Monday Morning Fly By: Five days

by Travis Hughes on Sep 28, 2009 6:01 AM EDT in Morning Fly By

Not much Flyers news this weekend that we haven't already discussed. As you already know by now, Randy Jones has been waived by the team. Up in Glens Falls, they're drooling at the possibility of having an NHL defenseman on their AHL team. [Post-Star]
Goaltender Brian Boucher was injured Saturday in New Jersey. He's expected to be out 7 to 10 days, while Johan Backlund has been called up from Adirondack to fill in. [Flyer Files]
Speaking of the goalies, Sam Carchidi chronicles the changing of the guard this season at the position, from the players to the coach. [Inquirer]
Five dollar tickets to the preseason finale against the Wild on Tuesday! [StubHub]
Elsewhere, the season kicks off in Europe this week as part of the NHL's now-annual Premiere series. Detroit players are treated like rock-stars in Sweden, especially Henrik Zetterberg. [Detroit Free Press]
Speaking of Sweden, the media types over there are talking up Peter Forsberg's recent outings with Modo, saying that NHL scouts in attendance are "drooling" over his performance. The Flyers, for the record, aren't interested. [Denver Post]
NHL referees are under instruction to use the instigator rule more frequently this season, in hopes of cutting back fights as a result of clean hits. [Puck Daddy]
Finally, the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review calls the Penguins ascent from doormat to Cup champion a "formula to follow." I don't think four straight seasons of irrelevancy would work in this town (or any non-fair weather town), regardless of whether or not it ends with a Cup. [Tribune-Review]

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Pens article

As I write this I’m thinking about deleting because most frequenters to BSH have seen enough from the other side of the state when it comes to homers and bandwagoners that it makes you physically ill. But I must say it…what a crap sandwich that article is.

Webster’s has announced that Penguins and Blueprint are never allowed to be in the same sentence ever again. It’s right after the I before E rule.

I’m gonna go throw up and read some intelligent posts by real hockey fans right on BSH.

by boknows71 on Sep 28, 2009 9:59 AM EDT reply actions

Daaaaaaaamn!

I don’t think four straight seasons of irrelevancy would work in this town (or any non-fair weather town), regardless of whether or not it ends with a Cup.

Oh no you didn’t!!!!

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Sep 28, 2009 11:18 AM EDT reply actions

Haha, I liked that too.

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions

To be honest, if this blog followed the “if you can’t say anything nice rule,” we’d never be able to talk about the Pens. Or the media. Or the league office. Heck, we’d barely be able to say anything about each other ;)

That was a well-deserved comment, though. Pittsburgh’s always seemed to follow a path of tank for multiple years to accumulate draft picks, then be good for a few years, then be bad again. The Penguins were decent from 74-75 through 80-81, only missing the playoffs once. Then they were bad until 90-91, only making the playoffs once. 90-91 and 91-92 were the Cups, and Pittsburgh made the playoffs straight through 00-01. From 01-02 until 06-07, they were dead last in the Atlantic. They’re a feast or famine franchise that’s made the playoffs 22 times since conferences were introduced. The Flyers, by comparison, have made the playoffs 28 times in the same time period, and every miss except one was from 89-90 to 93-94, right after Clarke getting fired.

"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"

by The Dark on Sep 28, 2009 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Precisely. People in this town would never accept that kind of prolonged mediocrity. Look no further than the Sixers, and they still make the playoffs most years.

Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Travis Hughes on Sep 28, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions

And that’s why the franchise is always middling…

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Get along, 76ers...

Gnarls Barkley dissed Barry Word…

If only.

Seriously, that team breaks my heart. Philly is a real basketball town, and the Sixers fail to capitalize on that. All you hear about during basketball season are the Big Five; the Sixers are an afterthought in large part because they spin their wheels constantly. On the college level there is always an influx of new talent, and each school always seems to have a player or two who stand out. More often than not, the Sixers are just good enough to make the playoffs and that’s it.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Sep 28, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I was really excited about Sixers heading into last year. I thought the signing of Elton Brand would give them a low post presence. Then consider veteran PG Andre Miller partnered with young and flashy Andre Iguodala along with up and coming Thad Young. I thought they had a chance to make a splash in the East, especially after finishing strong and giving Boston a run for their money in the Playoffs. Well, then they realized that Elton can’t keep up, the team can’t hit three-point shots and Samuel Dalambert is still just as horrible as he has always been. So frustrating!

I think, at this point in basketball, it is almost pointless to try and compete. The level of competition is so high for a about 6 or 7 teams and then there is such a horrible dropoff in good teams. Boston, Cleveland and now Orlando in the East and LA Lakers, San Antonio and possibly Houston, Denver and formerly Dallas and Phoenix. Its just hard to get up for a team that you know has no chance and they are still somewhat decent. Unless you have a Kobe, Lebron or Dwight Howard whats the point really?

by Mitchell Green on Sep 28, 2009 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

The NBA is a star league and the Sixers don’t have one.

by doubleh on Sep 28, 2009 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you doubleh.

by Mitchell Green on Sep 28, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

The article...

… doesn’t state anything new. Here’s what it says is the blueprint for success:

1. Build through the draft.
2. Fill in the gaps with trades and free-agent signings.
3. Spend your money wisely.

I think any team who has won a championship in any sport has followed that blueprint.

Key parts of the article, for me (to poop on):

“I don’t think Pittsburgh is apologizing for it,” said agent Paul Krepelka, who represents former Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney and current Penguins center Jordan Staal. “It’s a successful blueprint. *Having said that, it’s a little easier to follow that blueprint when your core players are some of the best on the planet.”*

and

Former Tampa Bay general manager Jay Feaster, now an NHL analyst for The Hockey News and TSN, calls it a “sour grapes” approach for other organizations to suggest the Penguins are only so good because they were first so bad… “How many top-five picks have Atlanta, Columbus, Florida and Ottawa had?” Feaster said. “You can have those picks, (but) you better make sure you do the right thing with them.”

