HockeyBuzz: Bill Meltzer

[VanFlyer]

While I can't stand Eklund, is Bill Meltzer not the best Flyers hockey beat writer? Living overseas and mostly watching choppy online feeds, its refreshing to read Meltzer's game notes as well as his general info / musings. Meltzer puts an insane amount of detail, almost play-by-play in his recaps and by and large shows very little homerism or orange tinted glasses. Always refreshing!!!

Kudos to Meltzer!!

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Bill-Meltzer/Wrapup-Flyers-Push-Closer-to-Playoffs-Down-Ottawa-3-2/45/76025

Click to read more...

 

[bb12]

Didn't know Meltz wasn't living in North America. Seems like the best flyers writers are over seas!

meltzer and appleyard

P.s. Take some notes Timmy and Sam

 

[Roo Mad Bro]

Didn't know Meltz wasn't living in North America. Seems like the best flyers writers are over seas!

meltzer and appleyard

P.s. Take some notes Timmy and Sam

I think you misread OP. He's saying that he is overseas, not Meltzer.

But yes, Meltzer is the best IMO.

 

[bb12]

I think you misread OP. He's saying that he is overseas, not Meltzer.

But yes, Meltzer is the best IMO.

Makes so much more sense! I guess I should read every word

 

[CutOnDime97]

Meltzer is definitely one of the best. And he occasionally posts on here.

 

[Larry44]

Meltzer is definitely one of the best. And he occasionally posts on here.

Bill started doing game reports on the old alt.nhl.philadelphia.flyers usenet group in the early days of the worldwide web circa 1995, then on the OrangeandBlack.net as well as on here. Had the pleasure of meeting him in '99 in Philly with Dave Kilgore (another original).

I will take credit for being one of the people he shared a couple early articles with for feedback when he was starting out trying to sell his work freelance. I told him to go for it and I'm very glad he did - we have all benefiitted greatly by his efforts. He is unquestionably the best Flyers writer and has been for 15 years. And he's a great guy too!

 

[lancer247]

I ripped Cataldi for calling Panaccio a great flyers beat writer. Told him they should get Meltzer on for real insight. Pretty sure he cut me off.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Meltzer is so good I turn off my ad blockers and give Eklund tiny amounts of money willingly.

 

[cheesesteakarmor]

Bill is a gem, and we are grateful to have him as a writer. Bill, if you see this, thank you!

 

[VanFlyer]

I think you misread OP. He's saying that he is overseas, not Meltzer.

But yes, Meltzer is the best IMO.

Thanks for the help and correct, I am overseas. Cheers

 

[Vikke]

He's great.
I also really, really enjoy Charlie at Broad Street Hockey, especially his "10 things we've learned" or whatever it's called after each game.

Plus, Appleyard of course. There's a lot to read at Sons of Penn, as well.

 

[Hiesenberg]

If you stop following the main beats and read guys like Charlie/Bill and some of the guys at Son of Penn, the Flyers are that much more enjoyable.

 

[xxjimmypxx]

Meltzer is so good I turn off my ad blockers and give Eklund tiny amounts of money willingly.

I hate clicking his links just because it's lining Eklunds pockets but I do too. I noticed he wrote for another site a few weeks ago too, Flyerdelphia.

 

[StateOfHexcellence]

If you stop following the main beats and read guys like Charlie/Bill and some of the guys at Son of Penn, the Flyers are that much more enjoyable.

This

 

[Rebels57]

One thing we can all agree on is that reading Panaccio or Carchidi is mind-numbing waste of time.

 

[Hockeypete49]

Meltzer is definitely one of the best.

Yep, I am with you.

 

[Alex91]

Bill summer post like pre and post draft, and development camps are my favs. Since he changed his pre game and post game format I haven't read them everyday, which is no reflection on him, I know tons of people enjoy the header style. It also may because I watch every game now and follow @billmetzer and @davegisaac on Twitter.
I notice he hasn't been posting much about the prospects since HS went down. I member reading up about morin NAK and Laughton every morning when I was in school through his blog. I also miss reading the one guy on HB, think it was Adam French, he could be a flyers hater at times but he seemed to know lots about some prospects

 

[Vikke]

Yeah, I forgot about Dave Isaac. He's good.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Isaac seems to be getting some scoops lately on unreported news. We desperately need a reporter who can break news & do so reliably.

