Post-Game Talk: #50: FLYERS 1 at Rangers 0, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, 7:30 pm ET

[BiggE]

No one should ever be compared to Bobby Orr, either. The true GOAT.

I agree. No one I ever saw, could completely control a game like Orr. Even in a losing effort against the Flyers in 74, he was by far the Bruins best player and by then the knee injuries were starting to take their toll. He was so much faster than the rest of the players on the ice, that it was just ridiculous.

 

[gertbfrobe16]

No one should ever be compared to Bobby Orr, either. The true GOAT.

don cherry loves you more than words can say, after you saying this.

 

[Freddy The Fog]

He definitely was. I don't quite remember what the hype around Lemieux was like even though I was watching hockey at the time. Lindros hype was greater than anything I've seen since. He was regularly compared to Lemieux, Messier, Howe and his nickname was "The Next One" as an allusion to Gretzky. Bobby Clarke, not employed by the Flyers at the time, once said he would score 300 points a season.

Ironically Lemieux had his share of detractors in his early years, because scoring 100 or 140 points as a 20-year-old wasn't good enough. He was considered soft, a cherry-picker, not a winner, etc. Lindros was supposed to be the guy who would combine Lemieux's offensive prowess with Messier's toughness.

Saw Mario Lemieux play with Laval Voisins. (Yes. I'm old) A giant playing against boys. i

 

[Ruck Over]

Daigle is the one hockey phenom who was touted as the next thing who was truly a bust.

I just love the jab he took at Pronger draft day.
“Nobody remembers number two, boys. Nobody remembers number two.”
Alexandre Daigle ’93 (#1)

And a few years down the road, this lil gem.
“Nobody remembers number two, boys. Nobody remembers number two. Classic all-time quote. Guess who ate the sh*t sandwich on that one?”
Chris Pronger ’93 (#2)

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I agree. No one I ever saw, could completely control a game like Orr. Even in a losing effort against the Flyers in 74, he was by far the Bruins best player and by then the knee injuries were starting to take their toll. He was so much faster than the rest of the players on the ice, that it was just ridiculous.

One of the all-time great coaching jobs was by Fred Shero in the 1974 Finals. He wanted Orr to have the puck and that was a strategy many avoided.

 

[Curufinwe]

Pronger is still kind of salty about it now. He mentioned it in an interview with The Athletic last month.

 

[baudib1]

Saw Mario Lemieux play with Laval Voisins. (Yes. I'm old) A giant playing against boys. i

He pretty much looked the same in the NHL.

 

[Ruck Over]

Pronger is still kind of salty about it now. He mentioned it in an interview with The Athletic last month.

Just goes to show the intensity level differences between the two players. It'd be absurd to not consider Pronger uber'esque talented. But the man is still ****hurt over a quote from 26 years ago. If that isn't passion I'm not sure what is. That passion was channeled into his HHoF career, where the results spoke for themselves on the ice, and great quips off it.

One of these is not like the other.

Ruck you going to the stadium series game? Would love to link up again

Doubtful I'm headed to the game, but would totally be down for a catch-up and a beverage or two.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Probably the best comparison I can think of for Daigle’s pre-draft hype is Vinny Lecavalier.

 

[youthoftoday]

The 5 forward PP needs to go away. They all look awkward and out of place. At least earlier in the season they were getting set up in the zone and at least attempting shots, just not scoring. Now, they barely have any possession. It is amazing to see how bad this unit has become after being top 10 just a few years ago with pretty much the same personnel.
Remember not too long ago when we couldn't score 5 on 5. We reverse that and the PP goes away. Why can't we have nice things!

 

[BiggE]

One of the all-time great coaching jobs was by Fred Shero in the 1974 Finals. He wanted Orr to have the puck and that was a strategy many avoided.

Yup, he knew the Bruins would play him upwards of 35 minutes a night and he was smart enough to employ the strategy of dumping the puck in Orr's corner constantly, forcing him to go in deep for puck retrieval and then making sure to get a body on him. Orr later admitted that by game 6 he was just worn down and spent.

