This Guy...

...well, the version of him that's ten or so years older than when this picture appeared in the Flyers' 2003-04 Pictorial Yearbook (not just a yearbook, a Pictorial yearbook)...just won the Conn Smythe trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. Justin Williams of the Los Angeles Kings won his third Cup since being traded from the Flyers in 2004.

And hey, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter won their second Cup since they were traded by the Flyers. Are we sensing something about the Flyers' player evaluation over the years? But this is not about the Flyers or Richards or Carter. This is about Justin Williams. He's woefully overdressed in this photo.

Things I'm Not Buying

Two categories here...

Things I'm Not Buying...Yet...

1) The explanation that Manti Te'o is the victim of a hoax. There are too many inconsistencies -- the reports that flat-out said he met this girlfriend of his, who supposedly died of leukemia but as it turns out never actually existed, in person; varying reports saying she died just before the death of his grandmother, while others said she died after the grandmother died; and lots of other things in the Deadspin report. Also, the fact that Notre Dame hired an outside firm to conduct an investigation but isn't releasing the name of the outfit that they hired to conduct it, or the firm's report itself, seems a bit questionable. It'll be interesting to hear what Te'o himself says, and if the media does some digging of its own -- especially the "mainstream" media (such as ESPN), who ought to be angry that their outlets once again got scooped by a website.

2) Chip Kelly as Eagles' head coach. Sure, he ran up tremendous offensive numbers at Oregon and had a 46-7 record there. And sure, some of his offense's tactics are being adapted by NFL teams such as the New England Patriots. But can Kelly's offense in full work in the NFL? There are much better defenses in the NFL than in the Pac-8, or 10,  or 12, or whatever number they are now. And Nick Foles may not be ideally suited to such an offense. Will Kelly water it down immediately or will he try it in full at first, then dumb it down if it doesn't work? And even if he can get the offense in gear, the Eagles' defense is a huge mess. Kelly and the guy who ends up becoming defensive coordinator have a lot of work to do. Lots of WIP callers are, as usual, overreacting, saying the hiring of Kelly is a disaster. I'm not willing to go that far. But I am skeptical. And it bothers me (whether it should or not) that he initially decided not to take the job, and then changed his mind. According to one report I saw a mutual friend of Kelly and Eagles' GM Howie Roseman supposedly told Roseman that Kelly's mind could be changed.

3) The return of the NHL. I don't know if it's the recent lessening of my intense level of interest in sports in general or because the NHL was a joke for being shut down by a union-management bitchfest to begin with, but I'm not overly excited about the return of the Flyers. Maybe seeing a game will help in that regard. I don't know.

Things I'm Not Buying...At All...

The likelihood that extensive reform of gun laws will actually occur. Even if Democrats unite, it won't pass Congress without Republicans, and they are enslaved by the NRA and the Tea Party maniacs. I still believe everything I said here.

Sleepy New Year

It's about 1 a.m. as I begin writing this, and I'm actually thinking of going to bed soon. I guess the rum I added to the diet Pepsi tonight is making me a little sleepy even though I was not up early this morning by any means. Anyway, it's 2013. Let's hope things are much better than they were in 2012. So much needs improvement: the economy is still a mess, the political system is failing to fix it (because the Republican party somehow finds itself enslaved by the Tea Party extremists -- doesn't any of them realize that these nuts are destroying their party's hopes of winning the White House for the next 20-30 years?), the Eagles turned out to be a disaster and the Phillies are on the verge of a similar fate (unless their old, now injury-prone stars discover the fountain of youth), the NHL doesn't even exist right now -- and that's not to mention the usual hurricanes, earthquakes, crime, war, etc. I could go on but like I said, I'm sleepy. Happy New Year. Please?

Holy Cow, A Sports Blog Post!

I was planning to write a little post about the Eagles, with their season beginning tomorrow and all, but events have inspired me to make this post about a few different topics.

For one, the Phillies are 6 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the second NL Wild Card because the Cards lost while the Phils, after a long delay, were rained out. People think of last year, when other teams made huge comebacks to get into the playoffs -- that very same St. Louis team not only got in, but eliminated the Phillies and won the World Series -- and think that the Phils could do the same.

