GDT: #37 | Wednesday, Dec. 28 | Flyers at Blues | 8:00 P.M.

Captain Dave Poulin · Dec 23, 2016

Remembering Peter Zezel

A fan favorite in Philadelphia and elsewhere during a career that spanned 873 regular season games and 131 playoff games in the NHL, the late Peter Zezel would have celebrated his [51st] birthday on April 22. Zezel died at age 44 in 2009 from a rare blood disorder called Hemolytic Anemia.

As a hockey player, Zezel was best known as a hard-working forward who excelled on faceoffs and was an underrated offensive player in the early part of his career. He compiled 219 goals and a respectable 608 points during his NHL career.

Off the ice, Zezel was known as a caring, generous and fun-loving person whose greatest passion was teaching hockey and soccer to children. One of the most popular Flyers players of the Mike Keenan era, Zezel was a heartthrob among many young female fans with his matinee idol looks, but also a highly respected player among all Philadelphia fans.

* * *

A second-round pick by the Flyers in the 1983 NHL Draft, Zezel posted 47 goals and 133 points for the OHL's Toronto Marlies during the 1983-84 campaign. The following year, he established himself as a regular for a Flyers team that posted the best regular season record in the NHL and took a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals despite icing the youngest lineup in the NHL.

Zezel spent four-and-a-half mostly happy seasons in Philadelphia, which included another run to the Cup Finals in 1987. His best season came in 1986-87 when he posted a career-high 33 goals and 72 points in 71 regular season games and then added 13 playoff points en route to coming just one win shy of winning the Stanley Cup. That year, Zezel also garnered a pair of first-place votes for the Selke Trophy, although he did not place as a finalist for the NHL's award for the league's top defensive forward.

One year earlier, Zezel landed a small role in the hockey-themed Rob Lowe movie, â€œYoungblood.â€ His appearance in the movie further added to his burgeoning local celebrity.

A big kid at heart, Zezel loved to have a good time and joke around. He was also very soft-hearted and generous. Zezel was especially good with kids and donated considerable time -- with no publicity attached to it -- to visiting children's hospitals, and staying in touch with the families of seriously ill children. He also supported youth sports and would arrange donations of equipment for those whose families could not afford for them to play.

The Flyers of the Keenan years were an exceptionally close-knit team. However, along with the good times, the period also had its share of tears and strife.
When Vezina Trophy winning goaltender Pelle Lindbergh died in November 1985, a 20-year-old Zezel was one of the goaltender's most emotionally devastated teammates. The emotions were too much to hold inside, and Zezel publicly wept both at the hospital and during the memorial ceremony for the goaltender at the Spectrum.

The Keenan years were also a time in which the Flyers' team leaders occasionally had to rally the troops to stay united and not to stage a mutiny against the ultra-demanding head coach. Like every player on the team, Zezel felt Keenan's lash on more than one occasion. He may not have known it at the time, but Zezel was actually one of the players whom Keenan most respected and enjoyed having on his team. Keenan later brought Zezel along to join him during his coaching stints in St. Louis and Vancouver.

On Nov. 28, 1988, the Flyers traded Zezel to the Blues in exchange for Mike Bullard. It was an ill-fated deal. Zezel had been slowed by serious knee and shoulder injuries in the past two seasons and Bullard posted 113 points in 127 games as a Flyer but the team itself continued a downward slide. Zezel remained a more well-rounded player than the one-dimensional Bullard, and a now-healthy Zezel regained his offensive form to post 72 points in 73 games for the 1989-90 Blues.

* * *

The disease that would eventually claim Zezel's life, Hemolytic Anemia, was diagnosed in 2001. After undergoing chemotherapy, he went into remission. However, the medications Zezel took and other developing health problems had the unwanted side effect of contributing to a massive amount of weight gain, which led some people unaware of his condition and his other developing health problems to make cruel remarks about his physical appearance when he attended NHL games.

