Kimmo Timonen shares his thoughts about his latest All Star Game experience. He tells the story on how he got a hint beforehand from Zdeno Chara about likely getting picked early in the fantasy draft.

"A week before the All Star break we played against Boston. At some point in that game, Chara and I went to talk with the ref about some penalty. It was then when Chara told me that if he got to choose the alternate captains, he would've chosen me. So from that I kinda knew that I might get picked early in the draft."

"But this was the kind of event that it wouldn't have really bothered me if I had been picked last. Even without knowing about the car and the charity bonus."

Timonen has experienced the Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format as well and thinks the current fantasy draft format might be the better one.

"Maybe this is the better system. The fans were there in the draft, so we could interact with them that way. Of course the crowd yelled at certain players, but that's okay. Everybody liked it and all the players were in good mood."

Earlier this season Timonen thought it might be better to just rest instead of going to the All Star Game, but ended up going anyway.

"Now that I think of it, the last game we had before the break was on Tuesday and we didn't have to be back on the ice until Saturday, so we got three and a half days of rest."

"But of course it's hockey nonetheless. Sometimes it would be nice to get a break, not just from the games, but to get your thoughts away from hockey as well. It can't happen at the All Star Game, though it was a lot of fun. There are always two sides to the story."

This report was based off of a Finnish-language story in the publication Veikkaaja.

Kimmo Timonen says he's worried about the injuries the Flyers are facing right now and that the injuries are starting to show in the games.

We've had a lot of injuries. We need everybody to be healthy if we want to go far this year. Some guys are playing a lot right now and it's going to hurt us in the long run. It showed against the Rangers."

Timonen isn't only referring to the absence of fellow defenseman Chris Pronger.

"Pronger is great, but missing one guy is not a problem. Missing four, five guys is a problem."

Timonen has said before that he's had his share of smaller injuries this season, but he says he's doing 'okay'.

"I'm okay. I've had all kinds of small injuries and of course they hurt my game sometimes, but I'm pretty happy."

Timonen was also named on the All Star Game ballot, but says it's time for the younger players to shine in that game.

"Well, yeah, I guess I've been there before, but let's leave those games to the younger guys. It's nice [to be on the ballot], but I'm not interested in it anymore. I've been there a few times before and it's a nice event, but I rather take that vacation this time."

Timonen leads Flyers defensemen with thirteen assists, but hasn't scored a goal yet.

"I've been getting points pretty well and I've had some scoring chances, but the puck just hasn't gone in."

"But I'm worrying more about our team and that we'll get healthy again. That's the biggest worry right now."

This report was based off of a Finnish-language story released by STT.

When the Flyers lost to the Bruins in the playoffs, Bobrovsky says he didn’t get the feeling that the Bruins would go all the way.

"No, I didn’t even think about it. They are a good team and they played well against us. But it’s the playoffs. There are a lot of good teams and everyone plays well. It’s hard to guess which one of them will win the Cup eventually. I don’t think you can guess it."

Bobrovsky says he didn’t try to learn from the veteran Bruins goalie Tim Thomas who played a big part in the Bruins’ success.

"Oh, no. He’s got a different style. Yes, he played well, but a goalie can’t win the Cup. They played very well as a team, and I think that’s why they won. Thomas certainly had a very strong season and I’m not taking anything away from him. I just wouldn’t say that I learned something concrete by watching him."

Bobrovsky agrees with the old saying that regular season and playoffs are two different sports.

"Yes, I agree. Players are completely different. There are less mistakes and everyone is focused. Everyone is ready to pay the price and go to the net more aggressively. Of course it makes for different hockey."

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Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese says Ilya Bryzgalov is going through an adjustment period and the same goes for the whole team while Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t quite ready to be a starting goalie yet. In the big picture, Reese calls the Flyers’ goaltending one of the best in the league.

Having two Russian goalies on the team is a rarity in the league, but Reese doesn’t really see anything special about it.

"I don’t think them both being Russian really means anything. Though it’s great when I can’t explain something to Bobrovsky, Bryz can translate for me."

"They have a healthy competition and that’s never harmed anyone. I know that Bryzgalov won’t refuse to help Bob and Bob won’t be just a humble servant."

"I also have a lot to learn as a coach as well, there are always some new methods and techniques out there."

Reese has a lot of faith in Bobrovsky and says the 23 year old will offer serious competition for Bryzgalov, but when will he be ready to be the starter?

"I don’t know. Maybe it will never happen. But I believe in him and consider him a very talented and confident goaltender who has a strong personality and the right kind of attitude. With Bryzgalov, he offers depth and reliability for the Flyers."

"Look at Cory Schneider in Vancouver for example. He’s an excellent goalie behind Luongo. The same way Bryzgalov was in Anaheim behind Giguere. So Bob has time on his side. He has an NHL veteran in front of him and he can learn a lot from him. He learns to understand what it’s like to be the starting goalie and play through the pain of each game while maintaining your consistency."

"I asked Bob to add some strength during the summer and he did it. I can already see visible progress in his stick work as a result of our work at practices. Bob is eager to develop and will offer serious competition for Bryzgalov."

"There would be something wrong with Bob if he didn’t think he was as good as Bryzgalov."

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Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't played yet, but believes he will get a chance to compete with Ilya Bryzgalov at some point. While he's not in a hurry, he reminds that he's not just settling for backup duties.

"So far so good. I'm not focusing on who's the starter here. It's a long season. I certainly don't enjoy the role of a backup. But I'm going to work and wait for my chance."

