Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Countdown is on

Happy Easter & Passover...finally the playoffs are here!

Bill,
Any comment on the Rinaldo 5 min major plus a game misconduct call?
Was it just part of the backlash from the way the previous game ended, with the refs attempting to set the tone?

A two minute boarding call would have been acceptable there.

Do you think Zac will get a suspension too?

If this is the kind of calls we can expect to see in the series against the Pens, I'm less then optimistic about the Flyer's chances to prevail.

Thanks for the great blogs, it turned into a very enjoyable season, the Flyers in many ways exceeded my expectations going into this year.

Happy Easter and Passover. Bill, I think you deserve a day off

#Iwannaeastaegg

That Rinaldo hit was not even worth a penalty.

Happy Easter & Passover...finally the playoffs are here!
- Jsaquella

Agreed

Flyers finish 6th in the entire league in points. Pretty solid considering all the offseason questions/changes, and considering that the Atlantic division turned out to maybe be the toughest in the league.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Countdown is on
- bmeltzer

Morning all.. Man I hope Grosmann, Briere and JVR can come back for this series. We need them for sure.

I'm sure you all saw this, but Cherry chimes in on Crosby's antics..

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/...cherry-sidney-crosby.html

Total Points per Division:

Atlantic - 501
Northeast - 441
Southeast - 436

Central - 481
Northwest - 444
Pacific - 457


Without actually doing the work to find out, I wonder if that's the highest point total in a division since the shootout was instituted. Poor Islanders :/

Edit: Well it was easier to figure out than I thought. Looks like the Pacific the last two years were in the 490s, and there was a year the Central had a lot, but no division ever broke 500 points until now.

Morning all.. Man I hope Grosmann, Briere and JVR can come back for this series. We need them for sure.

I'm sure you all saw this, but Cherry chimes in on Crosby's antics..

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/...cherry-sidney-crosby.html
- Hextall271

Cherry is right. Crosby is a supremely talented guy, but he has some chippiness to his game...if he wants to give whacks he better not complain when he gets hit

Glad everyone appears to have made it through the dress rehearsal intact. The penalty on Rinaldo was a bit much, but considering the circumstances, it was probably better for everyone that he got 5 and a game. With him gone, the Pens didn't feel entitled to retaliate, and we didn't have a repeat of last weekend.

Same for Shelley with his misconduct. The only further impact a guy like Shelley (and Macintyre) is going to have a in the 3rd period of a meaningless game is negative....

Cherry is right. Crosby is a supremely talented guy, but he has some chippiness to his game...if he wants to give whacks he better not complain when he gets hit
- Jsaquella

I totally agree as well. You can't take a hard line against head shots say you are gonna stay out of scrums etc and then go around taking cheap shots. I'm sure players are already leary about even touching him as if you do, he could be gone again and the NHL will suspend you 40 games. He shouldn't be taking advantage of this situation to deliver cheap shots. I wonder if he'd be willing to drop the mitts with Schenn if the occasion arose? Doubt it.

Glad everyone appears to have made it through the dress rehearsal intact. The penalty on Rinaldo was a bit much, but considering the circumstances, it was probably better for everyone that he got 5 and a game. With him gone, the Pens didn't feel entitled to retaliate, and we didn't have a repeat of last weekend.

Same for Shelley with his misconduct. The only further impact a guy like Shelley (and Macintyre) is going to have a in the 3rd period of a meaningless game is negative....
- Emperor Filonius

I wonder how much Rinaldo will be fined.

I totally agree as well. You can't take a hard line against head shots say you are gonna stay out of scrums etc and then go around taking cheap shots. I'm sure players are already leary about even touching him as if you do, he could be gone again and the NHL will suspend you 40 games. He shouldn't be taking advantage of this situation to deliver cheap shots. I wonder if he'd be willing to drop the mitts with Schenn if the occasion arose? Doubt it.
- Hextall271

I think its interesting that Cherry shows that Schenn initiated the whole sequence with an earlier hit, and that Crosby simply took at shot back at him in the corner before Schenn crosschecked him. Believe me, I'd rather see Malkin and Crosby stay away from that stuff, but the simple fact is they take a lot of abuse throughout the game, and this isn't the 1980's anymore and we don't have the Dave Semenkos of the world out there to police things....we all know that Schenn would have lost a few teeth over that incident if this was 1985....but it isn't, so Macyntire wasn't out there on Schenn's next shift to pummel him (he was down in WBS because the enforcer is a dying breed in today's NHL). The stars largely have to look out for themselves and its hard to turn the other cheek all the time, and so when Malkin and Sid choose to go back at guys, I don't have a problem with that.

