View previous news items: February 2001, March 2001, April 2001, May 2001, Summer 2001, September 2001, October 2001, November 2001, December 2001, January 2002, February 2002.
(1/30) The Flyers failed to repeat Tuesday's last-minute comeback tonight in Ottawa. The night began on a good note, as Jeremy Roenick scored his seventeenth goal of the season to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. The goal marked Roenick's 1000th career point. The Flyers lost the lead in the third, however, as Zdeno Chara tied things and Marian Hossa gave the Senators a 2-1 lead. The Flyers pulled Boucher near the end of the third period, but former Phantoms Todd White got an empty netter to ice the Ottawa victory. Brian Boucher made 29 saves in the losing effort. The Flyers were outshot 32-19 for the game.
(1/29) The Flyers eeked out a victory against the Mario Lemieux-less Penguins tonight in Philadelphia. Trailing 1-2 late in the third period, the Flyers pulled Brian Boucher--and for once, the tactic worked. Keith Primeau scored to force the extra session. Then at 1:47 of overtime, Marty Murray--the little man with the new contract--scored to get the Flyers the extra point. John LeClair had the Flyers' first goal.
(1/26) After a few quiet games, the Roenick line stepped back into the spotlight tonight versus the visitng Carolina Hurricanes. Jeremy Roenick, Mark Recchi, and Simon Gagne each scored as the Flyers remained undefeated against teams from the Southeast. Roenick opened the scoring at 3:54 of the first period, taking a perfect pass from Gagne and snapping it past Arturs Irbe. The Canes didn't even have time to catch their breath before the Flyers struck again. At 4:32, a hard-charging Justin Williams beat Irbe off a John LeClair pass, and the Flyers had a two goal lead before the game was five minutes old. The score was still 2-0 at the first intermission.
During the second period the Flyers continued to roll. At 4:43 Recchi carried the puck around the net, spun, and scored to give the Flyers a three goal lead. Six minutes later, the Roenick line struck again, as Gagne scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season. That was all for Irbe, who got yanked by Paul Maurice and replaced by Tom Barrasso. The Hurricanes scored twice on Boucher in the third, but they couldn't complete the comeback, as the final was 4-2, Flyers.
(1/26) Forward Marty Murray has been one of the big feel-good stories of the Flyers' season. Today the organization awarded his contribution on the ice with a contribution to his pocket in the form of a three yeard contract extension. Terms of the deal were not announced per club policy. Before coming to the Flyers this year, the diminutive Murray had spent most of his pro career in the AHL and Europe. He was expected to be a depth player for the Flyers with the Phantoms. When Dopita's injury in the season opener necessitated his call-up, however, Murray played so well that he made it impossible to send him back. Murray has 7 goals and 8 assists in 48 games this season. Murray is 26 years old.
(1/24) For the second straight game, the Flyers were unable to hold onto a one-goal third period lead. Jiri Dopita opened the scoring in the first period, converting a nice pass from Donald Brashear to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. In the second period, with the game tied at 1, Mark Recchi dished the puck to Simon Gagne in the slot. Gagne slipped the puck past Mike Dunham, giving the Flyers a 2-1 lead. Soon after, it seemed like the Flyers had a 3-1 lead, but Jiri Dopita's apparent goal was disallowed. In the third period, the Flyers let Nashville back in the game. The defense failed to pick up Cliff Ronning standing all alone next to the goal, and he had an easy goal to force the extra session. In overtime, Denis Arkhipov scored to give Nashville the win. Former Flyer Mark Eaton had an assist on the game winner.
(1/22) The Flyer offense sputtered for a second straight night, as only Jeremy Roenick was able to slip the puck past Patrick Lalime. Roenick's second period goal, assisted by Eric Desjardins and Mark Recchi, gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 4:08 in the second period. Unfortunately, that was all they would get. Roman Cechmanek held onto the one goal lead until midway through the third period, when he couldn't prevent a fluke goal by Martin Havlat. He stopped Havlat's initial shot, but the rebound trickled off Kim Johnsson's stick and into the goal. D'oh. Overtime decided nothing, of course.