 

[Don Nachbaur 26]

Pronger is still kind of salty about it now. He mentioned it in an interview with The Athletic last month.

Is the Athletic worth it?

 

[baudib1]

Probably the best comparison I can think of for Daigle’s pre-draft hype is Vinny Lecavalier.

Kinda. I think Daigle had more Canadian national hype, being from Montreal and being slated to go to Ottawa. He was very charismatic, too. I don't remember THN articles about Lecavalier when he was 16, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[Ruck Over]

Is the Athletic worth it?

If you only want to read about the Flyers, no it is not. If you have an interest in the Flyers, the NHL, and potentially another team/sport, then most definitely it is.

Once upon a time, coverage was limited to which teams were in cities with Athletic staffers. I did not become a member until they expanded to Philadelphia, although I was aware of them prior to that. They now cover every team of the major 4 N.A. sports. There are also writers for multiple collegiate CFB and MBB teams, and a big range of soccer teams.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Is the Athletic worth it?

I can see thinking it’s not worth it if all you’re interested in is the Flyers, as that only gives you a few writers, as good as they may be — Charlie, Appleyard, etc, but that’s something up to the individual.

If you’re a general sports fan, it’s just fantastic. The more teams/sports that interest you, the better it gets. I’m overwhelmed with quality content and I can count on one hand the people whose pieces I just avoid — Pronman, Matt Gelb, and I’m pretty much done.

The Comments sections are generally pretty good too. Writers respond and civility is required.

*Edit* Guess I’m not alone in that take.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Just goes to show the intensity level differences between the two players. It'd be absurd to not consider Pronger uber'esque talented. But the man is still ******** over a quote from 26 years ago. If that isn't passion I'm not sure what is. That passion was channeled into his HHoF career, where the results spoke for themselves on the ice, and great quips off it.

"Passion" is one way to look at it. For me, he has always been just a huge ***hole, and still is. I'm alone in this, because you guys don't care that he played for St. Louis and Edmonton, but playing for them, in addition to just being an ***hole, isn't erased for me because he played for a very short time for us.

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything - it's just that for me, he can **** off.

 

[baudib1]

Gelb is the worst.

I think Charlie/LeBrun and a couple other hockey writers alone make it worth it. If you're into the Eagles and Sheil, it's definitely worth it.

 

[Ruck Over]

"Passion" is one way to look at it. For me, he has always been just a huge ***hole, and still is. I'm alone in this, because you guys don't care that he played for St. Louis and Edmonton, but playing for them, in addition to just being an ***hole, isn't erased for me because he played for a very short time for us.

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything - it's just that for me, he can **** off.

One can be an asshole and still suck though. I won't quibble about being an asshole, he totally is one. And I don't have the hate for former Blues affiliation. That he got Edmonton to a Cup, and then immediately demanded a trade out because his wife didn't like it there, he gets a pass for the Oilers time. It's not like he chose to go to Edmonton, but he promptly chose to make it clear he wanted out.

 

[Don Nachbaur 26]

If you only want to read about the Flyers, no it is not. If you have an interest in the Flyers, the NHL, and potentially another team/sport, then most definitely it is.

Once upon a time, coverage was limited to which teams were in cities with Athletic staffers. I did not become a member until they expanded to Philadelphia, although I was aware of them prior to that. They now cover every team of the major 4 N.A. sports. There are also writers for multiple collegiate CFB and MBB teams, and a big range of soccer teams.

I can see thinking it’s not worth it if all you’re interested in is the Flyers, as that only gives you a few writers, as good as they may be — Charlie, Appleyard, etc, but that’s something up to the individual.

If you’re a general sports fan, it’s just fantastic. The more teams/sports that interest you, the better it gets. I’m overwhelmed with quality content and I can count on one hand the people whose pieces I just avoid — Pronman, Matt Gelb, and I’m pretty much done.

The Comments sections are generally pretty good too. Writers respond and civility is required.

*Edit* Guess I’m not alone in that take.

Thanks guys.

