Monday 26 December 2011

Top 11 Flyers Moments

Its been awhile since I posted, but I've been busy finishing school and working for other websites and this blog has been my lowest priority so I put it on the back-burner. With the alumni game and Winter Classic coming up fast, I thought a good way to bring this back would be to count down my favorite Flyers moments ever. These are not the best moments in team history, rather my personal favorite moments. I wanted to do a top 10 list, but I just couldn't figure out which moment to leave off, so let's get this started with number 11.

11. Feb. 12, 2007, Keith Primeau Night, Flyers 6 vs. Red Wings 1
The first of several moments on this list to include Keith Primeau was one of the few bright spots from the 2006-07 season, the worst in franchise history. Few represented Flyers hockey the way Primeau did for six seasons. He was never the most skilled player, but always one of the hardest working and his play during the 2004 run to the Eastern Conference final is the stuff legends are made of. When he was forced to retire due to concussions, the Flyers lost a great leader and they honored him before a game against the Red Wings, the team that drafted Primeau third overall back in 1990, two spots ahead of Jaromir Jagr. The Red Wings would tie Buffalo for the league lead with 113 points that season, 57 ahead of the last place Flyers. But you would not have known that on this night.

It was an emotional game from the get-go thanks to Primeau's pre-game speech. As tough a player as there is, he had a hard time making it through the entire speech and the crowd gave him several standing ovations. Michael Leighton was in net for the Flyers as part of a four-game stint with the team that season and I remember hoping he would never have anything to do with the Flyers again. Funny how things turn out sometimes. The score was knotted at one going into the third period and my thought process was Hey, as long as we don't get annihilated, its a good game for us. Then there was a third-period explosion of offense as the Flyers played probably their best period of the season, putting five goals behind Joey MacDonald. Capping the offense was this beauty by Todd Fedoruk.

10. Jan. 1, 2010, Winter Classic, Flyers 1 @ Bruins 2, OT
Every Winter Classic has been special, but this one was an almost perfect setup. My favorite team growing up playing just down the road from where I went to school. It was an amazing atmosphere, probably the best weather at any Classic so far and it was a highly physical game. Having the Dropkick Murphys play "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" was a great sight as well. It may be odd that a game as epic as a Classic isn't higher on the list, but this is not a list of the best hockey moments, it's the best Flyers moments and, well, they lost.

The game was highlighted by the first fight in Winter Classic history as Dan Carcillo took on Shawn Thornton before drawing the ire of the crowd by giving them a rocker salute on his way to the box. There was also Danny Syvret's first career goal which was fortunate as Tim Thomas was too busy dealing with Hartnell in front of the net. It was an off season for Thomas who dealt with hip issues all year, but he showed up big for that game and stymied the Flyers shooters all game. It was former Flyer Mark Recchi who tied the game, allowing Marco Sturm to score the overtime winner.


9. April 17, 2004, Conference Quarterfinal Game 5, Flyers 3 vs. Devils 1
This was a really nerve-wracking game even though the Flyers had controlled the series to that point. But this was the Devils and, after losing the two previous series against them, including blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2000 Eastern Conference final, this series was huge. Even without Scott Stevens, the Devils still had Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski, Patrik Elias and Scott Gomez, all in their prime.

The game was tied at one with just over five minutes remaining when Danny Markov, who combined with fellow mid-season acquisition Vladimir Malakhov to form the Flyers' best defensive pairing of the playoffs, threw an innocent wrist shot on net from just inside the blueline that fooled Brodeur, when off the pipe and in. It wasn't enough that they just won the series, it was that they finally exorcised their demons and beat the Devils in the playoffs.


8. April 22, 2003, Conference Quarterfinal Game 7, Flyers 6 vs. Maple Leafs 1
This remains the only Game 7 I have ever been to. This series was an epic battle that featured three multi-overtime games and was one of the longest series ever played in terms of total minutes. It was a physical battle and there were some odd moments including a goal allowed by Roman Cechmanek where he was trying to put his glove back on, a penalty shot by Robert Reichel who blasted a slapshot straight into Cechmanek's chest and a freak injury to Alex Mogilny which ended up helping the Flyers as he had the hottest stick in the series.

