LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR 2020PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ICE HOCKEY TEAM:
Need I say more than the title? I mean, actually. NEED I SAY MORE. Your local Philadelphia Flyers Ice Hockey Team has just clinched THE #1 SEED IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE. No, do not look up because THE SKY IS NOT FALLING. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. The Philadelphia Flyers are the BEST TEAM in the EASTERN CONFERENCE.
Your hometown Philadelphia Flyers are a freight train from hell that just beat the brakes, wheels and transmission off the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning (3 of the best teams, not only in the Eastern Conference, BUT IN THE ENTIRE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE).
You may be confused, you may be emotional, and you may not even know what to do with your hands right now. It’s okay to be optimistic! Personally, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, scream or read “A Purpose Driven Life”, because I feel CONFIDENT right now, Flyers fans.
If you’re struggling right now to find out what to do, I took the liberty of making a list to guide you (think of me as a Flyers Moses leading you to the land of milk, honey and pursuit of victory):
- Call your mom and tell her you love her (she worries).
- Get some flowers, scatter some rose petals, turn up the Boyz II Men CD and treat your significant other like the royalty they are.
- Go to your neighbor’s (who’s a Penguins fan) and leave a nice steaming heater on their doorstep because YOUR HOCKEY TEAM IS BETTER THAN THEIRS. There are NO RULES when your hockey team is GOOD! (I can’t stop screaming, deal with it).
- Go back to your Penguins neighbor’s house, pretend to apologize, offer to clean up the mess and then kick over their Penguins jersey wearing garden gnome and proceed to run away.
- Grow your beard like a husky Ivan Provorov, put your feet up, sit back and get ready for a DEEP Playoff run because the boys are ready and I AM FIRED UP.
WOW! Man, this Flyers team is special. I can’t believe the caliber of hockey that we’re playing, folks. I really can’t. 2012 was the last Flyers team I had been truly excited about.
8 YEARS. 8 YEARS we suffered through the services of Andrew MacDonald, Chris Vandevelde, Dale Weise, (“STOP! My ears hurt!” “No! Keep going!), Brandon Manning, Ryan White, Luke Schenn, Boyd Gordon and the “Abominable Snowman”, Jori Lehtera! We have suffered ENOUGH!
Now? NOW we have a team where Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Jake Voracek, Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes don’t even score a goal and we beat the 3 best teams in the East by scores of 4-1, 3-1, and 4-1. DEPTH. We have the best depth in the league and no one can convince me otherwise and we’re doing this all without the help of Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick and Michael Raffl.
Creating 4 Lines and 3 Defensive Pairs with this Flyers roster is actually incredibly difficult.
Their Depth is a JOKE. They're playing well against top teams without Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick, Michael Raffl. Add in Frost. Rotate Farabee, JVR, Voracek. Its a JOKE. I LOVE IT.
— Johnny (Flyers) Hockey (@FlyersJohnny) August 9, 2020
Saturday against the Lightning, this team played with FIRE. The depth was on display, the coverage in the defensive zone kept all the action to the outside (aside from two breakaways and Tyler Johnson standing alone on his own private island (have a drink Nisky), and their forecheck and offensive pressure to start the game set the tone for the match.
And how can I finish this article without giving a shoutout to the NAK ATTACK and holy hell, how about Shayne Gostisbehere? Ghost was an ABSOLUTE WEAPON last night, firing off piss missles towards the net like nobody’s business…man, that was great to see.
It's like NAK has taken the form of 2010 Danny Briere, 2004 Simon Gagne and Jesus all in one period.
He looks incredible right now.
— Johnny (Flyers) Hockey (@FlyersJohnny) August 9, 2020
Shayne Gostisbehere causing reckless behavior in the offensive zone is vintage 2016 Shayne Gostisbehere.
Hit me in the face with this all day, 24/7. I want it. I want the pain.
— Johnny (Flyers) Hockey (@FlyersJohnny) August 9, 2020
We have a special team here, folks. One that will play their hearts out night in and night out without hesitation. It brings warmth to my heart, a twinkle in my eye and kick in the can to watch this team succeed and DOMINATE night in and night out.
This will all be even sweeter when the best Under 25 Athlete in all of Philadelphia, Carter Hart, will be able to play and outmatch his idol, Carey Price, and the Montreal Canadiens in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Oh, and one last reminder:
…and don’t you ever forget that, Flyers fans. WE CLIMB!
Follow me on Twitter @JohnnyFlyers
Link Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports
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Ive been watching hockey since I was a kid in the mid-90’s. I have never, ever, felt this confident and good about a Flyers team. Not during the peak Lindros years, not during late 2000s cup run, never. For years we have all been saying “Man if this team just got a goalie!” We finally have a goalie. A young, incredibly talented goalie. And we are by far the deepest team in the NHL. When you have Farabee, who can shift between bottom 6 rotations to top line. When you have a third line scoring two goals (NAK has been incredible all round robin even before breaking out with 2 goals last night). When you have Laughton, Hayes, and TK just absolutely dominating out there. When the 4th line with Pitlick Thompson and Bunnaman just grinding teams down and burning clock. When you have 3 very capable blue lines, including Provy, Nisky, Sanheim Myers, and now Ghost Bear too all playing incredible hockey and giving up no quality looks. When you dominate the three best teasms in the East with no PP scoring and G, Voracek and couts not needing to score a single goal. When you have all of these things, the Flyers look like a very realistic chance at winning the Cup.