These boards crack me up.

Were several games below .500 and everyones picking on our 12-13th forward like hes miraculously changed the way he plays hockey.

News flash: the first goal, while unassisted, doesn't get scored unless Rinaldo makes a GOOD, SMART, HOCKEY PLAY followed up by a great effort on the forecheck.

I'm not seeing what everyone else is seeing in the hit. Zac got 5 minutes because Letang dropped on all 4's and 10 because of his reputation. Period. Do not sit here and try to explain to me how that hit was insanely malicious. It's a charging major at absolute worst.

Zac is a high energy, 4th line guy that I want on this team. The kid has a bad rep, but he's not Chris (frank)ing Simon for christ sakes.
- mochoson

im right there with you man

its a physical sport, dont like it? go do figure skating finger painting...
- JoeRussomanno

Douglas Dorsey approves.

Just to mention a positive for Zac. His forecheck hit separated the Penguin from the puck and led to the first goal scored by Luke Schenn. The first penalty he took was really embellished by Ehrhoff and they could have called him for diving there. No excuse for the late boarding hit on Letang, that was just a bad play.

I do not think things are so black and white with Rinaldo as most are painting him today. I do agree with Bill that if he could tone down the dumb and work on hockey he could be like a Roussell or Clusterbuck. Lots of guys play on the edge but have successful careers in the NHL. In Rinaldo's case he may never get there.

Glad to here Letang is going to be OK.
- Marc D

I think there's a fatigue with Rinaldo, where we've been saying and hearing "if he puts it together, if he stops taking penalties, if this, if that" for a while now. At some point, a guy just is what he is.

Douglas Dorsey approves this.
- Tomahawk

whatevs

He really has not shown that too much in his career here in Philly. 47% of his goals while in O&B have come on the PP.
- jak521

Yeah, Simmonds is the man when sitting in front of the net on the PP, unfortunately you can't do that much at ES which is where he is average.

okay take the pads off put them in tights and take away all contact... im sorry you guys are all over reacting. theres dirtier hits than this every game. this sissified contact stuff turned me off from football... is he a shining exame of class? hell no but he could've hit letang a lot worse.
- JoeRussomanno

Thank you! That's what I've been trying to say, but Captain Debate over here is being his typical attention starved self. However, he amuses me. He's like the Dwight Schrute of HB.

Just to mention a positive for Zac. His forecheck hit separated the Penguin from the puck and led to the first goal scored by Luke Schenn. The first penalty he took was really embellished by Ehrhoff and they could have called him for diving there. No excuse for the late boarding hit on Letang, that was just a bad play.

I do not think things are so black and white with Rinaldo as most are painting him today. I do agree with Bill that if he could tone down the dumb and work on hockey he could be like a Roussell or Clusterbuck. Lots of guys play on the edge but have successful careers in the NHL. In Rinaldo's case he may never get there.

Glad to here Letang is going to be OK.
- Marc D

He lacks self control and I don't just mean it in terms of penalties and dirty hits. He needs to understand when the team needs energy and when the team needs him to take a good shift. He chases hits and gets out of position too much.

I thought Raffl and Simmonds did a lot of the work on the goal but Rinaldo did a great job of cutting off the boards which led to the blind pass up the middle.

Just to mention a positive for Zac. His forecheck hit separated the Penguin from the puck and led to the first goal scored by Luke Schenn. The first penalty he took was really embellished by Ehrhoff and they could have called him for diving there. No excuse for the late boarding hit on Letang, that was just a bad play.

I do not think things are so black and white with Rinaldo as most are painting him today. I do agree with Bill that if he could tone down the dumb and work on hockey he could be like a Roussell or Clusterbuck. Lots of guys play on the edge but have successful careers in the NHL. In Rinaldo's case he may never get there.

Glad to here Letang is going to be OK.
- Marc D

They could have evened it up, but at the very least, Rinaldo was guilty of interference on Ehrhoff.

The problem isn't one instance, it's repeated instances. Rinaldo has a reputation because he's earned it, by repeatedly being a moronic thug who cant control himself. Until he shows the ability to change that, he's always going to have a Bulls eye on his back with refs.

This is his 4th NHL season. People have been writing and talking about him getting it through his head for all four of those seasons. The fact that he joked bout the incident last night shows he really doesn't understand or care about "getting it".

Zac is a high energy, 4th line guy that I want on this team. .
- mochoson

The kid is a loose cannon that can, and does, explode at any second. When he plays under control, he can be affective. But 90% of the time anymore, he does not. We don't need that kind of crap on the Flyers... they got rid of a lot of bad penalties in Hartnell, but Rinaldo is picking up all the slack now.

You call it high energy, I call it high stupidity. I was always a Rinaldo advocate... but sometime last season, he started losing me. This season, he completely lost me. He's nothing but another undisciplined loose cannon in the league...

He lacks self control and I don't just mean it in terms of penalties and dirty hits. He needs to understand when the team needs energy and when the team needs him to take a good shift. He chases hits and gets out of position too much.
- PhillySportsGuy

...and this.

