The Whambulance

It’s really too bad that the Flyers are building such a reputation for whining right now. Mike Richards says the Sabres are “getting away with murder,” the Philadelphia Sports Daily cries so hard people from Love Canal feel bad for them, and the Twittersphere is aflame with frustrated folk. It’s a shame because there are some great Flyers fans , such as Broad Street Buzz, who are analytical, who examine the facts, and who blame the lack of offense instead of the officiating…

The number one topic of conversation has been that Pat Kaleta pulled a “dangerous” and “slimy” move by opening the door on Nikolay Zherdev during a shoving match. Zherdev took a spill backwards that might have injured him if he was moving, if he wasn’t wearing hockey pads, and if he was a prepubescent girl. Sure it was stupid, because Patty’s earned himself a reputation akin to Matt Barnaby, except that the refs have seen Barnaby and know what to look for. Wearing #36 doesn’t help that cause. As for the “sneaky, dirty” move itself, someone played that prank on me in a pickup game a while back. I laughed for the reason that it wasn’t the NHL playoffs, I guess. Hell, it’s apparently okay, and hilarious, for Marty Turco to do that because it’s a prank and everybody gets a laugh. But once it happens to a Flyer, it’s a crime.

My favorite part of the Philly Daily was this:

"Late in the second period, Kaleta took a run at a vulnerable Mike Richards, who was pressed up against the boards. Richards lifted his arm in self defense, forcing Kaleta to snack on an elbow."

Mike Richards is the team captain and an NHL elite player. His reaction time is good enough to score tip-in’s, to see plays developing in front of him, and to lead his team. But apparently when he’s against the boards his entire world speeds up and he barely has time to defend himself by aiming his elbow at a human being’s face. Poor Mike Richards. Stand up guy, that team captain.

Lindy Ruff called out the Flyers as being “whiners,” and I think that was probably the smartest thing he could do because it’s going to get on their bulletin board, it’s going to piss them off, and they’re going to do something stupid. Right now it’s a coin flip for who’s going to win tonight…both teams have won on angry ice, and aside from the empty netter in Game 3 it’s all been one goal decisions. For Ruff to keep his mouth shut on officiating so far, he only had to wait for Danny Briere and Mike Richards to start welling up their tears. After all, there has to be some explanation why the almighty Flyers are dead even in a series with a team that they by all means should be beating into the ground. The Sabres have nowhere near the scoring potential, and their defense is young and inexperienced. Why are the Flyers tied in this series? It could be:

1. They’re not showing up because they thought it would be a cake walk.
2. The Power Play looks awful and they can’t click.
3. They’re spent from last year’s disappointing run.
4. Whatever. It’s the officials. Blame the officials.

When this series started, I thought it would be close fought and I saw the Flyers as a fun team to play against. They’re rough, they’re dangerous, and there’s history. It’s really unfortunate for many Flyers fans who are reasonable and understand the game, because right now their team captain and their press are embarrassing them. Even Bucky Gleason, the Panderer in Chief, hasn’t managed to make Buffalo look as cheap or as fragile as Briere’s constant complaining or Richards’ cries of how unfair everything is.

Enjoy the game tonight, and I’ll see you tomorrow for my Knee-Jerk Reaction. And if the Sabres don’t show up, I’ll be sure to blame everybody in Philly and the referees, because I guess that’s how to become a real journalist.