But it's so extremely unlikely. The Phils have to pass not only the Cards, but the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Pirates and Brewers. The Pirates are fading fast. (Sorry, Kurt.) They're 9-19 over the last month. But the Brewers are on fire, 15-4 in their last 19. In addition, the Phils have no games left against any of these teams, which means even if they finish strong, they'll have to rely on all of these other teams losing enough games to get the Phils in. So there's really no reason at this point to get excited.

On another baseball note, normally I'd enjoy a team that's been an underdog for so long making a strong run at a championship. But then there's the Washington Nationals. From this spring's sad attempt to keep Phils fans out of their ballpark, to Jayson Werth's various comments since he left town, to their butthead general manager whining like a baby when Cole Hamels hit their hyped rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch, to their continued mediocre attendance despite a new ballpark and a winning team, I've developed a bit of a dislike for the Nats.

And the last straw is how they've completely mishandled Stephen Strasburg.

You Can Play, But How About Simmonds?

Needless to say, I'm pleased about the You Can Play project, with its simple yet clear message encouraging equality for LGBT athletes: "If you can play, you can play." It's spearheaded by Flyers scout Patrick Burke, powerfully carrying on his brother Brendan's legacy. The fact that two Flyers (at least so far), Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell, have taken part in the initial public-service announcement (see below) is even better.



(Hartnell's comments to the Philadelphia Daily News, by the way: "It was a no-brainer...we live in a diverse country. It's not a white man's sport. There's all sorts of nationalities in our sport. We encourage everyone to play. It's a great sport. Everyone has fun with it, especially when you're a kid. It's not just about sport, but you learn a lot of things about real life and becoming a team.")

I've been ambivalent about the Flyers this season because of the Wayne Simmonds preseason f-bomb incident. I do feel less ambivalent now, but I still can't entirely let go of it. The fact remains that after that game his stance was "you say things in the heat of battle" and the next day, on advice of -- well, who knows? NHL players' union? Team official? Agent? - he lied that he didn't saying it. The phony non-apology we often get in these situations would have been preferable to this. And it still bothers me that, at least for public consumption, Patrick Burke hasn't gone beyond what he was quoted as saying in the article I discussed in the above-linked post. I can understand why -- he works for the Flyers, after all -- but it still irks me.

Am I being too stubborn, or ridiculous? Is it too much to ask for Wayne Simmonds to at least be honest, if not contrite? Maybe at some point he should join the other players participating in the You Can Play videos. Maybe then I'd feel better.

More Gay Media Fail, More Flyers Annoyance

Okay, I don't want to keep picking on writers for gay media outlets when they delve into the world of sports. (Of course, I'm talking about the mainstream outlets and not sites like Outsports or Wide Rights.) Whether it's just that this particular writer isn't that familiar with sports, or is trying to dumb down the article to try and appeal to an audience that isn't sports-friendly or sports-knowledgable, I don't know. But this article from the Philadelphia Gay News about Flyers' scout Patrick Burke, brother of Brendan Burke, regarding Patrick's advocacy on behalf of LGBT issues, has a flaw. The beginning of the article refers to Patrick Burke as "a recruiter for the Philadelphia Flyers," as does the headline. Ummmm, no. He's a scout, not a recruiter. Colleges recruit athletes. Professional teams don't.

(Well, I suppose the process of signing high-priced free agents is a form of recruitment, but that is handled by front-office personnel much higher up the food chain.)

Meanwhile, the article mentions the Wayne Simmonds incident...

Flyers player Wayne Simmonds was criticized for allegedly using a slur during a game that was caught on camera, although, because there was no sound on the video, he did not face a fine or other repercussions, as some other professional sports players have.

Burke noted that he has never spoken with Simmonds — or most other Flyers players, as he is based in Boston and his role as a scout keeps him on the road most of the season.

He said he could not comment on the specific incident because of legalities but did say that the NHL’s follow-up is an important, yet often overlooked, addition to the story.

“The NHL released a statement in the aftermath where they announced that going forward the league would treat gay slurs in the same way they do racist comments. They took a firm stance that gay slurs are not acceptable,” Burke said. “That got lost in everything else that was going on, but I think it was a very important statement and one that other leagues are now starting to follow up with. But I think the NHL is well ahead of some other leagues in encouraging diversity and a safe atmosphere for gay athletes.”

I don't think the league's follow-up has been overlooked. I think the entire story has been overlooked.

