Bob Clarke brought in a proven playoff goalie, made more trades
than Phil Esposito on crack, and publicly challenged his captain
to put up or shut up.
And it all added up to another embarrassing first round playoff
ouster.
But hey, there's always a bright side. The Flyers improved their
playoff win total from 0 to 2.
Somehow, I doubt that's what #16 had in mind when he entered last
season hell-bent upon improving the disappointing squad that
exited the 1998 playoffs quicker than Richard Simmons could hug a
fat person.
But that's how it ended. And worst of all, instead of
acknowledging their miserable failure, the Flyers spouted
gibberish about poor officiating, the lack of a right-handed shot
for the power play, and injuries.
Talk about pitiful lies, excuses, and rhetoric. The problem with
this club wasn't any of those factors. Nor was it the hideous
goals that Vanbiesbrouck allowed at the worst possible times
against Toronto.
The Flyers number one problem is still glaringly obvious-they
have less heart than the kid whose lunch money you used to steal.
|
John LeClair
by Meredith Martini
|
Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Mark Recchi, and Rod Brind'Amour are
among the best players in the game of hockey, but when the first
round ended, none of them ranked among the league scoring
leaders. And as many teams have learned in the springtime, when
your stars don't score come the second season, you play a lot of
golf in May.
Lindros at least had a legitimate excuse. He was mercifully
spared the embarrassment of another playoff debacle by a
conveniently timed punctured lung. And if I may digress for a
moment, I'd give half a year's salary (a cool 250 bucks or so) to
see the x-rays they took at the hospital. I'll bet 10 to 1 they
revealed an empty chest cavity.
Am I the only Flyers fan troubled by the fact that Lindros and
his pushy father have once again backed the Flyers into a corner
by refusing to sign a long-term deal? Logic would dictate that a
guy who missed the only important part of the season might be a
little flexible when it came to his contract demands, but not
only is Lindros refusing to sign a multi-year deal again, he's
also hemming and hawing about putting his name on the one-year
extension he verbally agreed to weeks ago. And all this from a
guy who stated that his uncertain contract status was distracting
him during the 1997-98 season.
Enough about the "Big Guy." I've now abandoned hope that the
Flyers will ever be free of his so-called leadership and accepted
the fact that he will be around to continue to sabotage their
foreseeable future.
Fortunately, the past season did offer some reasons for Flyers
fans to be encouraged. First and foremost, Dan McGillis became a
force on the blue line. No longer just "the guy the Flyers got
for Janne Niinimaa, McGillis became the second-best defender on
the club. No one in the NHL is laughing at Clarke for that trade
anymore.
Clarke also made some other stupendous moves. Shjon Podein was an
excellent player for the club, but the addition of Keith Jones
gave the Flyers the perfect player to compliment their
dispassionate big men on the first line. Jones' yapping,
slapping, and constant hustling made the Lindros line go all
year. And he came up biggest against Toronto, where he utilized
every bit of his meager talent to make himself the Flyers' best
forward on the ice.
Daymond Langkow also excelled with the orange and black. Most
fans, myself included, considered him the "other guy" in the
Gratton-Renberg trade, but by the end of the season it was clear
that he was a much better player than Renberg or the exiled
"savior." And like Jones, he injected much-needed hustle and
spirit. And his skills should eventually make him a point-a-game
contributor.
Valeri Zelepukin was another excellent find. Incredibly, the
Russian scored only 16 goals all season. Every one must have been
crucial because it seemed that he came up with big goals whenever
the team needed them.
Veteran defender Adam Burt made a strong impression, too,
particularly in the playoffs. Clarke may have envisioned him as a
spare part, but it now appears likely that the club will protect
him in the expansion draft.
TEAM MVP: As much as he sickens me, I have to give the
devil his due. Eric Lindros was the Flyers' MVP in 1998-99.
Until he went down with a dubious punctured lung (New York sports
radio hosts apparently reported that it occurred under much
different circumstances than the Flyers would have us believe),
Lindros was having what was arguably his finest regular season.