In 2009, the cancer returned. He once again underwent chemotherapy and had his spleen surgically removed. The treatment did not work. Zezel experienced severe headaches and his condition worsened. Doctors recommended immediate surgery.
Feeling weak and very ill, Zezel agreed but asked his family to donate his organs if he did not make it. It was the final request he ever made. Surgery revealed he had suffered brain hemorrhaging and he soon lapsed into a coma. Doctors placed him on life support.

The Zezel family, as the Lindbergh family had done in 1985, asked the doctors to remove the machines and donate his organs so that others might live. It was Peter Zezel's final gift.

Peter Zezel died on May 26, 2009. His funeral was held at the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Mississauga, Ontario. Peter Zezel Sr., who was his son's biggest hero as a child and who became his namesake's most ardent admirer as an adult, passed away less than a year and a half after his beloved son. He was survived by wife Valerie, daughter Neda and three grandchildren. Neda and husband Richard have sons named Matthew and Jack and a daughter named Nicole.

Source: Flyers Alumni

* * *

I will post information about the game and lineups and everything later, but I wanted to get this up and leave it up for a while so people can read it if they want to.
Zezel wouldn't be considered one of our "greats," I guess, but he was a tremendous hockey player and just a great guy, and this trade devastated me -
one of my all-time favorites going to THAT team, my hated hometown Blues, of all places.

He wasn't the only beloved member of those Keenan era teams to be traded away too soon, and unfortunately he wasn't the only member of those teams to be lost too soon. But for this game, I wanted us to take a moment to remember him, because he deserves to live in our memories. Win or lose, we walk together forever.
Rest in peace, Z. You'll never walk alone.

************************************************************

And now for something completely different â€¦

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (20-12-4, 12-5-3 H, 8-7-1 A ) vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES (18-12-5, 13-2-4 H, 5-10-1 A )

Television: NBCSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic ( https://www.nhl.com/info/team-audio )
Streams: Posting and soliciting links to illegal streams is prohibited. Do not post or inquire about such streams.

Preview: Currently unavailable
NHL Stats: http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.htm
Flyers' Stats: http://flyers.nhl.com/club/stats.htm
Blues' Stats: https://www.nhl.com/blues/stats

Team Stats

Team | GP | Record | Home | Away | GF-GA | PP%| PK% | SF/G | SA/G
Flyers | 36 | 20-12-4 | 16-4-3 | 8-7-1 | 110-108 | 22.0 | 82.1 | 31.3 | 28.9
Blues| 35 | 18-12-5 | 13-2-4 |5-10-1 | 98-103| 21.3 | 87.4 | 28.5| 28.1

Flyers' Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philadelphiaflyers
Flyers' Twitter: https://twitter.com/NHLFlyers
Flyers' Website: http://flyers.nhl.com/index.html
Blues' Website: https://www.nhl.com/blues

FLYERS' ROSTER
Forwards

Player | No. | Pos. | Shot | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Place of Birth
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare |78 |LW |L |6' 0" |198 |Mar 6, 1985|Le Blanc-Mesnil, FRA
Nick Cousins |25 |C |L |5' 10" |188 |Jul 20, 1993| Belleville, ON, CAN
Sean Couturier |14| C |L |6' 3" |211 |Dec 7, 1992 |Phoenix, AZ, USA
Claude Giroux (C) |28 |C |R |5' 11" |185 |Jan 12, 1988 |Hearst, ON, CAN
Boyd Gordon |27| C| R |6' 0" |200 |Oct 19, 1983| Unity, SK, CAN
Travis Konecny |11 |C |R |5' 10" |175 |Mar 11, 1997| London, ON, CAN
Taylor Leier | 58 | LW| L| 5' 10" | 174| Feb 15, 1994 |Saskatoon, SK, CAN
Roman Lyubimov |13| LW |R |6' 2" |207 |Jan 6, 1992 |Tver, RUS
Michael Raffl |12| LW| L| 6' 0"| 200| Dec 1, 1988| Villach, AUT
Matt Read |24| RW |R| 5' 10" |185 |Jun 14, 1986| Ilderton, ON, CAN
Brayden Schenn| 10 |C |L| 6' 1" |195| Aug 22, 1991| Saskatoon, SK, CAN
Wayne Simmonds (A) |17| RW|R| 6' 2" |185| Aug 26, 1988| Scarborough, ON, CAN
Chris VandeVelde |76| C |L |6' 2"| 190 |Mar 15, 1987| Moorhead, MN, USA
Jakub Voracek| 93| RW |L |6' 2" |214| Aug 15, 1989|Kladno, CZE
Dale Weise| 22 |RW |R |6' 2" |206 |Aug 5, 1988| Winnipeg, MB, CAN