Here’s the deal – the Penguins did a good job in the draft. No one will dispute that. But they happened to be “so bad” at the right time, when “some of the best players on the planet” were available. So their jobs were really that much easier, no?

As for Feaster’s quote, I think it only applies to two teams, even though they haven’t won any Cups. Ottawa had built largely through the draft to have good teams through the early-mid 2000s, and Columbus is finally starting to turn a corner. He’s spot-on about Atlanta and Florida though, but more so the Panthers I think.

But let’s flip it around for a second: What if Pittsburgh was at the bottom at a different time? What if THEY got all of the top-five picks that Atlanta et. al. got instead of Mardneyjorgen Fleurstaalkinby? * Would the results be the same? Maybe, but possibly not.

Hence, Krepelka’s quote really tells the story more than Feaster’s, although both make valid points.

- Pronounced MARD-nee-JOR-gin Flur-STAHL-ken-bee

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Sep 28, 2009 1:52 PM EDT reply actions

That’s true, but also think of Atlanta and Florida: They couldn’t afford the good players they had. Or they had unfortunate off ice tragedies. Panthers:

01 – Stephen Weiss (4th)
02 – Jay Bouwmeester (3rd)
03 – Nathan Horton (3rd)
04 – Rostislav Olesz (7th)

Then they got the 20th pick in 05. That’s not a horrible draft record. And they had to trade Luongo in 06 cause they couldn’t afford him, right when those players were beginning to establish themselves.

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Atlanta:

01: Ilya Kovalchuk (1st)
02: Kari Lehtonen (2nd)
03: Braydon Coburn (8th)
04: Boris Valabik (10th)
05: Alex Bourret (16th)

In 04, 3 of the 4 players drafted after Valabik have a combined 5 GP in the NHL (Drew Stafford, drafted 13th, has 49 goals in 184 games.) In 05, they passed on Martin Hanzal (17th overall), but only 2 players the rest of the first round have played in more than 61 games (Matt Niskanen and Andrew Cogliano)

So, again, how bad did Atlanta really do drafting?

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Reference

Pittsburgh:

01: Colby Armstrong (21st)
02: Ryan Whitney (5th)
03: Marc-Andre Fleury (1st)
04: Evgeni Malkin (2nd)
05: Sidney Crosby (1st)
06: Jordan Staal (2nd)

Philly:

01: Jeff Woywitka (27th)
02: Joni Pitkanen (4th)
03: Jeff Carter (11th) Mike Richards (24th)
04: Rob Bellamy (92nd)
05: Steve Downie (29th)
06: Claude Giroux (22nd)

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s not good scouting as much as taking the purely obvious pick. You’d have to have a terrible scouting team not to take Fleury, Malkin, Crosby, or Staal in those spots. Drafting early generally isn’t difficult. It’s finding talent in the back end of the first round and in the later rounds that’s the impressive feat, something the Flyers have routinely done well over the years.

Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Travis Hughes on Sep 28, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions

And that’s also what the Flyers are criticized for, unfairly. Best players drafted within the next 5 picks those years:

01: Derek Roy – 32nd (two immediately after Woywitka have played 17 combined games)
03: Corey Perry – 28th (Could have gotten Jeff Tambellini, or Patrick Eaves too. I’ll take Richards any day)
05: James Neal – 33rd (Has played in 77 games. Is Downie really worse?)
06: Patrick Berglund – 25th (Or Simeon Varlamov – 23rd, or Nick Foligno – 28th)

Six spots behind Steve Downie is Marc-Edouard Vlasic, with 11 goals in 245 games.

Also, Pittsburgh took Jordan Staal over Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom, and Phil Kessel. Tell me how they lose with that pick?

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions

I should clarify

What I meant to say was that Atlanta and Florida did not build winning teams around their picks, whereas Ottawa had done so and Columbus is starting to do so.

However, I didn’t even think in terms of money. While Atlanta and Florida drafted pretty well, they did not have the means to surround their good draft picks with quality complementary players. Good job pointing that out, as it’s certainly very valid.

But here’s what else I was getting at: If Pittsburgh had tanked in different years than they did, they might not have the Cup. (My only point in bringing this up is to reinforce Krepelka’s viewpoint.)

Say that they were at their worst from 2001-04, and had drafted accordingly:

2001: Kovalchuk
2002: Lehtonen
2003: Horton (since they just took Lehtonen the previous year)
2004: Malkin

I’d say that would have diminished their chances at least somewhat.

Imagine if they had drafted 1, 2, 1, 2 from 1999 – 2002:

1999: Stefan
2000: Heatley
2001: Kovalchuk
2002: Lehtonen

No way.

The Pens followed a traditional championship blueprint, and were helped by the fact that they were lousy at the right time. So that article was basically a glorified way of saying “The Pens did what every other championship team did, and they fortunately sucked when they did.” They did not create any sort of “blueprint” for other teams to follow.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Sep 28, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha, that’s very true. We simply took different approaches – you focused on how they would look if they sucked during different years, me on how other teams are (bad) after sucking during those same years. Same result, different path. Pittsburgh sucked at the right time, that writer just can’t admit it.

Broad Street Hockey -
Makin' it look mean since 1967.

by Geoff Detweiler on Sep 28, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm just excited to hear

that Foppa is in shape enough for the rumors to start flying. It was pretty boring around here with a set roster (Jonesy aside). He’d only play for a contender. It’s like Christmas came early, with a new hockey story every day, beats Favre.

by scottymac on Sep 28, 2009 2:42 PM EDT reply actions