Yeah, then the new GM wants his "own guy" as coach and before you know it you've a team in turmoil. I'd be really pissed if Vigneault was canned, he was deservedly the league's coach of the year last season and, even this season, has done well with the players at his disposal.

Flyers up 4-3 with 3:00 left in Game 3. Flyers were coasting (4-2), but are missing Timmonen (who left injured). I'd put the odds of the Caps tying this up at 50/50 if not better. . .

As I'm typing, the Flyers got awarded a penalty shot as Mike Richards was tripped as the last man on net. And he scores. Please ignore the first paragraph. Thanks.

I left to go to the gym when it was 4-2 (I have to keep my personal priorities in line). I guess it's just as well.

It was exciting there for awhile (the 50 seconds it took to open OTF and type the first paragraph in my last post), but otherwise the Flyers looked pretty dominant. Biron wasn't on his game, but it didn't matter. It was an awfully chippy affair from both sides.

Reed,

Did you catch this slightly unhinged article in the Post today?

I hadn't thought that the Flyers had played particularly dirty so far in this series, but listening to talk radio, watching Wilbon on PTI and reading this article, it seems like the DC sports cognoscenti think that the Flyers are dirty, cheating barbarians trying to steal Ovechkin's birthright.

It's a weird dynamic, but I have to say it is making the series even more interesting than it is on the ice. Nice to see proper sports-related paranoia and bloodlust from DC hockey fans. On sports talk 980 today, one of the hosts said that if the Flyers go up 3-1, the Caps should make sure that none of them leave the series walking upright.

I haven't seen that and I can't because the WP website is fucked right now.

They probably wrote it before the series started. The Flyers are, in general, dirty, cheating barbarians, but it hasn't really shown in this series.

I don't think the Flyers have physically dominated the Capitals, although the Caps don't seem to be able to establish a big presence in front of either net. We just don't seem to have anybody that can do that. Maybe Chris Clark would have helped.

There's a lot of pent-up anger among Washington fans against Philly teams and their fans because of all the drunk, brain-dead Flyers and Eagles fans who have traditionally invaded Verizon Center and FedEx Field, not to mention that their teams usually win. They're very hateable. They're loud, obnoxious, usually stupid and talk funny and, of course, they've never won any championships in a zillion years (except for that lone Phillies title back when) so they seem sort of pathetic.

The problem seems to have become more accute recent years. It seems like the Redskins haven't beaten the Eagles at FedEx Field in forever.

Gyuri wrote:
[quote]it seems like the DC sports cognoscenti think that the Flyers are dirty, cheating barbarians ..quote]

The Bruins certainly have reason to complain about the Flyers this season...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeWFsKPNw9Q

QUOTE:
The Bruins certainly have reason to complain about the Flyers this season...

They certainly do. That was early in the season before Stevens got some control of the team (and it wasn't the only horrendous play from the Flyers early in the year). Actually, it's not fair to say that he got control, more that the team realized they had a better chance to win by actually playing hockey rather than pummeling people.

Of course, Marty McSorley's former team have always been the paragons of sporting virtue (just ask the Caps' Donald Brashear).

QUOTE:
There's a lot of pent-up anger among Washington fans against Philly teams and their fans because of all the drunk, brain-dead Flyers and Eagles fans who have traditionally invaded Verizon Center and FedEx Field, not to mention that their teams usually win. They're very hateable.

Reed, the cheap answer to that would be that the only reason there isn't a similar view of DC fans in Philly is b/c very few Caps/Skins fans care enough to travel the two hours to a game in Philly. Giants/Rangers fans have a similarly bad rep in Philly because they always show up in relatively large numbers (and they talk funny, too).

QUOTE:
They're loud, obnoxious, usually stupid and talk funny and, of course, they've never won any championships in a zillion years (except for that lone Phillies title back when) so they seem sort of pathetic.

The problem seems to have become more accute recent years. It seems like the Redskins haven't beaten the Eagles at FedEx Field in forever.

So the dislike of Philly fans in DC is a combination of sour grapes/bitterness and elitism. . .wow, that sounds a lot like DC (or at least the current hot topic in the Dem primary). (smiley thingy)

The clip that was shown before our playoffs games...Freeeeeeeeedom!

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=5tjKyKr2chU

That's great. I'm a sucker for ridiculous fire-up-the-crowd, pop culture/sports mash-up videos. Predictably, at Flyers games, they almost always use clips from the Rocky movies (which have become a sad icon of Philadelphia).

Amusingly, I'm told that at the last Flyers/Capitals game in DC, the Caps used clips from Rocky IV where the Russian (i.e., Ovechkin) was pounding Rocky.

And, of course, after our earlier discussions about how the series hasn't been particularly rough, one minute into the game, after the Flyers go up 1, there is a brawl.

just ask the Caps' Donald Brashear

Yes but Brashear has so much previous that he's hardly going to be an impartial judge. I'm actually amazed that Dukin' Donald is still in the NHL. Depending on how you rate these things he's probably the best on-ice fighter I've ever seen — keeps his opponent close and delivers a blinding set of short inside jabs, instead of the ineffective fist-to-helmet overarm haymakers favoured by most enforcers. Still, even when he was in Vancouver he skated like a snail on Valium and I don't imagine it's improved any.

QUOTE:
Yes but Brashear has so much previous that he's hardly going to be an impartial judge.

Yes, plus he played and fought for the Flyers,which further would harm his impartiality. I was just being jokey/obnoxious (Reed's blanket attack on Philly fans brought out the, well, Philly fan in me).

Meanwhile, Caps/Flyers in OT.

By the way, as a Flyers' fan, the new Russian line of Fedorov/Ovechkin/Kozlov is terrifying.