Philly’s fine mess
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Granted, when the Flyers willfully violated terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by traveling on Dec. 26, it was not exactly a capital crime.
Except it was, because it struck at the core of what the league professes to hold so near and dear, and that’s integrity of the competition.
I mean, that’s why the NHL has a hard cap, right? Oh. But anyway, of course scheduling the Flyers to play in Nashville on Dec. 27 was unfair.
Kind of like scheduling the Flyers to play against the Predators any time or any place this year would be unfair. Wait, who said that?
But such inequities happen all the time. The Rangers, for instance, played their home opener as a tired team having traveled after a game the previous night in Columbus while their opponents, the Maple Leafs, were rested and waiting in New York for the Blueshirts.
It’s up to teams to make the best of it, the way the Rangers did not against Toronto in that one but did last week in defeating the rested and waiting Kings in L.A. after having played in Anaheim 24 hours earlier.
But back to the Flyers. Theywere faced with an issue. And they willfully broke the rules. And for that, the team received a slap on the wrist in the form of a reported $50,000 fine.
Well that will sure teach “Mr. Snider.”
General manager Ron Hextall, who took ultimate responsibility for the decision, said the players had asked him if they could travel on the no travel day.
The NHLPA “won” about one concession during this last lockout, and that was adding the 26th to what had previously been a twoday Christmas recess Dec. 2425.
So what did the Flyers’ players do? They gave it right back.
Sally Field (in the guise of Norma Rae) would be so proud.
And if forcing the Flyers to travel a significant distance on a game day was inherently unfair, the NHL is placing an undue burden on the Rangers, Predators, Candy Canes, Blackhawks, Canadiens and Sharks by scheduling them in the only three games on the March 2 trade deadline.
Those six teams — and six teams alone— are forced to operate under a different timeline than the other 24 clubs, knowing deals made close to the 3 p.m. deadline could force those clubs to play short, depending upon the travel required by personnel involved in hypothetical transactions.
There should either be 15 games or none.
How different would it have been in Toronto had David Poile accepted the job as Maple Leafs GM when it was there for his taking back in the late ’ 90s instead of choosing to go to Nashville?
Therewas a case of a lowprofile individual choosing to go to a low profile hockey city; a case of Poile knowing who he was.
And as Poile has been in place ever since as the only GM in Predators franchise history, the Maple Leafs have gone through Ken Dryden, Pat Quinn, John Ferguson Jr., Brian Burke and Dave Nonis, who is the current temporary occupant of the office.
Cliff Fletcher served on an interim basis after Ferguson was fired, but come to think of it, that designation could be applied to all of the aforementioned gents.
OK, take your pick for steal of the century: the Rangers getting Ryan McDonagh from the Canadiens for Scott Gomez or the Predators getting Filip Forsberg from the Capitals for Martin Erat?
OK, take your pick Part 2: The careers of Patrik Elias or Martin St. Louis?
Remember this about Elias, who reached the 1,000point milestone on Tuesday: Not only was he the best offensive player on the team that won a pair of Cups and went to three finals within a fouryear span, he was the best defensive forward, as well.
The Senators could claim to be a .500 outfit at 16168 prior to their match in Arizona on Saturday, but noting they had won 16 out of 40 puts it in a bit better perspective, wouldn’t you say?
Just a thought, but perhaps if Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs’ father, “Mr. Jacobs,” wasn’t one of the most hardline hawks through Owners’ Lockout III, the B’s wouldn’t have been forced to dispense with Johnny Boychuk in order to stay under the cap.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Iwas right before Iwas wrong, but though my report a few weeks ago about Andrew Barroway’s deal to take majority control of the Coyotes falling apart was well sourced, and I believe accurate at the time I received the information, the dynamic was fluid and changed by the time it went to print.
Sorry about that.