MixBlog 10-27-11

I need to put some content up here so the twelve or so of you who are actually reading this stuff (as compared to all the hits I get from people doing Google searches for pictures of shirtless guys*) continue to stop by, so here are some little observations...

Baseball: Right now I'm watching Game 6 of the World Series. It's kind of bizarre. It's 4-4 in the 6th as I write this and both the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals seem to be trying to give the game away with various displays of ineptitude. If they're this mistake-prone in Game 6, what happens if the Cards tie the series and they have to play the dreaded all-or-nothing Game 7? Update: 7-4 Texas in the 7th. Will this game end before I finish this post?

Hockey: Speaking of mistake-prone, I had the Flyers game on earlier. They were playing the Atlanta Thrashers Winnipeg Jets 2.0, who came into the game with a 2-5-1 record, at the Whatever-The-Bank's-Called-This-Week Center. Last night the Flyers lost at Montreal by a 5-1 score. The Canadiens were 1-5-2 before beating the Flyers and hadn't won a home game. So you had to figure the Flyers would be kind of desperate to put together a solid effort.

They fell behind 5-1 in the second period. I tweeted about it at the time and used these hashtags: #karma #apologizesimmonds (referring to this). After the teams traded goals, the Flyers then scored two more in the second and three in the first three minutes of the third period to take a 7-6 lead. I was worried that my tweet was serving as a reverse jinx.

Wayne Simmonds Joins DeSean On My Dislike List

It looks like I'm down to two Philadelphia teams now. Granted, I'm not much of a fan of the NBA but I still root for the Sixers. But the NBA is in a lockout that seems to have no end in sight. That leaves the Phillies, who tied their franchise record with 101 wins, with one more game to try and break it before they begin postseason play on Saturday.

But wait -- what about the Flyers and the Eagles?

I've discussed my Eagles conundrum regarding DeSean Jackson enough times. If it weren't already obvious that neither the team nor the NFL plan to do anything about Jackson's anti-gay slur, it became a given when reports surfaced that the NFL and its players agreed that only eight players were subject to suspensions for actions that occurred during the lockout. So right now, for all I care Jackson can take his non-apology and go to hell, sans contract extension. And the Eagles, for all their arrogance in just about everything they do, can do the same. I have yet to wear an Eagles t-shirt or jersey this season -- that used to be standard practice on game days. I will still watch the games. I will not at this point root against them, but right now I can't root for them either. So their falling to 1-2 and last place in the NFC East after an absurdly lame defensive and coaching performance Sunday against the New York Giants didn't really bother me much.

The Flyers situation I'm faced with is a bit worse in two respects.

Flyers: Back To The Drawing Board?

So last week I was talking to my friend Kurt on the phone as I had just begun checking out my usual online haunts. My browser's home page is Yahoo.com, and it was there I saw a headline. "The Flyers traded Jeff Carter," I said to Kurt rather nonchalantly. I was sort of expecting it. Carter has scored a lot of goals but isn't quite as strong defensively as he could or should be, and seems to disappear at times, particularly in the playoffs. With the Flyers needing to clear salary in order to sign goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, having acquired his rights in a trade in order to have exclusive negotiating rights before free agency (which begins at noon today), Carter was the most obvious candidate. His salary is high but he's got enough talent that teams would want him, and Columbus was the team that ended up getting him.

Kurt and I kept talking, and I moved on from the Yahoo article, and clicked on Philly.com. There, I saw something that made me yell into the phone.

"OH MY GOD!"
"What is it?"
"THEY TRADED MIKE RICHARDS TOO!!!"

2011 Stanley Cup Finals

So it's Vancouver vs. Boston in the Stanley Cup finals -- not Vancouver vs. Tampa Bay, as I predicted. This makes me 8-6 overall in series predictions, and I continue to be pathetic with my East series picks, now 2-5. Not that the Lightning didn't try. They forced a 7th game in Boston and it was scoreless into the third period of that last game. The fact that the Bruins won that game 1-0 made the ComcastNBCUniversalVersus conglomerate happy, because they'll draw better ratings numbers with the Boston market (as opposed to Boston Market) involved.