(1/21) All good things must come to an end, and I guess that includes Flyers' winning streaks. Ruslan Fedotenko was the only player who managed to score in the losing effort, as the Penguins' three third period goals destroyed any hope of a Flyer comeback. The Flyers continue to play poorly in front of Brian Boucher, who allowed all five Penguins goal. Mario Lemieux had four assists for Pittsburgh.
(1/21) Goaltender Roman Cechmanek was recognized by the NHL as the player off the week for the period ending Sunday, January 20. Cecho went 4-0 in four starts during the past week, with a 1.20 GAA and a .958 save percentage. He beat teammate Jeremy Roenick to get the award.
(1/19) Two players more known for their fisticuffs than their offensive flair led the Flyers to a big win over the Maple Leafs tonight in Toronto. Donald Brashear and Todd Fedoruk each had a goal and two fights as the Flyers extended their winning streak to eight games. Fedoruk had a "Gordie Howe hat trick" (a goal, an assist, and a fight) as he added an assist on Justin Williams's goal as well. The first period was not one of the Flyers' best. It opened with immediate scrappiness, as Brashear squared off with Tie Domi and Fedoruk danced with Wade Belak. Midway through the period, Cechmanek and Richardson took penalties five seconds apart, giving the Leafs a five-on-three for 1:54. The Leafs couldn't convert, however, and the game remained scoreless at the first intermission.
Five minutes into the second period, Donald Brashear made a great shot into the upper lefthand corner of the net to get the Flyers' on the board. It proved to be the game-winner, as the Flyers owned the rest of the night. Williams continued his hot streak by knocking a Keith Primeau rebound past Cujo at 6:22 of the third period, and Fedoruk iced the game with an empty-netter at 19:22. Roman Cechmanek made some remarkable saves (and got quite lucky) to earn his second shutout of the season. He had 31 saves in the win.
Lindros trade complete
(1/19) According to GM Bob Clarke, the Eric Lindros trade is now officially complete. The deal was unfinished because of a clause that specified that the Flyers would owe the Rangers a first and third round draft pick in 2003 if Lindros suffered a head injury in the Rangers' first 50 games of the season that would cause him to miss a year. The Rangers played their 50th game earlier this week. There was some confusion around the clause, as the Rangers insisted that it extended through Lindros's first 50 games, not the team's first 50 games. (Lindros has only played 43 games, having missed time due to a minor concussion sustained in late December.) The language in the contract, however, clearly supports the Flyers' stance.
Links to visit
Here's a great feature on Bill Barber from CBC (RealAudio):
The Headliner: Bill Barber
Here's an article from Montreal bemoaning the number of ex-Habs in Philly:
The Canadiens connection in Philly
(1/17) The Flyers' winning streak now sits at seven games, as the Orange and Black laid another sound beating upon the lowly Atlanta Thrashers. To get this win, the Flyers had to come back from a two goal deficit in the second period. Six different players scored for the Flyers tonight: Mark Recchi, Chris Therien, Justin Williams, John LeClair, Paul Ranheim, and Dan McGillis. Williams added an assist on LeClair's game-winner and was named first star of the game, while Jeremy Roenick celebrated his 32nd birthday with two assists. Roman Cechmanek got the start and the win.
(1/16) Despite being the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Flyers have had just one player--Jeremy Roenick--named to the two All-Star teams. The two Flyers with the best cases for being snubbed are probably Simon Gagne and Kim Johnsson. With 42 points in 43 games, Gagne has far better numbers than he did last season, when he was named to his first All-Star team. Gagne was probably primarily a victim of numbers; after all, 70% of the league is North American, and there's a lot of competition for those slots. You could make a good case for including Gagne rather than Damphousse and Nolan, but those two Sharks were voted in as starters by their very active fans. On the other hand, even Steve Yzerman wasn't named to the squad. Again, a numbers problem.
Johnsson, who is having a breakout season, is probably a more egregious omission. He is third in NHL scoring among defensemen with 32 points in 45 games. Jaroslav Modry, who was named to the All-Star team, has less points and is -2. Johnsson is +12.