 

[Fire Tortorella]

Is the Athletic worth it?

100%. The only sports or news coverage that I'll gladly pay for.

 

[deadhead]

What's changed under Gordon is that the bad players have moved down the lineup. Even in the AHL his systems had obvious flaws, but unlike Hakstol he doesn't overplay "safe & reliable" vets.

Hagg has gone from playing his offside on the top pairing (ridiculous), to playing his strong side on the 3rd pairing (sensible).

When Folin gets in the lineup he gets 12 minutes. Under Hak he was averaging 17+ when he played.

This gets exaggerated, basically Sanheim is getting 5 more minutes on the 1st line, and Hagg and Ghost have had their roles reduced.
Weise and Lehtera were benched to start the year, they've been replaced by Varone and Vorobyev, so far I don't see any difference.

The biggest change was moving Giroux to center, which I think was done to give JVR a better center, but it means they don't have a true 1st line, the Couts line is the closest, the Giroux line can't play defense. That moves Laughton up to 3LW, but weakens the 4th line. When you lack depth, you can only shuffle pieces around.

The team is playing better b/c they've gone from the worst goalies in the league to the best over the last ten games or so.

Gordon's strong point is communication with young players, which is why he was the AHL coach in the first place.

 

[Adtar02]

This gets exaggerated, basically Sanheim is getting 5 more minutes on the 1st line, and Hagg and Ghost have had their roles reduced.
Weise and Lehtera were benched to start the year, they've been replaced by Varone and Vorobyev, so far I don't see any difference.

The biggest change was moving Giroux to center, which I think was done to give JVR a better center, but it means they don't have a true 1st line, the Couts line is the closest, the Giroux line can't play defense. That moves Laughton up to 3LW, but weakens the 4th line. When you lack depth, you can only shuffle pieces around.

The team is playing better b/c they've gone from the worst goalies in the league to the best over the last ten games or so.

Gordon's strong point is communication with young players, which is why he was the AHL coach in the first place.

Again just cause your hero was rightfully fired. Doesn’t give you the right to lie and make things up.

 

[deadhead]

And it doesn't give you the right to call anyone a liar, especially when he's stating the obvious (except for the obtuse) truth.
The hate for Hakstol leads many here to say stupid things that simply can't be verified.
Go check the TOI, everything I said is a fact. Check the Corsi and scoring chances for and against.

The biggest difference with Hakstol gone is goaltending. And that was simply luck, Hart might have folded, we'll see over the next month if Stolarz is for real. Nor did Elliott collapse from overwork, neither last year or this year, that's also a myth without factual support (last year he played 5 games in three weeks and got hurt, this year he never played a back to back). Neuvirth stepped on the ice and got hurt, Pickard couldn't play, Lyon wasn't ready (notice how well he's played at LHV the last couple months, S% is up to .920 after a horrible start).

The only other difference is Gordon communicates better with young players, which is why he was the AHL coach in the first place, player development was his primary responsibility at LHV.

If we've learned anything this season, the core problem is lack of depth and too many players who don't fit together.
Which is why I expect Fletcher to make major changes this summer, he's not blind.

 

[marcsson68]

What's changed under Gordon is that the bad players have moved down the lineup. Even in the AHL his systems had obvious flaws, but unlike Hakstol he doesn't overplay "safe & reliable" vets.

Hagg has gone from playing his offside on the top pairing (ridiculous), to playing his strong side on the 3rd pairing (sensible).

When Folin gets in the lineup he gets 12 minutes. Under Hak he was averaging 17+ when he played.

It ist true that he has changed this. And I absolutely think the changes make sense.
But it is also true that this has little effect so far. We had close low scoring games with Hakstol and we do have them still. The only significant difference is that our goalies are a helpful part of the team now. Under Hakstol the same game in New York would have ended in an OT loss. And everybody would´ve shouted: "That damn Hakshell".

 

[Curufinwe]

Is the Athletic worth it?

I got a year's sub for $30 and so far I think it's worth it.

I signed up the day after Hak was fired.