Okay, sorry. I just had to get that out.
I've been thinking a lot over the last week... dangerous I know. Here are a few things that are on my mind as we head into Flyers/Penguins Game 1 tonight.
1. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here. If you're not a hockey fan, you might think I'm crazy, but it literally does not get any better than this. Nothing compares to how intense, gut-wrenching, liver killing, nail biting and grueling the NHL playoffs are. No other sport puts such a challenge between its teams and the championship. Baseball may be my favorite sport, but I love hockey playoffs more than anything.
2. I don't know if the Flyers have it in them to win the Cup this year, but I really don't want them to lose to the Penguins in the playoffs, again. The Battle of Pennsylvania has resulted in playoff exits for the Orange and Black twice since the lockout. The eliminations in 2008 and 2009 (in the Conference Finals and Quarterfinals respectively) at the hands of Sidney Crosby et al. were two of the more difficult moments of the last few seasons. I really don’t want to have to stomach that again. Not to mention losing would mean an early exit for a team that has been more fun to watch than any Flyers team in quite some time.
3. If the Flyers do beat the Penguins, it justifies everything the organization did in the off-season. The Mike Richards Flyers couldn't beat the Pens, but what if this Captain-less team can? It may be unfair to judge the most recent iteration of the Flyers on their first playoff series together, but I can't help think how much it would mean if they pulled it off. I'm not sure anyone thought the Flyers would be as good this year as they were (especially given the almost 350 games lost to injury), but if they can somehow advance out of the first round, it would more than justify every move the front office made last summer. Not that there are many doubters left, anyway.
4. Peter Laviolette will not win Coach of the Year, but he has been amazing. I never thought the Flyers were "rebuilding" but it was hard to imagine a team with so many new, young players being able to dominate in the league. Yet that's exactly what the Flyers did this season. They have eight players with more than 15 goals and multiple players having career years. Peter's ability to plug so many new pieces into his system and still yield a balanced attack is truly impressive. He's infused confidence into his players, even when they may not have been deserving of his faith. His sarcasm, seemingly never ending supply of orange power ties, and unparalleled use of timeouts have made him one of my favorite Philadelphia sports figures, ever. Oh and then there's that time he tried to attack Dan Bylsma. He is the best.
5. What if the rookies don't collapse? Everything I've heard and read has the Flyers losing the series because of the inexperience (and quantity) of their rookies. While I understand that view point (and it may be right) I have to bring up another scenario: What if the rookies continue to exceed expectations? They've been doing it all year. Their coach trusts them in any and all situations. It's entirely possible that the rookies step up, shut down the Penguins stars, put the puck in the back of the net and help the Flyers advance to the next round. Seriously, stranger things have happened. It may also be a good thing that no one in the media expects them to win. Without the burden of being the favorites, the rookies can focus on winning hockey games.
6. How cool would it be if Jah-RO-Mur scored the series-winning goal? I'm imagining Joffrey Lupul's Game 7 OT winner against the Caps in the 2008 Quarterfinals, only with Jah-RO-Mur… in Pittsburgh. It probably won’t happen, but it would be the coolest thing ever.
There are a lot of other things on my mind like how Claude Giroux is going to be unbelievable, that Max Talbot is going to the X Factor in the series, and that I really miss Captain Prongsy. However, writing this is getting me too excited, so I must stop.
Here's to a (hopefully) long and memorable playoffs!
“What I’m asking is don’t just play the game to let it go by. Play the game to make a difference. Every guy in here, go out there and don’t let this settle in. Go take charge of it right now. Let’s be great start to finish, every guy in here. We’re being great tonight.” – Peter Laviolette
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