But my pick is Vancouver. Why? (Besides the fact that they're a Western team and my picks involving the West have been so much better?)  Because they finally look like they're living up to their potential after dispatching San Jose in 5 games in the Western Conference finals. Because I think they're the deeper team. Because I think Roberto Luongo is still a better goaltender than Tim Thomas. Because I can't stand the thought of yet another championship for the city of Boston. And because if the Canucks don't win this year, Canada -- which hasn't had a Cup winner since 1993 -- may never win a Cup again, even with the Atlanta Thrashers moving to Winnipeg and becoming Canada's seventh NHL team. Canucks in 6.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals

Welcome back to this year's edition of "Joe Throws Darts at Hockey Teams," also known as my predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs. I got the Western Conference perfectly in the last round (Canucks in 6, Sharks in 7). My Eastern Conference picks (Flyers in 6, Capitals in 6) crashed and burned, as the two top seeds were both swept. So I'm 7-5 overall -- but only 2-4 in the East series, featuring the teams I actually see most often. Familiarity breeds stupidity? Now, to the NHL's final four...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning - Both teams had to rally to win their first-round series and swept through the second round. Both teams have been sitting around for over a week thanks to their sweeps. I'm not sure this gives either team a particular advantage. It might make for a sloppy start, if the teams have to shake off the rust. Boston is the better team, and should win. Then again, Tampa Bay has already defeated Pittsburgh and Washington. Plus, I apparently know nothing about the Eastern Conference, so I'm going with the upset. Take this with a few thousand grains of salt. Lightning in 6.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (2) San Jose Sharks - These two teams, both with reputations as playoff underachievers in recent years, are apparently going to spend this series trying to give the other team the series. The Canucks blew a 3-0 lead in the first round before finishing off Chicago in Game 7. The Sharks followed the same pattern in the second round against Detroit. Both teams had trouble in their other matchup as well before winning in 6 (Vancouver over Nashville, San Jose over Los Angeles). Because of this, what should be an excellent series might be a very weird one. Canucks in 7.

NY Rangers' Sean Avery For Marriage Equality

Obnoxious on the ice, but great off it. I guess that's the way to describe New York Rangers forward Sean Avery, who just filmed an ad in support of marriage equality in New York:



Here's a link to the New York Times article, in case you pay the Times for access or haven't hit the monthly limit of 20 free articles.

Avery has spoken out previously about how he'd support an openly gay player in the NHL. He also got naked for a t-shirt for a campaign to fight skin cancer and raise funds for cancer research at NYU:

Still don't ever want him to play for the Flyers. Then again, considering the weak end to their season, maybe they need an attitude adjustment.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Semifinals

I didn't do too badly with my first-round predictions. Canucks in 7, Bruins in 7, Sharks in 6, Capitals in 5 -- perfect. Red Wings won in 4 instead of 5. Close enough. And although the Lightning did win in 7 over Pittsburgh, I did say that I was concerned about the Penguins if Sidney Crosby didn't play. He didn't. Pittsburgh had a 3-1 series lead, though, and then fell apart. I had Anaheim over Nashville in 6, but the Predators won. (I still don't think they're going to the finals, though.) And then there was the Flyers-Sabres series, in which Ryan Miller stole one game from the Flyers and Brian Boucher basically gave away another one. Of the other five games, the Flyers won four of them even with some of the weirdest goaltending twists and turns I've ever seen.

So, 5-3 in the first round. As for the next round (which begins tonight for one series and Saturday for the Flyers)...

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (5) Nashville Predators - The top regular-season team nearly had a meltdown for the ages in the first round before finally finishing off the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks in the 7th game. They should be able to handle Nashville with a little less difficulty. Canucks in 6.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings - Does it seem these teams meet every year in the playoffs? They were matched up in this round last year and the Sharks won in 5. But last year the Wings' first round was a tough 7-game series over Detroit. This year they mopped the floor with the former (and future?) Winnipeg Jets, so they'll put up a better fight against San Jose, but... Sharks in 7.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning - I think the Capitals may finally be ready to make a serious Cup run. There were moments in the first round where it seemed that they would fall apart and make an early exit again, but here they are. Capitals in 6.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins - Another series that's a rematch from last year, and we all remember how that turned out... I underestimated the Flyers after their lazy finish to the regular season. They were solid against Buffalo throughout that series, and were an absolute machine in the clinching Game 7. And Chris Pronger's presence gave a jump to their power play. Despite the goalie issues (again)... Flyers in 6.

Flyers: Stanley Cup...Drag Race?