Though it's always nice to see Flyers recognized by the NHL, I'm not too upset by the who thing. It's probably good for Philly in the long run. Both Johnsson and Gagne will play in the Olympics, and they could probably use the days off. This is especially true for Gagne, who's been worrying about that tender shoulder. (Hope they don't go and invite Gagne to the Young Stars game.) Congrats to Roenick, and to everyone else--get the rest while you can.
(1/15) The Flyers extended their winning streak to six games with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. In the process, they got some revenge for a 2-7 loss earlier in the season to Ottawa, and they took two points from a team that has basically owned them over the past couple of seasons. Jeremy Roenick opened the scoring at 8:56 of the first period, after stripping Wade Redden of the puck at the blueline. Just five minutes later, Justin Williams scored what would be the game winner by flipping a nice Keith Primeau pass over Patrick Lalime's shoulder. Simon Gagne's second period goal restored the Flyers' two goal lead after the Senators closed the gap to one with a Radek Bonk goal. Kim Johnsson iced the victory in the third with a power play goal at 14:36. Roman Cechmanek made 36 saves for the victory.
(1/14) John LeClair just loves his old stomping grounds! The burly left winger, who began his career in Montreal, came back with the Flyers and (not for the first time) made his old team pay. LeClair helped the Flyers overcome three separate one goal deficits and an Oleg Petrov hat trick by scoring two goals and adding one assist for a three point night. LeClair's second goal came midway through the third period, when the Flyers were down 2-3. Four minutes later Simon Gagne scored off a Mark Recchi assist to notch the game winner. Keith Primeau and Jeremy Roenick (empty net) had the other Flyer goals.
(1/12) On the day that Eric Lindros made his big return to Philadelphia, the hero was the forgotten other side of that big trade: Kim Johnsson. Johnsson had the game winning goal and an assist to lead the Flyers to a 4-2 victory of the rival Rangers. The win puts the Flyers 6 points ahead of the Rangers in the Atlantic Division; the Flyers still have four games in hand as well.
The game was shown nationally on ABC, so you probably caught it yourself. If you didn't, here's quick recap. The scrappiness began before the opening faceoff, as there was some jawing and shoving along the red line during warmups. Predicably, Donald Brashear and Matthew Barnaby were in the middle of things. The Rangers opened the scoring in the first; they were on the power play after Cechmanek got a roughing penalty for pummeling Theo Fleury. The Flyers got their own power play, however, and came back to tie the game. John LeClair dished nicely to Jeremy Roenick, who was all alone at Mike Richter's right. The puck went it, and the two teams went to the first intermission tied at 1. At 12:26 of second period, the Flyers took their first lead of the game when LeClair deflected Kim Johnsson's shot from the point past Richter for their second power play goal of the game. The Flyers almost took a 3-1 lead seconds after that, but Desjardins apparent goal was waved off because it came after the whistle. It was a good call, I must admit, but tempers are going to flare when whistles are blown that late! The Rangers got some energy and Bryan Berard of all people tied the game when he tricked a puck between Roman Cechmanek's legs. The game was tied at the second intermission; the third period would decide things.
The third period was all Flyers. Just under five minutes in, Johnsson jumped up on the play, scored, and gave the Flyers their second one goal lead of the game. The lead would stick. As the Rangers were desperately trying to get the tying goal, Justin Williams faked a drop pass and then made a nifty shot to make it 4-2 at 15:37. The Rangers ended up pulling Richter; the Flyers missed the empty net a couple of times; and this game was in the books.
(1/11) Well, you can add Jason Beckett to the list of Flyer defensive prospects who have been sent to Nashville. He joins Mark Eaton and Andy Delmore in the Nashville organization; Delmore in particular has enjoyed significant NHL success while playing for the Predators. The Flyers sent Beckett and Petr Hubacek to the Predators for Yves Sarault and a conditional draft pick. The pick depends upon the number of NHL games Beckett and Hubacek play for Nashville.
