swflyers25
7-14-05, 5:16 PM
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Captain Keith Primeau and the Flyers will be ready to hit the ice again in October. (AP)
by Dan Gelston
The Associated Press
The Flyers will get their chance this year to end Philadelphia's championship drought.
The minor-league Calder Cup won by the Phantoms was nice, but it was nothing in comparison to what Philly's frothing fans really want - the Stanley Cup.
Now that the NHL and the players' association reached an agreement in principle Wednesday on a six-year labor deal, ending a lockout that wiped out last season, the Flyers are ready to hit the ice and play hockey again.
"It's been a long year for everybody," said Flyers right winger Sami Kapanen. "Everybody's missed the game."
While nothing can bring back the lost season, the Flyers are already looking ahead to training camp and trying to repair the self-inflicted damage to a sport that was already one of the least popular in the country.
"It's a new day," Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It's pretty exciting."
The lockout came at a tough time for the Flyers, who went 40-21-15 for 101 points and won the Atlantic Division in 2003-04 before their remarkable playoff run ended with a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
It was the 29th straight season that ended without a championship for the Flyers. Now that number is up to 30, even though their American Hockey League affiliate, the Phantoms, won the Calder Cup.
"Speaking for the Flyers, I think the future looks pretty bright," left winger John LeClair said. "I think everybody's excited for the coming year."
But with a year already lost, and uncertainty over the draft and free agency, it may be too early to tell who shakes out as contenders for the Stanley Cup. What is certain is that there will be a new-look NHL.
When the league relaunches in the fall, it will do so with a brand-new salary structure that keeps high-spending teams like the Flyers in line. The Flyers did not make management available Wednesday, saying they wanted to wait until the deal was ratified to comment.
Owners and the players still need to ratify the pact, which is expected to contain a salary cap - something players' union executive director Bob Goodenow never wanted.
"I think that's something we weren't looking forward to having, but that's the reality," Kapanen said. "I was happier without it, but I guess that's what we need to get back on the ice."
Flyers left winger Simon Gagne said the players lost on the deal and the owners should be "very happy with what they got." He said the players should have tried to reach a deal that did not include a cap.
"I kept hearing we're not going to take a cap, get ready to sit out a year or two because we're never going to take a cap, so it's a little bit of a surprise we took the cap," he said.
Kapanen played some hockey in Finland and Gagne played in the hockey world championships, but most Americans did nothing more than their own workouts. LeClair said he wasn't worried about this conditioning of his teammates when the Flyers open camp in early September in Voorhees, NJ.
The Flyers have a number of older, expensive veterans making up the core their roster, including Jeremy Roenick, LeClair, Tony Amonte, Eric Desjardins and team captain Keith Primeau.
"I think guys will come back in pretty good shape," LeClair said. "The skill level might be a little rusty, but most of the guys have played hockey for a great deal of time."
Hitchcock spent time coaching at all levels during this break, working in Texas with minor league players, at the collegiate level and with 9-year-old children.
"Lately, I've been getting pretty antsy," Hitchcock said. "You hear they're talking and getting closer and you hope something gets done."
Now that a deal is done, the Flyers and the NHL will have to regain the trust of an eroding fan base. When major league baseball returned from a work stoppage in 1995, players became more "fan-friendly" and some ticket prices were lowered.
Hockey may need more than a few autographs and discounted upper-deck tickets to make fans want to return to arenas.
"Obviously it's going to take a lot of work," Kapanen said. "Hopefully the game is strong enough and we can put on a good enough show for fans that they can forgive what happened. It's not going to be easy."
Maybe so, but it could be easier in Philadelphia, where the Flyers have always had a strong and loyal fan base.
"I've been to Philly a couple of times this year and I think all the fans are very excited to see we're close to having a deal done," Gagne said. "Philly's a great city and they're going to be back. In places like Nashville or Phoenix, those kinds of places where they had a hard time before, it might be tougher to bring fans back."
Philadelphia insurance adjuster Joe Hartman, a former collegiate player who was eating water ice as he walked downtown, said he thought hockey would still be popular in Philadelphia and similar cities but wasn't so sure if the same would be true elsewhere.
"I've got to admit, I didn't miss it," said Hartman, 44, who said he played as a defenseman and goalie at Lafayette College. "But I think it's going to be OK. We'll forgive and forget."
Forgive and forget. That's exactly what the NHL likes to hear.
"It's too bad, because we had a chance to do it before, but we have to live with it," Gagne said. "But we're looking forward to getting back on the ice and having fun."
