Tag Archive for 'Joffrey Lupul'

Chris Pronger - Born to be a Flyer

The Flyers made a major move on Thursday night, acquiring Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle from the Ducks for Joffrey Lupul (Hey, Gary Bettman, it’s Joffrey, not Jeffrey), Luca Sbisa, two first rounders and a third. I absolutely love the deal.

Pronger brings a dimension of size, skill and nastiness to the Flyers’ blueline that they’ve been lacking for decades. He’s 34-years old and has one year remaining on his deal, I understand that. But one thing I’ve always loved about the Flyers is that they are never afraid to go for it. Remember the battles Derian Hatcher had with Sidney Crosby during the first two years of Sid’s career? Pronger will take that to a whole new level. Between Ray Emery and Prongs, I’m willing to bet Crosby won’t be scoring too many goals from inside the blue paint in the crease this season.

I understand that some people are upset that the Flyers gave up a lot for the big man. Honestly, the only piece I’m sorry to see go is Sbisa. Lupul is a nice player but very streaky. The Flyers also had six 20-goal scorers last season so he was expendable. Dumping his contract is also a plus ($4.25M for each of the next four seasons).

Sbisa will become a quality NHL player but I’d trade him for Pronger at any point in either ones career. The Flyers have traded away first round picks for veterans before and not regretted it. Dainius Zubrus for Mark Recchi, Mike Ricci for Eric Lindros, Maxime Ouellet for Adam Oates to name a few. The first round picks I can live without, especially since they are somewhere in the 20s.

And who remembers what the Oilers or Ducks traded away in order to acquire Pronger? The only thing people remember is that he played like a beast and took his teams to new heights.

In fact, in his only season in Edmonton, he led the Oilers to Game 7 of the Finals. And then in his first year in Anaheim, the Ducks won the Cup…I can’t wait to see how his first year in Philly plays out.

Besides Mike Richards, there was one guy I always thought was meant to be a Flyer and that was Chris Pronger….and now he’s in orange and black.

Here’s a description of Dingle from Philadelphiaflyers.com

Philadelphia also acquired young forward and prospect Ryan Dingle in the deal. Dingle, 25, posted 18 points (11G,7A) in 70 regular season games with the Iowa Chops of the AHL in 2008-09. He has a total of 25 points (12G, 13A) in 93 regular season games in the AHL with the Portland Pirates (2006-07 to 2007-08) and Iowa (2008-09).

“He’s a little spark plug,” said Pronger of Dingle. “He’s a skilled guy, very fast, competitive guy. In training camp last year he had a great camp with us and opened a lot of eyes.”

A native of Steamboat Springs, CO, Dingle was a member of the University of Denver Pioneers’ 2005 NCAA National Championship team with current Flyers defenseman Matt Carle.

“We had our choice of a couple different guys, and I like Ryan,” said Holmgren. “He’s a good young player. Certainly he’s not a throw-in per se, because he’s a guy that we do have some time for.”

Notes

  • Pronger was a teammate of John Stevens on the 1993-94 Hartford Whalers where his first pro head coach was….Paul Holmgren.
  • This is the second time Lupul and Pronger have been traded for each other.
  • Matt Carle will switch from #25 to #20, and Pronger will get to wear 25.
  • It will be interesting to see how the Flyers handle the salary cap (Danny Briere, Mike Knuble, Andrew Alberts, backup goalie, etc) with future moves this summer.
Published
by
Bill
on June 27, 2009
in Flyers
. 0 Comments

Flyers All-Time Team by Uniform Number #1-20

1. Bernie Parent
232 wins, 2 Stanley Cups, number in the rafters, and the Hall of Fame. And of course, “Only The Lord Saves More Than Bernie.”

2. Mark Howe
Acquired in a steal of a deal from Hartford in August of 1982, Howe became arguably the greatest defenseman in Flyers history. My favorite Howe stats are the three-year run he had in +/- from 1985-87: +51, +85, +57. A plus 85, wow, think about that.
Honorable Mention: Ed Van Impe

3. Tom Bladon
A second round pick in 1972 who spent six seasons in Philly, including the two Cup years. May be best remembered for notching an NHL record eight points in one game (4 G, 4 A) by a defeseman in December of ‘77 against the Cleveland Barons (remember them?).
Honorable Mention: Doug Crossman, Behn Wilson

4. Barry Ashbee
Tough D-man who was the first Flyer to have his number retired. His career ended early after being struck in the eye with a puck in the playoffs against the Rangers in 1974. He passed away in 1977 from leukemia.