It could happen. Well, maybe (definitely) not, but in my odd little mind I like to imagine that, after the seventh and final game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Flyers and Sabres went seven overtime periods with neither team able to score, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman decreed that the time had come...for the two teams to lip-sync for their lives before RuPaul!  And then...

"I've made my decision...Philadelphia Flyers...chanté, you stay!"

"Buffalo Sabres...you made a strong run to get into this competition and acquitted yourself well. You may go on to greater things if you believe in yourself and continue to work hard. However, your gas-fracking owner supports evil Republican governors. And that, my dears, is something none of us should abide.

"Now...sashay...away."

(Keep in mind that you get what you pay for here, especially at 2:55 am.)

Birthday/Flyers-Sabres Live Blog

It won't be quite as interesting without the Phillies and Sixers, but I'm going to live-blog the Flyers-Sabres Eastern Conference Game 4 starting at 7:30 pm (that's EDT if anyone in other time zones actually reads this). I'll probably throw in random comments on other stuff as well, including whatever games I find on my TV between periods of the Flyers game.

The benefit of this is that your Twitter and Facebook timelines won't be bombarded by my posts, as everything I say will be right here. Updates will commence around 7:30, just as the telecast begins. Just keep refreshing this page.

Oh, and did I mention that I'll be enhancing my brainpower with rum and diet Pepsi? ;-)

7:33 pm: First drink poured. LET'S GO FLYERS! Here it's on Comcast Sportsnet while Versus is showing Capitals-Rangers Game 4. Not sure what the rest of the nation is seeing on Versus.

7:37: First drink sipped. A bit strong. I can't get too drunk or I'll forget to put the trash out for tomorrow. Come on, game, begin!

7:40: And yes, this is a weird way to spend a birthday. Ooooh -- it's begun!

7:44: Game is on Versus in Washington and New York (so the rest of the nation is seeing Caps-Rangers). Sabres have come out aggressive, as you'd expect since they're behind 2-1 in the series.

2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Quarterfinals

Once again, I'll offer predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs, the finest professional sports postseason there is. The usual caveat -- other than the Flyers, my fountain of knowledge of teams is limited at best, so if you're looking for "expert" analysis you won't find much here. And as I'm writing this two or three of the series-opening games have already started, but I only know one partial score and it's not affecting my pick for that series. I've been watching the Phillies anyway, since the Flyers don't begin until tomorrow night.

By the way, did you know that there are three teams based in California in the playoffs, but only two from our hockey-crazed neighbors to the north? Woe, Canada...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) New York Rangers - The Rangers made a late run, then kind of backed into the playoffs at the end. Capitals in 5.
(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres - see below. Yes, I'm being a tease again.
(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Montreal Canadiens - This should be a war. Bruins in 7.
(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning - Penguins in 6, although it worries me that they're still playing without Sidney Crosby.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Chicago Blackhawks - This should be great even though the defending Cup champs backed in (even moreso than did the Rangers) on the last day of the season. Canucks in 7.
(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings - Thanks to some of their employees (on- and off-ice) who used to work here, the Kings are kind of like Flyers West, so I wouldn't be sad to see them make a run, but they have some injury issues (just like Flyers East often has!) and the Sharks are better anyway. Sharks in 6.
(3) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes - Please, dear (insert your preferred deity/deities here), get that team out of Phoenix once and for all, please? Red Wings in 5.
(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Nashville Predators - I can honestly say I know very little about either of these teams. However, I read that Flyers color analyst/Versus studio cohost Keith Jones says the Predators are going to be in the Stanley Cup finals, and that just seems ludicrous, so...Ducks in 6.

And now, the moment you've been waiting for...my Flyers-Sabres pick!

AAAAAAH!!! SIDESHOW BOB!!!

Flyers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has a new helmet, and since everyone just calls him "Bob" anyway...



The other side just has a "Rocky" theme. Boring!

Flyers: Impending Disaster?

I'm not quite as angry as this famous fan, but I'm very concerned about the Flyers...

 

It's definitely a slide. Tonight, while I was freezing my butt off at the Phillies game (more about that in another post at some point), the Flyers lost 5-2 in Ottawa and fell two points behind Washington in the Eastern Conference race. In addition, they're just one point ahead of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division. There are two games left for the Flyers, Caps and Pens. It's very possible that the Flyers could fall into fourth place in the East by the end of the week.