Somehow I suspect you folks won't agree.

Bill,
Any comment on the Rinaldo 5 min major plus a game misconduct call?
Was it just part of the backlash from the way the previous game ended, with the refs attempting to set the tone?

A two minute boarding call would have been acceptable there.

Do you think Zac will get a suspension too?

If this is the kind of calls we can expect to see in the series against the Pens, I'm less then optimistic about the Flyer's chances to prevail.

Thanks for the great blogs, it turned into a very enjoyable season, the Flyers in many ways exceeded my expectations going into this year.
- Marc D

if rinaldo gets suspended for that i'll be pretty schocked

ahhh who am i kidding no i won't

Flyers finish 6th in the entire league in points. Pretty solid considering all the offseason questions/changes, and considering that the Atlantic division turned out to maybe be the toughest in the league.
- eayost

and yet don't have home ice

I think its interesting that Cherry shows that Schenn initiated the whole sequence with an earlier hit, and that Crosby simply took at shot back at him in the corner before Schenn crosschecked him. Believe me, I'd rather see Malkin and Crosby stay away from that stuff, but the simple fact is they take a lot of abuse throughout the game, and this isn't the 1980's anymore and we don't have the Dave Semenkos of the world out there to police things....we all know that Schenn would have lost a few teeth over that incident if this was 1985....but it isn't, so Macyntire wasn't out there on Schenn's next shift to pummel him (he was down in WBS because the enforcer is a dying breed in today's NHL). The stars largely have to look out for themselves and its hard to turn the other cheek all the time, and so when Malkin and Sid choose to go back at guys, I don't have a problem with that.

Somehow I suspect you folks won't agree.
- Emperor Filonius

pretty sure flyers initiated the whole thing when hatcher hit crosby years ago, and everything since then is just retaliation.

pretty sure flyers initiated the whole thing when hatcher hit crosby years ago, and all everything since then is just retaliation.
- Don'tForgetTocchet

Yeah, its all Hatcher's fault. And Hitchcock's too

and yet don't have home ice
- Don'tForgetTocchet

It could be worse. When I was younger and they had a strictly divisional format, there were years the Pens would finish with 84 or 85 points (This was back in the days before the "loser point") and miss the playoffs because the Patrick Division was so competitive, while teams in the Norris would qualify with 50 or 60 points. No system is perfect, but its better than where it was...

A break from writing?! Unacceptable!

Just kidding Bill. In reality, I want to thank you for your unbelievably hard work you put into your blogs. The dedication is something we all admire and see lucky to read every day. Enjoy your Easter and thanks again!

On a slightly unrelated note, I thought of a nickname for 87/71....Mary Kate and Ashley

A break from writing?! Unacceptable!

Just kidding Bill. In reality, I want to thank you for your unbelievably hard work you put into your blogs. The dedication is something we all admire and see lucky to read every day. Enjoy your Easter and thanks again!

On a slightly unrelated note, I thought of a nickname for 87/71....Mary Kate and Ashley
- Giroux_Is_God

....and to think one of your posters was giving me grief in the Pens blog yesterday for calling Shelley "the goon with two girls names"

You guys ready to get screwed by the refs. Perhaps I'm wrong but I see this series getting reffed pretty one sided.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Countdown is on
- bmeltzer

Happy Easter All!!

I just saw that Nick Grossmann was re-signed. Fantastic signing!!

....and to think one of your posters was giving me grief in the Pens blog yesterday for calling Shelley "the goon with two girls names"
- Emperor Filonius

The problem is he's hardly a goin

The problem is he's hardly a goin
- Giroux_Is_God

OK, the punching bag with 2 girls names?