1999 Flyers

[jghockey]

Had Eric Lindros not gotten that collapsed lung and played in the 1999 playoffs, how far do you think the Flyers would have gotten?

Not that I blame him for the Flyers' losing that year.

Click to read more...

 

[GlitchMarner]

They might have beaten the Leafs. TOR had a number of young players/inexperienced players (in terms of playoff experience, that is) in the line-up that spring including Berezin, Sullivan, Johnson, Kaberle, Modin, Berard, Markov.


I remember Beezer let in some untimely soft goals. Not sure he would have played better with Lindros in the line-up, but they might have beaten TOR with Lindros anyway.

 

[jghockey]

They might have beaten the Leafs. TOR had a number of young players/inexperienced players (in terms of playoff experience, that is) in the line-up that spring including Berezin, Sullivan, Johnson, Kaberle, Modin, Berard, Markov.


I remember Beezer let in some untimely soft goals. Not sure he would have played better with Lindros in the line-up, but they might have beaten TOR with Lindros anyway.

They probably would have gotten to the Final Four that year. They probably would have beaten the Penguins in the Semis, but beating the Sabres that year would have been a tall order.

 

[tony d]

Yeah, Lindros' injury really hurt not just him but the entire team. I think they probably beat the Sabres in the East final that year too.

 

[jghockey]

Yeah, Lindros' injury really hurt not just him but the entire team. I think they probably beat the Sabres in the East final that year too.

I'm not sure about that. At that time, Hasek was literally carrying the entire Sabres team on his back. Without him, the Sabres would have lost in Round 1 So scoring against Hasek alone would have been daunting to say the least.

 

[Normand Lacombe]

This was the year Bobby Clarke was furiously wheeling and dealing. Ex-Flyers Mikael Renberg, Karl Dykhuis, Craig Berube, Steve Duchesne and Mark Recchi were all reacquired. With all the trades, injuries, and the parade of players coming and going, the Flyers never jelled. They endured a long winless streak in March in which they were completely outplayed by their opponents. Even with a healthy Lindros in the lineup, I believe they still would have lost to Toronto.

 

[Big Phil]

Beezer had a 1.46 GAA in that series against the Leafs. Can you imagine that? That's incredible. Unfortunately there were a slew of soft backhanded goals (I have no idea why the backhand beat him so much that spring) that hurt him and this is what gets remembered. In all honesty, the guy allowed 9 goals in 6 games. That's pretty darn good on the surface. He just collapsed in the clutch that series.

I don't know if Lindros helps them win. Remember, he didn't help them beat Buffalo in 1998 in the first round. Lindros, if people remember, didn't have the reputation as the guy that lifted his teams to greatness back then. I know we've glossed over things a lot with Lindros in his career but if you were a fan back then you'd remember the criticism he got for never carrying his teams when it mattered. Could he have? Sure, I mean he had all the tools to do it, but he never did. Not with Team Canada, not with the Flyers. So I am not sure what changes in 1999. The only thing I can think of is that there were upsets that spring and the Flyers would have avoided New Jersey had they moved on.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Stop yelling, please.

 

[jghockey]

Beezer had a 1.46 GAA in that series against the Leafs. Can you imagine that? That's incredible. Unfortunately there were a slew of soft backhanded goals (I have no idea why the backhand beat him so much that spring) that hurt him and this is what gets remembered. In all honesty, the guy allowed 9 goals in 6 games. That's pretty darn good on the surface. He just collapsed in the clutch that series.

I don't know if Lindros helps them win. Remember, he didn't help them beat Buffalo in 1998 in the first round. Lindros, if people remember, didn't have the reputation as the guy that lifted his teams to greatness back then. I know we've glossed over things a lot with Lindros in his career but if you were a fan back then you'd remember the criticism he got for never carrying his teams when it mattered. Could he have? Sure, I mean he had all the tools to do it, but he never did. Not with Team Canada, not with the Flyers. So I am not sure what changes in 1999. The only thing I can think of is that there were upsets that spring and the Flyers would have avoided New Jersey had they moved on.

Vanbiesbrouck and the Flyers' defense were great in that series. The problems were that the offense couldn't score, and Curtis Joseph made the key saves when the Leafs needed them the most.

I felt the Flyers could have won the Cup with Beezer had they significantly upgraded in other areas (defense, secondary scoring, special teams).

 

[Bear of Bad News]

jghockey, you need to check your private messages, and you need to do so *now*.