Defensemen

Player | No. | Shot | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Place of Birth
Michael Del Zotto| 15 | L |6' 0" |195 |Jun 24, 1990 |Stouffville, ON, CAN
Shayne Gostisbehere | 53 | L |5' 11" |180 |Apr 20, 1993 |Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
Radko Gudas|3 |R |6' 0" |204 |Jun 5, 1990 |Prague, CZE
Andrew MacDonald |47 | L| 6' 1"| 204 |Sep 7, 1986| Judique, NS, CAN
Brandon Manning |23 | L| 6' 1" |205 |Jun 4, 1990 |Prince George, BC, CAN
Ivan Provorov |9 | L |6' 1"| 201 |Jan 13, 1997 |Yaroslavl, RUS
Nick Schultz |55 | L |6' 1"| 203 |Aug 25, 1982| Strasbourg, SK, CAN
Mark Streit (A) | 32 | L |5' 11" |191 |Dec 11, 1977 |Bern, CHE

Goalies

Player | No. | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Place of Birth
Steve Mason| 35 | 6' 4" |210 |May 29, 1988 |Oakville, ON, CAN
Michal Neuvirth |30 | 6' 1" |209 |Mar 23, 1988 |ÃšstÃ nad Labem, CZE
Anthony Stolarz| 41 | 6' 6" |210 |Jan 20, 1994 |Edison, NJ, USA

FLYERS' POSSIBLE LINEUP
Lines

Pairings

Name | Name
23 - Brandon Manning |53 - Shayne Gostisbehere
47 - Andrew MacDonald |9 - Ivan Provorov
3 - Radko Gudas| 15 - Michael Del Zotto

Goalies

Name | Name
35 - Steve Mason | 65 - Anthony Stolarz

FLYERS' INJURIES and SCRATCHES

FLYERS' POWER PLAY UNITS

BLUES' ROSTER
Forwards

Player | No. | Pos. | Shot | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Place of Birth
Patrik Berglund | 21 | C | L | 6' 4" | 223 | Jun 2, 1988 | VÃ¤sterÃ¥s, SWE
Kyle Brodziak | 28 | C | R | 6' 2" | 212 | May 25, 1984 | St. Paul, AB, CAN
Robby Fabbri | 15 | C | L | 5' 10" | 195 | Jan 22, 1996 | Mississauga, ON, CAN
Dmitrij Jaskin | 23 | RW | L | 6' 2" | 196 | Mar 23, 1993 | Omsk, RUS
Jori Lehtera | 12 | C | L | 6' 2" | 212 | Dec 23, 1987 | Helsinki, FIN
Wade Megan | 61 | C | L | 6' 1" | 192 | Jul 22, 1990 | Canton, NY, USA
David Perron | 57 | LW | R | 6' 0" | 200 | May 28, 1988 | Sherbrooke, QC, CAN
Ryan Reaves | 75 | RW | R | 6' 1" | 225 | Jan 20, 1987 | Winnipeg, MB, CAN
Jaden Schwartz | 17 | LW | L | 5' 10" | 188 | Jun 25, 1992 | Wilcox, SK, CAN
Paul Stastny (A) | 26 | C | L | 6' 0" | 202 | Dec 27, 1985 | Quebec City, QC, CAN
Alexander Steen (A) | 20 | LW | L | 6' 0" | 211 | Mar 1, 1984 | Winnipeg, MB, CAN
Vladimir Tarasenko (A) | 91 | RW | L | 6' 0" | 219 | Dec 13, 1991 | Yaroslavl, RUS
Scottie Upshall | 10 | RW | L | 6' 0" | 200 | Oct 7, 1983 | Fort McMurray, AB, CAN
Nail Yakupov | 64 | RW | L | 5' 11" | 195 | Oct 6, 1993 | Nizhnekamsk, RUS

