Some might say Detroit stopped officially being known as “Hockeytown” a few years ago. Various polls and surveys have been conducted since that time, and their findings show the location of this fabled land might arguably be a bit further east… in South Philadelphia. Our fans are knowledgeable, passionate, voracious, and relentlessly loyal. The only thing we truly lack are the championships. Tonight might seem like just an ordinary one-off visit to the Western conference, but it is so much more than that, and I hope some of the Flyers agree with me.
I see a lot of the Red Wings in the Flyers, and vice-versa. They both have unquestionable young talent up front with the likes of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Richards and Carter. They both have European defensive leaders in Lidstrom and Timonen. They both have immovable veteran players they like to park in front of the net in Holmstrom (out tonight) and Knuble. And finally, they both have solid, yet scrutinized, net minders. Chris Osgood has won the cup multiple times, and yet I always hear talk of him being replaced at the deadline. And we all know what Marty did in his run to the Eastern conference finals last year, but taking into account the struggles in net for the Flyers ever since Lindbergh died, the fans and media still have some trepidation.
Tonight, the Flyers look to invade Detroit and do something they haven’t been able to accomplish since 1988: win in Joe Louis Arena. With their last win, the Red Wings clinched a 17th straight postseason birth, while the Flyers can ill afford another loss with tough match-ups following tonight’s game in the Sabres and the Penguins. Only five points separate Philadelphia from the last playoff spot, held by the Carolina Hurricanes. This game not only becomes a measuring stick against the best in the league, but also a necessary two points to keep the fourth playoff spot and home ice advantage for the playoffs.
Flyers… Red Wings… somewhere, Terry Murray starts to inexplicably choke.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/03/fl...
