Tales of the Tape: Beating on the Flyers in Three Parts
by JDunman on Dec 16, 2009 9:00 AM EST
in Fights
20 comments
When the Penguins meet the Flyers, be it in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, the chances of a fight breaking out are quite higher than most other games. Toss in the level of frustration that Philadelphia has to be feeling, and that high chance becomes an inevitability. So, with little surprise, the game featured three fights, all within the first six minutes of the game. We'll be taking a moment and checking out all three.
First up - the Noted One Mike Rupp taking on Arron Asham.
The two meet up and exchange pleasantries (and jabs) before Rupp begins going for Asham's helmet. Asham responds by grabbing for Rupp's jersey, but instead gets a handful of face. Rupp answers back with a nice shot, and gets the helmet off, with Asham slipping to the ice. Asham regains his footing and shifts Rupp off his balance, ending the fight. I could see this one being called a draw, but with the shot leading to the helmet removal, I'm thinking it's a win from Rupp. And I'm writing this, so that's how it will be.
Quickly after the first fight comes another (with another annoying 'Well, well, well' call from the announcer) which is not at all surprising once we learn that it's Eric Godard and Riley Cote (round 5).
Spinning and punching. That's what these two are good at, and that's what these two do. Godard gets Cote's helmet off and gets some shots in to the head. Also with these shots came Cote's helmet, which got stuck on Godard's arm and was also swinging towards Cote's head. As the two near the boards, it looks like they await the linesmens' intervention, but when the officials make no moves, they decide to swing a few more times at each other. A few more fist/helmet shots from Godard and the officials finally get in and break the two up. I'm calling this one for Godard - he got the better offense in, and hit the man with his own helmet.
So with Rupp and Godard both getting decent showings, when a fight breaks out between Craig Adams and Dan Carcillo, we're expecting good things, right?
Oh no. Well, Adams did manage to get Carcillo's helmet off...but he also managed to get punched. In the head. A lot. The less said here, the better. That's a loss for Adams...but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
These matchups have something in common with each other. All three pairings have fought each other before. Godard and Cote is certainly nothing new - we saw it three times last season and the two even have an AHL bout against one another. Mike Rupp had a noted fight against Asham last season while he was playing for the Devils. Neat little tidbit about that one - Rupp also fought Riley Cote in that game. In fact, when Rupp was fighting Asham, Cote was fighting another Devil right next to him. Certainly nothing special about that - it's just kind of neat. As for Adams and Carcillo - they also fought last season, and Adams actually took a worse beating then.
With these three fights, the Pens are tied for 5th in fighting majors with the Sharks, only below the Flames, Lightning, Flyers and Maple Leafs. Next up will be the Flyers again, and do I really need to write a preview for that one? Of course someone's going to fight.
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I expected the fights; I just didn’t expect them to come so fast! I guess the fights had to be gotten out of the way so hockey could be played.
And, agreed, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.
"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007
Cocktails With the Penguins, where Pens fans toast the fact that we're not Flyers fans!
2 to 1
Goddard is starting to pull away from Cote and Rupp has too much size for Asham. We just need to stop dropping the gloves with Carcillo. Nothing good comes of it, but on the bright side, based upon his improvement from the first bout with Carcillo, Adams will only need to get his head beat in 4 or 5 more time until he gets a draw! (unless Max wants to do it again)
“nothing good comes of it” – in context of the individual Pen getting smashed. Yes, I realize this was the stimulus needed to turn the series around last year.
No, no, no...
http://www.broadstreethockey.com/2009/4/27/855326/carcillo-fight-was-not-a-game
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Dec 16, 2009 11:12 AM EST up reply actions
Yes, because a guy putting his finger to his mouth had a huuuuuge impact on the game.
No, the Flyers sat back and they lost a hockey game and a season. It had nothing to do with Carcillo’s beatdown of Talbot, and the subsequent lack of sense behind his shushing of the crowd.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Dec 16, 2009 11:36 AM EST up reply actions
Actually I posted that up as my attempt to jokingly silence you. I just figured everyone knew, without explanation, that a guy putting his finger to his mouth can have a huge impact on a game.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
The part you missed, since you looked at it from the other perspective, is what the fight had to do with the Penguins coming back. It was not that Max shushed the crowd, that obviously did nothing. The point, and the reason for the comeback, was that the team realized that someone was willing to put their neck on the line for the team. Max knew he had NO chance against Carcillo, but he did it anyway. He ate the punches and threw the gesture and awoke a sleeping giant. There is not another case to be made. You say the Flyers let up, and I say theFlyers had no choice but to lose to a superior team that finally realized what it took to win in the playoffs against a hotter team, which Philly obviously was at the time.