They are just 6-8-5 since the end of February. They've lost six in a row at home (four went to the inane shootout). Many of these games, including tonight's, were against non-playoff teams. Most of the games, win or lose, have been marked by sloppy, inconsistent play. They desperately miss Chris Pronger, who is said to be likely to return for the start of the playoffs. With all their touted depth, they shouldn't miss him that much, but they do. Beyond that, though, this lack of intensity and this careless play, with the postseason starting in a little over a week, is alarming.

And their possible first-round opponents have either (a) handled the Flyers well this year or (b) have strong goaltending -- if not both. One year after barely making the playoffs on the final day of the season (having to win in the shootout to do so) and making a stunning run to the Stanley Cup finals while great regular-season teams like the Caps and Pens were bounced out in the early rounds, the Flyers look more and more like they'll be the team getting bounced out early.

Hmmm...I'm beginning to think David Boreanaz is right.

My Relationship With Sports?

I'm in a weird place lately when it comes to sports. I've been thinking that I haven't done many sports-related posts lately. Actually, other than during the NFL playoffs, I've hardly blogged specifically on sports at all. I've had passing comments in my MixBlog posts, but very few posts on one sports-related topic. It's not like I've lost interest in sports. I'm still reading the sports section of the Daily News every day, I still read things online, I still put games on TV, etc. I'm just not blogging about sports. I'm not entirely sure why, but I have a theory or two.

Part of it is due to Twitter and Facebook...and, going back further, to message boards such as the one at Outsports and the old Usenet newsgroups. I've always found it easier to make a quick comment on a game or some team-related news (Twitter and Facebook are all about brief comments -- 140 characters or less in Twitter's case) than to do a long analytical post. Lately, that seems to be the case even more. For example, after the Super Bowl I've been thinking about the Eagles and their failures as an organization compared to the Steelers...and then Pittsburgh had to go and ruin things by losing to Green Bay. Although the points floating around in my head are still valid, I haven't been inspired enough to sit down and put it together.

(And, of course, the impending owners' lockout of the NFL players -- they have one week to miraculously settle their differences -- has a lot of personnel moves, through free agency -- on hold.)

The Flyers, on the other hand, are doing almost everything right. They're tops in the Eastern Conference and seem primed for another long playoff run. So maybe I'm just waiting for the postseason. This leads to another issue. I still find myself not watching hockey games from start to finish. Take tonight. The game began at 7 pm and I was still running through my Twitter and Facebook timelines until about 7:30 pm. Then I got away from the computer and started watching the game. When the first period ended, I watched

Comcast Butchers A Classic

Earlier tonight I was watching part of a presentation by Comcast Sportsnet of Game 6 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals as a "Philly Sports Classic." Now, the other night their Philly Sports Classic was a lacrosse game. Seriously. The Wings won a championship way back when. Maybe it was their first. But a "classic"? Not really. However, Stanley Cup Game 6 in 1987? Absolutely classic. The Flyers, decimated by injuries. The Edmonton Oilers, at the peak of their Gretzky-led dynasty. The Edmonton papers published plans for their victory parade before Game 5, with the Oilers up 3-1, but the Flyers pulled out a win in Edmonton to bring the series back to the Spectrum, where their 3-2 win that night forced a seventh and deciding game in Edmonton.

The game found the Oilers dominating early and up 2-0, but again the Flyers fought back. Still down 2-1 with just under 8 minutes left, the Flyers got a power play and Brian Propp took advantage to tie the game, thrilling the sold-out building. Less than two minutes later, a weak Oilers clearing attempt sent the puck to the point. J.J. Daigneault fired it home and put the Flyers ahead 3-2, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Everyone who was there says the crowd was never louder in the entire history of the Spectrum than it was that night. The following video was taken from a prior rebroadcast of the game. Goosebumps guaranteed.




Unfortunately, instead of letting the video play through and capturing those two moments in their entirety, Comcast Sportsnet cut away and went to their studio so John Boruk, Rick Tocchet and Al Morganti could offer their commentary. Tocchet played in the game and Morganti covered it from the press box, so it makes sense to have them look back at the game. But not at two of the most crucial and exciting moments. This poor editing pretty much cut the drama at those moments. Thanks for nothing, Comcast Sportsnet.