Fifth Annual Winter Classic holds few surprises

by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Magazine

Lost in the Flyers' 3-2 defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers on Monday afternoon from the rollicking cauldron that is Citizens Bank Park was...well...nothing really.

It all was very apparent from my perch in Section 105, Row 9, Seat 18. Neither wind, nor snow, nor partially-blocked sightlines could keep me from these appointed rounds.

Like I said on Twitter a few days ago, if there was a choice between sitting in the press box or attending as a fan and being able to enjoy myself on a special occasion like today, I'll choose the latter every time.

Primarily because this was a battle between the top two teams in the Atlantic Division who are jockeying for playoff position this early, the game began in as exciting a fashion as your typical chess match featuring Big Blue.

Where talk previously existed from both sides about getting back to one's roots and playing the game they knew as children in the great outdoors, all that was left once the puck was dropped was a cautious pace -- as if both head coaches, finished with the distractions from their HBO 24/7 invasion, admonished their clubs not to embarrass themselves on national television.

The Flyers ran out of gas after going up 2-0 in the second period. You have to commend the Rangers for pulling it all together and making a charge over the final half of the game.

Sergei Bobrovsky's awful short-side goal given up to Michael Rupp late in the middle period should have quieted any of the pro-Bob, anti-Bryz chatter long enough to make anyone realize that neither goaltender is truly capable of doing a stellar job for more than one game at a time.

While both fan bases can debate the merit of the delay-of-game call to Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh inside the final 20 seconds, it remains to be seen how Danny Briere managed to shoot the puck less like himself and more like Dan Carcillo with the game on the line.

Aside from the game itself, what struck me as odd was the near-total lack of functional interplay between the two fan groups.

OK, so there was the obligatory shoving/shouting match between young Flyers and Rangers fans two sections over which caused mutual ejections in the early stages of the third period, but from the moment I touched down in the lot on Darien Street until the final buzzer sounded, things seemed too civil.

Two years ago, in Boston, it was a constant tug of war, a battle of wits between the motormouthed New Englanders and the Philadelphian interlopers who managed to snag a ring of the best seats from the third-base side around to the first-base side. Never ones to take even the simplest of provocations, Bostonians traded some choice barbs back and forth with the Flyers faithful in the concourses and in the seats of venerable Fenway Park.

But there was none of that today. And it felt very weird. It was as if the lack of a roof and solid walls around these perennial combatants allowed all the animus to float above the fray, with no real targets in mind and no boundaries to hold them. Words were exchanged but fell on deaf ears. Both sides traded the usual "sucks" chants but it sounded half-hearted. Even the perfunctory "Crosby sucks" interjection felt tacked on, rote, obvious.

That's not what I came to see. Granted, I didn't pay top dollar to witness an all-out assault on anyone wearing the red, white and blue, but a very odd thing occurred -- the wonder of the day itself cornered much of the distaste one side had for the other. A good Christian man's war finally had its own version of the Christmas truce.

It even lasted through New York's valiant rally, and the cries over suspect officiating, the missed penalty shot, and finally spilled out into the streets of South Philadelphia. Maybe there's hope yet for The Big Apple and its Little Brother as long as the possibility of future Winter Classics exists.

At the end of the day, beyond the hyperbole and the hand-wringing, it's fair to say the Rangers own the Flyers.

Three wins in three meetings -- all in regulation -- mean that Philly won't have the benefit of tiebreakers at the end of the seasoneven if they manage to sweep the remaining matchups. That's a killer because in all likelihood four of the five Atlantic teams will be postseason viable. And yes, two points lost on January 2 will have a ripple effect come April.

But again, none of this was divined by any special means on Monday afternoon. The cards were already laid on the table and just needed to be viewed in order to reveal the ultimate fortune for both sides.

All it took was some badly needed daylight and a stiff wind to blow away the chatter to make the outcomes crystal clear. The Flyers are still not up to snuff in vital areas, but it sure was refreshing to watch them in a new setting.

