View previous news items: February 2001, March 2001, April 2001, May 2001, Summer 2001, September 2001, October 2001, November 2001, December 2001, January 2002, February 2002.
(3/31) The Flyers edged the Detroit Red Wings in a defensive showdown on the strength of a Roman Cechmanek shutout and a Kent Manderville (!). Cechmanek's shutout was his tenth of the season (one behind league leader Dominik Hasek) and Manderville's goal was his fifth season. (Maybe I should stop being so shocked when Mandy scores...but old habits are hard to break!) Meanwhile, the Devils lost to the New York Rangers today, meaning the Flyers are still mathematically in the hunt for a division title. If...and it's a big if...the Flyers will their last 4 games and the Devils lose their last 4 games, the Flyers will win the division title because they have more wins. The Flyers also recalled Derek Plante from the Phantoms due to their glut of injured centers.
(3/30) The Flyers only managed to score one goal as they lost to the Leafs for the second time in their last three games. Only Dan McGillis managed to score. The top line looked shaky and the Flyers' makeshift collection of centers was murdered on faceoffs, losing 63% of their draws. In a surreal/humorous/absurd event, Leafs winger Tie Domi got in a fight with a Philadelphia fan after he squirted water at them in response to their taunts. Ironically, the fan comes from my own hometown, Havertown. And people wonder why Philadelphia fans have a bad rep...
(3/28) Embattled center Eric Lindros has turned down an invitation to play for Team Canada at the World Championships next month. Although offered a spot on the roster, he decided to hold off from playing after discussions with the Canadian Hockey Association. In a press release, Wayne Gretzky said, "We all agreed today that the world championship would not be an appropriate place for Eric to enter back into the game due to his concussion history and the lack of preparation that would allow him to play at such a high level of competition." It's an interesting turn of events for many reasons. First, is Canadian hockey subtly snubbing Eric due to his power struggle with the Flyers? Or is this Eric's latest blow in his fight with Bob Clarke--after all, a good performance at the World Championships would enhance his trade value enormously? On another level, is this an indication that Eric's health isn't all that he's been claiming it to be? Most importantly, how will this effect Eric's hopes for a spot on the Team Canada Olympic roster? If he turned Canada down for selfish reasons (which is quite possible), it's got to hurt his chances of going to Salt Lake City.
(3/26) A Chris Therien turnover led to an Alexei Yashin goal that allowed the Ottawa Senators to pull themselves into a late tie with the Flyers. The loss of the point, however, is less troublesome than the Flyers' loss of their best center, Keith Primeau, to a knee injury for at least the next three weeks. Primeau caught his skate in a rut in the ice as he was hit by Ottawa dman Chris Phillips. (Primeau thought the hit was clean.) The Flyers got goals from Justin Williams (playing well since his return from his injury), Kent Manderville (?!?), and Paul Ranheim. Roman Cechmanek was in net. The Flyers return to action against the Leafs at home.
(3/24) The much-anticipated returns of Simon Gagne and John LeClair did little to provide the Flyers with an extra spark in their joust with the Leafs. Roman Cechmanek let in three first period goals as the Flyers fell 5-3. Justin Williams and Mark Recchi (2) scored for the Flyers. LeClair and Gagne each had an assist in their return. With Boston's loss to Colorado earlier in the day, the Flyers have officially clinched a playoff position. John LeClair was named to the American Olympic hockey team today.
(3/24) The Flyers could get a big boost today in Toronto in the return of John LeClair and Simon Gagne. Gagne is playing in a shoulder harness and may eventually require offseason surgery. It'll be interesting to see how Bill Barber forms his lines...Maple Leaf enforcer Tie Domi whined to the Toronto media about Bob Clarke's supposed attempts to disrupt the Leafs. To which I respond, that's BS. Good teams survive turmoil (see Flyers of last spring and Flyers of this spring). Anyway, Pat Quinn and company couldl have ended the media circus any time that they wanted...No Flyers were named among the first eight players of the Canadian Olympic hockey team for 2002. Keith Primeau, Simon Gagne, Mark Recchi, and Eric Desjardins all have a shot to make the team eventually. John LeClair is expected to make the American team's first eight, while Brian Boucher has a outside shot of being the backup at the games. Roman Cechmanek ought to make the Czech team (and based on head to head matchups, he should start before Hasek).
(3/22) Brian Boucher's second consecutive start was a bit of bust, as the Flyers put on a generally horrid performance. They managed just 16 shots against Flames' goal Fred Brathwaite. The Flyers return to action on Saturday against the whiny Toronto Maple Leafs.
