No suspension for Georges Laraque

Not really too much to say about this one, let the video do the talking:

Laraque hits Downie: 0 games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xAEetam6HQ

Jones hits Bergeron: 2 games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xAEetam6HQ

Hartnell hits Alberts: 2 games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZQDjqahgM0

Cote hits Niskanen: 3 games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZQDjqahgM0

Downie hits McAmmond: 20 games (A hit that 15 years ago would have been on EVERY NHL highlight reel.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322zqTkL0-c

I defy anyone to tell me that there is not a bias against the Flyers...

Jason Smith Will Thud You

Some would say Jason Smith is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. The reason is mostly because he doesn’t show up on the score sheet too often, but the guy they call “Gator” makes up for this lack of scoring in other various ways.

He is a proven leader as he has shown over the years. In the AHL he led the Albany River Rats as their captain to a Calder Cup. He then went to Toronto after his stint with New Jersey where he wore an “A”. Smith then went to Edmonton where he wore the “C” longer than any other player in Edmonton history. He now graces the “C” for Philadelphia and is leading them out of the worst season in Flyers history.

He has also always been known for blocking shots, and this year is no different as he is third in the league with 70 blocks. Smith is a hardworking and physical defenseman that will stand up and fight for his teammates even in preseason, as he showed when he fought Brendan Shanahan.

His first goal as a Flyer could not have been more appropriate as he dropped to block a shot and then dove from his knees to swat the puck into the opposing team’s empty net. There’s nothing like watching the grizzly Gator stand forwards up as they cross the blue line, and as captain Jason Smith continues his blue collar style of play he will continue to be a fan favorite.

Going to a Flyers Game? Leave Your Wallet at the Turnstile

We have all heard the joke a million times, "I had to mortgage my house for a beer at the Flyers game". Over the years I have become ambivalent to the fact that it cost a lot of money to take in a professional sporting event. But I love the sport, I love the team, so I suck it up and do it.

However, I have noticed this year, that the gouging of fans has just reached an all new despicable low.

A friend of mine who lives 2 hours away from Philly, and for some strange reason decides to keep Flyers season tickets, called me to invite me to tomorrow nights game vs. the New York Rangers. Face value of the ticket in the middle of the upper level is $58.00 and he only charges me what the season ticket holders pay. So the first time we went to a game together this year he was a tad late and I had to sit outside and wait; no big deal as the weather was nice.

To avoid this issue for tomorrow, he tells me that he can e-mail me the ticket. What a GREAT service for the Flyers to offer to the fans. So he e-mails it to me, and I go to print it. Much to my surprise, before I could get the ticket, I had to register an account with the Flyers and then pay them $2.50 to print up the ticket on my own PC, with my own toner, on my own paper. Are you kidding me? You guys have already been paid for these tickets, well in advance, and now you are going to charge me $2.50 for what? Hitting your web site and generating a new bar code?

I shouldn't be surprised though, each year the Flyers come up with an idea that sounds great, and then the do an awful job of implementing the idea. Ever hear of the family section? EXCELLENT IDEA. I could take my 4 year old daughter to a game for $10. I can create a new fan for the Flyers that someday will spend as much money as I do on the team. Ever try to get those family section tickets? Good Luck! But you will find them on StubHub 5 minutes after they were supposed to go on sale at 3 times the price.

How about those new Reebok Edge jerseys? I go to the 2nd home game and check them out to add one to my collection. $149.99 at the Wachovia Center for a blank jersey. I go to the mall the next day and get the same exact jersey for $109.99. Complete and total gouging.

I really want to throw my full and total support behind this team but damn do they try their best to make it hard. Nickel-and-diming the fans to death is not the way to build the next generation of hockey fans. But hey, they removed "Thank you fans!" from the ice, perhaps it should have been replaced with a collection plate...

A Good Whine Goes with Crosby Cheese

Oh, before I forget... what's up with Sid the Little Kid's antics after Jason Smith's love tap the other day?

I mean, watching Sidney throw a temper tantrum in the corner of Wachovia Center ice, was like seeing a 7-year old ball his eyes out because there's no lime green popsicles left in the box.

After embarrassing himself with the flagrant embellishment, Crosby was almost given something to cry about when he got up in Mike Richards' grill to debate the non-liberties.

The Little Kid has more talent than Michael Jackson before the Liz Taylor makeover, but if he wants to be taken seriously on all fronts, he needs to stop the unnecessary whining.

Methinks Sid should subscribe to Kimberly L. Keith's "How to Stop Whining in 4 Easy Steps" and start molding his own Hall of Fame career after recent Hall inductees Mark Messier and Ron Francis as opposed to Alexei Kovalev.

In the meantime, have fun [WATCHING THE INFAMOUS SLASH VIDEO] and rate Sidney's dramatic improv...

-- TGOJ

NHL Draft Spotlight - 1986

The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was, in many ways, a typical entry draft...

One future Hall of Famer, Brian Leetch was selected at #9 by the New York Rangers.

Some mild controversy arose when the Detroit Red Wings selected Joe Murphy over native son Jimmy Carson. This was rectified when Edmonton dealt Carson to Detroit for Murphy in a multi-player trade when retooling for their fifth Cup run several years later.

Solid, if unspectacular, NHL regulars in the first round highlighted by Vincent Damphousse and included Zarley Zalapski, Craig Janney, Tom Fitzgerald, Pat Elynuik, Jocelyn Lemieux, and Kerry Huffman.

Steady D-men Teppo Numminen at 29 in the 2nd round and Jyrki Lumme at 57 in the 3rd round.