NYC to give Blueshirts, Bullies some lighted love

Courtesy of NHL.com

New York City – As the countdown to the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic continues, the Empire State Building will celebrate the much-anticipated outdoor match-up between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers by shining its world-famous tower lights in Rangers and Flyers colors on Wednesday, December 28.

The East/West sides of the building, with west facing Madison Square Garden, will be lit in the Rangers' Blue, Red and White, while its North/South sides, with south facing the City of Philadelphia, will be lit in the Flyers' Orange and White.

Boreanaz pens Flyers love letter

Word from Hollywood today is that David Boreanaz, Bones star and son of former Channel 6 weatherman Dave Roberts, penned a loving ode to his hometown Philadelphia Flyers for the upcoming Winter Classic.

And here it is, thanks to PopWatch:

"All it took was one game at the old Spectrum, and I bled orange and black for life.

I was about seven years old when my family and I moved from Buffalo, New York to Philadelphia. Not too long after we arrived, my dad, as a surprise, got us tickets to see the Buffalo Sabres take on the Flyers at the Spectrum. It was exciting. He had gotten tickets in the nose-bleed section and when the Sabres scored, I cheered really loud. My dad just looked at me and I could tell that it was probably not the wisest thing to do.

Even as a child I remember being taken aback by the, well, non-exuberant crowd around me as I celebrated alone in the upper decks of the old Flyer home. Instead of being scared, though, I was impressed by their passion and their intensity; back then the arenas were smaller, and there was a closeness that you don’t get as much now. Such was my introduction to the Flyers.

Needless to say, by the time the hometown boys rallied to win that game, they had won me over. From there on out, I was a hardcore Flyers fan and I never looked back.

This was during the Broad Street Bullies days, the mid-’70s, and the intensity of the fans was equaled by the intensity of the guys on the ice where Bobby Clarke, Billy Barber, Bernie Parent helped the young Flyers win two Stanley Cups. No one expected anything from them and they came out winners. They were living the Rocky dream before Rocky was even made.

There’s no team that so completely reflects its city the way the Flyers do. Philadelphia is a blue collar, hard-working city with a flair for excitement. Sure, it can be a little rough and tumble on the outside, but on the inside it’s just about love for the game. All games. It’s just a great sports town. The fans treat the players like they’re family. So when guys like Clarke and Barber gave way to the Legion of Doom and on up to the skilled players we have today like Claude Giroux and James van Reimsdyk, the fans never let go of that old Broad Street Bullies legend.

When you play for Philadelphia, it’s not about the name on the back, it’s about the crest on the front. You play your heart out for the organization and no matter what happens with trades or whatever, you are a Philadelphia Flyer. You embrace it.

Over the years, I saw some games I will never, ever forget. I was there when Bill Barber got his 1,000th point and all the pamphlets fell from the Spectrum ceiling. I think I still have one of them in a box somewhere. Or Game 6 of the 2004 Playoffs against Tampa Bay, when Keith Primeau scored that crazy wraparound goal and the Wachovia Center collectively went nuts. I remember getting to go down to the locker room and talking to Jeremy Roenick after that game and seeing him with this huge ice pack on his shoulder and knowing there was no way they were going to win Game 7 — they were beat — but that comeback in Game 6 was unforgettable.

But the most important thing was having my dad there. I’d go with my dad and we’d sit and it was all about when were we going to get our usual ice cream cone and when are the Flyers going to come back and it’s a school night but I’m at this game — just getting swept up in the excitement of it all. I will never forget that.

And now here we are at the NHL Winter Classic, and I am really excited about bringing that colorful old Flyers/Rangers rivalry to such a big stage.

