Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The Day after the Night Before

Another season - no Stanley Cup.  It's been 37 years since the Flyer's had a parade down Broad Street.  I'm sad today because there was so much hope with this team.  But I'm also hopeful for the future.  In a year that was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Flyers made it to the second round of the Playoffs.  They put the Pittsburgh Penguins in their place - on the golf course in mid-April.  We got to see Claude Giroux come into his own and that in itself was a joy to behold.  We have a core of young players who were christened in their first Stanley Cup playoffs.  Next year they will know better what to expect and they have an idea of how hard it really is - to win an additional 16 games after playing an 82 game season.  Most nights we got to see the most dynamic offense in the NHL.  We got to see Jagr in Flyer's Orange and Black and on opening night - that in itself was worth the price of admission!
There were downsides - Bryzgalov's play was inconsistent at best and sometimes non-existent.  But he is one of the most entertaining athlete that has been in Philly in a long time.  No one knew what was going to come out of his mouth on any given night - from being lost in the woods to the size of the universe to not saying anything at all - he was always a story.  He also has the potential to be a fantastic goalie as we saw during his shutout streak.  Chris Pronger was a huge loss for the team.  I just hope he gets healthy and if he can play again - I as a fan will welcome him with open arms.
I didn't like how it ended - no fan likes to see their team thoroughly outplayed.  But come this fall - I will break out the Orange and Black clothing, go down to the Center and hope the 38 year is the charm and I will finally get to that parade. 

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