Anything can happen in a Game 7, especially when Cechmanek is your goalie, but I never thought the game would be such a drubbing. Justin Williams, Recchi and, figure this one out, Claude Lapointe each had three points and the Flyers won 6-1. For a team that had been eliminated in embarrassing fashion in the two previous Springs, it was great to see them win a round so convincingly.


7. Feb. 15, 2001, Meeting Dave Schultz, Flyers 5 vs. Maple Leafs 2
This one makes me laugh every time I think about it. For those of you who don't know, this is Dave Schultz. Before the game, which honestly I hardly remember and can't find a boxscore to, there was an alumni signing. I was only 11 at the time, so I didn't recognize anyone yet, other than Bernie Parent who is at every Flyers game. So I'm going through the line and I get to the third guy. I hand him my program and that's when I notice he has two Stanley Cup rings on. Two! So naturally I ask "Hey, can I have one?" I didn't get an answer, just a dirty look as he signed my program. Sheepishly I start walking away when he called me back.

"Hey kid. You can have the ring if you can get it off my finger."

Well Dave, if the offer still stands, I think I'm ready to take you on now.


6. May 12, 2010, Conference Semifinal Game 6, Flyers 2 vs. Bruins 1
When this series started, I was just hoping it would last long enough to be able to go to a game. The way the schedule worked, I would be driving home during Game 5. Both teams were so evenly matched I though for sure I would get to go to at least one game during the playoffs. Then they went down 3-0 and the best I could really hope for was they didn't get swept. Simon Gagne helped me out a lot by potting the overtime winner in Game 4, then I was able to listen to the Flyers beat the Bruins 4-1 in Game 5 while driving home, one of only two game during the series that was decided by more than one goal.

The Philly faithful was rocking all night and even though the comeback was only half complete to start the game, everyone in the building could sense the series would not end that night. Mike Richards opened the scoring just under seven minutes into the game on a scramble in front and Danny Briere netted the winner on a snipe over Tuukka Rask's glove in the second period. Leighton played a spectacular game, including a big save on a Trent Whitfield breakaway when the score was still 1-0 and not allowing a goal until there was a minute to go in the game. Yes, the Bruins got their poetic justice the next season, sweeping the Flyers out of the playoffs in convincing fashion, but that series will always be a lasting memory.


5. May 24, 2010, Conference Final Game 5, Flyers 4 vs. Canadiens 2
This may be the best game Mike Richards ever played in a Flyers uniform. His entire shift that led to the first Flyers goal was absolutely brilliant and he was physical all game long. Arron Asham also played great, getting several quality scoring chances and was a force on the forecheck all game. Really, I may have been more nervous heading into that game than any other I have been to. Jaroslav Halak was playing out of his mind in the first two rounds and there was no reason to think he wouldn't be able to stymie the Flyers like he did the powerhouse Capitals and Penguins; I simply was not going to be satisfied until the series was over.

The game seemed to take forever, but there was a huge wave of relief when it was over and Richards lifted the Prince of Wales Trophy. Sure, many say you shouldn't touch it, but it really doesn't matter when half of the teams that refuse to touch the conference championship trophy lose anyway and this was a long time coming. It was the Flyers' fourth trip to the conference final since 1997 and they had yet to get back to the final.


4. Feb. 21, 2004, Fan Appreciation Day, Flyers 5 vs. Thrashers 4
It's funny, I didn't see the entire third period of this game and I could only listen to the crowd roar as Simon Gagne won the game on a penalty shot with 1:01 remaining. The game was pretty exciting, especially seeing Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk work their magic. But it was after the game that made this day so memorable. It was fan appreciation day and among the many prizes given out was a chance to win a game-used jersey after the game during a shirt-off-the-player's-back ceremony. As luck would have it, my seat was called during the game and me and 20 other winners got to watch from a private area before heading to the bowels of the Wachovia Center.