Defensemen

Player | No. | Shot | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Place of Birth
Robert Bortuzzo | 41 | R | 6' 4" | 221 | Mar 18, 1989 | Thunder Bay, ON, CAN
Jay Bouwmeester | 19 | L | 6' 4" | 221 | Sep 27, 1983 | Edmonton, AB, CAN
Joel Edmundson | 6 | L | 6' 4" | 220 | Jun 28, 1993 | Brandon, MB, CAN
Carl Gunnarsson | 4 | L | 6' 2" | 197 | Nov 9, 1986 | Orebro, SWE
Brad Hunt | 77 | L | 5' 9" | 187 | Aug 24, 1988 | Maple Ridge, BC, CAN
Colton Parayko | 55 | R | 6' 6" | 226 | May 12, 1993 | St. Albert, AB, CAN
Alex Pietrangelo (C) | 27 | R | 6' 3" | 205 | Jan 18, 1990 | King City, ON, CAN
Kevin Shattenkirk (A) | 22 | R | 6' 0" | 209 | Jan 29, 1989 | New Rochelle, NY, USA

Goalies

Player | No. | Height | Weight | Date of Birth | Place of Birth
Jake Allen | 34 | 6' 2" | 203 | Aug 7, 1990 | Fredericton, NB, CAN
Carter Hutton | 40 | 6' 1" | 195 | Dec 19, 1985 | Thunder Bay, ON, CAN

http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebyseason.htm?team=PHI

Name | Link

Broad Street Hockey

| http://www.broadstreethockey.com/

Twitter

| https://twitter.com/BroadStHockey

Bucks County Courier Times

| http://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/sports/flyers/

Wayne Fish's Twitter

| https://twitter.com/waynefish1

Center Ice Philly

| http://centericephilly.com/

Anthony Mingioni's Twitter

| http://twitter.com/AnthonyMingioni

Comcast Sports Philadelphia

| http://www.csnphilly.com/pages/flyers

Tim Panaccio's Twitter

| https://twitter.com/tpanotchCSN

Courier-Post of South Jersey

| http://www.courierpostonline.com/sports/flyers

Dave Isaac's Twitter

| https://twitter.com/davegisaac

Fourth Period, The

| http://www.thefourthperiod.com/Philadelphia/

David Strehle's Twitter

| https://twitter.com/DStrehleTFP

HockeyBuzz.com

| http://www.hockeybuzz.com/team/Philadelphia-Flyers

Bill Meltzer's Twitter

| http://twitter.com/billmeltzer

Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer

| http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/

Blog

| http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/flyers

Sam Carchidi's Twitter

| http://twitter.com/broadstbull

Sons of Penn

| http://sonsofpenn.com/

Twitter

| https://twitter.com/SonsOfPenn

St. Louis Bluesâ€™ Twitter

| https://twitter.com/StLouisBlues?lang=en

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

| http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/

Jeremy Rutherford's Twitter

| https://twitter.com/jprutherford?lang=en

GAME DAY MUSIC

"Walk Idiot Walkâ€ by The Hives

Beef Invictus · Dec 23, 2016

Very excellent GDT. Good memorial.

boxcar65 · Dec 23, 2016

Great job, Captain...always liked Peter Zezel.

Hurricane28 · Dec 23, 2016

Hopefully Papa Coots is back

Striiker · Dec 23, 2016

We NEED Papa Couts back so the Hak line can be used less and so that Konecny and Simmonds can be saved from Line-Killer-Schenn.

Ruck Over · Dec 23, 2016

If Coots comes back, do you reassemble TK-Coots-Jake and put together ?-G-Simmer?

Hurricane28 · Dec 23, 2016

Unfortunately with Raffl out, they need Schenn in the top 6 unless you want Dale Weise on Line one.