It would certainly have been interesting to see what he might
have done against Toronto, but it wasn't in the cards.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE!: Many fans recognized Dan McGillis as
a diamond in the rough upon his arrival in Philly at the trade
deadline in 1998, but few could have foreseen how quickly he
would raise his play to the next level.
Not only did he keep up his vicious hitting, he became an
excellent playmaker and a legitimate goal-scoring threat.
McGillis did it all for the Flyers in 1998-99, and he did it
consistently. It's easy to envision him as a 5-10 year fixture on
the club's blue line.
Dan the Man endured a rough stretch toward the end of the regular
season, but for much of the year he did something no other recent
Flyer has done - he challenged Eric Desjardins for the title of
the club's best defenseman. Look for more big things from
McGillis in the future.
AHHH, NUTS!: McGillis may have exceeded the Flyers'
expectations in '99, but that put him in a fairly elite club.
When it comes to disappointments, on the other hand, there were
plenty.
I have to regard any further criticism of either uber-slacker
Chris Gratton or blue line oaf Luke Richardson as the
journalistic equivalent of beating the proverbial dead horse. So
I'll mercifully exclude them from my wrath here.
The same doesn't go for Chris Therien, a talented player who
should be a lot better than he is. Old Jethro has outstanding
size and good speed for a big man, and he matches up beautifully
against Jaromir Jagr. In fact, watching Therien batter the girlie
man from western PA is enough to convince you that he's the most
fearsome hitter in the league.
Unfortunately, when squirrelly 68 isn't out there, Therien
frequently looks dispassionate, disinterested, or just plain
stupid. His inability to skate backwards was responsible for the
hideous Steve Thomas backhander that sabotaged the Flyers series
with Toronto every bit as much as John Vanbiesbrouck's inability
to keep his legs together. You can bet it never would have
happened if he was defending against Jagr on that rush. It really
makes you wonder how much Therien must hate hippies.
The other contender for biggest disappointment on the club is the
guy who was supposed to cover up all the other warts, has-been
goalie John "Geezer" Vanbiesbrouck. The bottom line is that
Geezer's regular season numbers were no better than the ones Ron
Hextall posted in the two previous campaigns. And although
Geezer's playoff numbers look superior on the surface, he
continuously allowed soft goals at the worst possible times
during the playoffs. Hey, wasn't that the knock against poor
Hexy?
OFF-SEASON CHANGES: Everything that Clarke has said since
the end of the season seems to indicate that we shouldn't expect
ANY major changes during the off-season. Maybe that's the best
possible indicator that something big is brewing, because when
Clarkie is talking, he's usually lying.
That said, I believe him this time. Steve Duchesne is gone and
Sandy McCarthy is likely to follow, but neither will be much of a
loss. It's also likely that we've seen the last of Hexy, with one
goaltender spot on next year's club surely reserved for either
Jean-Marc Pelletier or Brian Boucher.
In departing from recent Flyers history, there probably won't be
any changes to the coaching staff. And although a little
restraint can be good, I don't think that's the case here. Roger
Neilson is a good x's and o's guy, but he's not the right person
to motivate a club so devoid of on-ice leadership. I'd love to
see Billy Barber or Mike Keenan, both no-nonsense types who could
light a fire underneath Lindros and LeClair, behind Philly's
bench by the year 2000. Don't count on it. Barber may actually
start the season behind the Atlanta Thrashers' bench. Clarke gave
him permission to interview for the expansion club's top spot
this Monday. Couldn't he have given permission for Neilson to
interview instead?
,P>
Look for center Simon Gagne to make the Flyers out of training
camp next season. Many scouts feel he was the best player in
Canadian junior hockey. His nifty offensive skills might give the
Flyers attack a much-needed shot in the arm.
Perhaps the worst change to come in Philadelphia will be the lack
of a venue for a Flyers reporter to make references to naked
Ethiopians, goalies who spread their legs more than Madonna, and
little Nancy boys like Jaromir Jagr. Goodbye, LCS. You'll be
missed.
