Brayden Schenn has finally broke out of his shell. Danny Briere continues his playoff dominance that has earned him the nickname “Mr. Playoffs”. Holmgren is looking more and more like a genius with each game that goes by. Pittsburgh had to pull Fleury. The Flyers have officially embarrassed the Penguins.

As far as the dirty plays and cheap shots go, well, there were plenty of them. Both teams were guilty of some dirty hits and plays, but none more so than that of Sidney Crosby. Smacking Voracek’s glove away as he bends down to pick it up is just classless, and it goes to show what kind of team Pittsburgh really is. If their captain is doing these sorts of things, what does that tell you about the organization?

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Comebacks Aside, Flyers Could Play Even Better

April 14th, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | 1 Comment | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

What a ride it has been thus far.

If the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t convinced you that they can come back from anything, I don’t know what else they have to do. They’ve really turned up the intensity when needed, and have managed to find the back of the net more times than the Penguins, considered to have the best offense in the league by many. Not only that, but they’ve pretty much dominated the Penguins on their own turf.

All that said, the Flyers continue to have extremely slow starts. While the comebacks are nice, they cannot expect to come back from every game. In other words, they’re playing with fire. The 2-0 series lead is a nice thing to have – especially coming back to Philly – but if the Flyers expect to contend for another Stanley Cup, they have to shake the habit, or it will be the death of them.

Just a few things I noticed from last nights game that I’d like to briefly address:

First off, while Bryzgalov was certainly the better of the two goaltenders in Game 2, neither him or Fleury were great. Any time a goalie lets in 5 goals in a playoff game, they should probably lose. Letting in 8 goals in that same game is even worse. Fleury was clearly rattled, as was the rest of the team. The look on their faces said it all.

Secondly, was Kris Letang serious with that dive? In case you didn’t see it or notice, you can take a look here - Letang Dive. They don’t replay it in this clip so look closely. Keep your eye on Letang.

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TSP’s Leo Interviews Flyers Great Brian Propp about Propper Hockey

April 5th, 2012 by ChrisLeo33 | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

With Brian Propp and Lou Tilley

By Christopher Leomporra

For the last few months I have been going down to the tapings of the Propper Hockey Show that is aired on WMCN.  The show is taped at Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford, NJ on Tuesday Nights at 6pm and is open to the public which includes a free buffet.  This has been the first season for the show and it has already taped over twenty episodes.  The show is hosted by Brian Propp and Lou Tilley, where they talk about the latest Flyers news and events with a special guest or guests during the show.

Christopher Leomporra and Brian Propp

I have had a great time getting to know the staff at the tapings, and Brian and Lou are very friendly and interact with the people before and after the show.  The show is an hour in length and airs on Wednesday nights at 9 pm on WMCN, check your local listings for the channel in your area.  During the show you can have a chance to ask a question to Brain, Lou, and the Guest, giving the audience a chance to participate.  The sideline reporter for the show is Jennifer Sherlock, and she will interview the audience members who want to ask a question.  I was able to get on the show twice and enjoyed my two minutes of fame while getting a chance to promote TalkSportsPhilly.com.  Another TalkSportsPhilly writer Manayunk Mike was able to get on the show as well to ask a question of Brian in this weeks episode.

Christopher Leomporra and Lou Tilley

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Keystone Rivalry: Flyers/Penguins Drama Has Just Begun

April 2nd, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

Every so often, we see a game that simply defines a team. Yesterday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center was just that.

After going down 2-0 in the first period to quite possibly the hottest team in the league, the Flyers once again bounced back and overcame another deficit, this time to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. The end result was a 6-4 ass whooping of the Penguins, that very well should have ended as a 5-3 game.

There was plenty of action in yesterday’s duel, and as always, tempers were at an all time high. Cheap shots were thrown from both teams, and both Peter Laviolette and Dan Byslma nearly went at it themselves. A cheap shot in the third period on Danny Briere at center ice really got things going, and after that, it was less about the hockey game and more about who would fight who. In the end, 52 penalty minutes were handed out in the scrum that ensued.

