Quick Hits: January 8, 2021
1) The Flyers will practice today at the Skate Zone in Voorhees for Day 5 of training camp. Thursday was an off-ice day for the players. The remaining camp schedule is as follows:
Fri. Jan 8: 11 a.m. practice for Group A and B, scrimmage at noon.
SAT Jan. 9: Group A practice (11 A.M. to noon), Group B practice (11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.)
Sunday, Jan. 10 marks the final day of camp and the venue will change from the Skate Zone in Voorhees to the Wells Fargo Center. Group A will start practice at 10:30 A.M. and Group B will follow immediately thereafter (after the ice is resurfaced) at 11:30 A.M. The two teams will later play in each other in a final intrasquad scrimmage at 7:00 P.M. NBC Sports Philadelphia will televise the intrasquad scrimmage live.
2) At Friday's practice, look for special teams work to be introduced for the first time in camp. There also very well could be a significant portion of the final scrimmage carved out for special teams simulations.
3)
Rivals in focus: On the Flyers' official website, we are running a seven-part series looking at each of the other teams in the Eastern Division. Since the Flyers' entire 56-game schedule consists of eight games apiece against divisional opponents, we decided to publish team-by-team analyses.
Each profile examines the rival club's roster strengths, question marks, and the changes that have been made since last season. There is a season series schedule for when the Flyers play that team. The bottom section, for those who are interested in the rivalry histories, is a detailed look at the ebbs and flows of the rivalries the Flyers have had with each club over the years.
The profiles are being written and published in alphabetical order. Three are completed so far, and two have been published so far:
Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, and
Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres.
The next in the series, Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils, is in the can. I will write the remaining four -- Islanders, Rangers, Penguins and Capitals -- in the days leading up to the start of the season.
4) Also on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com this week, I wrapped up the World Junior Championship coverage with an analysis article on the performances of Flyers prospects Cam York, Bobby Brink and Emil Andrae, as well as a look at what's next for each player over the remainder of the 2020-21 season and what may to come thereafter. To read the article,
click here.
5) Late yesterday afternoon, while I writing the Devils installment of the "Rivals in Focus" series, I received a phone call from Bill Clement. Bill was calling to tell me that he'd made a decision earlier in the day to retire. He told me it was OK by him if I reported it publicly. Bill also said the retirement was his own decision. He was going out on his own terms at age 70.
That is all you can wish for someone of his stature within an industry. But I was a little taken aback at first. If you know Bill at all, you know how much he loves hockey and how dedicated he is to his work. I think I said "wow" about three times before I congratulated Bill on his career and wished him all the best. He's in a good place, and has inner peace in making the decision, so I am happy for him even if selfishly, I wished he had stayed on because I've always enjoyed his work.
To sit and talk hockey with Bill is to get an education on the game. He picks up on the subtlest nuances and, of course, speaks from many decades of experience. One thing that he has is common with his close friend and longtime broadcast partner, the now-retired Mike "Doc" Emrick, is how much work he put into his craft and how easy he made it look.
Bill is a sociable and outgoing type of man, and he puts people at ease to talk to him. There are no strangers to him; only people he hasn't met. It's impossible to dislike Bill. He's earnest, honest, self-effacing, fun-loving and humorous. There's a personal story for every circumstance and an anecdote for any occasion.
Bill treats people how he'd want to be treated. He makes them feel special, and valued. I can tell you personally that he's made me feel 10 feet tall several times when discussing articles or blogs that I've written. I always looked forward to seeing him in the commissary before games, and just listening to him talk about the game or non-hockey topics. The thing about Bill, though, is that he doesn't just want to do all the talking: he also wants to hear others' observations and experiences.
If you've never read Bill's book,
EveryDay Leadership, it's very much worth your time to check it out. On a daily basis, Bill practices what he preaches. Like anyone, he has had successes and failures, good fortune and hardships, personal triumphs and deep personal pain. He's turned all of it into learning experiences and opportunities to improve (whether it's as a hockey player, a businessman, a husband, a father, a friend or as a human being interacting with others).
I don't talk to Bill all the time, but whenever I do, I gain something from it and am glad for the experience. Two experiences that I cherish are riding the bus at Flyers Fantasy Camp sitting adjacent to Bill and talking about Bob Clarke's leadership abilities, and walking alongside him for about 10 minutes during the Flyers Alumni's Charity Classic 5K in 2018 while my son Benjamin ran ahead of us.
Happy retirement, Bill. I hope you have the chance today to read the hundreds of tributes to you and your work that are pouring in across Flyers and hockey social media. The compliments are greatly deserved -- as a person as well as for your broadcasting acumen and contributions to the game as an NHL player.
Side note: As far as I know, no decisions have been made yet as to who will be the television color analyst for Flyers games for which Keith Jones is unavailable. Bill relocated out of the Philadelphia area in 2019 but he'd travel up to do the games that Jonesy was unable to do because of national network commitments.
6) A few hours after I spoke with Bill Clement, Colby Cohen posted on Twitter that he is not being retained for NBC Sports Philadelphia studio work during Flyers broadcasts. The studio team will consist of Taryn Hatcher, Al Morganti and Scott Hartnell.
Colby and I exchanged texts after he posted the news on Twitter. I'm sure he will land on his feet and continue to build his broadcasting career.