I have vivid memories of when the Rangers would come to the Spectrum — We used to call them “Smurfs on Ice.” Literally, people would throw Smurfs on the ice, the way Florida fans would pelt the ice with rubber rats. I remember sitting there thinking, “This is crazy. They’re throwing Smurfs!” But it’s exciting that this game is such a key Atlantic Division match-up, and the Classic really sets the tone for the playoff push from January to April.

I watched the inaugural NHL Winter Classic with my dad and I remember thinking what an amazing thing it was for the city of Buffalo and for the NHL. Hockey the way it should be played: outside. Seeing the passion of the players, goalies wearing hats to keep warm. It’s cool. And now having it come to Philly it’s just huge.I didn’t get to play as much as I would have liked as a kid, but I did play some pond hockey in Buffalo — skating along with twigs poking up out of the ice. Once we moved to Philly, I had these old goalie pads, they were plastic and foam (I think every kid in the late ’70s might have had these pair) and they were cool because you’d get the plastic so worn down you’d slide. I loved goaltenders. Getting to watch greats like Parent and Pelle Lindbergh certainly helped — but it really was all about the mask. I’d have my friends shoot pucks and tennis balls at me, but having the cool looking mask was the thing.

Oddly enough, I play now, out in Los Angeles were I live, more than I ever did before. I play club hockey with friends and some former NHL players, and my 9 year-old son plays on a traveling team. Although I’d never pressure him — there’s nothing worse than trying to force on your child the things you wanted to do as a kid — he loves it, and watching him develop with it has been incredible. He loves playing the game and he loves watching the game.

And, of course, his favorite team just happens to wear the orange and black."

Alumni Game rosters announced

Just prior to this afternoon's Flyers-Canadiens tilt, the rosters for the December 31 Alumni Game were announced.

For your Philadelphia Flyers...

Forwards: Bill Barber, Bob Clarke, Jim Dowd, Orest Kindrachuk, Eric Lindros, Ken Linseman, Dave Poulin, Jeremy Roenick, Al Hill, Bob Kelly, John LeClair, Shjon Podein, Brian Propp, Reggie Leach, Mark Recchi, Rick Tocchet

Defensemen: Terry Carkner, Eric Desjardins, Larry Goodenough, Derian Hatcher, Mark Howe, Brad Marsh, Kjell Samuelsson, Chris Therien, Joe Watson

Goaltenders: Mark LaForest and Neil Little

Coaches: Pat Quinn (head coach), Mike Nykoluk and Keith Primeau (assistant coaches)

Nykoluk holds somewhat of a record, as he is widely regarded as being the first full-time assistant coach in league history. He was Fred Shero's right-hand man during the Flyers' Stanley Cup era.

For the New York Rangers...

Goalies: John Vanbiesbrouck, Dan Blackburn

Defensemen: Ron Greschner, Darius Kasparaitis, Tom Laidlaw, Brian Leetch, Dave Maloney, Dale Purinton, Mathieu Schneider

Forwards: Glenn Anderson, Paul Broten, Ron Duguay, Nick Fotiu, Mike Gartner, Adam Graves, Pat Hickey, Kris King, Nick Kypreos, Darren Langdon, Stephane Matteau, Brian Mullen, Darren Turcotte

Coaches: Mike Keenan -- Head Coach, Emile Francis/Colin Campbell (assistant coaches)

The game will be televised, this year on Versus. In past years, it had a home on NHL Network.

NHL's worst-kept secret officially revealed

Ending months of speculation and confirming what had already been leaked to dozens of sources, on Monday afternoon, the National Hockey League officially announced the 2012 Winter Classic.

Here's all you need to know.

Despite series edge, Canucks teetering on the precipice

by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor

Pardon the Vancouver Canucks if they really don't know how to act, or know what to expect, coming into Monday night's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals at TD Garden in Boston.

With a three games to two edge, and with two opportunities to clinch their first championship in franchise history, this is new territory. In two previous Cup Finals experiences, the Canucks were behind the eight-ball from the get-go.

