07-08 Philadelphia Flyers Season Thread

[Munson]

yeah youre right about biron...i completely missed on him...thought he was a championship caliber goalie and in a sense i think he could be in that he has the talent to get on a run in the playoffs but thats highly unlikely and hes not a guy you can confidently count on going in to the postseason


no true number one center is killing this team...briere will go down as maybe the biggest flyer bust ever...hes been invisible for like two months...and when he was scoring it was all power play...he was good on buffalo when you basically only saw him on espn highlites (or scoring at will against the flyers) but when you watch him night after night shift after shift is amazing how much of a Hoyda he is and how he does much more bad then good...the question is why didnt the flyer scouts see this

i sound like a broken record but they just dont have anyone on the team that can create even a little offense with the exception of richards and even he isnt really what youd call an offensive player....since the summer i thought offense would be the downfall of this team...thank god for the power play or else theyd be ten pts out of a playoff spot right now

they need to get people who can create for god sakes...having a couple hartnells and downies and knubles is ok but when you have three lines worth of them this is what happens....its completely laughable that jim dowd is in the nhl

Maybe it was me but Biron was getting some zesty deflections tonight. Two of the goals were "htf did that happen" goals, the one that deflected off Carter and the one pass to St. Louis that he tipped in. The problem isn't Biron, it's the terrible terrible defense. They're lucky they have any type of offense or they'd be losing by 3+ goals every night.

Tonight was a night that they scored without using the PP and the defense STILL let them down.

Briere has been disappointing no doubt, but in his defense he looked a lot better playing with a healthy Gagne, and it has hurt him not having that the entire year.

Everything of Downie I've seen this year says he is the type of player that can create. I've seen him make some great moves with the puck and put out some great passes...but, when you're on a line with guys like Jim Dowd a lot of those passes will be futile.

But in the end you're main point is correct...they need a true playmaking center. But I still say defense is definitely what's killing the team, not lack of offense.

[Munson]

Made an amazing pad save in the 1st that will probably be on ESPN top 10.

Aha, ended up being #5,

[ice grillin you]

even when briere is scoring he is hurting the team more than helping because hes so hideously bad defensively...doesnt back check and when he does he gives minimal effort and gets pushed all over the ice...hes a minus 20 this year second worst in the entire league...the problem with him is he doesnt do the little things like a richards does and hes not a a guy like kovalchuck who is one dimensional but hes outstanding at that one dimension


Tonight was a night that they scored without using the PP and the defense STILL let them down.


its not just pp goals its they are anemic at even strength....they scored twice tonight at even strength...thats not gonna get it done.....that being said the defense is nothing to write home about but until they reverse their roster and get rid of the kinds of players who go from working the boards to the front of the net to back mucking the walls and replace a lot of them with skill guys they arent gonna be an elite team

[SD_Eagle5]

Flyers were inconsistent tonight but I don't know whether to blame that mostly on them or on the ridiculous penalties and lack of they were receiving. At some point when you find youself playing well but spending half the game killing penalties it tends to wear thin.

The D is so bad its not even funny. Vandermeer shouldn't be in the NHL, Hatcher and Smith need to go. I like Parent, he made some mistakes and is really raw but skates well and you can see the potential...I'd much rather take my chances with him then the other immobile dinosaurs they have back there.
Biron sometimes looks unreal, but he lets in too many softies. There's nothing more deflating to a team then when a goalie does that. Teams have been lucky lately with bounces but its not like they haven't been outplaying the Flyers.

Briere is frustrating, he was what I had hoped he'd be the first 20-30 games but lately it doesn't look like his head is in the game.

They'll be lucky to get a split with the Habs this weekend, doesn't get any easier after that with the Sens. Since they're a streaky team I fully expect them to go on another win streak at some point.

[Seabiscuit36]

St. Pierre is one of the worst ref's in Hockey, he was an abomination in the AHL but somehow got called up to the NHL and has continued his piss poor calling and aversion to fights.  I really hope he catches a puck in the eye

I didnt like briere for this exact reason, he puts up points, but is the Abreu of Hockey.  He's softer than egyptian cotton, and shys away from all contact, especially entering the zone.  I do think he's injured though, he doesnt have the moves that he first had when the season started.  The bad thing about his signing was that if hockey continues to go back to allowing interference, he's a mediocre player

[Geowhizzer]

If that is the same guy I'm thinking of, he was an abomination in the ECHL.

Figures Butt-man would want him on his roster of inept referees.

[Seabiscuit36]

If that is the same guy I'm thinking of, he was an abomination in the ECHL.

Figures Butt-man would want him on his roster of inept referees.

one and the same Geo

JUSTIN St. PIERRE # 45

Justin was born in Dolbeau [Quebec] and grew up just outside of Dolbeau in Albanel. He went to Normandin High School, then attended college in Alma and graduated in 1994. He played midget and junior hockey in Normandin and Dolbeau.

He started officiating minor hockey at the age of 15. In '92, he was selected to be part of the Elite Provincial Program where he worked Midget AAA and Junior A. He got his first taste of National competition when he was selected to work the Air Canada cup in '93. He repeated in '95 before getting his first job as a Referee in Pro Hockey when he got hired by the East Coast Hockey League where he was selected to work the Finals in 2000, '01 and '02.

It's in 2002 that he started to work games in the American Hockey League. He was hired by the NHL in 2003 as a Minor League Referee where he worked for the next three seasons. His Minor League career culminated last season with his selection to work the AHL Calder Cup Finals. Along the way, he worked his first NHL game on November 9 '05 in Columbus. He ended up working 27 games last season. His performance, work and dedication paid off. This summer he was hired as a full-time Referee by the NHL.

Of course, Justin knows that he would not have made it without the support of his family and his friends over the years. He wants to take this opportunity to thank them for their continuous support and looks forward to a long and successful career as a NHL Referee.

http://www.nhlofficials.com/display_news.asp?articleID=158

[ice grillin you]

its a conspiracy!!

[Geowhizzer]

its a conspiracy!!

Nah, it just humors me that St. Pierre is now officiating in the NHL, because he was lousy in the ECHL.

Heck, he had the retirees in Ft. Myers throwing stuff on the ice (alright, it was the rednecks from Lehigh Acres most likely), and I happened to be in my parents' seats that night in the front row - most of the penalties were ticky-tack calls.  He had hit the home team (Florida Everblades - most asinine name in sports?) with about five straight penalties, and the mayhem began.

Whenever St. Pierre was on the ice, you could count on a parade to the penalty box - most often lopsided against the Everblades.

[Seabiscuit36]

its a conspiracy!!

no, the flyers sucked and would have lost anyway.  But this guy is a joke IGY.  If you watch any games he does, he makes agressive calls, almost like he wants the game to be about the officials

[BigEd76]

Tied 1-1 heading towards intermission....fight behind the Montreal net and no whistle is blown.  Montreal goes down the ice and scores with 1.2 seconds left.   

[SD_Eagle5]

What more does Vandermeer have to do to get benched?

[dis12]

Tied 1-1 heading towards intermission....fight behind the Montreal net and no whistle is blown.  Montreal goes down the ice and scores with 1.2 seconds left.   

fargin typical of the way the season has been going the past 2 weeks...fargin pittiful!

[SD_Eagle5]

[ice grillin you]

the offense is fine