Bill Meltzer Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSS
• Archive
• CONTACT
Quick Hits: May 19, 2019
1) 2019 Memorial Cup: The OHL champion Guelph Storm defeated the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, 5-2, on Saturday in the second day of the round-robin phase of the 2019 Memorial Cup in Halifax, NS. Alexey Toropchenko led the way with a hat trick in the first period. Flyers left wing prospect and Guelph team captain, Isaac Ratcliffe, later had the primary assist on a Mackenzie Entwhistle goal as well as four shots on goal. On Sunday, Guelph (1-0-0) will take on the tournament host team, the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads (1-0-0). The tournament opened with Halifax defeating the WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders by a 4-1 count.
2) IIHF World Championships: There were no upsets on Saturday at the 2019 IIHF World Championships in Slovakia. Flyers-related notes follow:
* Team USA skated to a 7-1 win over Denmark. Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk had one assist and one shot on goal in 14:19 of ice time. JVR skated on a line with Colin White and Clayton Keller for Jeff Blashill's squad.
* Team Canada defeated previously unbeaten (against the four bottom teams in the pool) Germany by an 8-1 score. Sean Couturier did not record a point in this game but skated 16:22 for head coach Alain Vigneault's team. Philippe Myers skated 16 shifts (10:57) and was credited with two shots on goal. He was primarily paired with Shea Theodore. Carter Hart served as the backup goaltender to Pittsburgh's Matt Murray in this game.
* Two-time defending gold medalist Sweden held off previously unbeaten Switzerland, 4-3, on Saturday. Despite posting points in each if the first four games of the tourney (3G, 1A), Flyers left winger Oskar Lindblom only received 9:28 of ice time and 17 shifts. He had four shots on goal, and came within a whisker of his fourth goal of the tourney. Lindblom also took an early third period penalty with the Swedes leading 3-2. Tre Kronor killed off his minor but were later scored upon just as an Anton Lander penalty expired. Oliver Ekman-Larsson later put Sweden ahead to stay. Flyers defenseman Robert Hägg dressed as a seventh defenseman for Tre Kronor but was not deployed on a single shift by head coack Rikard Grönborg.
3) IIHF World Championships Sunday games: Team USA (JVR) vs. Germany, Czech Republic (Jakub Voracek, Radko Gudas) vs. Austria (Michael Raffl), Finland vs. France, Russia vs. Switzerland.
4) May 19 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Marc Bureau (1966), Michael Leighton (1985).
5) Today in Flyers History -- Pt. 1: On May 19, 1969, Keith Allen changed jobs as the future Hockey Hall of Famer went from the team's coach to its general manager. He succeeded Bud Poile. On the same day, the Flyers promoted hard-nosed Vic Stasiuk from coach of their AHL affiliate, the Quebec Aces, to become the coach of the NHL team. He lasted two seasons before he was fired in favor of Fred Shero.
6) Today in Flyers History -- Pt. 2: On May 19, 1974, the team that general manger Allen and head coach Shero crafted defeated the Boston Bruins, 1-0, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at the Spectrum to become the first expansion team to win the Cup. A first-period power play deflection goal by Rick MacLeish was all Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Bernie Parent would need to backstop the team to their first of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»