When Raffl comes back

Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Konecny-Couturier-Simmonds
Read-Bellemare-Weise
VdV-Schenn-Lyubimov

Rebels57 · Dec 23, 2016

Lard Ass - El Capitain - Snake
TK - Papa Coots - Night Train

That would be my top 6 with Rafflcopter out

Striiker · Dec 23, 2016

I'd like to avoid Schenn on the top line at all costs.

I'd rather Weise, Leier, Read, or **** it toss Lyubimare up there over Schenn.

Although I would like to point out that it always seems like Schenn has his hot streaks when people have been complaining about him most, as if he does it to spite you guys. We need more Schenn hate in GDT's so he picks it up like he did a few games ago.

TCTC · Dec 23, 2016

flyersphan20 said:
Unfortunately with Raffl out, they need Schenn in the top 6 unless you want Dale Weise on Line one.

When Raffl comes back

Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Konecny-Couturier-Simmonds
Read-Bellemare-Weise
VdV-Schenn-Lyubimov

Yeah, will be interesting to see what our lineups looks like when everyone's healthy.
For now Schenn's going to replace Raffl, because they're the only two 1LW options we have.

Hurricane28 · Dec 23, 2016

Striiker said:
Although I would like to point out that it always seems like Schenn has his hot streaks when people have been complaining about him most, as if he does it to spite you guys. We need more Schenn hate in GDT's so he picks it up like he did a few games ago.

Bust of a contract. Can't score at ES at all. Needs to lose weight. Terrible possession player. Wants to play center but doesn't have the capabilities to do so. Glides around out there. Not the better looking Schenn

Is that enough?

Striiker · Dec 23, 2016

flyersphan20 said:
Bust of a contract. Can't score at ES at all. Needs to lose weight. Terrible possession player. Wants to play center but doesn't have the capabilities to do so. Glides around out there. Not the better looking Schenn

Is that enough?

No no no no no not now. It has to be said during games.

Ever see the Bradley Cooper movie "Limitless"? Well dumping on Schenn is kinda like taking that pill, he has sudden clarity and becomes productive. What you just did was make Schenns ears twitch and his head tilt to the side like a German Shepard hearing a dog whistle... but he's probably just eating a gallon of ice cream in his underwear so it's wasted. I mean sure he can suddenly name every ingredient in the tub just by taste, but it doesn't help the team too much.

Maurice of Orange · Dec 23, 2016

LorneMalvo said:
Yeah, will be interesting to see what our lineups looks like when everyone's healthy.
For now Schenn's going to replace Raffl, because they're the only two 1LW options we have.

How about trying Konecny with G and Jake, and put Schenn with Coots and Simmer.

Line 1 LW Konecny C Giroux RW Voracek
Line 2 LW Schenn C Couturier RW Simmonds
Line 3 LW VandeVelde C Bellemare RW Lyubimov
Line 4 LW Read C Cousins RW Weise

1st D-Pair LD Provorov RD MacDonald
2nd D-Pair LD Manning RD Gostisbehere
3rd D-Pair LD Del Zotto RD Gudas

Goalie's:
Starter: Mason
Backup: Stolarz

Scratched List
C Gordon or LW Leier
LD Schultz
LW Raffl + Injured
RD Streit + Injured IR
G Neuvirth + Injured LTIR
RD Alt + Injured SOIR

Leier send back to AHL, unless Raffl is placed on IR, or Gordon is placed on waivers then assigned to AHL if he clears waivers.

TCTC · Dec 23, 2016

RG3hockey said:
How about trying Konecny with G and Jake, and put Schenn with Coots and Simmer.

Line 1 LW Konecny C Giroux RW Voracek
Line 2 LW Schenn C Couturier RW Simmonds
Line 3 LW VandeVelde C Bellemare RW Lyubimov
Line 4 LW Read C Cousins RW Weise

In that case Simmonds should be on Giroux's line. TK, G and V are our 3 most creative players. They shouldn't be on the same line IMO.
And I'm not a fan of Simmonds and Schenn on the same line anyway.

Angry Hockey Dad · Dec 23, 2016

I would love to see TK on 1LW

flyersfan018 · Dec 24, 2016

Schenn plays his best with Couts. Let's hope they're reunited.

