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EAST BEAVER BAY… I have got to say that I am getting hopped up for the upcoming Olympic tournament. Since you have basically just about an all NHL player tournament, and these are the best players of the best, is this a better tourney then the Stanley Cup finals? I think it just might be a good dinner table debate, and I’m not sure where I would stand. Some of the most exciting hockey I have seen in my lifetime has been in the Olympics. But on the other hand, the thrills I have witnessed from the Stanley Cup tourneys have been epic too.

Since I watch a lot of NHL puck, sometimes 7-10 tilts per week, I have been observing some of the players that I believe will be picks for their respective countries national teams. And I have to say that a few of them have left me wondering if their early season NHL approach has been to make sure they are not injured or dinged up come February. I’m not going to name names here, but there is one USA player and one Russian that have left me going hmmmm. As far as the Wild go, I have not witnessed that in any of their Olympic candidates. This team could place up to 8 players on Olympic rosters….

THE WOEFUL PHILADELPHIA FLYERS are at 5-10-1 on the early season with a -18 goal differential good for 13th place out of 15 clubs in the Eastern Conference. I am only disappointed that they aren’t in the 15th spot. I have long despised this team going back to their Broad Street Bully days in the seventies. I don’t like Bullies. Never have, never will. In my estimation this team set the NHL back 20 years with their antics. Of course, the hockey culture in force at the time thought they were fantastic. And the crazy thing is, is that they had substantial talent. They were a good team without all of the fistic baloney. Sadly for them and their fan base is that they have spent every season since their two Cup years trying to live up to that macho “we are tough” image, and there seems to be more focus on perpetuating that then in trying to hoist another Cup.

They have been close 6 times in the 38 years since their last Cup. But when it got down to the nitty gritty their mindset seemed to revert to a stance of are we that tough swashbuckling team from the seventies or are we a really good club that can skate and play with anyone in the show? When left to their own devices while searching for that answer, sometimes in mid-series, they lost their way and those series. I have seen some real high skill level teams, I have seen some real tough teams and I have seen some clubs that featured both. Those teams won because they knew who and what they were and played to it. The Flyers it seems, got stuck on this one thing and can’t seem to shake it. How has it served them if the Cup is the ultimate attainment?

Additionally, it appears to me that their owner, Ed Snider could very well be the NHL’s version of Dallas’s Jerry Jones. Neither will say so, but I think they both have their fingers in way too many things when it comes to their teams. Snider no doubt knows lots about the game, but could he be a scout or a GM? I ask because several personnel moves in the past few seasons have his finger dabs all over them. And they haven’t worked and people end up pointing the finger at GM Paul Holmgren as a result.   

There is still rumbling about the recent event where Flyer goalie Ray Emery attacked the Capitals Braden Holtby. There are also GM meetings this week in Toronto. Believe you me, I can only bet that Caps GM George McPhee is still fuming about what happened in that game and will propose rules changes about Goalies getting involved in hockey fights.
Strangely enough, because of the lack of any rules or regulation about what Emery did, he plays on, sans any accountability for his actions. Only in the NHL eh?

I RECENTLY HEARD A talk radio host state that regarding the Flyers that they were now owned by the NBC corporate conglomerate and as a result Ed Snider no longer had much influence over the teams dealings. Well, I think the way it breaks down is that NBC recently merged with Comcast. I believe that Snider is still the majority shareholder of note of Comcast and as a result holds sway over NBC as well. To summarize; I think Big Ed is still calling the shots.

This gives pause to contemplate though the recent gains by the NHL with NBC sports and NBC prominence in game broadcasts. This has given the league a major network platform for games that it hadn’t enjoyed in recent years to the extent it does now. While I think this is a good thing for the game, it makes me wonder what kind of power and politics were brought to bear to make this come about. Are Ed Snider’s finger dabs all over this? And how does it benefit him personally, NBC and his Comcast holdings? I believe the game is more popular then ever, but am left to wonder if the major network deal was designed to further enrich Snider and mainly at fan expense… PEACE

THE MFAN NHL
TOP TEN POWER RANK FOR
11/11/13.…

1. Colorado AV’S… new season,
new coach, 14-2 seem unstoppable early…

2. Phoenix COYOTES… always
defense minded Yotes’ 8-2 in L10...

3. Anaheim DUCK… 15-3-1 with
a 5 game win streak working…

4. Chicago BLACKHAWKS…
12-2-4, 7-1-2 in L10, +17 goal diff…

5. St. Louis BLUES… 11-2-2, 7-1-2
in L10, +18 goal diff

6. Tampa Bay LIGHTNING… 12-4,
 8-2 in L10, East not as good as
 West…

7. Boston BRUIN… 10-5-1, 6-3-
 L10, can still drop the hammer
if needed…

8. Los Angeles KINGS… 11-6, 7-3
L10, tough net minder Jon Quick…

9. San Jose SHARKS… 10-2-5,
very hot start but only 4-2-4 in L10,

10. Minnesota WILD… 10-4-4,
7-1-2 L10, Josh Hards tops in
league in goal…

OVER & OUT!!!