When the game ended the red carpet was rolled out and the winners headed onto the ice after given a card we would all open later to see which player's jersey we had won. I was the third person in line and when it was my turn, Lauren Hart asked me my name (listening to her try to repeat my last name was the first time I though maybe I should just start going by my first name only) and told me to open the card. Sure enough, there was a big 25 there. I won Primeau's jersey. The captain, the leader, the heart and soul of the team.

The only downside was he wasn't playing that day; he wasn't even at the game because of consussions so Recchi skated over with a jersey that would be mailed to me later when Primeau was finally able to sign it. I have the jersey hanging in my basement right now, easily one of the coolest things I own. The only bad thing wasn't that I didn't get a freshly worn (and by fresh I mean sweaty) jersey, it was that I was never able to thank him for it. I really hope to meet him one day, just to give him the thanks he deserves, not just for the jersey, but for everything he did for the franchise.


3. May 20, 2004, Conference Final Game 6, Flyers 5 vs. Lightning 4, OT
That jersey was great by itself, but it certainly jumped in value during the 2004 playoff run. Primeau had seven goals in 54 regular season games that year and just nine in 110 playoff games in his career. He would dominate in the postseason, recording nine goals and 16 points in only 18 games. He hit everything that moved, recorded three game-winning goals, two shorthanded goals and was a plus-11. Everything culminated for him in that Game 6, a must-win for the Flyers to force Game 7 in Tampa Bay.

The game didn't go smoothly as three of the four Tampa Bay goals should have been stopped by Rob Esche, but that allowed for one of the most dramatic endings in Flyers history. Primeau's goal to tie the game at four was astounding. He danced around the net like a gazelle, slamming home the deflection off his own foot. That in turn set up the game-winner by Simon Gagne. I was nine rows behind that net and when I saw the puck drop behind the goal line, I just went nuts. Unfortunately the Flyers would lose Game 7 in Tampa Bay, but that does nothing to diminish what an amazing game it was. It was easily the best game of Primeau's career and has to be considered one of the best individual performances of the past decade.


2. June 2, 2010, Stanley Cup Final Game 3, Flyers 4 vs. Blackhawks 3, OT
The Stanley Cup final, there is no better spectacle in pro sports. The Flyers lost the first two games in Chicago and they weren't about to try and work their way back from 3-0 down again, so this was a must-win Game 3.

Briere opened the scoring, but it was a brilliant pass from Scott Hartnell who threw the puck to the open side of the net while falling down (what else is new?) that set up the play. Duncan Keith scored on a laser from the point just a few minutes before Hartnell put the Flyers back on top on a strange power play goal. He deflected a shot in front of the net and the puck just barely made it across the goal line, but since the ref didn't see it, play continued on for a few more minutes. When there was finally a stoppage in play, they were able to look at it again and determine the puck did cross the line. It just barely did, but sometimes just barely is good enough. Things looked good for the Flyers, but Brent Sopel scored at the end of the period on another long shot. Patrick Kane took all of the air out of the crowd when he scored on a breakaway to put the Hawks up 3-2 just 2:50 into the third, but the place erupted when Ville Leino tied the game just 20 seconds later, putting home a rebound off the rush.

Chris Pronger was as physical as ever, leveling Jonathan Toews in the first period and Leighton, despite giving up three goals, kept the Flyers in the game for long stretches as the Blackhawks dominated play. Giroux almost single handedly got the Flyers back in the series with three points, including the overtime winner, tipping in a shot from Matt Carle by Antti Niemi. It was a picture-perfect finish to a Stanley Cup final game and it gave the Flyers new life in the series. The overtime was short, but thrilling as Gagne almost won the game when he snapped a shot off the post that trickled across the goal line, but never crossed it. It was only a few minutes later they won the game for real.


1. March 10, 2011, Postgame, Flyers 3 @ Maple Leafs 2
The game itself wasn't anything special, a pretty good regular season game, but the only memorable play was the bad goal allowed by James Reimer. Rather it was after the game that made this so special.