I don't know much about Sarault, but judging by his age I guess this is a move mostly to shore up the Phantoms. Beckett has been developing pretty slowly and had slipped down the list of the Flyers defensive prospects. With the development of Bruno St. Jacques and the drafting of Jeff Woywitka, it's been looking less and less likely that Beckett would ever play for the Flyers. Beckett couldn't even keep a very regular job with the Phantoms, splitting his time between the AHL and ECHL. Hubacek, as you may remember, began last season with the Flyers, but he was never able to convert much on that promising start.
Curious, very curious.
(1/10) The Flyers knocked off those guys from up the turnpike tonight on ESPN2 in Philadelphia by a score of 3-2. Roman Cechmanek celebrated his new deal with a start in net, and he turned in a very solid effort (aided by some good luck). The Flyers did all their scoring in a span of a few minutes late in the second period (which was broken up by an oddly timed second intermission). Jiri Dopita stayed hot for the Flyers, notching a goal and assist. Keith Primeau and Donald Brashear had the other goals. Brashear's goal was his first as a Flyer.
(1/10) Goaltender Roman Cechmanek signed a three year contract extension this afternoon in Philadelphia. The contract has apparently been in the works between GM Bob Clarke and Cecho's agent Petr Svboda (no relation to the ex-Flyer) for about a month. Terms of the deal were not released, in accordance with Flyer policy, but it is rumored to be worth about $9.5 million over the duration of the contract.
I like Cecho a lot as a Flyer netminder, but I can't help wondering what this means for Brian Boucher's long term future in orange and black. Personally, I still think Boucher will be better than Cecho in the long run.
(1/8) Many NHL observers have been labeling Jiri Dopita one of the biggest busts of the year during the annual midseason roundup. Guess they'll have to shut up for while. Coming into this game, Dopita had just two goals to his credit. During this game, Dopita had a whopping four goals--consecutively no less. Dopita's big night came in a game when the Flyer defense was less than sharp. Ruslan Fedotenko, John LeClair, and Justin Williams had the other Flyer goals.
(1/6) The Flyers withstood a late Hurricanes flurry tonight in Carolina and skated away with a 4-3 win and a share of first place in the Atlantic Division. With the win the Flyers remain undefeated against opponents from the Southeastern Conference. Marty Murray scored the game winner with five minutes left in the game. It was his second goal of the game, and his first two goal game of his career. Jeremy Roenick and former Hurricane Kent Manderville also scored for the Flyers. Brian Boucher got the start and the win with 29 saves.
(1/6) According to an article published at Canoe.ca, Keith Primeau and Mark Recchi are members of a short list of forwards who will be considered for Team Canada in case of injury. This is particularly relevant considering the dubious health of Mario Lemieux, Eric Lindros, and our own Simon Gagne. Of course, it's worth noting that Anson Carter and Joe Thornton are probably first in line to be injury replacements, but Primeau and Recchi are still on the radar of Team Canada's braintrust.
(1/3) So much for being "road warriors." The Flyers went into San Jose and orchestrated quite a third period collapse, ultimately falling by the score of 5 to 2. Marty Murray and Justin Williams scored the Flyer goals, while Roman Cechmanek took the loss. In other news, Ruslan Fedotenko left the game with a sprained ankle, and Simon Gagne was scratched due to a shoulder injury. The Flyers finish off this road trip on Sunday in Carolina.
(1/1) Tonight in Vancouver, the Flyers' top two left wings--Simon Gagne and John LeClair--showed Jan Hlavac why he was deemed expendable by Bob Clarke. The Flyers' New Year's Eve game in Vancouver is something of a tradition, as are Flyers' victories in that Canadian city. (The Flyers haven't lost in Vancouver since 1989). John LeClair opened the scoring for the Flyers with his fourteenth marker of the year, but midway through the third period the Canucks tied the game at 1 off a Matt Cooke goal. The game seemed destined to go to overtime. In the dying seconds of the period, however, Jeremy Roenick powered behind the Vancouver goal and dished to Simon Gagne who was waiting in the slot. Gagne snapped the puck past Dan Cloutier for his seventeenth goal of the season with less than 4 seconds remaining in the game. Roman Cechmanek got the start and the win.
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