E-mail Dan Gelston
Comcast (http://philadelphia.comcastsportsnet.com/view_content_1p.asp?ID=11997)
Captain Keith Primeau and the Flyers will be ready to hit the ice again in October. (AP)
by Dan Gelston
The Associated Press
The Flyers will get their chance this year to end Philadelphia's championship drought.
The minor-league Calder Cup won by the Phantoms was nice, but it was nothing in comparison to what Philly's frothing fans really want - the Stanley Cup.
Now that the NHL and the players' association reached an agreement in principle Wednesday on a six-year labor deal, ending a lockout that wiped out last season, the Flyers are ready to hit the ice and play hockey again.
"It's been a long year for everybody," said Flyers right winger Sami Kapanen. "Everybody's missed the game."
While nothing can bring back the lost season, the Flyers are already looking ahead to training camp and trying to repair the self-inflicted damage to a sport that was already one of the least popular in the country.
"It's a new day," Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It's pretty exciting."
The lockout came at a tough time for the Flyers, who went 40-21-15 for 101 points and won the Atlantic Division in 2003-04 before their remarkable playoff run ended with a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
It was the 29th straight season that ended without a championship for the Flyers. Now that number is up to 30, even though their American Hockey League affiliate, the Phantoms, won the Calder Cup.
"Speaking for the Flyers, I think the future looks pretty bright," left winger John LeClair said. "I think everybody's excited for the coming year."
But with a year already lost, and uncertainty over the draft and free agency, it may be too early to tell who shakes out as contenders for the Stanley Cup. What is certain is that there will be a new-look NHL.
When the league relaunches in the fall, it will do so with a brand-new salary structure that keeps high-spending teams like the Flyers in line. The Flyers did not make management available Wednesday, saying they wanted to wait until the deal was ratified to comment.
Owners and the players still need to ratify the pact, which is expected to contain a salary cap - something players' union executive director Bob Goodenow never wanted.
"I think that's something we weren't looking forward to having, but that's the reality," Kapanen said. "I was happier without it, but I guess that's what we need to get back on the ice."
Flyers left winger Simon Gagne said the players lost on the deal and the owners should be "very happy with what they got." He said the players should have tried to reach a deal that did not include a cap.
"I kept hearing we're not going to take a cap, get ready to sit out a year or two because we're never going to take a cap, so it's a little bit of a surprise we took the cap," he said.
Kapanen played some hockey in Finland and Gagne played in the hockey world championships, but most Americans did nothing more than their own workouts. LeClair said he wasn't worried about this conditioning of his teammates when the Flyers open camp in early September in Voorhees, NJ.
The Flyers have a number of older, expensive veterans making up the core their roster, including Jeremy Roenick, LeClair, Tony Amonte, Eric Desjardins and team captain Keith Primeau.
"I think guys will come back in pretty good shape," LeClair said. "The skill level might be a little rusty, but most of the guys have played hockey for a great deal of time."
Hitchcock spent time coaching at all levels during this break, working in Texas with minor league players, at the collegiate level and with 9-year-old children.
"Lately, I've been getting pretty antsy," Hitchcock said. "You hear they're talking and getting closer and you hope something gets done."
Now that a deal is done, the Flyers and the NHL will have to regain the trust of an eroding fan base. When major league baseball returned from a work stoppage in 1995, players became more "fan-friendly" and some ticket prices were lowered.
Hockey may need more than a few autographs and discounted upper-deck tickets to make fans want to return to arenas.
"Obviously it's going to take a lot of work," Kapanen said. "Hopefully the game is strong enough and we can put on a good enough show for fans that they can forgive what happened. It's not going to be easy."
Maybe so, but it could be easier in Philadelphia, where the Flyers have always had a strong and loyal fan base.
"I've been to Philly a couple of times this year and I think all the fans are very excited to see we're close to having a deal done," Gagne said. "Philly's a great city and they're going to be back. In places like Nashville or Phoenix, those kinds of places where they had a hard time before, it might be tougher to bring fans back."
Philadelphia insurance adjuster Joe Hartman, a former collegiate player who was eating water ice as he walked downtown, said he thought hockey would still be popular in Philadelphia and similar cities but wasn't so sure if the same would be true elsewhere.
"I've got to admit, I didn't miss it," said Hartman, 44, who said he played as a defenseman and goalie at Lafayette College. "But I think it's going to be OK. We'll forgive and forget."
Forgive and forget. That's exactly what the NHL likes to hear.
"It's too bad, because we had a chance to do it before, but we have to live with it," Gagne said. "But we're looking forward to getting back on the ice and having fun."
E-mail Dan Gelston
Comcast (http://philadelphia.comcastsportsnet.com/view_content_1p.asp?ID=11997)