I was interning with The Hockey News at the time so I was able to watch from the pressbox. And as if that wasn't cool enough, I was also able to go to the locker room after the game and talk to the players for an issue of Fully Loaded. It was an amazing experience seeing these guys off the ice, from the sarcasm and good-natured (well, sort of) ribbing from Pronger to THN senior writer Ken Campbell before the game to the fire, passion and enthusiasm of Carcillo who wanted nothing more than to get back at Mike Komisarek who boarded him just a few minutes into the game. Unfortunately for Carcillo, Komisarek also received a game misconduct in addition to his major for boarding, so he would have to wait for their next meeting to get his revenge.

One-on-one, I was able to talk to Brian Boucher, Briere and Hartnell. Boucher was pretty humble, almost surprised I wanted to talk to him for the magazine. I was trying to find out what players did in their spare time in the summer, what hobbies or big toys they might have. Briere was a good interviewee, he gave me some pretty good content and was happy to talk to me. And of course there was Hartnell's reaction to me wanting to interview him, giving me a minute to talk to him before changing his mind and giving me 30 seconds instead. Fortunately I was able to get everything I needed from them, though only Briere's comments actually made it into the magazine.

Of course, I have to give an honorable mention to Jeremy Roenick dressing up as Bobby Clarke for Halloween back in 2002. Each moment was amazing in its own way, but nothing beats being able to interview the guys you grew up cheering for. There are going to be two more moments added to this list in the next week, it's just a matter of how high they go. That of course depends on the score and tone of the game, but there shouldn't be any problem with that as it will certainly be a physical game, maybe the toughest battle of any Classic yet.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

NHLers on Twitter

There has been some interest in my thesis research, so I figured I should post some of my information. The following is a list of all NHL players with an active Twitter accounts (50 posts or an update in the past month) as of Oct. 6. I will try to update this once in a while, but with my workload from school and a few websites, it's hard for me to do more research than completely necessary.

Please note Phil Kessel (PKessel81) has joined since I did my Twitter search and it would not surprise me to find out a few more have joined as well, but as I said it is simply too much for me to keep checking especially when I have to look for 700 players and there is apparently an hourly usage limit that I keep surpassing. Please, if you know of any players with accounts I do not have posted here, let me know. Leave a comment or send an email to timkolupan@gmail.com, I would like to have a verified, official list shortly. Now, here are the 141 players on Twitter.


