In case you didnrsquot know starting Dec

That’s all well and good but, like Stevens, Richards has been in a leadership position with the Flyers through all of the turmoil and for that his leadership skills, or lack thereof, are liable to be questioned, given the current state of the Flyers. The Flyers have been going through coaches like they go through goaltenders. Since the middle of the 2000-01 season, the Flyers have employed Bill Barber, Ken Hitchcock, John Stevens and now, faced with the fact that the team is struggling, the Flyers brass has determined that Laviolette is the answer. They say if you always do the same thing, the results are always the same and, for this Flyers team that rings all too true. None of the coaching changes has brought the Flyers any closer to a Stanley Cup; none of the changes have “worked out.” They also say that good goalies make good coaches.

Lord knows the Flyers have had their fair share of questionable goalies, which brings up the age-old question, is the Flyers goaltending good enough Flyers goaltender, Ray Emery, has played fairly well and, if you follow my writing, you would see that I have been full of praise for him. It seems as if the Flyers offense, which was amongst the Leagues best earlier in the year, has been struggling of late.In the past five games, the Flyers have scored just six goals. It is no coincidence that the Flyers have gone 1-4 over that stretch, which coincides with fans calling for Emery’s head. Let’s be honest here: there are not too many NHL teams that are going to win games when the teams offense is averaging just over a goal a game, and the Flyers are no exception. Jeff Carter has not scored in five games and has just nine goals on the season, Richards has not scored in three games, Claude Giroux has not lit the lamp in five games, Chris Pronger has zero points and is a plus -4 in his past five games, and Matt Carle, Pronger’s defensive partner, has zero points in his past five games and is a dreadful plus -5 over that span.

Clearly, there is plenty of blame to go around and, from my point of view, it’s high time that someone in that dressing room remind this team that they are expected to not only make the playoffs, but to make a long run in the process Right now, the Flyers are sputtering. You win as a team, you lose as a team, and right now, the Flyers are getting what they deserve, a lot of losses and a lot of questions. Tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens is the first of four games this week, which will see the Flyers play the Canadiens, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, and New Jersey Devils. All four of these match-ups will have playoff implications, as will much of December’s schedule. The following week, the Flyers will play the red-hot Boston Bruins, heated rival Pittsburgh Penguins in back-to-back games, and then a match with the New York Rangers.Clearly, things are not about to get easy for the Flyers, it’s gut-check time and, in my opinion, the Flyers entire season hinges on success in December. To say it’s an important two-week stretch for the Flyers would be an understatement.

Let’s hope the Flyers brass didn’t overestimate the importance of making yet another coaching change.In case you didn’t know, starting Dec. 5 Gabe Morency (formally of The Score ) will be launching his new website. Louis Pisano, my B/R counterpart, and I will be throwing down our Podcast “Get The Puck Out ” every Saturday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The Live Podcast will be broadcast in studio from Toronto featuring some betting analysis, fantasy advice, trivia, team analysis, player updates, and more puck talk than you can imagine Be sure to call in and let your opinion be known. Don’t miss it, puckheads! You can catch Morency (Monday through Friday) and “Get The Puck Out” (Saturday’s) at To phone in, call 1-866-964-5710. SPORTS RAGE- it’s the “Evoluiton of the Rageulation".... Until next time, Peace!. Another move made by Mr.