Thank you! That's what I've been trying to say, but Captain Debate over here is being his typical attention starved self. However, he amuses me. He's like the Dwight Schrute of HB.
- Fast_Eddie_1

i really think ppl are frustrated with the fact guys like akeson cant crack the lineup but rinaldo gets an extension... i feel their frustration but lets not make a mountain out of a molehill. hit penalty deserving yes, act of congress needed to incarcerate zac rinaldo and remove him from team? no

I think there's a fatigue with Rinaldo, where we've been saying and hearing "if he puts it together, if he stops taking penalties, if this, if that" for a while now. At some point, a guy just is what he is.
- BulliesPhan87

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner.

He doesn't get it, he's not likely to get it, and based on his interview last night, he doesn't seem to care about getting it.

The kid is a loose cannon that can, and does, explode at any second. When he plays under control, he can be affective. But 90% of the time anymore, he does not. We don't need that kind of crap on the Flyers... they got rid of a lot of bad penalties in Hartnell, but Rinaldo is picking up all the slack now.

You call it high energy, I call it high stupidity. I was always a Rinaldo advocate... but sometime last season, he started losing me. This season, he completely lost me. He's nothing but another undisciplined loose cannon in the league...



...and this.
- WarriorHockey21

do you revel in the fact the flyers beat the old red army team back in the 70's?

i really think ppl are frustrated with the fact guys like akeson cant crack the lineup but rinaldo gets an extension... i feel their frustration but lets not make a mountain out of a molehill. hit penalty deserving yes, act of congress needed to incarcerate zac rinaldo and remove him from team? no
- JoeRussomanno

Has zero to do with Akeson for me. Replace Rinaldo with Steve Ott or Brandon Prust and I'm 100% on board with it. Teams need toughness and skill. Not a brain dead thug.

I think there's a fatigue with Rinaldo, where we've been saying and hearing "if he puts it together, if he stops taking penalties, if this, if that" for a while now. At some point, a guy just is what he is.
- BulliesPhan87

Probably and unfortunately true. He lets emotion and adrenaline guide him. I also think he may never be able to tone things down enough to play every night. It's no big deal really. Just don't see the guy as some anti-Christ figure.

I think there's a fatigue with Rinaldo, where we've been saying and hearing "if he puts it together, if he stops taking penalties, if this, if that" for a while now. At some point, a guy just is what he is.
- BulliesPhan87

I think Rinaldo's problems are all between the ears. Not only is he a good skater, he is an above average skater by NHL standards, which means he is a really good skater. He is fast, plays physical, provides energy and all that stuff...

But, as I am fond of saying to my 8 year old daughter, he has POOR DECISION MAKING SKILLS. There is a neuron missing between his brain and his body. He does good things on the ice as some have mentioned, and then he turns around and throws that hit.

He is the Rick James of hockey. He is a

Has zero to do with Akeson for me. Replace Rinaldo with Steve Ott or Brandon Prust and I'm 100% on board with it. Teams need toughness and skill. Not a brain dead thug.
- Jsaquella

Has zero to do with Akeson for me. Replace Rinaldo with Steve Ott or Brandon Prust and I'm 100% on board with it. Teams need toughness and skill. Not a brain dead thug.
- Jsaquella

just using him as an example, c'mon man you gonna tell me growing up with this team from the bully days to now, that hit was the epitome of all things evil like its being made out to be? he took a run at a key player, i'll take chris letang out of the game for zarinaldo every (frank)ing day

Has zero to do with Akeson for me. Replace Rinaldo with Steve Ott or Brandon Prust and I'm 100% on board with it. Teams need toughness and skill. Not a brain dead thug.
- Jsaquella

The hit irks me less than the reaction afterwards... after all this time, he still just doesn't get it. It's like it never entered his mind that his teammates had to work like crazy to let him off the hook. Instead, he's taking credit for turning the tide?

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner.

He doesn't get it, he's not likely to get it, and based on his interview last night, he doesn't seem to care about getting it.
- Jsaquella

Exactly. And part of his attitude has been created by the Flyers. Never a healthy scratch, rewarded with a contract extension after a year of regression etc... The Flyers are basically his enabler.
After his display last night I would have him on the bus to Lehigh Valley so fast his head would spin.

His smug attitude after the game was sickening.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner.

He doesn't get it, he's not likely to get it, and based on his interview last night, he doesn't seem to care about getting it.
- Jsaquella

This!

I know this all has been said before but I was really inspired by Voracek's passion last night. He is becoming a real leader with his play and desire to win. Just love the guy.

Also VDV has some nice puck deflection skills.

Add to the chorus for Manning. He played a simple effective game last night.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner.

He doesn't get it, he's not likely to get it, and based on his interview last night, he doesn't seem to care about getting it.
- Jsaquella

Nope, and he shouldn't. He makes his living as a high energy, 4th line player that hits like a mack truck. Its the one thing he's really, really good at.

You're asking Tony Montana to stop selling coke because it ruins peoples lives. Until somebody runs up in Zacs mansion and blows him to bits, he has no reason to stop.

I disagree he's as bad at hockey as everyone says he is. He had a great shift on the first goal. He lacks skill, but so does Grossman and plenty of other players in the league that have carved out specialist roles.

The hit irks me less than the reaction afterwards... after all this time, he still just doesn't get it. It's like it never entered his mind that his teammates had to work like crazy to let him off the hook. Instead, he's taking credit for turning the tide?


- Tomahawk

Yup, shoulda kept his mouth shut.

- MBFlyerfan

Love that movie

True, Chris Simon could actually play hockey and score 10 goals in a NHL season
- Jsaquella

And use his hockey stick to try to decapitate someone.