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Meltzer's Musings: 11/12/11

November 12, 2011, 7:32 AM ET [ Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With the Flyers having only one game over the past week (a stretch that finally ends tomorrow night in Sunrise, FL), I have had an extended opportunity to watch many other teams' games in full on NHL Game Center either as they happened or on replay afterward, rather than just seeing the highlights on NHL Network.

Apart from the Dallas Stars, whom I watch in full every game in order to blog about here at HockeyBuzz, I tried to focus mainly on recent and upcoming Flyers' opponents. To say the least, the Southeast Division leading Florida Panthers looked quite impressive in beating Toronto (5-1) on Tuesday and Winnipeg (5-2) on Thursday.

In the first game, the Panthers recognized that Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson was not sharp and were very opportunistic and confident when they got scoring chances. Slowly but surely, the Cats dismantled the Maple Leafs on their home ice. Toronto actually came out with good jump early, but Florida played a very good road game.

Jose Theodore made 38 saves, but most of them were from the perimeter. Meanwhile, a first period tally by Jack Skille and second period goals by Marco Sturm and Tomas Kopecky gave the Panthers a commanding lead. Sean Bergenheim put the game away early in the third period and Shawn Matthias added a late goal to restore a final four-goal margin of victory after Phil Kessel finally ended Theodore's shutout bid.

On Thursday, Florida utterly dominated home team Winnipeg for two periods. The Panthers withstood a late charge by the Jets that made the game a little more interesting (but the win was never in serious jeopardy). The Panthers took advantage of Winnipeg's defensive weaknesses, and tallied a pair of power play goals in a game where the Jets kept stalling their own momentum with ill-timed and unnecessary penalties.

Former Flyer Kris Versteeg, who is leading the Panthers in scoring, registered a hat trick in the Winnipeg game. I'm sure there will be several articles and TV features on Versteeg over the next day or so, asking the question of whether the Flyers gave up on him too soon and if he would have had similar success in Philly this year.

Clearly, Versteeg has been a more effective player for the Panthers than he was either for Toronto or the Flyers. But there are two pretty simple factors at work here. First of all, he is a healthier player this year. Versteeg was hampered by a sports hernia that was not revealed until after the season. Secondly, he gets more ice time in Florida and is expected to carry greater offensive responsiblities than he did in Philadelphia.

While Versteeg has been for Florida the type of player the Flyers hoped they'd be getting when they sent a first-round pick to the Leafs last February, he really has not been missed much in Philadelphia. First of all, the Flyers could not afford his salary under the cap. Secondly, rookie Matt Read has been a much cheaper version of the type of versatile forward Philly tried to trade for in getting Versteeg. Read has played quite well in his own right, producing thus far at about the level the Flyers wanted to see from Versteeg.

In addition to Versteeg, former Philly fan favorite Scottie Upshall now plies his trade for Florida. He has mostly been confined to checking line duty this season, but Philadelphia fans are familiar with the combination of speed and physicality he brings.

Last but not least, former Flyer forward Kevin Dineen has done an outstanding job so far in his first season as an NHL head coach (he spent five years paying his AHL dues behind the bench of the Portland Pirates). Dineen has followed in the footsteps of his father, Bill, whom Kevin played for in Philly for a season and a half. Flanking Dineen on the bench are former Flyers coach Craig Ramsay and former Flyers defenseman Gord Murphy.

Dineen and his assistants have done a great job in taking a roster of (rather expensive) castoffs and mid-tier free agents and assembling them into a cohesive hockey team. The Panthers have often given the Flyers trouble regardless of their overall record, and tomorrow's early evening game (5 p.m. start time) is going to be a good test for Philly.

******

Flyers great Mark Howe will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. It will be a very special day for the entire Howe clan.

I'm sure Mark's only regret is that his mother, Colleen, did not live to see it after years of struggling with Pick's Disease. At least Gordie Howe, brother Marty, his other siblings and Mark's three children (Travis, Azia and Nolan) will be there. Gordie has been in increasingly poor health ever since the loss of Colleen, and his son's selection for the hockey's highest honor have lifted his spirits.

As many of you know, Mark Howe is my all-time favorite hockey player. There were many years where I thought his selection for the "big" Hall in Toronto might never happen, but I always knew his credentials were worthy. He was kept out all those years because a few old timers were intent on forever punishing him for going to the WHA to play with his father and brother rather than joining the Boston Bruins. At long last, common sense prevailed over a few people's anachronistic political agendas.

A few years ago, I experienced one of the greatest thrills of my life, interviewing Mark for an hour as part of a two-piece article for the Flyers' official Web site. Part I of the series looked at Howe's childhood and pre-Flyers career, while Part II covered his Flyers years, move to Detroit, retirement and post career work as a Red Wings scout.

As a teenage Flyers fan who idolized Howe, I never dreamed there would be someday a day where I would get to send a congratulatory text message (if the technology had readily been available) to him on the day of his selection to the Hockey Hall of Fame. It was much sadder to contact Howe in September about the death of his longtime friend and former defense partner, Brad McCrimmon. This has certainly been a year of emotional highs and lows for Howe.

Congratulations, Howie! The Hall of Fame is better for your inclusion. Better late than never.

******

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