While I’m not a huge fan of cheap shots, some of the guys simply had it coming. Brayden Schenn’s crosscheck to Crosby was something that as a Philly fan I loved seeing, but as a professional, was a bit out of hand. If the Flyers think they will get away with those dirty plays in the playoffs, they’re out of their mind. It’s no secret by now that most NHL referees have a thing for the Penguins.

I also found it quite interesting that the only players the Penguins were targeting were the smaller players, such as Danny Briere. To me, that’s absolutely uncalled for. If you’re going to play dirty, at least take on someone your size. Again, typical Pittsburgh fashion.

While there were some serious cheap shots from both teams, I couldn’t help but notice the level of frustration coming from the Penguins bench, from top to bottom. Guys were yapping, playing dirty, and, in typical Pittsburgh fashion, crying and whining to the referees once again. To me, it was quite funny actually, as the Flyers were penalized way more then they should have been, especially in the second half of the second period. They didn’t seem to have a problem with that.

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Steel City Riot

April 2nd, 2012 by Mike H. | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, Hockey

The Flyers ended Sunday’s game outscoring the Pens 4-2 in the third period en route to a 6-4 victory and climbing to within one point of the fourth seed and a home ice advantage in their first round match up. The real story was the melee at the end of the game. With 1:07 left in the game and the Flyers up by three, Penguins head coach Dan Blysma sent Joe Vitale to take out Danny Briere, which would have been his second Flyer of the game. Try to sell me it wasn’t a head hunting expedition. Just over a minute to go, down by three, and coincidentally, not one of Pittsburgh’s star players were on the ice. Peter Laviolette also noted in his post game interview that most of the Pittsburgh players on the ice hadn’t played in 10+ minutes, referring to it as “gutless”.

Sid the Bitch whined about a cheap shot taken from Brayden Schenn, but had this to say about Vitale’s hit on Briere:

I’m sure he didn’t like it. I’m sure their coach doesn’t like seeing a top player on their team get hit like that, but it’s a clean hit. Maybe he shouldn’t have put him out there, but it’s a clean hit. I know he’s pissed and he showed that, but the game’s sixty minutes, so Joe did the right thing by finishing his hit there.

Just because it wasn’t called, doesn’t mean it was clean, Sid. NHL rule 48 defines an illegal hit to the head as “A hit resulting in contact with an opponent’s head where the head is targeted and the principal point of contact is not permitted. However, in determining whether such a hit should have been permitted, the circumstances of the hit, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit or the head contact on an otherwise legal body check was avoidable, can be considered.”

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Philadelphia Flyers: Battle For Home-Ice Begins

March 30th, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

Coming off a dominating 7-1 performance against the life-less Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Flyers will look to extend their winning streak on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

The Flyers looked sharp against the Leafs, and while the win isn’t exactly anything to gloat over, anytime a team scores 7 goals in one game, you know you’re doing something right. Of course, the Flyers will face much tougher opponents in the playoffs, but it was still good to see the boys get the win.

The Senators are coming off of a pair of wins themselves, including a 6-4 win against the Winnipeg Jets, who are all but out of the playoff race at this point. Ottawa hasn’t been a very dominant team this season, but they have found ways to win games and are deadlocked in a battle with Washington and Buffalo for a playoff spot.

For the remainder of the regular season, the Flyers will not have anymore “easy” games. While Ottawa currently sits at the 7th seed, one or two losses could take them out of the playoffs. Every game is crucial for the Senators right now, as they are fighting for their playoff lives. They will be firing on all cylinders, and the Flyers can ill-afford another slow, sloppy start to the game.

From there, the Flyers will travel to Pittsburgh to play the red-hot Penguins, followed by one last game against the New York Rangers, who have dominated the Flyers all season. After that, Buffalo comes to town in hopes of stealing two crucial points, securing a playoff spot for them. Then, it’s back to Pittsburgh once more to conclude the regular season.

The two games against Pittsburgh are extremely crucial to the Flyers if they hope to get home-ice against the Penguins. Personally, I feel that it won’t make much difference to the Flyers either way, as they’ve actually been a better road team this year. That said, it’s always nice to have home-ice, especially in Philly.

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