Breakdown of All Twitter Users (as of Oct. 6)
Player
Age
Username
Followers
Tweets
Followers per tweet
Paul Bissonnette
26
BizNasty2point0
142,983
4,386
32.6
Michael Grabner
24
grabs40
29,297
2,462
11.9
Anthony Stewart
26
EhStew13
13,018
2,008
6.48
Bobby Ryan
24
b_ryan9
60,237
1,929
31.23
Logan Couture
22
Logancouture
59,617
1,730
34.46
David Perron
23
DP_57
34,722
1,653
21.01
Colby Armstrong
28
armdog
59,493
1,335
44.56
Tyler Bozak
25
Bozie42
46,015
1,299
35.42
James van Riemsdyk
22
JVReemer21
47,774
1,252
38.16
Matt Moulson
27
MMoulson
22,171
1,199
18.49
Blake Geoffrion
23
BlakeGeoffrion
11,766
1,149
10.24
Carey Price*
24
carey31price
2,180
1,146
1.9
Kyle Turris
22
kyleturris
13,193
999
13.21
John Carlson
21
JohnCarlson74
36,156
948
38.14
Mike Cammalleri
29
MCammalleri13
91,798
810
113.33
Matt Kassian
24
Kassassination
2,588
785
3.3
Steven Kampfer
22
SteveKampfer47
15,008
733
20.47
Joffrey Lupul
28
JLupul
61,737
728
84.8
Eric Fehr
26
Eric Fehr
32,770
669
48.98
Ryan Whitney
28
ryanwhitney6
52,421
661
79.31
Nate Thompson
27
NateThompson44
9,089
657
13.83
Pekka Rinne*
28
PekkaRinneCom
832
604
1.38
Brent Burns
26
Burnzie88
20,722
582
35.61
Sami Lepisto
26
Sami Lepisto
14,315
549
26.07
Matt Duchene
20
Matt9Duchene
53,996
538
100.36
PK Subban
22
PKSubban1
70,679
529
133.61
Dustin Brown
26
DustinBrown23
44,707
506
88.35
Karl Alzner
23
karlalzner
23,472
480
48.9
Scottie Upshall
27
ScottieUpshall
38,345
473
81.07
Matt Carle
27
mattcarle25
28,394
467
60.8
Zac Dalpe
21
ZacDalpe22
3,935
458
8.59
Bruno Gervais
27
bruno_gervais27
10,866
448
24.25
Martin Biron
34
martybiron43
26,330
445
59.17
Mike Rupp
31
Rupper17
31,281
436
71.75
Kevin Shattenkirk
22
shattdeuces
9,732
404
24.09
Matt Beleskey
23
Matt_Beleskey
7,112
399
17.82
TJ Oshie
24
OSH74
11,799
389
30.33
Ryan Strome
18
strome18
13,091
389
33.65
Jordin Tootoo
28
Jtootoo22
25,532
385
66.32
Mikael Backlund
22
mbacklund11
4,982
384
12.97
Taylor Hall
19
hallsy04
73,949
378
195.63
Tim Brent
27
Brenter37
19,170
374
51.26
Evander Kane
20
EKane9JETS
40,891
369
110.82
Blake Wheeler
25
BiggieFunke
8,825
355
24.86
Ian Laperriere
37
dooda1414
8,451
354
23.87
Jack Skille
24
JackSkille
3,636
342
10.63
Michael Del Zotto
21
MichaelDelZotto
22,054
326
67.65
Derek Roy
28
Roy9er
22,585
321
70.36
John-Michael Liles
26
hoosierjm26
14,338
314
45.66
Ben Maxwell
23
benmaxwell61
4,566
289
15.8
Nino Niederreiter
19
theInino25
3,878
275
14.1
Derick Brassard
24
dbrassard16
9,890
274
36.09
Steve Sullivan
37
Sullivan26
21,648
267
81.08
Mathieu Darche
34
matdarche52
26,600
264
100.76
Jonathan Quick
25
JonathanQuick32
19,631
262
74.93
Brad Richards
31
BRichards_1991
42,849
257
166.73
Chris Stewart
23
CstewSTL25
16,332
255
64.05
Martin Havlat
30
martinhavlat
32,851
221
148.65
George Parros
31
Stache16
21,699
218
99.54
RJ Umberger
29
Umby18
10,549
215
47.07
Jamie McGinn
23
JamieMcGinn64
12,814
214
59.88
Mike Green
25
GreenLife52
53,927
213
253.18
Mike Commodore
31
commie22
31,385
211
148.74
Max Pacioretty
22
MaxPacioretty67
54,208
211
256.91
Daniel Winnik
26
Danwinnik34
3,926
206
19.06
Ryan Kesler
27
Ryan_Kesler
81,492
204
399.47
Alex Ovechkin
26
ovi8
215,164
195
1,103.41
Brandon Prust
27
BrandonPrust8
21,581
190
113.58
Claude Giroux
23
