Flyers Haunted by Bullies of Broad Street Past
The Flyers think they are haunted by a ghost.
The ghost of Flyers’ past.
Their powerplay to penalty kill ratio is the worst in the NHL and Mike Richards says it’s because of they teams’ reputation — going all the way back to the Broad Street Bullies days.
The Flyers are still a tough team, but they’re a lot faster now, and when you’re moving the puck, you tend to take less penalties. So, in theory, you can see Richards’ point. But at the same time, the Flyers have 11 too many men on the ice penalties, which you can’t blame on Dave Schultz or Bobby Clarke.
There’s not a league-wide conspiracy against the Flyers, but since officiating is so subjective, with some hooks getting called and some ignored, I can see how the reputation of previous Flyer teams becomes some kind of subconscious factor for officials. But Richards might want to hedge his bets and talk to his teammates about smart defensive play and positioning.
Also, Tim Panaccio checks in on Flyers goalie Marty Biron, who’s having a solid-if-unpectacular season in his contract year.
There are a lot of teams around the league that would kill for an average goalie like this season’s Biron. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t get re-signed by the Flyers.
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