Archives for April 25, 2006

'"It really showed that this team won't be intimidated and pushed around," said Jay McKee, Campbell's defensive partner. "It was good that we, being known as the smaller, speedier team, were able to keep up with their level of physical play."'

'"I apologize for using that word," Hitchcock said. "It shouldn't have happened."'

'“I was trying to spark the team,” Esche said.'

'Hitchcock, one of the most eloquent men in the game but also a man possessed of a sharp tongue, is no stranger to this. In the past he and Pat Quinn traded jabs during playoff series between the Flyers and Toronto. And there have been other shots across the proverbial bow. But Monday night the tone and tenor of Hitchcock's profanity-spiced "advice" to Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff reflect something beyond gamesmanship — something closer to panic and certainly embarrassment.'

‘While Philadelphia had an entire season to adjust to the new, speed-friendly NHL, Buffalo made the Flyers look like they hadn’t seen an upbeat style all year. The Sabres attacked the zone with intensity, often making the injured and slow-footed Philly defensemen look like they were standing still.’

'Then Center Ice, who was carrying the TSN feed, screwed its subscribers. TSN cut away from the Sabres game so I can’t relay much more about the period as I was busy screaming at a Center Ice rep on the phone. But Buffalo went to the dressing room with a 6-1 lead.'

'The National Hockey League will not be suspending Flyers defenceman Denis Gauthier for his hit from behind on Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek in the second period of Philadelphia's 8-2 loss to Buffalo on Monday.'

'The NHL should go to the minor hockey rule – if the referee says it's a hit from behind, it's an automatic two minutes and you're out of the game.'

'If the NHL suspends Gauthier they'll lift the responsibility every player must have to make sure he is aware of his surroundings and the physical nature of the game. It turned into a brutal hit and Denis Gauthier I'm certain will get a reminder from the league that he's on a short leash. But that's where it ends.'

‘I know the world has changed an awful lot in a very short period of time, but Hitchcock going Dick Chaney on Ruff made Hitchcock look small and the game look bad. Most things considered, Hitchcock is a good man and a great hockey coach, but it’s hard to imagine he would use that word in front of his children and it’s simply unacceptable that he can’t control his emotion (or his calculated emotion) in a post-game situation when people who have no say in what goes on are watching.’