C_Giroux28
3,511
189
18.58
Mike Fisher
31
mikefisher1212
23,176
188
123.28
Max Talbot
27
Max25Talbot
51,409
186
276.39
Derek Stepan
21
DerekStepan21
12,693
185
68.61
Carl Gunnarsson
24
carl_gun
10,282
179
57.44
Mike Richards
26
MRichie18
45,244
175
258.54
Mike Komisarek
29
mkomisarek
26,375
171
154.24
Jeff Petry
23
PetryJ
8,194
165
49.66
Devin Setoguchi
24
Dsetoguchi10
10,998
162
67.88
Ilya Bryzgalov
31
bryzgoalie30
30,650
155
197.74
Theo Peckham
23
PECKS24
11,371
149
76.32
DJ King
27
DJKING_17
7,513
142
52.91
Dave Moss
29
djmoss25
4,824
139
34.71
Anze Kopitar*
24
AnzeKopitar
1,385
138
10.04
Luke Adam
21
LukeJAdam
5,368
137
39.18
Evgeni Malkin
25
malkin71_
48,652
136
357.74
Alex Steen
27
Steener20
10,072
136
74.06
Ryan Shannon
28
ryanshannon22
5,455
136
40.11
Jacob Markstrom
21
j_markstrom
1,763
134
13.16
Ryane Clowe
28
ryaneclowe
20,727
120
172.73
Ryan Jones
27
jonesry28
35,816
120
298.47
Victor Hedman
20
heds77
5,840
117
49.91
Shane O’Brien
28
ShaneOBrien55
28,384
114
248.98
Andrew Ladd
25
aladd16
10,398
105
99.03
Patrick Dwyer
28
pattydwyer39
1,519
105
14.47
Brian Gionta
32
Giostyle21
33,581
103
326.03
Alex Goligoski
26
gollygoose33
7,121
101
70.51
James Wisniewski
27
jameswisniewski
1,554
99
15.7
Patrice Bergeron
26
P_Bergeron37
1,918
93
20.62
Jake Gardiner
21
Jgardiner272
10,242
90
113.8
Linus Omark
24
RealLinusOmark
2,948
90
32.76
Nazem Kadri
21
43_Kadri
17,998
88
204.52
Magnus Paajarvi
20
mps_91
9,228
87
106.07
Nathan Gerbe
24
NathanGerbe42
7,943
87
91.3
Steve Montador
31
SteveMontador
7,106
87
81.68
Sergei Bobrovsky
23
realbobrovsky
134
75
1.79
Jamie McBain
23
jbain4
3,670
74
49.59
Steven Stamkos
21
RealStamkos91
65,919
72
915.54
Marc-Andre Gragnani
24
Grags17
4,731
69
68.57
Ryan O’Bryne
27
ryanobyrne84
4,089
69
59.26
David Jones
27
djones5454
2,823
67
42.13
Tyler Seguin
19
tylerseguin92
48,946
66
741.61
Olli Jokinen
32
ollijokinen13
6,058
66
91.79
Brad Winchester
30
bradwinchester
5,647
63
89.63
Justin Falk
22
JuicerFalk
616
62
9.94
Yannick Weber
23
yanweber68
20,818
60
346.97
Ryan McDonagh
22
RMcDonagh27
7,501
56
133.95
Ryan Murphy
18
ryanmurphy24
3,698
55
67.24
Jim Vandermeer
31
Jim_Vandermeer
15,569
52
299.4
Tanner Glass
27
TGlass15
6,580
52
126.54
Brendan Morrison
36
7bmo
6,558
51
128.59
Keaton Ellerby
22
ellerby88
809
49
16.51
Viktor Stalberg
25
VStalberg
8,307
41
202.61
Kyle Okposo
23
bookerT2116
4,061
40
101.53
Kevin Porter
25
kporter12
3,813
40
95.33
Kevin Westgarth
27
KWesty19
3,129
39
80.23
Nikolai Kulemin
25
NikKulemin41
472
36
13.11
Marc Savard
34
MSavvy91
51
34
1.5
Curtis Sanford
33
CurtisSanford
1,924
34
56.59
James Neal
24
jneal_18
12,186
26
468.69
Marc-Andre Bergeron
30
bergeron47
5,418
24
225.75
Jason Garrison
26
JasonGarrison52
790
21
37.62
Mattias Ritola
24
ritto21
1,089
17
64.06
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
18
RNH_93
13,707
16
856.69
Kevin Bieksa
30
kbieksa3
33,013
15
2,200.87
David Backes
27
dbackes42

6,916
13
532
Jakub Voracek
22
jachobe
3,940
13
303.08
Milan Lucic
23
Real_lucic17
116
12
9.66
Duncan Keith*
28
DuncanKeith
1,520
8
190
Hal Gill
36
Skillsy75
11,913
7
1,701.86
Patrick Kane
22
88PKane
31,138
7
4,448.29
Tyler Kennedy
25
tk1448
12,255
4
3,063.75
Raffi Torres
29
RaffiTorres1
37
1
37