"I don't think there's a big difference between me and Bryzgalov. I will play for the Flyers and try to prove that I belong to this team."

Bobrovsky says he hasn't been thinking about anything else than playing for the Flyers.

"Why should I be thinking about other options? That's the GM's job. All I can do is play. It's a simple situation. We got a new goalie and now I compete with him for the starting job."

"Ilya and I have a professional relationship. We talk, and there's no competing off the ice. But when we're on the ice, I don't just go there to give up."

"In general, I don't really pay attention to the circumstances. I just keep my focus ahead. I haven't gotten rusty on the bench. I feel great."

"When I will play is out of my hands. What matters is that the team wins."

This report was based off of a Russian-language story in the publication Sovetsky Sport.

Phantoms goalie Johan Backlund says the reason he hasn’t been playing so far this season is an injury he got after training camp.

"Right now I’m injured and I’ve been injured for the last week and a half. So the reason why I haven’t played in the beginning of the season is simply because I haven’t been cleared to play."

"I was sent down to Adirondack after training camp and then I got injured. My priority now is to rehab and look to come back as soon as possible after the injury."

Backlund isn’t sure how the three goalie situation on the Phantoms gets handled.

"We have a bit of a different type of situation here since we have three goalies in Adirondack. But are we going to continue with three goalies here or how it’s going to be in the future, I really don’t know. I haven’t heard any talk about anyone of us getting sent to the ECHL."

There were some rumors already back in the summer taking Backlund back to Sweden, but he says he’s fully focused on staying.

"Really? No, I haven’t talked about moving anywhere. Like I said, I’m doing my best to come back after an injury and then keep playing here."

Backlund says working with Jason Bacashihua and Michael Leighton is going well considering the circumstances.

"We don’t have any problems at all. Of course it’s not ideal to have three goalies and we rotate in practices. They’re both great guys and Leighton is the one who has played most of the games here in the beginning of the season, so naturally he gets the full time practices before the games."

"Like I said, it’s not the ideal situation to have three goalies, but you just have to make the best out of it. Of course all three want to play as many games as possible, otherwise we wouldn’t be here."

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Today it begins. Ilya Bryzgalov’s career as a Philadelphia Flyer. He’s excited.

"The Flyers are a great team. That’s what I wanted; to play in one of the best teams in the league. Everyone on the Coyotes will remain in my heart forever, I have a lot of friends there. But now I’m in Philadelphia. I can tell that this is a hockey town. And the team is like a family. They say ‘once a Flyer, always a Flyer’. There are a lot of ex-Flyers players working in the organization. That’s very cool."

Bryzgalov has noticed the difference in the level of interest from the media as well.

"There are a lot more reporters here. Though the questions are often the same everywhere."

Additionally, there are also the HBO documentary cameras chasing him.

"I just close my door on them and don’t let them in! This team is full of stars, so why would they film me?"

Known for his positive attitude, Bryzgalov says the positivity is a choice he’s made.

"I made a choice for life once; be happy. Of course I can be in a bad mood sometimes, but I try to fix it quickly. [After a bad game] I go to sleep. I wake up the next morning and if the sun is up, everything is fine again. I try to get back on my feet quickly."

A positive attitude might be needed, since the expectations for him will be massive since day one.

"Some people are expecting me to be a Messiah. But sorry, I’m not Jesus Christ. I have the same attitude towards the game as before. The puck is still that same small and black thing. Hockey players are still the same. We have to get to work, but time will tell how it pans out."

Coming with the pressure and expectations is also the old stereotype of restless Philly sports fans booing and throwing snowballs if things aren’t going their way.

"Yes, I’ve heard about that."

And he’s not afraid.

"Of what? That they’d throw snowballs at me? No. And if they boo me, then I deserve it!"

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Jaromir Jagr is ready for the new challenge that waits for him in Philadelphia, but admits there will be a lot of new things waiting for him that he needs to get used to. He even compares the current situation to the beginning of his career in Pittsburgh.

"I’m going to an unfamiliar environment. It will take a while to get used to everything. It’s comparable to when I started my career in North America when I was 18. I’m not saying it will be similar, my first year was worse, of course. I couldn’t talk and everything was new. Back then I didn’t even know if I’d still be there next year, I was actually thinking about returning home. So it’s a slightly different situation now, when I’ve been to North America before and I know what I’m getting myself into."

"But it will be a new team for me and I haven’t played there in three years, so a lot of things will be new to me this time as well. Everything will depend on how I’ve prepared myself for the season and how we’ll do as a team. It’s easier for you to do well if the team does well. Everything becomes easier. We just have to wait and see how it goes."

Jagr doesn’t mind if people have low expectations for him.

"That’s just fine for me. At least I won’t have any pressure. It would be worse if everyone expected a great performance and I wouldn’t fulfill their expectations. You can only be a huge disappointment that way, but now I really have nothing to lose."

Jagr arrived pretty late for the Flyers training camp compared to the other players. He says he’s been busy running his hockey team in Kladno. But now the focus shifts from Jagr the GM to Jagr the player.

"The last few days have been so hectic. But you could say that everything looks good now. Maybe not quite perfect, but the basement [for the club] has been built. Now I have to focus on myself."

Jagr doesn’t worry about arriving a little later and says he rather takes it that way.

"It’s better if I just jump straight into it than wait around and have nothing to do. We’ll just train the first three days or so, so I can look around for a house then and if I can’t find one, I’ll wait until the camp is over. At least I won’t get bored."

This report was based off of a Czech-language story in the publication iDnes.