5. Larry Goodenough
A second-round pick in 1973, Goodenough won a Cup in 1975 before being traded with current assistant coach Jack McIlhargey to the Vancouver Canucks for Bob Dailey. Braydon Coburn will soon be the Flyers best #5, but Goodenough was good enough, for now.

6. Chris Therien
The franchise’s all-time leader in games played by a defenseman with 753 over parts of 11 seasons in orange and black. Therien scored only 29 goals, but was a +126 for the Flyers, and always did a great job playing against Jaromir Jagr.

7. Bill Barber
A franchise best 420 goals, 2 Cups, a retired number, and Hall of Famer. Barber even led the Phantoms to a Calder Cup 1998, and won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year for the Flyers in 2001.
Honorable Mention: Lou Angotti

8. Dave Schultz
Mark Recchi had some great seasons in Philly and holds the Flyers’ record for points in a season, but the franchise known as the Broad St. Bullies was led by the ultimate Bully in Dave Schultz. “The Hammer” was an important part of both Cups, and even put up 115 points to go along with his 1,386 PIM in Philadelphia.
Honorable Mention: Mark Recchi, Brad Marsh

9. Bob Kelly
“The Hound” was an integral part in the birth of the Bullies. After getting roughed up by the Blues in the playoffs in 1968 and ‘69, the Flyers decided to toughen up, and Kelly was added, in the the 1970 Draft, to a mix that already included Schultz and Don Saleski from the ‘69 Draft.
Honorable Mention: Pelle Eklund

10. John LeClair
As soon as he arrived from Montreal in 1995, LeClair became a force. Part of the vaunted “Legion of Doom,” Johnny Vermont put up three 50-goal and two more 40-goal seasons for the Flyers. His 333 goals rank fifth in franchise history.
Honorable Mention: Brad McCrimmon and although he didn’t last very long, one of my favorite Flyer names…Magnus “Roooooo” Roupe

11. Don Saleski
“Big Bird” Saleski was drafted to provide toughness and size. In nearly 500 games with the Flyers, he contributed 235 points and 602 PIM to go along with two Stanley Cup rings.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Dineen, Ron Flockhart, Mark Recchi

12. Tim Kerr
Maybe the number with the toughest competition, and I don’t mean from Jim Cummins and Colin Forbes. Tim Kerr is the choice here with 650 points in 601 career Flyer games. He played through countless injuries, and had more pins holding him together than a bowling alley. The big man compiled franchise records with 17 hat tricks and 145 power play goals. From 1984-87 he put together four straight 50+ goal seasons. If only he were able to stay healthy during the ‘87 Playoffs, the Flyers might have another banner hanging from the rafters.
Honorable Mention: Simon Gagne, Gary Dornhoefer

13. Claude Lapointe
Twelve points in 56 games over parts of two seasons usually won’t land you on many lists. Lapointe gets the nod over the likes of Dave Michayluk and Glen Metropolit due to….well, not much…who would you choose?? Maybe Daniel Carcillo can make his mark here…

14. Ron Sutter
The Flyers picked Sutter one spot ahead of Scott Stevens in the 1982 Draft. Ron played parts of nine seasons on Broad Street and was a premier checking center and faceoff man. He chipped in 323 points in 555 games and served as captain for two seasons before being traded to the Blues for Rod Brind’Amour.
As a side note, check out some of the other players to wear #14 in orange and black: Dave Snuggerud, Peter White, Dave Tippett, Dan Quinn, Mark Pederson, Mike Maneluk, Craig MacTavish, Chris Jensen, Pat Hannigan, Denis Hamel, Craig Darby, Kimbi Daniels, Mark Cullen and Mikael Andersson. Whew, not exactly a who’s who in Flyers history. However, Brian Propp did wear 14 before switching to his familiar 26.
Honorable Mention: Joe Watson, Ken Linseman, Justin Williams

15. Joffrey Lupul
Despite being a Flyer for less than two seasons, Lupul has established himself as the best of another less than stellar class. Also, only Lupul can say he scored an OT winner in Game 7 of a playoff series for the Flyers.