Appleyard · Dec 24, 2016

flyersfan018 said:
Schenn plays his best with Couts. Let's hope they're reunited.

Schenn has actually scored more per 60 on Couturier's wing than Giroux's over the last few years. Though he has dragged Couturier down defensively when with him as well.

I mean, I do understand the logic behind not wanting to put the 3 most creative forwards together... but Schenn - Couturier - Simmonds has worked pretty well in the past. Simmonds plays great with Couturier too, scores more at 5v5 with him than Giroux as well.

PALE PWNR · Dec 24, 2016

I think Leier deserves an opportunity in the top 6 based on his play. He's tenacious on the puck, forechecking well and creating scoring chances. Let Schenn stay at 3C and give Leier a shot with G and Voracek. TK Couts Simmonds goes back to being a thing.

Captain Dave Poulin · Dec 24, 2016

Appleyard said:
Schenn has actually scored more per 60 on Couturier's wing than Giroux's over the last few years. Though he has dragged Couturier down defensively when with him as well.

That's known as "gravitational pull" mate. It happens when one (ironically) "heavenly body" grows so large and spherical that it attains an orbit.*

* The science in this post is largely made up.

Magua · Dec 24, 2016

A common theme is that EVERYONE plays great and has "chemistry" with Couturier as their center. It's not unique to just Schenn.

Seeing how incredibly poor Schenn-Giroux-Simmonds was as a line, or Schenn-Giroux-Voracek, I don't really want to saddle Couturier with Schenn right now. He's playing awful at 5v5 and just an absolute drag.

If Read is back healthy, he'd be my choice for short-term LW1. Provides similar value to Raffl in his own way. If not? Lyubimov might be a good fit providing similar boards work and possession play as a lesser Raffl, but I think Hak is in heaven with his 76-78-13 line and won't split them.

Rebels57 · Dec 24, 2016

Magua said:
A common theme is that EVERYONE plays great and has "chemistry" with Couturier as their center. It's not unique to just Schenn.

Seeing how incredibly poor Schenn-Giroux-Simmonds was as a line, or Schenn-Giroux-Voracek, I don't really want to saddle Couturier with Schenn right now. He's playing awful at 5v5 and just an absolute drag.

If Read is back healthy, he'd be my choice for short-term LW1. Provides similar value to Raffl in his own way. If not? Lyubimov might be a good fit providing similar boards work and possession play as a lesser Raffl, but I think Hak is in heaven with his 76-78-13 line and won't split them.

But what if playing with Coots sparks him at 5v5? He was our 2nd best scorer 5v5 last year afterall..

SolidSnakeUS · Dec 25, 2016

I really hope Couts is guaranteed back and I hope that Leier stays up. The kid really deserves a shot.

KrazyKat · Dec 25, 2016

Here's what I would do

Lyubimov--Giroux--Voracek
Konecny--Couturier--Simmonds
Leier--Cousins--Schenn
VandeVelde--Bellemare--Weise

usahockey22flyers · Dec 25, 2016

Happy Holidays everyone. Lets get a win

NiceGuyDrP · Dec 26, 2016

Would be nice to get lard boy off pp1 and shift voracek over to make room for provorov at the top and open up ghost to take bombz from the point/side wall. At this point they need to do something with the power play cuz it's looking stale.

GDT: #37 | Wednesday, Dec. 28 | Flyers at Blues | 8:00 P.M.

Imaginary Cat

Revolutionary Positivity

Registered User

Angry Flyers STH/Weather Guy

Earthquake Survivor

When the revolution comes, pants will do you no gd

Angry Flyers STH/Weather Guy

Former Flyers fan

Earthquake Survivor

Registered User

Angry Flyers STH/Weather Guy

Earthquake Survivor

Wahatquenak

Registered User

Eat up Johnny

Registered User

Registered User

Registered User

Imaginary Cat

Entirely Palatable Product

Former Flyers fan

HFBoards Sponsor

Registered User

2 years away from being 2 years away

Registered User

Ad

Ad

Ad