Seeing the future of the Flyers in Eric Wellwood’s skates
If you’re reading this then you probably already know. . . The Flyers WEST, ahem, the LA Kings, a ragtag crop of former Flyers and their pals, have sold their souls to someone other than the Devil, apparently, and claimed the Stanley Cup for themselves — and a coast that barely knows what ice is. … Continue reading
Stirring the pot: How coaching changes landed two ice hockey teams in hot water
A spate of coaching changes rocked the NHL during the regular season. The litany of leadership switches landed ESPN’s front page on the regular and at the time I remember thinking: “Is this really going to help?” There are a zillion good reasons to fire a coach, but seven firing/hiring stunts in about two months … Continue reading
How many heart attacks does it take to win a Stanley Cup?
Here’s a stat I’d love know: incidence of fan heart attacks during the NHL Stanley Cup playoff season. I couldn’t even hazard a guess. This year, in the first round alone, the playoffs have been a statistical marvel. The Bleacher Report lays it out pretty concisely here. Watching them is mentally, emotionally, and possibly, physically … Continue reading
To fight, or not to fight
Now that I live in Philly there is no shortage of people to talk hockey with, but even after Sunday night’s WWF matchup hockey game between the deplorable Penguins and the Flyers, most have either been content to shrug and say “that’s playoff hockey” or are still foaming at the mouth from all the excitement. … Continue reading
Goal song madness
I’m pretty bummed about my March Madness picks this year, which is why I’m not making any predictions about the imminent NHL playoffs. To be fair, my secret March Madness sauce involves a complex model based on team color and mascot. Not exactly the stuff sports analyst careers are made of. Still, I’m not really … Continue reading
Hockey philosophy: Why are the Red Wings so good?
“Why are the Red Wings so good?” I’m going to see the Flyers play the Red Wings in Philly next week and this question is poking at me. It’s been just a couple weeks since the Wings unseated the 1975-76 Philadelphia Flyers for longest home win streak, so the game feels like it has some … Continue reading
Making the move: On being a bicoastal hockey fan
To be perfectly honest, hockey has not been at the top of the brain for the last month. I moved from San Francisco to Philadelphia over the weekend and the cross-country switch has been preoccupying, to put it mildly. Maybe that’s part of the reason why I got home (my parents’ home — still apartment … Continue reading
Outdoor allure: Why we love the Winter Classic
It started to flurry sometime in the middle of the second period of the 2012 Bridgestone Winter Classic. Just a few wispy, genuine flakes swirling down across a baseball field covered in cottony, fake snow and temporary ice. More than an appearance by The Roots, an array of what appeared to be flaming white trash … Continue reading
What Science Doesn’t Say About Head Trauma
In an absurd collision with teammate Wayne Simmonds’s knee, Claude Giroux is now the third Flyer to jump on the concussion bandwagon. Sydney Crosby is out again due to concussion symptoms, and this series about the life and death of Derek Boogaard in The New York Times has swirled up all kinds of head trauma … Continue reading