(3/19) Brian Boucher came up strong in an emergency start in Edmonton tonight. Roman Cechmanek's flu meant that Boucher got the call to the net at just 5:00. Despite some late-game cramping, Boucher had a good night in net, showing flashes of his form from last year's playoffs. The Flyers' goals were scored by Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi, Eric Desjardins, and Andy Delmore. Justin Williams returned to the lineup, fully recovered from his finger injury.
(3/17) Various defensive lapses meant that Roman Cechmanek put on quite a show in the last game of the Flyers' 6 game homestand. He received a standing ovation from the crowd after stopping several consecutive breakaways by Petr Nedved, Valeri Kamensky, and Mark Messier. Kent Manderville (who shockingly has a 2 goals in 3 games) and Dan McGillis scored for the Flyers. In injury news, Keith Primeau (sore foot) and Eric Desjardins (mild concussion) both played.
(3/15) Roman Cechmanek got his ninth shutout and Michael Sykora had a goal and assist to lead the Flyers over the Wild. Rick Tocchet and new acquisition Dean McAmmond also scored for the Flyers. Cechmanek's nine shutouts lead the NHL. In a ceremony before the game, defenseman Mark Howe was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Howe is the Flyers all-time top scoring dman.
(3/13) Mark Recchi scored his 1000th NHL career point as the Flyers brushed aside the LIndros whirlwind to beat the Blues 5-2. Keith Primeau, Kent Manderville (!), Michal Picard, and Peter White also scored for the Flyers. Roman Cechmanek won his 30th game of the season, becoming the first Flyers goalie since Ron Hextall to reach that benchmark.
(3/13) Mark Recchi scored his 1000th NHL career point against the Blues. 426 of those points have come in the orange and black. Recchi is the 60th player in NHL history to reach the milestone and just the sixth Flyers.
(3/13) The trade deadline came and went...with no Tkachuk or Audette. The Flyers did acquire Dean McAmmond for a third round pick and Matt Herr from Washington in exchange for minor-leaguer Dean Melanson.
(3/10) Gritty effort, but Flyers sunk by late goal. Final score, 3-2. More info coming.
(3/8) Keith Primeau scored his first career hat trick to lead the injury-depleted Flyers over the Calgary Flames. Primeau scored 5-on-5, on a power play, and into an empty net. Primeau's 32 goals with the Flyers this season are a career high. Primeau also added an assist to get four points for the night. Eric Desjardins and Chris McAllister also scored for the Flyers. Mark Recchi's assist on Primeau's empty net goal leaves him just 2 points away from 1000 for his career. Roman Cechmanek got the win, making 22 saves on 24 shots. Daymond Langkow sat out tonight with bruised feet, ending his consecutive games streak at 227.
(3/8) The Flyers called up forward Derek Plante from their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, to replace the injured Daymond Langkow. Plante signed with the Flyers as a free agent this summer and had a disappointing training camp, which resulted in his AHL stint. There are now 10 players on the Flyers who have played at least one game for the Phantoms in the past 16 months (Brian Boucher, Peter White, Andy Delmore, Roman Cechmanek, P. J. Stock, Todd Fedoruk, Ruslan Fedotenko, Kirby Law, Michel Picard, and Plante). Plante has 51 points in 55 games with the Phantoms this year.
(3/6) Checking winger Paul Ranheim signed a two-year contract extension with the Flyers today. The 35 year old winger has 8 goals and 4 assists in 65 games this year. He was acquired last year from the Carolina Hurricanes.
(3/5) The Flyers scored three unanswered goals in the third period to beat the Bruins by a score of 6-3. Mark Recchi scored twice (including the game-winner) and added two assists to help the Flyers rebound from an embarassing loss from the Habs. The other goals were scored by Dan McGillis, Ruslan Fedotenko, Eric Desjardins, and Keith Primeau. Roman Cechmanek made 20 saves on 24 shots to get the win.
(3/5) The Flyers have recalled Kirby Law and Michel Picard from the Phantoms. Steve Washburn and Mark Greig have been returned to the Flyers AHL affiliate.
(3/3) The Flyers are making a habit of losing to the NHL's bottom dwellers. This time it was the Habs, by a score of 3-1. Eric Desjardins scored for the Flyers. Brian Boucher took the loss, despite a solid effort on his part.
(3/2) A few items of interest, gleaned from various publications available on the web.
(3/1) The Flyers again showed they had the better Czech goaltender. Roman Cechmanek got his second shutout against his compatriot, Dominik Hasek, and the Sabres. It's his 8th shutout of the season, tying him with Hasek for the NHL lead. Mark Recchi assisted on the goals by Keith Primeau and Eric Desjardins in the second period. Cechmanek is now 4 shutouts away from tying the team record for shutouts in a season (12) set by Bernie Parent (twice: 1973-74, 1974-75). When asked if he knew who Parent was, Cechmanek got a few laughs when he said, "No."
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