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ROUND 3:
Flyers face Habs at end of "real" centennial
season
SUNDAY, MAY 16, 2010 -- While all is quiet on the western front, there has been tremendous upheaval in the east. For the first time since the league went to its current playoff format, the number seven and eight seeds will face off to decide who represents the Conference in the Stanley Cup final.
There is plenty of irony to be had here. First, the Philadelphia Flyers. HBO recently aired a documentary called "Broad Street Bullies", which chronicles the rise of the Flyers from expansion team in 1967, to back-to-back Stanley Cup Champs in 1974-75. The heart, soul, and passion of the franchise expertly detailed within this intriguing piece of film. So fitting is it that this year's version of the Broad Street Bullies has thus far displayed that same passionate work ethic. Playing the roles of Bobby Clarke, Rick MacLeish, Bill Barber, and Bob Kelly, are Mike Richards, Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne, and Dan Carcillo. The toughness those 1970's Flyers had on the blueline can, these days, be summed up in two words, Chris Pronger. While this current group cannot yet be anointed as champions, the run so far has been quite remarkable. Their most recent conquest of the Boston Bruins was nothing short of miraculous. Down three games to none in the series, Philly rallied to sweep the next four games and send the stunned Bruins to the golf course. Boston had a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 7, which was played in their own building, only to give up four unanswered goals in a heartbreaking 4-3 series-ending loss. The Flyers began their comeback when injured Simon Gagne finally laced up the skates with his team facing elimination in Game 4 at home. Gagne scored the game winning goal in OT to cement his place in Flyers' lore. Philly followed up with a 4-0 shutout in Boston, and when all was said and done, had outscored Boston by a combined score of 10-4 in the last three games of the series. When I spoke with Montreal icon Jean Beliveau at last year's NHL Awards show in Las Vegas, I asked him about the disappointment of the Canadiens not winning the Cup in what was celebrated as their 100-year anniversary. There was a certain gleam in the eye of the stately 10-time Stanley Cup champion as he was quick to point out that the team was founded in 1909, and though the calendar shows the 2008-09 season culminated 100 years later, 2009-10 would truly be the 100th season for his beloved Habs. The question of whether the words of the legendary Montreal Hall of famer will prove prophetic will soon be answered. So far, it definitely seems as though something is in the air. Montreal fans will of course recall the 75th anniversary of the NHL, which in 1993 saw an overachieving Canadiens team bring home the 23rd Cup in team history. After downing the Washington Capitals in the first round, it was supposed to be the end of the road for the Habs as they took the ice to face Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the high flying Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead, they showed the world the first round was not just an aberration as they bounced the Pens in seven games. The clinching Game 7 wasn't even close. In what would prove to be the final game played in the building once called “The Igloo,” Montreal skated in, built a 4-0 lead, and beat the Pens by a final score of 5-2. So thorough was the whipping in that game, some Pens fans have begun calling for head coach Dan Bylsma’s head and a dismantling of the star-studded roster. In actuality, the Pens lost too much blueline toughness when they allowed Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill to leave in the last offseason. Gill, ironically, played a key role in Montreal’s effective control of Crosby in round two. For now, the Pens will face a long soul-searching summer. Another Goliath slain by Montreal. Another Superman, more Kryptonite. Although the Pens never experienced the team breakdown that the Caps had in the first series, it was evident in Game 7 that the Habs had gotten into the heads of the Pens and shaken their confidence. The final game was no fluke; rather, it was domination by Montreal. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak continued his strong play in net. Undersized Michael Cammalleri continued his timely goal-scoring and big defenseman Gill showed as much courage as anyone, as he gutted out a solid, memorable performance despite an obvious lower body injury. As these two storied franchises take the ice on today in Philadelphia, fans of both teams can claim that theirs is a team of destiny. There are plenty of similarities. Both have tough defense, and solid goaltending. Both pulled off miracle victories in the first two rounds. The Flyers’ first-round victory over New Jersey was overshadowed by Montreal's victory over Washington. Montreal's victory over Pittsburgh was overshadowed by Philly's historic toppling of the Bruins in round two. Montreal has scored 39 goals in this playoff year, Philly, 37. Both are all about team play, and neither has an Ovechkin/Crosby-type superstar on which to rely. These are both hard-hat crews. Montreal has shut down explosive teams used to scoring lots of goals by using suffocating team defense and shot blocking in all three zones. Although it doesn’t look it on paper, beating the Flyers will prove a much more difficult task. Philly does not have the offense of the Caps or Pens, and thus their forwards are used to the shift after shift of seemingly fruitless labor, which is only rewarded at the very end when they look up at the scoreboard with a tired half-smile. Therefore, frustration should not be an issue. Philly has already played, and been victorious over two teams with styles similar to Montreal. Philly can muck and grind with the best of them. The battle of blueline bigs also continues, as Pronger, who out-toughed Zdeno Chara in the last round, tries to match the toughness of big Hall Gill. Through it all, mighty-mite Mike Cammalleri leads the NHL in playoff goal scoring, with 12 markers. Broad Street Bullies over the Centennial Canadiens in six games.
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2010 Western Hockey Network |
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