Yardbarker: Blair Betts

Meet the Best Line in Hockey: Flyers v. Blues Preview

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:36:41 -0500

Okay, a slight exaggeration... or is it? There was a long stretch before this current three game win streak where the Flyers were a bit of floating debris, awash in a sea of inconsistency and turmoil. I will attest that erratic defensive play and a ridiculous schedule had alot to do with that. But the most important factor in TEH EPIC Flyers FAIL was the loss of checking center Blair Betts. I cannot stress enough what his presence on the third (or call it fourth if you want) line means t...

Meet the Best Line in Hockey: Flyers v. Blues Preview

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:36:41 -0500

Tricky Richie, Hot Carle, and Birthday Briere Lead Flyers in 40-Minute Shootout Win... But Injuries Hit

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:05:35 -0500

What a game, what. a. game. The Flyers moved to 3-0-0 on the season, winning a run-and-gun with the Capitals in the home opener. After a careful and quiet first, the floodgates opened at both ends of the ice, with seven total goals in the second. Mike Richards became the first Flyer to ever net a hat trick in a home opener, and all his goals came in the second period. So too, did all four of Matt Carle's assists. Guess playing alongside Chris Pronger has its advantages? The Caps were fa...

Good news: Flyers win in OT. Bad news: Betts, JVR hurt

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:20:00 -0500

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)The Flyers continued their hot start to the season, downing the Capitals in overtime in a high-scoring 6-5 contest. Danny Briere was the hero in OT, netting the winner to keep the Flyers undefeated season going. Other studs on the night were Mike Richards, who had a hat trick in the second period, and Matt Carle, who had an NHL record-tying 4 assists for a defensemen in the 2nd period. The Flyers had some issues shutting down Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who had 2 goals ...

A perfect start to the Flyers season

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:31:00 -0500

(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)A win. 2 power play goals. A shutout. Perfect on the penalty kill. A fight. Could you have asked for anything more in the Flyers season debut?The Flyers started off their 2009 season with a 2-0 road win against the Hurricanes in a game that was filled with positives for the team. The Flyers got their goals from two familiar faces, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, but there were several standout players new to the team this year. New goaltender Ray Emery started his Flyers...

Blair Betts is (finally) a Flyer

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:55:00 -0500

It took longer than it should have, but training camp invitee Blair Betts has finally signed with the Flyers. According to Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly, Betts, who will be the 4th line center, signed a one year deal with the team. There was some hold-up with the money involved and that made the deal take longer than expected.Betts is the perfect complementary player for the Flyers. He will kill penalties, win faceoffs and play the kind of defensive hockey you need from a 4th line player. On a t...

Flyers finalize roster: JVR in, no Betts yet

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:25:00 -0500

With the NHL roster due at 3 pm today, the Flyers made their final moves to get their roster ready for Friday's opening game. An NHL team is able to keep 23 players on their roster so the Flyers had to shift a couple of players around to fit everyone in.As expected, rookie phenom James van Riemsdyk made the team after a strong preseason showing where he basically forced himself onto the roster. Also making the team after looking solid this preseason was forward Mika Pyorala. Not making th...

Flyers to say goodbye to Jones, hello to Betts?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:13:00 -0500

Fans have been calling for it for months and they may finally get their wish. According to the Daily News, the Flyers are going to release Randy Jones this weekend in order to free up salary. Jones is set to make 2.75 million dollars this year, so waiving him would clear up some valuable cap space to sign forward Blair Betts, who has earned his way onto the team with his solid defensive skills.Ridding themselves of Jones would be a great move for the Flyers because he hasn't done anything...

Bye, Bye Bettsy

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:48:45 -0500

From Scotty Hockey: Puck Central picked up on some tweets that Blair Betts will be trying out for the Flyers. Well, that sucks. Not for Bettsy, he certainly deserves a shot to stay in the NHL and it is a damn shame that the Rangers brought in a coach who believes that Henrik Lundqvist can take care of the defensive zone all by himself. Bitter much? Yes, yes I am. He was my favourite Ranger, after all. All Bettsy did was give his heart and soul to the team, night in and nig...

Donald Brashear Sees You Booing And, Yeah, He Wants to Fight About It

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:01:55 -0500

Donald Brashear, the former Washington Capitals enforcer, didn't exactly endear himself to Rangers fans a few months back when he sidelined center Blair Betts during the teams' first-round playoff series with a blindside cheapshot that broke Betts' orbital bone. Apparently it didn't sway Rangers management too terribly, though, as they signed Brashear to a two-year deal a few weeks into the offseason. Clearly, though, the Rangers faithful have not forgotten his exploits and m...

The Case for Blair Betts

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:50:54 -0500

Now that most of the trade rumors have died down and the season still being a little over a month away, how about this idea? The return of Blair Betts. With a little over a month to do before the season starts, Blair Betts still does not have a team. It seems that this offseason, the only team Betts has been linked to is the Edmonton Oilers. Although he had been linked earlier this offseason with old coach Tom Renney and the Oilers, Edmonton has since inked two more centers in Gilbert Brule a...

Ducks-Wings: Mike Brown's Hit On Jiri Hudler.

Fri, 01 May 2009 22:54:00 -0500

This will be the next hit that is going to be looked at in the NHL. Some in the media are comparing it to the Donald Brashear hit on Blair Betts. It looked like a pretty rough hit and you can bet the NHL will look at the hit.

I Love Late Night Games...

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:26:17 -0500

:: I said it the other day, I'll say it again. I love these West Coast Ranger games that start at 10 or 10:30 p.m. because I can do whatever I need/want to during the nighttime and still watch the games. Now I know what it feels like to be a baseball fan when the Yankees are playing 3 in Oakland or the Mets are blowing a series in San Diego.
:: Telling commentary on Dmitri "With Some Help, He Could Be as Good as Marek Malik" Kalinin. I was driving home from work, listening to the beginning of the Kings game Wednesday night, and Dave Maloney was doing color commentary. Listen to his stunning endorsement of Kalinin: "This is the first time in a while I can remember Kalinin having two mistake-free opening shifts." That's $1.05M for every mistake-free shift, I guess.
:: Imagine what would happen if the Rangers played every game like they played the last 8 minutes of the San Jose game?
:: For all you - for lack of a better word - "haters" who "hated" on Blair Betts in the offseason (calling for him to not even make the team), witness the first period of the Sharks game and see what happens to the penalty kill when he is in the box. Incase you deleted your Rangers in 60 from your TiVo already, let me recap: Betts is in the box, giving the Sharks a 5-on-3 advantage. Two goals are scored.
That's it for me. It's already late and I have a game or two of NHL 09 to play still before I rake in 6 hours of sleep. Hey, busy shopping day tomorrow.

New Team President...

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:42:20 -0500

The Islanders have promoted Chris Dey to Team President. Dey was formerly the Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Event Operations.
Uhhh... hold the boat here. The Islanders, 25th in the league in attendance (generously listed at 13,600, including thousands of free tickets every game), have promoted the person in charge of sales to President. Isn't that like taking the kid in 12th grade who failed three of his final exams and making him valedictorian??
What's next, Blair Betts taking over first line center duties for the Rangers?
I don't know. Maybe this is like that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine can't fire the crazy guy in the mail room so he eventually becomes the head writer. Maybe Chris Dey has connections in the mob. In which case, congratulations on your promotion, buddy! My cake is in the mail!