When the ugly flying V-necks met the dynastic New York Islanders in 1982, the closest the 'Nucks got were two high-scoring defeats on the road (6-5 in OT and 6-4) to open the set. They lost in four straight, the final two in the old Pacific Coliseum.

In 1994, most of the hockey universe portrayed the .500 Canucks as merely the step-stool for the Rangers to erase 54 years of futility; it looked that way after New York shook off a home OT loss in Game 1 and won the next three games, including two in Canada, to take a stranglehold on the series.

But Pat Quinn's club stared down the barrel of a shotgun in two straight elimination games and set up a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. In the first do-or-die meeting, Vancouver stunned the Manhattanites with a five-goal third period to win 6-3. In the latter, back in British Columbia, Geoff Courtnall and Jeff Brown and a helping hand from video replay amounted to a 4-1 victory.

In 2011, thanks to three superhuman performances of Roberto Luongo plus some timely goals, the blue-green menace stands just 60 minutes away from reversing more than four decades of the perception that their team is nothing more than well-meaning underdogs.

Nonetheless, I still can't shake the feeling that the presumptive champions are doing it with smoke and mirrors and the conceit of home-ice advantage, just like the Minnesota Twins did more than 20 years ago.

If you recall, the Twins won the 1987 and 1991 World Series predominantly through the luck of the draw, gaining entry to the title round in pre-determined years that the American League was given home-field advantage.

Against both St. Louis and Atlanta -- both clubs who were widely acknowledged to hold significant talent advantages -- Minnesota looked as alive at home as they did moribund on the road. In a pair of seven-game decisions, Tom Kelly's clubs went 8-0 under the Metrodome roof and 0-6 elsewhere. Both times, the 2-3-2 format saved their bacon, as both times the Twins took Games 6 and 7 at home to win it all, after coming within one loss of elimination.

The unbalanced scoring and goal differential is the most obvious factor. Vancouver has won three
games -- all at home -- by a grand total of three goals (1-0, 3-2 in OT, 1-0), and has not scored more than two times in any of their wins so far. It speaks volumes of just how well Luongo has had to play to outduel counterpart Tim Thomas, but underscores just how impotent the Canucks offense has been in front of a friendly crowd.

With one more whitewash, Luongo can join Martin Brodeur as the only goaltenders in the modern era to register three shutouts in one Cup Finals. But it doesn't cover up -- and only drags into the spotlight -- the disappearance of the Sedin twins and the total lack of production of Ryan Kesler, or the garish 8-1 and 4-0 blowouts the Bruins laid down in Boston during last week's Games 3 and 4. Or the near total lack of discipline from the third and fourth lines.

Yes, you've done the math right. Vancouver leads the series despite having scored just six total goals and having allowed 14.

The last time a Cup winner failed to find the net more than their opponent despite winning came just two years ago, when Detroit outscored Pittsburgh 17-14 as the Penguins won in seven. The last time there was a marked discrepancy came well before the Expansion Era.

Despite the fact that Alain Vigneault's charges won the Presidents' Trophy, and notched the first confirmed kill in the severe concussion to Boston's Nathan Horton, their razor-thin margin for error may likely collapse over the next 48 hours.

There's all the pressure of potentially being the first Canadian-based team to win the Cup since Montreal did so in 1993, and becoming the first Western Canadian team to win it all since Calgary four years earlier. Then, there's the pesky matter of the other team wanting it just as bad.

All the Bruins lacked in each of their three losses in Canada, was that one player to step up and beat Luongo before anyone dented Thomas. Even though Horton's gone, David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Mark Recchi are the likely candidates to play hero. Rich Peverley showed signs of brilliance in Beantown, as did Shawn Thornton. There's also the matter of the B's not having won since 1972 and wanting to avoid a third straight season ending in heartbreaking fashion on home ice.

If they can get past tonight, all bets are off given the Bruins' tactical and statistical edges thus far.

For all their magic in the postseason until this point, that's exactly what the Canucks should fear the most.