Likewise, Katie Emmer will be just fine. Frankly, I was shocked at the decision the network made to let her go. The Minnesota native knows her hockey in particular and sports in general. She was learning the Philadelphia market at a rapid rate and has a lot of promise as a sports broadcaster. She's also one heck of a nice person.
7) Up to this point, I have not blogged about the departure of Chris Therien from the Flyers broadcasts. Bundy is the one I know the best among all of the aforementioned people. He and I text several times per week and usually speak by phone every week or so. He's a friend, and will continue to be one.
Although the news that Chris wouldn't be back was only announced publicly a couple weeks ago, he was informed of the decision on October 30. I spoke to him that night, and was saddened by the news.
I really enjoyed working with Chris on the weekly "Therien's Take" feature on the Flyers' website and doing the "Real Deal Hockey with Bundy and Bill" podcasts. I am saddened that time has passed. We used to frequently speak by phone after the TV broadcasts went off the air, deconstructing games.
One thing about Bundy is that he wears his heart on his sleeve, especially once he gets to know you a little bit. He knows what he can and cannot say publicly but, if you know him or work with him, there's never a shadow of a doubt about he feels about something. There's no pretension or sugar-coating whatsoever. At the same time, he is absolutely hilarious and can laugh at himself as well as taking the starch out of you with the best of them.
Something else about Chris: beneath the banter, and stone-busting and shoot-from-the-hip-and-ask-questions-later side of his personality, he is someone who cares deeply. He's a devote family man who adores his kids and would do anything for them. He's a good friend. He also cares deeply about Flyers fans, too, and always takes the time to interact with them.
In many ways, Bundy and Paul Stewart (who has become a good friend over our years together at HockeyBuzz and even a family friend) are cut from the same cloth. Stewy's heart is always in the right place. He'd give you the shirt off his back. So would Chris when the chips are down.
Chris Therien is about to officially announce a new, non-hockey venture that he's passionate about because of his own backstory. I'll leave it to him to announce it himself.
8) I was remiss earlier this week in failing to mention the recent passing of Dobbie Schiff Kristoff (nee Gordon) at the age 84 from leukemia-related complications. She was the identical twin sister of the late Myrna Snider (nee Gordon), the matriarch of the Flyers' organization and the first wife of the late Ed Snider. Dobbie's ex-husband, Jerry Schiff, was one of the Flyers' co-founders.
It was Dobbie who designed the "Flyerettes" uniforms. Myrna and Dobbie, who enjoyed an extremely close bond with one another, were largely the ones responsible for the "family" identity of the Flyers organization extending to the wives and children of the team's players and coaches.
Last year, Ed Snider's sister, Phyllis Snider Foreman, passed away. Her late husband, Earl Foreman, was also part of the organization's founding group as he served as its legal counsel and held a small piece of ownership in Philadelphia Hockey Club, Inc. It was Phyllis who first came up with the idea of naming the team "Flyers," and then a public contest was held with the winner chosen among those who suggested Flyers as the name.
Nine-year-old Alec Stockard of Narberth, PA, was chosen among "name-the-team-contest" participants who had suggested (the already pre-selected name) on their entries. Alec spelled it "Fliers" on his entry, but all entries with Flyers/Fliers were accepted for the prize drawings.
Alec Stockard's way-too-short life was a tragic one. He suffered from a severe form of alopecia (which caused him to have no hair on his head or body) and had vision issues that required thick glasses. Alec was horrifically bullied for his physical appearance, and took his own life at age 20. Last year, Alec's brother, Hamilton Stockard, was a guest on the Museum of Sports Show on 610 ESPN to talk about his late sibling's role in the naming of the team and the pride he took in winning the contest. To listen to a rebroadcast of the show,
click here.
9)
Today in Flyers History: Dopita's 4-Goal Game (January 8, 2002)
Sometimes called "the Mark Messier of Europe" during an illustrious career in international hockey and the Czech Extraliga, center Jiri Dopita was highly sought by National Hockey League clubs for many years. He annually rebuffed contract offers from his NHL rights holders, which included the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders and Florida Panthers.
Finally, in the summer of 2001, the 32-year-old Dopita agreed to come to the NHL after the Flyers acquired his rights from Florida. Dopita decided to give the NHL a try after his Czech team, six-time defending champions HC Vsetin, had encountered financial problems and because his longtime Vsetin teammate and fellow nation team player Roman Cechmanek had made a successful transition to the NHL the previous season.
Dopita's NHL career was destined to disappoint. However, it was not without some highlights that showed hints of the various reasons why he was considered an iconic player in his home country. For example, in a Nov. 17, 2001 game against the New Jersey Devils, Dopita won 14 of 16 faceoffs in a 3-1 Flyers win.
Offensively, the best night of Dopita's one-season stay with the Flyers came on January 8, 2002.
On that night, he racked up four goals (on four shots) and recorded one assist as the Flyers downed the visiting Atlanta Thrashers, 7-4. John LeClair, Ruslan Fedotenko and Justin Williams scored the other Philadelphia goals. No Flyers player has had a four-goal game since Dopita accomplished the feat.
Playing mostly a third-line role behind Jeremy Roenick and Keith Primeau, Dopita recorded 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in a season limited to 52 games by injuries to both knees and his neck. After the season, the Flyers traded Dopita to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2003 third-round pick (defenseman Alexandre Picard) and a conditional 2004 fifth-rounder (condition was not met).
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