FLYERS QUICK HITS: AUG. 10, 2015
* New Flyers defenseman
Radko Gudas, acquired from Tampa in the
Braydon Coburn trade but sidelined by two surgical procedures on his right knee,
told Czech publication Denik late last week that he is ready to go and feels that he can earn a regular starting six spot with Philadelphia.
The player said that he feels his righthanded shot and physical style of play work to his advantage. He also joked about new Flyers coach
Dave Hakstol traveling briefly to the Czech Republic to meet up with
Jakub Voracek over dinner while Gudas did not get a personal visit. Turning serious, he told the publication that he's spoken by phone with Hakstol and looks forward to training camp.
The 25-year-old Gudas became a father for the first time earlier this year. The player, who has not played since last December, said his daughter's birth gave him perspective on managing the frustrations of the ups-and-downs of rehabbing a hockey injury. He got to spend time with his newborn daughter that he might not otherwise have had, and the experience of fatherhood has been a life-changer.
Gudas plans to come to North America shortly to train with Flyers teammates in Voorhees. The Czech defenseman said he got along well with his new teammates after coming from Tampa and is champing at the bit to get out on the ice with them in earnest.
* On the Flyers' official website,
Shayne Gostisbehere talked with interviewer
Steve Coates about his expectations for his second pro season and overcoming the frustration of his injury-marred first season. Although not mentioned by Gostisbehere in the interview, perhaps the most encouraging way that he was able to make the best of his time off the ice rehabbing a partially torn ACL by adding 15 pounds of muscle to his 5-foot-10 frame. Gostisbehere said during the Flyers development camp last month that he currently carries about 185 pounds.
* Former Phantoms/Flyers forward
Tomas Divisek, still an active player at age 36, is looking to prolong his career by trying out for German minor league team Lausitzer Füchse. He is expected to receive a contract offer. Last season, Divisek split the season between Plzen and Slavia in the Czech Extraliga. He posted a combined nine goals and 19 points in 29 games.
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TODAY IN FLYERS HISTORY FROM FlyersAlumni.org
1970: The Flyers loan the contract of Quebec Aces forward
Guy Dufour to the Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL) for the 1970-71 season.
1977: Shortly after his retirement as an active NHL player, the Flyers hire
Pat Quinn as an assistant coach under
Fred Shero.
1994: The Flyers hire
Mike Stothers as an assistant coach for the AHL's Hershey Bears.
2005: The Flyers sign
Robert Esche (two years) and
Dennis Seidenberg (one year) to contract extensions.
2006: Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman
Eric Desjardins announces his retirement as an active player.
Flyers Alumni Birthdays
Two-stint forward
Jesse Boulerice was born Aug. 10, 1978 in Plattsburgh, NY. Originally a defenseman, Boulerice switched to right wing during his junior career in the Ontario Hockey League. The Flyers drafted Boulerice in the fifth round of the 1996 NHL Draft. Overcoming the fallout from a stick-swinging incident in the OHL, Boulerice spent most of his early pro career in the minor leagues but worked his way up from ECHL and AHL stints to dress in three NHL games for
Bill Barber's Flyers in 2001-02.
Traded to Carolina for
Greg Koehler on Feb. 13, 2002, Boulerice later rejoined the Flyers as a free agent during the 2007 offseason. He dressed in five games during the 2007-08 season, sandwiched around a 25-game suspension by the NHL for cross-checking Vancouver's
Ryan Kesler. In total, Boulerice played in 172 NHL games (eight goals, 10 points, 333 penalty minutes). Today, he is a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch in Raleigh, NC.
Offensive-minded defenseman
Greg Hawgood was born Aug. 10, 1968 in Edmonton. Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the 10th round (202nd overall) of the 1986 NHL Draft, Hawgood was a star point-producer on a Kamloops Blazers (WHL) team coached by
Ken Hitchcock. The team's other big star was forward
Mark Recchi. Hawgood's sweater number 4 was later retired by the Blazers. He played in two World Junior Championships for Team Canada, earning tourney all-star honors in 1987-88.
After turning pro, Hawgood had a breakthrough NHL offensive season for the Bruins in 1988-89 when he posted 16 goals and 40 points in just 56 games. Hawgood spent parts of three season with Boston before being traded to Edmonton for
Vladimir "Rosey" Ruzicka in Oct. 1990.
Although his defensive play remained a concern, the 5-foot-10 Hawgood remained productive offensively while splitting several seasons between Edmonton and the AHL's Cape Breton Oilers. At the AHL level, he had 20 goals and 75 points in 50 games during the 1991-92 season while producing 13 points in 20 games at the NHL level the same season.
On Jan. 16, 1993, the Flyers acquired Hawgood and
Josef Beranek from the Oilers in exchange for defenseman
Brian Benning. Over the remainder of the 1992-93 season, Hawgood started 40 games for the Flyers, producing 28 points (six goals, 22 assists) and a minus-seven rating at even strength. Philadelphia signed him to a contract extension in March 1993. The next season, Hawgood appeared in 19 games (three goals, 15 points) for the Flyers before his contract was sold to
Bob Clarke's Florida Panthers in a cash transaction.
Hawgood was not a favorite of defensive-minded Panthers coach
Roger Neilson but he saw power play time for the offense-starved Florida team and produced 16 points in 33 games before he was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins near the trade deadline. Hawgood continued to shuttle between the NHL -- with brief stints with the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars after Pittsburgh -- and the minor leagues. For the IHL's Las Vegas Thunder in 1995-96, he won the Governor's Trophy (best defenseman) on the strength of a 20-goal, 85-point season. Six years later with the Utah Grizzlies in 2001-02, the veteran power play quarterback posted 18 goals and 61 points in 67 games.
The locked-out 2004-05 NHL season saw Hawgood opt to go to Europe, and he finished out his active career with two seasons in Finland for Tappara and TPS. After his playing days ended, Hawgood started a coaching career that included a stint as head coach of the Kamloops Blazers as well the KIJHL's Kamloops Storm.
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The Flyers Alumni will host a fantasy hockey camp from August 21-24 in Atlantic City, open to anyone age 21 and older. Instructors and Alumni participants will include
Bernie Parent,
Brian Propp,
Ian Laperriere,
Todd Fedoruk,
Andre "Moose" Dupont,
Dave "the Hammer" Schultz,
Joe Watson and
Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
Participation costs $3,000 apiece and you can
register a spot online. Over on the Flyers' Alumni website, there is
more information on camp-related activities and on-ice schedules.
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