Philly may have a reputation for being dirty... but I dont think you can look at their play this post season and call them on it. Toranto played hard, but clean... Ottawa was dirty. Plain and simple.
Chech is not a goalie Todd... he's a defensemen with more padding (in his mind anyway). If he's not looking around for his glove, he challenging skaters at center ice. Ive never been a supporter of his, and I never will be.
There are four things the Flyers need to do to win:
1.) Shoot Bobby Clarke. He was a mediocre player, and hes a lousy owner. He hasnt put together a team, he's put together a collection of outstanding players that cant play together. The team is still built around a Lindros type player... onoy he's gone... has been for some time.
2.) Defense. Weinrich, Johnnson, and Therien are good, solid defensemen, but the first two are small and the last wont hit. We need a good, solid, BIG defensemen that will make players think twice about entering the zone. A Chelios, Chara, or McGillis would be great.
3.) Goaltending. Chech is not a goalie. Period. Esche is not a goalie. Period. We will never win a cup with these two guys in the net and on the bench respectively. Chech is a head case (more so than every other goalie) and lets in way too many soft goals. A Belfour, a CUJO, or a Hasek would be perfect.
4.) A cannon. We dont have a great shooter to put on the point on the power play. Our defensemen have no shots worth of mention and when the puck cycles out to the blue line, the defensemen are givenall the time in the world to do anything because the other team knows they wont shoot. Who do we need? Brett Hull.
We have the talent in alot of areas - but in some areas, it just isnt producing anything.
Primeau, I thought, had an outstanding playoff run - hes not a goal scorer, but he got the job done, freed up the puck, and crashed the net every chance he got.
Roenick is amazing to watch, one of the best players in the league IMO. He sets up and finishes some of the greatest plays. He may not be a 50 goal scorer for us, but he assists 70% of the goals we get.
Amonte is another fantastic player. Dispite the fact that he didnt score more than once in the playoffs, he racked up the assists and always made good things happen.
LeClair is washed up. He p,layed great with Lindros, picking up the garbage goals in the crease that Cry Baby left behind for him, but thats it. Hes slow, cant move the puck, and cant score on his own. He had one good assist against Toranto, but the rest of his playoff run was filled with mistake after mistake... that if he even got to the puck.
Recchi is another one. He played brilliantly against Toranto... but disappeared against Ottawa. I really want to like him, but I think playing his with LeClair is not allowing him to produce all he could.
LaPointe. A fantastic pickup from NY. This guy never ceases to amaze - he brings to the team what we lost when we gave Brindamour to Carolina - 110% effort, the odd goal, and a roughneck scrappy little chap in the corners.
If I was in Clarke position, I try to give away Chech, Handzus, and Vandermeer, maybe with a few other guys and get a what we need. Start cleaning out, spend some money, and get down to business. I would go after half of Detroit's soon to be unemployed line up.
I will say, however, that given what he had to work with, Hitchcock did a fantastic job all season long to bring out all he could from this team. We'll get you bastards next year... and loose to Ottawa again.
Ottawa... dirty little men, but good all the same.
