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PHILADELPHIA IS PHLYING!
Originally posted January 16, 1999: Volume 1, Issue 9

Bobby Clarke receives more than his fair share of criticism for the perennially underachieving Flyers. And when the Flyer GM recently returned Chris Gratton to the Tampa Bay Lightning in order to retrieve ex-Legion of Doomer Mikael Renberg, he admitted that the signing of Gratton had been an expensive failure. It was a failure for which he alone was responsible. So he fully anticipated more of the same attacks on his performance. What he did not expect was the response of his players.

Captain Phantastic?
Lindros
That response did not come in the form of words but action. Upon Renberg's return, the Flyers embarked upon a 15 game unbeaten streak, one which included a string of four consecutive shutouts. Of course, Renberg had little to do with the streak, since he was injured almost immediately -- it seemed -- after he put on the orange uniform. But even the injury made it appear that much more like old times. What was significant was that the trade triggered a positive response, reminding the players of those heady days when they had made it to the finals.

It is unfortunate that any success the Flyers have had has been obscured by the glare of Clarke's errors -- the signing of Gratton, the trade for Alexandre Daigle, the hiring and "firing" of Wayne Cashman. Clarke has quietly made other moves which, apparently, have vaulted the team back into Cup contention. His signing of goalie John Vanbiesbrouck came relatively inexpensively compared to the asking price for Joseph and Richter -- goalies also available in the summer. The Beezer has more than matched his richer counterparts in success. Clarke also filled the need for solid and experienced checking forwards by signing Marc Bureau and obtaining Valeri Zelepukin. He also acquired Keith Jones from Colorado at a bargain price, with all due respect to Shjon Podein. Jones has played well as the newest member of the Legion of Doom (if the line can still be so called).

Another Eric
Desjardins
While it did not appear so at the time, the hiring of Roger Neilson as coach has proven to be an astute move. Clarke knew Neilson from Florida, so he knew what he was getting. Neilson has proven to be more flexible than once thought, adapting his coaching style to a Flyer team much different from the Florida Panther team he had coached. Without sacrificing defence, he has permitted the team's offensive stars to flourish. His quiet, non-confrontational approach clearly sits well with the Captain.

The result is that Lindros and LeClair are among the top five in scoring, while none of the team's top eleven scorers has a negative +/- statistic. The team's unheralded defence has responded well and helped Vanbiesbrouck to the third best goals against average in the league. Eric Desjardins has made everyone forget about the Flyers' alleged need for a mobile, offensive defenceman. The team's size more than makes up for the lack of an enforcer. No one on Philadelphia is even close to 100 penalty minutes (Lindros is the team leader in that statistic!) Best of all, Lindros is playing as if on a mission, meeting Clarke's challenge at the start of the season.

Nevertheless, while Philadelphia is now playing well, there remains the lingering doubt about the Flyers' ability to win when it counts. It is a doubt fed by years of playoff failure. Only winning the "big one" will satisfy -- and silence -- the numerous and vocal critics of Bobby Clarke... and, for that matter, Eric Lindros.

NOTES -- Michael Smith's patience paid off: the trade of Felix Potvin for Bryan Berard is potentially a steal for Toronto... The Pavel Bure trade watch continues, with Florida now entering the picture.

[Photos courtesy of the Neutral Zone Hockey (formerly the Hockey Image Archive).]