DOOP! Hyka gives Flyers a 3-1 lead and another round of fisticuffs ensues. Our Hostetter vs. Their 71 who also got 2 for crosschecking.

Both teams change goalies with about 9.5 mins left in the second period.

Bout #2: Their Edmonsen vs. our Mathers. Edge: Mathers. During the ensuing break, Ian Laperriere was on Arenavison and got a Standing O.

We liked that DOOP so much, we scored again (Kessel) followed by a fight (Stevenson vs Elnyiuk). I'd score the bout as a draw.

DOOP DOOP DOOP! Brown from the Flyers fans on a shot attempt, connects on the retry and scores. Assist: Kessel.

Fans are now being directed to the upper level, as the lower bowl of the WFC is full.

Fans are starting to fill in the

PK looks excellent. Especially the 17 seconds when we were down 5 on 3. :facepalm: Not even preseason yet and the refs are calling everything.

Dang. The puck went off the post, off our goalie's back, and trickled in. Incidentally, WOW our goalie has a tiny blocker.

Flyers starters: 75 Phillips, 38 Lauridsen, 78 Kessel, 36 Rinaldo, 51 Ranford, 10 Schenn. Moment of silence for Yaroslavl & McCrimmon. Lauren Hart sings the anthem.

The Wells Fargo Center is offering free wifi again, as they did during last year's quotes. The lower bowl is at least half full, not bad for 4:45 on a workday. Surely some fans will arrive late.

Brad Phillips wl start in go for the rookie Flyers. Our other goalie is Michael Houser.

Orange and black faux dreadlock hats. Hmmm. I wonder if those fans handmade them or if they are an item available for sale?

Flyers rookie game: listen at Philadelphiaflyers.com . I am SOOOOOOO ready for this offseason to be O-V-E-R! Bring on the hockey!

Orange and black faux dreadlock hats. I wonder if those two fans made them, or if they're a new item for sale.

Pray for peace. Work for justice.

In Remembrance

We remember all the victims of September 11, 2001, both the ones who lost their lives and those who, though they did not die, suffered internally or externally as a result of that day.



CLICK HERE for my post, written on the fifth anniversary, of my experiences of that day. It's long.

RIP Brad McCrimmon and KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Dreadful news has come out of Russia today. The plane carrying the KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has crashed, and aside from two survivors, one player and one crew member, everyone else on the plane is confirmed dead. That includes the team's coach, popular former Flyer Brad McCrimmon, part of the best defense pairing ever to don Orange and Black, and several other former NHL players.

Besides the pang of grief at McCrimmon's untimely passing -- he was only 53 -- I was also specifically saddened to see that one of the funniest people on my Twitter feed, player Pavol Demitra, was listed among the victims. RIP, sir, I always got a snicker from your tweets.

It's just a crying shame, no matter if you are an avid hockey fan or never heard of the sport. Of course, every accident with casualties is tragic, but in this case, there are additional layers of grief besides the losses to families and friends in ten countries. The victims were also a significant part of a larger community, all of which is reeling at their loss. Pro hockey in general, not to mention the Kontinental Hockey League, and every league for which these people played and worked in their histories, is hurting right now. And as a human being, as well as a hockey fan, I hurt along with them.

Thoughts and prayers to all the bereaved, be they families, friends, or fans. RIP to the many people who've left us far too soon.

Our Flyers tickets arrived today. The Winter Classic game is -NOT- part of the season ticket package. I'm not amused.

Best quote I've seen in a while: "We must save the Earth! It's our only source of chocolate!" :-)