Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Flyers All-Time All-Rookie Team

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Flyers All-Time All-Rookie Team
- bmeltzer

I remember Flockey Hockey. Propp, Flockhart and Allison were an exciting unit, for both teams.

I remember looking up his stats a few years ago during a conversation, and after he left the NHL, he had a ridiculous season in Italy's pro league, like 130 points in 30 some games.

EDIT: 136 points in 33 games. Holy moly, Stephane Beauregard would feel right at home in that league

I remember Flockey Hockey. Propp, Flockhart and Allison were an exciting unit, for both teams.

I remember looking up his stats a few years ago during a conversation, and after he left the NHL, he had a ridiculous season in Italy's pro league, like 130 points in 30 some games.

EDIT: 136 points in 33 games. Holy moly, Stephane Beauregard would feel right at home in that league
- Jsaquella

The Flyers nearly cornered the market in players from Smithers, BC between the Watsons and Flockhart. Does holding the rights to Dan Hamhuis for a few days a couple summers ago count as having him in the organization?

Good Morning...

good blog Bill...

The Flyers nearly cornered the market in players from Smithers, BC between the Watsons and Flockhart. Does holding the rights to Dan Hamhuis for a few days a couple summers ago count as having him in the organization?
- bmeltzer

Sure why not?

On your last blog, somebody posted a pic of the Watson boys and their dad. I remember reading that their dad came in the the locker room wearing his farm boots, still covered in pig poop

Nice read to start off a monday!!

great stuff, Bill. how close was tertyshny to gaining honorable mention?

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Flyers All-Time All-Rookie Team
- bmeltzer

Thanks Bill.. great stuff.

It still bugs me to no end that Hextall didn't win the Calder in his rookie year. I know Luc Robitaille had a great statisitcal season for LA, but I don't think he stepped into a pressure cooker like Hexy did (having to replace Pelle etc).

Question, Hextall must have finished second that year and the voting must have been close? Does anyone know?

Thanks Bill.. great stuff.

It still bugs me to no end that Hextall didn't win the Calder in his rookie year. I know Luc Robitaille had a great statisitcal season for LA, but I don't think he stepped into a pressure cooker like Hexy did (having to replace Pelle etc).

Question, Hextall must have finished second that year and the voting must have been close? Does anyone know?
- Hextall271

Voting was 208 to 190 for Robitaille. Robitaille had 25 1st place votes, 27 seconds, and 2 thirds. Hexy got 23-22-9

http://articles.philly.co...lav-dvorak-jerry-melnyk/2

Voting was 208 to 190 for Robitaille. Robitaille had 25 1st place votes, 27 seconds, and 2 thirds. Hexy got 23-22-9

http://articles.philly.co...lav-dvorak-jerry-melnyk/2
- Jsaquella

And I am sure Hexy's pugnacious attitude and being a Flyer did not help his cause with the voters. However, just the closeness of the vote shows what an amazing season it was for Hextall.

Teemu selanne 76 goals and Lindros with 41. For rookies! Gsus Christmas those were the days.

And I am sure Hexy's pugnacious attitude and being a Flyer did not help his cause with the voters. However, just the closeness of the vote shows what an amazing season it was for Hextall.
- MBFlyerfan

It also showed that the sportswriters who voted for the Calder were (frank)ing retards and that the GM who voted for the Vezina understood hockey a whole lot better

And I am sure Hexy's pugnacious attitude and being a Flyer did not help his cause with the voters. However, just the closeness of the vote shows what an amazing season it was for Hextall.
- MBFlyerfan

Yeah, I suspect that probably was part of the reason. A Conn Smythe and vezina is nothing to sneeze at for sure. I remember in game 7 vs Edm when we scored first, I said.. we're going to take this baby and he'll get his cup... unfortunately not.. I also thought he'd get a one before he retired, but he only ever got one other shot at it...

Teemu selanne 76 goals and Lindros with 41. For rookies! Gsus Christmas those were the days.
- JoeRussomanno

They would be unstoppable in todays league...imagine lindros and other teams not being able to cluctch and grab him...

I was in 4th grade during the 01-02 season and I remember having to play this game in class where we sit in a circle and a person picks a word that the class will spell (each person says the next letter in the word and it goes around the circle until someone is wrong or the word is complete). I think if you got a letter wrong you were eliminated and the time came for me to pick and word so i picked "Cechmanek" and OWNED those kids.