Vancouver thinking ahead of the time and out of the box by selecting Vladimir Krutov in the 12th and final round.

Lost amongst all of this DRAFT HISTORY was a player that would never play a minute in the NHL but would play 15 years across Europe with teams like the HUSKIES and MOSQUITOES, making stops in his native Finland, as well as, Germany, Italy and The Czech Republic.

The IMMORTAL and LEGENDARY: JUKKA-PEKKA SEPPO

Jukka caught the eyes of the Philadelphia Flyers Brass with his performance at the Under-18 European Junior Championships in 1986 where he posted 3 goals and 8 points in 5 games. He was selected 23rd overall by the Flyers with the 2nd pick of the 2nd round right after Adam Graves was drafted. He won an U20 WJC Gold medal in 86/87 with 3 goals and 12 points in 7 games and won a Bronze in 87/88. He appeared in 39 games with Tappera Tampere in Finland in 1986-87 notching 11 goals and 27 points.

For whatever reasons, he never landed in North America, instead spending 15 seasons in Europe. He played 571 career games, recording 196 goals and 478 points. If he was so highly rated, one has to wonder the impact he could have had in the league here. Maybe he could have developed into a Selanne-lite, the "Finnish Flash" himself was drafted 10th overall only 2 years later. Who knows? But is fun to look back at the woulda couldas in any past draft.

Till next time...

Da H8R

Sins of the Father?

On February 2 of this year, I was blessed by becoming a daddy for the first time.

When my little boy was born, I was faced with a most interesting dilemma. No, name was already picked out. Yes, he already had a place to live. Yes, we were already married.

What truly plagued me, was this: what hockey team should my new baby root for?

Normally, not a big issue, you might think: let the little bugger root for whomever he chooses. Ahhhh, herein lies the rub.

I have been, and unfortunately for me likely always will be, a Philadelphia Flyers fan.

Ok, you say, get on with it, why doesn't he root for the Flyers? Well, I am 36 years years old and have reflections of a wonderful childhood. One of my earliest memories of the Flyers is swearing I heard my own father's distinctive whistling on the radio as the Flyers won their first Cup in '74, although everyone says I'm nuts that there is no way I could remember that from when I was 4 - I swear I heard it.

I also remember the parades in '74 and '75, followed by the Phillies parade in '80 and the Sixers parade in '83.

For the 1st 12 years of my life I was proud to be a Philly fan.

Then, the suffering began.

Finally, in 2004, I got married and moved to Florida, just south of Tampa. Horrible baseball team, but the Lightning and Bucs each won championships within the decade, whereas my Philly teams languished from being annual bridesmaids, to being invited to the wedding, to being left off the guest list entirely, to being wedding crashers, to just deciding to not even show up, drunken bastards.

So, do I deprive my child of the happy memories that I had growing up by having a WINNING team to root for? The innocence of youth is so wonderful and the new baby has truly changed my life. Being an accomplished attorney, husband, son, businessman, all pales in comparison to just being a good dad.

When I watched the Red Sox win the World Series for the first time in a zillion years, I saw fans literally crying their eyes out and I imagined sons looking at their fathers in tears, the fathers in turn looking at their fathers in tears, and maybe even the grandfather looking at the great-grandfather in tears as well. I couldn't help but think, did the decades long suffering actually become so ingrained in these people's actual personas that they wouldn't actually be who they were without the suffering and losing, year after year, after bloody stinking year? Then I said to myself, "Is that suffering now a part of who I am?"

Then another part of me, said "Get back to work and stop putting so much weight on a damned sports team!"

So, I did get back to work and I came to a decision:

The son should not be cursed for the sins of the father.

No, it isn't his fault that I bleed orange and black and that my team manages to disappoint me time and time again. He should have the opportunity to have his childhood magical, with sweet memories and even sweeter victory parades. So, little Tre man, choose your teams wisely and enjoy the youth that ends up being all too short. Daddy loves you no matter who you choose to root for.

Do what you want with the personalized Flyers jersey Daddy bought you for Christmas, tuck it away with your little Philadelphia Flyers pillow and your little Flyers hockey stick that the team sent you for your birth, pet your dogs when they wear their little Flyer pet jerseys that Daddy spent $29.99 each for on shop.nhl.com, hug Daddy in his own Flyers team jersey from each of the four decades that he owns, sit with me as we watch the Flyers away feed that we paid $140.00 for on the Center Ice Package, and look into my eyes and tell me who your favorite team is.

If your blood just so happens to bleed orange and black too, well, what else could we expect? My blood runs through you literally and when the suffering finally ends, we'll fly up for the parade together with Grandpop too. It is after all, who we are.

(Please, oh please God, just don't let him root for the Devils or the Rangers...)


(c) 2007 - "Oh snap! You've just been sued by The Legal Beagle!"

Leave Wallpaper Jones Alone, Son

All you dopes (yeah, you know who you are Scott Burnside from ESPN) better leave Randy "Wallpaper" Jones alone. To even think that Wallpaper intentionally tried to disfigure Patty Bergeron with a vicious hit from behind is foolish... or downright silly, in fact.

Just look at my boy Wallpaper posing with a fan... you mean to tell me this chummy cat is capable of taking extreme measures like ex-cons Downie and Boulerice? Not.

Wallpaper is simply a grown gentleman trying to live his life. Unfortunately, he's being preyed on by hockey beat hacks who want to rehash the legend of the Broad Street Bullies so they have something of interest to scribble. You want to attack Downie and Boulerice with your pen, go for it, but don't rip the Wallpaper.

-- TGOJ