It is tradition to raise the banner (any banner) during your first home game. The Flyers got hosed and scored a home opener against the hated Avalanche (lol). Not the Pens. Not the Caps. Not the Devils. Not the Rags. Not the Habs. The Avs. Earlier this month the Hurricanes did the Flyers a great honor in choosing to retire Rod Brind'amor's number while the Flyers are in town. Is there any way that the Flyers can do ANYTHING like that? For anyone? At any time? Yes.

The second home game of the year is a much better game to raise the 2010 Easter Conference Champion banner. Why? Are we playing a rival and we get to rub it in their face? Wouldn't the look on Sid the Kid's face or the anger in Ovi's eyes be amazing? Yeah. We could wait to the third home game, which is against Pittsburgh to do that. But why further our reputation as the assholes of the league by doing that (intentionally raising the banner vs Crosby)? -----Side note: we all want Gags back next year for much cheaper. We just screwed him over. Is there anything we can do to ease the hurt a little bit? ---

Game four of the year, second on home ice, is against Simon Gagne's Lightning. Could there be any possible greater sign of gratitude to a true Flyer at heart than letting him be a part of a celebration that he was a major part of? Not at all. I say we don't do it the first game against the Avs and we wait three days later for the Tampa Bay Lightning to come in so we can make Simon Gagne a part of the festivities. Yeah he would have loved to raise a different banner, but this will have to suffice.