My favorite was when Panotch had to write that article on HockeyBuzz about how the Flyers should strip Giroux of the "C" a summer or two go ago. I imagine he had to do so because CSNPhilly wouldn't have signed off on such garbage to be displayed on their website.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

To echo others, I would love it if Dave Isaac became the go-to mainstream news beat writer. He knows the league and understands how important it is to interact with people these days.

Besides Meltzer, I enjoy Charlie O'Connor at BSH for deeper dives, Sons of Penn for gifs and such, and of course Appleyard's writing here and elsewhere.

If I want a fluff piece heaping praise on Andrew MacDonald, I'll read philly.com. What a wonderful decision laying off a young writer with promise like Jeff Neiburg to pay the usual suspects more to write that drivel. He has to give Carchidi info, right?

My favorite was when Panotch had to write that article on HockeyBuzz about how the Flyers should strip Giroux of the "C" a summer or two go ago. I imagine he had to do so because CSNPhilly wouldn't have signed off on such garbage to be displayed on their website.

Oh god. Was this when he grabbed the cop's butt?

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Oh god. Was this when he grabbed the cop's butt?

Yeah around that summer, basically Giroux was immature & an embarrassment to the organization for his run of off the ice transgressions a couple of summers there (the golfing incident as well as the cop's butt incident). He wanted the organization to strip Giroux of the "C". Pretty positive that was the gist of it.

 

[Sawdalite]

I've met Bill and besides his Hockey knowledge and sense/rational-outlook, he is a wonderful person and family man... a real great guy.

On the hockey front I find him with his feet planed on the ground, calling a spade a spade and disputing the popular sexy feelings that many fans mistakenly have... While not having been alive during he earlier Seasons of Flyers History, Bill has a firm grasp and appreciation of the past players and Organization... Bill has championed causes that he felt just, and fought battles against wrong finger pointing.

It is eerie just how often I agree with Bill's views... While he is by no means a Homer, he loves the Flyers and is a true fan a hear... but one who is not afraid to be honest about them and their play... I love how Bill also calls the ShootOut a Skills Competition and snidely denounces them whenever possible... And I was so happy to have him on the side of getting Jimmy Watson in the Flyers Hall of Fame over all these many years he has wrongfully been left out... Bill is a Beat Writer like no other... He painstakingly goes into deep detail on every Game... at times it seems to be a play by play... He knows the Prospects like no other Beat and does not merely go through the motions on them... He is a specialist on the European Players and an expert on Pelle Lindbergh... He has a sense of humor but mostly sticks to business in a professional way... He makes sure to answer Tweets, no matter how trivial the question. If all Beats were a quarter of what Bill is, the Flyers Fans would be so much better off... I have stopped reading most Beats and just follow their Tweets which are cookie cutter at best and all the same stuff that comes off the Flyers Info source... it seems only Bill actually does more that merely pass on released information.

And as other have noted, Bill post on here and HB etal Fan Boards... It would be so great if other Media outlets would grab Bill rather than the usual Flyers hacks who know a fraction of what Bill does, and have little to no hockey sense... merely opinions like we fans do. We are so lucky to have Bill... and so available to us.

 

[Curufinwe]

Yeah, I forgot about Dave Isaac. He's good.

But very thin skinned. Last time Stolie was up he was predicting Mason would get pulled for him after one period and two goals. When I had him on about how unrealistic that was, he blocked me.

It was obvious then, and even more obvious now, that Hak is loathe to put Stolarz in.

 

[Hiesenberg]

If anybody hasn't read Bills write up on Snider, please do so. Fantastic piece.

Also, he's paired up with Jay Greenberg to write something for the Flyers, so the team themselves certainly knows he's a talented writer.

I wish Bill the best of luck and hope he gets a shot at the big time, but part of me is scared, he'll be forced to write puff pieces on Mason not being a #1, so he gets clicks.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I actually liked Anthony San Filippo but I don't know what the hell happened to him. He worked for the Flyers that one year & that was it for whatever reason.