Other not so notable #15s: Niko Dimitrakos, Al Conroy, Dale Kushner, Doug Evans, Pat Falloon, Craig Fisher, Mark Greig, Steve Kasper, Andrei Kovalenko, Danny Lucas, Mike Maneluk, Larry Mickey, Richard Park, Garry Peters, Joe Sacco, Jarrod Skalde, John Slaney, Doug Sulliman, Rich Sutter, Mark Taylor, Peter White, Todd White…Wow, maybe the Flyers should retire this number just so no other stiffs could wear it.
Honorable Mention: Terry Crisp

16. Bobby Clarke
You think Flyers, you think Clarkie…

17. Rod Brind’amour
With all due respect to Billy Tibbetts, Rod Brind’Amour gets the nod- Roddy was the Flyers lone representative at the 1992 All-Star Game at The Spectrum and finished his career in orange and black in the franchise’s top 10 in goals, assists and points. One of the most popular players in recent Flyer history, he was traded to Carolina for Keith Primeau, and captured that elusive cup as captain of the ‘Canes in 2006.
Honorable Mention: Paul Holmgren, Jeff Carter, Simon Nolet

18. Mike Richards
At age 24, Richards has already displayed all the qualities that make him the quintessential Flyer. Tough, talented, humble, yet confident. A quiet guy who leads by example. I’ve always thought of him as the Chase Utley of hockey. A player who does anything necessary to win and who will be a Flyer for the next decade.
Honorable Mention: Lindsay Carson, Ross Lonsberry, Mike Ricci, Dale Hawerchuk, Daymond Langkow, Brent Fedyk

19. Rick MacLeish
The Flyers acquired MacLeish from Boston in 1971 and the mustachioed one would score the only goal in the Stanley Cup clinching game against his former team in 1974. MacLeish ranks sixth in both goals and assists, and fourth in points in Flyers history. In 1972-73 he became the first Flyer to reach the 50-goal mark.
Honorable Mention: Scott Mellanby, Mikael Renberg, Scott Hartnell

20. Dave Poulin
Captain Courageous was signed as an undrafted free agent in 1983 and became the sixth captain in Flyers history, serving six seasons from 1984-1990. During that span, the Flyers captured three Patrick Division Championships and two Wales Conference titles. Poulin represented the Flyers in two NHL All-Star games and was a member of the NHL All-Star team that participated in Rendez-Vous ‘87. He also claimed the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward in 1987. He became the 18th member of the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2004. Poulin may be best remembered for his breakaway goal while two-men down in Game 6 of the 1985 Wales Conference Final against Mario Gosselin and the Quebec Nordiques. I can hear Gene Hart now…”He’s going right on in….shoots….score!!”
Honorable Mention: Jimmy Watson

Published
by
Bill
on March 16, 2009
in Flyers
. 1 Comment

The Flyers’ Holiday Guide - Who, When, Where

As the Flyers get set to embark on their annual Disney on Ice road trip, the upcoming schedule should determine exactly where the Flyers stand. The orange and black are 13-2-3 since the middle of November, with only seven of those games away from the Wachovia Center. This six-game trip all over North America is loaded with quality opponents.

Before the holiday trip kicks off however, the Senators come to town Tuesday night.

Senators-December 23
Ottawa is surprisingly the second-lowest scoring team in the NHL with only 73 goals scored. Only Tampa with 72 has fewer, and these days, with apologies to Rick Tocchet, do they even count as an NHL team? The Sens haven’t won a road game since OCTOBER 30th, and haven’t scored more than two goals in any of the nine losses away from home since.

The Flyers may catch another break in that captain Daniel Alfredsson suffered what looked like a shoulder injury in Saturday’s win over Dallas, and is day-to-day. In that game, Jason Smith (remember him?) scored the OT winner, his first goal in 104 games. That last goal was a memorable empty-netter against the Islanders last October when he blocked a shot and whipped the puck the length of the ice to seal the victory.