I was in 4th grade during the 01-02 season and I remember having to play this game in class where we sit in a circle and a person picks a word that the class will spell (each person says the next letter in the word and it goes around the circle until someone is wrong or the word is complete). I think if you got a letter wrong you were eliminated and the time came for me to pick and word so i picked "Cechmanek" and OWNED those kids.
- NickTheKid87

Thanks. Now I feel super old.

great stuff, Bill. how close was tertyshny to gaining honorable mention?
- isaiah520

Honestly, not all that close. His death was horrible, and he looked to have the makings of an NHL regular defenseman but his rookie year was nothing all that extraordinary in and of itself. He was a fairly frequent healthy scratch, and played sparingly down the stretch and the playoffs. That was nothing unusual for a rookie, of course.

Sadly, we never got the chance to see what he'd do with continued development. He had all the tools and work ethic to be a good puck-mover in the league.

Thanks. Now I feel super old.
- bradleyc4

Hahaha I think Jeff Skinner and Tyler Seguin were among the first players in the NHL to be younger than me which was a strange feeling.

Hahaha I think Jeff Skinner and Tyler Seguin were among the first players in the NHL to be younger than me which was a strange feeling.
- NickTheKid87

After Recchi retired there were none younger than me.

Bill,

Is it unthinkable that Brandon Manning makes the team out of camp this season? He looked very solid in albeit only 4 NHL games last season. He moves the puck well and has a lot of offensive upside.

I'm sure he has plenty to improve on, but it seems like every reporter is touting MAB, Gus and even stringers like Gervais and Lilja over this kid who has untapped potential.

After watching Laviolette put rookie's in key roles last year, and mature over the course of a full season, I would love to see him take the same risk on defense with Manning. The team got burned by the devils in the playoffs, because they couldn't move the puck quickly and efficiently out of their own zone.

Manning seems like a solution to some of our defensive woes, but only if given the opportunity to mature in the NHL.

Teemu selanne 76 goals . For rookies! Gsus Christmas those were the days.
- JoeRussomanno

Flash in the pan

Bill,

Is it unthinkable that Brandon Manning makes the team out of camp this season? He looked very solid in albeit only 4 NHL games last season. He moves the puck well and has a lot of offensive upside.

I'm sure he has plenty to improve on, but it seems like every reporter is touting MAB, Gus and even stringers like Gervais and Lilja over this kid who has untapped potential.

After watching Laviolette put rookie's in key roles and mature over the course of the season, I would love to see him take the same risk of defense with Manning. The team got burned by the devils in the playoffs, because they couldn't move the puck quickly and efficiently out of their own zone.

Manning seems like a solution to some of our defensive woes, but only if given the opportunity to mature in the NHL.
- PhillyLaFleur

Manning & Gus both have the ability to be sent to the AHL without waivers, so they'd likely have to be far better than Gervais, Lilja, MAB & whomever else is in the mix for the 6th & 7th defense spots[img][/img]

Bill,

Is it unthinkable that Brandon Manning makes the team out of camp this season? He looked very solid in albeit only 4 NHL games last season. He moves the puck well and has a lot of offensive upside.

I'm sure he has plenty to improve on, but it seems like every reporter is touting MAB, Gus and even stringers like Gervais and Lilja over this kid who has untapped potential.

After watching Laviolette put rookie's in key roles and mature over the course of the season, I would love to see him take the same risk of defense with Manning. The team got burned by the devils in the playoffs, because they couldn't move the puck quickly and efficiently out of their own zone.

Manning seems like a solution to some of our defensive woes, but only if given the opportunity to mature in the NHL.
- PhillyLaFleur

You never know. But I saw Manning as more of a physical presence than an actual puck mover. You are correct though that this aspect of the Flyers defense took a hit when they lost Carle. Hopefully Mez or Coburn can pick up some of that slack from the back end.

I dont know if this was touched on over the weekend, but its certainly interesting:

"As if fans of the Philadelphia Flyers needed another reason to dislike Sidney Crosby ...

As relayed by CSNPhilly.com, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar is to blame for wrist injuries suffered by Flyers forward Claude Giroux. Injuries that required offseason surgery.

"Those are from Crosby," Giroux told Kevin Anderson of The Northern Times (Timmins, Ontario) when asked about the scars on his wrists. "Every time we'd line up against each other for a face-off during our series, instead of going for the puck when it was dropped, he'd hack me across the wrists. I ended up playing the series against Jersey with one of them fractured and had to go for surgery on both of them after we were out of the playoffs."

No response to this accusation from Crosby to date, as per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, it was already determined that the Penguins forward would decline all interview requests this summer."

- Victoria Matiash

shame there's not a baseball buzz, would be fun with all the Phils trades coming