On CBC after the game Satuday, Don Cherry warned that a goal like Smith’s could spur the Sens on to a long winning streak. Let’s hope not.

Blackhawks-December 26
If you haven’t been watching the Hawks, you should be. Chicago is riding a seven-game winning streak and may be the story of the year in the NHL. After years of being ignored, hockey is back big time in Chicago. The Hawks lead the NHL in attendance and are coming off a three-game sweep in western Canada. When the teams meet Friday, the Hawks will not have played since Saturday, so hopefully they’ll have a Christmas turkey hangover. This is a great opportunity for Philly fans to check out Patrick Kane (would Paul Holmgren have drafted him if we won the lottery in 2007?), Jonathan Toews and the long, lost Patrick Sharp. Old friend Ben Eager is still wreaking havoc, and Chicago is loaded with exciting, young talent. The once empty United Center has been a real advantage for Chicago, where the Hawks are 10-1-4 this season.

Blue Jackets-December 27
Ken Hitchcock has transformed the Jackets into a legitimate playoff threat. Rookie Steve Mason has sparkled in net and is 8-2 with a 1.97 GAA at home. The Jackets did lose impressive rookie Derick Brassard for the season with a shoulder injury, but will have been off since Tuesday when they face the Flyers. A tough matchup on a back-to-back game, R.J. Umberger and Columbus are no longer pushovers.

Canucks-December 30
Doesn’t it seem like the Flyers are always in Vancouver around New Year’s Eve? Lately, that’s been a good thing.

Like Brodie Bruce said in the movie Mallrats, “Hartford, “the Whale,” they only beat Vancouver once, maybe twice in a lifetime.” The Flyers are just the opposite. Philadelphia has dominated the Canucks out west, going 9-0-4 (4 ties) since their last loss in Vancouver in 1989.

Recently acquired Mats Sundin will likely be in his second game, but stud goalie Roberto Luongo remains out with a groin injury. Even without Luongo, Vancouver is fighting for first place in the Northwest Division and may remember the Flyers last visit to GM Place in October 2007 when Philly lit them up 8-2 and Jesse Boulerice hammered Ryan Kesler across the face with his stick. Should be another great matchup.

Ducks-January 2
After ringing in the New Year in SoCal, the Flyers head to The Pond to face Anaheim. The Ducks will be without star RW Teemu Selanne who suffered a freak leg injury when he cut himself with his own skate. However, Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Co. are still quite formidable. Another player to watch will be Bobby Ryan, the second overall pick behind Sidney Crosby in 2005. Born in Cherry Hill, Ryan could never crack the lineup consistently but is now becoming the force the Ducks were hoping for.

Kings-January 3
The back end of the Southern Cal weekend has Terry Murray and Ron Hextall hosting the Flyers. Head coach Murray has done a solid job instilling some discipline into the Kings. L.A. sits near the bottom of the Pacific Division standings, but will be a tough matchup for the Flyers, especially after what should be a physical game in Anaheim the night before. The Kings are a different team at Staples Center, picking up 10 wins in downtown L.A., compared to only three on the road. Once again, young players we don’t get much chance to watch include Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov and impressive rookie d-man Drew Doughty. Captain Dustin Brown seems like a perfect Flyer…skilled, tough and loves to hit people. Hextall is serving as assistant G.M. under former Flyer scout Dean Lombardi.

Capitals-January 6

The trip concludes back east, with another matchup with the Caps. The Flyers haven’t been back to Verizon Center since Joffrey Lupul’s OT goal won Game 7 last spring. After Saturday’s shellacking of Washington in Philly, both the Caps’ fans and players will be out for payback. After two scraps with Donald Brashear in Philly, Riley Cote may want another shot at the Caps’ goon. Of course, love him or hate him, the opportunity to watch Alexander Ovechkin is always a pleasure. Is there a more exciting athlete in sports right now.

The Flyers are rolling, and now get to face some exciting teams and players they, and the fans, don’t get to see very often. It should all add up to some great hockey, so sit back and enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

Published
by
Bill
on December 23, 2008
in Flyers
. 0 Comments