If you believe that a teammate taking one for the team has nothing to do with solidarity and IMPACT, look no further than that event to know that Max getting his ass kicked is the reason you lost to us (Besides the superior skill, most notably at the goaltender position). And having a front office that continually brings in players that would be dumb enough to drop the gloves with a 3 goal lead in the playoffs is exactly why the Flyers have not won a Cup in your lifetime. Not my rules, I’m just playing the game.
Do you truly, truly believe that the Flyers and Penguins were that far apart in that series last year?
Remember, this series was a Marc-Andre Fleury toe away from a 1-1 series going back to Philly, and an epic Fleury performance from the Flyers winning Game 4 at home. The Flyers dominated that game in all other aspects. That series was a few bounces away from a complete opposite result, so saying that the Pens were just a superior team in that series is simply not correct.
Do you believe that they were so far apart that, no matter what the Flyers did on home ice with all of the momentum and a three goal lead, that they would lose to the Penguins as soon as they had a spark lit under them? I find it hard to believe that the Penguins came back under that circumstance without any help from the Flyers.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Dec 16, 2009 3:31 PM EST up reply actions
So you are saying the Flyers QUIT? They didn't WANT to win?
Or after a few very hard fought games the cream rose to the top? I stated earlier that the Flyers were a hot team entering the series against the Penguins and I believe they had a legitimate chance to win the series. The Flyers scared me more than the Capitals. But, yes, I believe the Penguins were a superior team, especially at GT. And I also believe that Bylsma’s system, with our tremendously talented line-up, is based upon putting pressure on the opposite team and over a 7 game series, our forwards will typically outpace the other team and create enough mistakes by the other team to win a SEVEN game series regardless of how the opposing team comes out of the gate. (see Red Wings, Detroit)
To answer the question in your last paragraph…no, they were not that far apart. And yes, it took something trivial (but team building) for the Penguins to play at the level they were capable of playing. But, they were far enough apart that after losing, your GM made a concerted effort to counter the Penguins in his free agent signings.
The Flyers weren’t even close to a hot team entering the series with the Penguins. They were 4-5-1 in their last 10 games of the regular season, and needing only one point point to secure home ice advantage in the first round, they choked against the Rangers on the final day of the season.
Of course they wanted to win. And I’m not saying the Flyers quit., but they did sit back after the Pens first goal. Did the fight give the Pens a boost? Of course it did, but it did the same to the Flyers. To say that the only reason the Penguins won that game was because they got a boost after losing a fight is ridiculous. Here’s what I wrote in the post-game….
But it’s the way the whole season has gone for the orange and black. They haven’t been able to play a consistent, sustained 60 minutes seemingly all season, and in the end it’s rather fitting that the season ends because of that. Danny Briere said after the game that the Flyers lost their focus after Pittsburgh picked up their momentum shifting first goal. That is unacceptable.
The Flyers lost because Pittsburgh scored an ugly goal, the Flyers psychological kryptonite kicked in, and the Penguins took it to them after that. It had nothing to do with Carcillo’s beatdown of Talbot.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Dec 16, 2009 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
Shhhhhh...
The Max Talbot Shhhhh.. of the Rabid flyer fan base along with Mad Max picking up both goals in Game 7 Finals are part of the memories and mythology of the Pens 2009 Cup Run. Normally a guy getting the pus beat out of him isn’t an inspiring thing for a team down 3-0. But to have the balls to shhh the crowd knowing full well he got pummeled and the IMMEDIATE response of the Penguins to get on the scoreboard certainly put stock into the belief that Dumby carcillo awoke a sleeping giant. Sit back, stand and watch whatever. The flyers were 30 minutes away from making it a one game series and they proceeded to get outscored 4-0 over the next 15 game minutes. Up until the fight the Pens looked like Dog Goo. Max took one for the team, it’s the stuff legends are made of!
Believe what you want. Legends are usually exaggerated or false, so there you go.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Dec 16, 2009 9:31 PM EST up reply actions
Let's agree to disagree...
You don’t believe in it because you have never been there. I am not calling you out, but when someone you sweat blood with takes one for you, the outlook becomes different. You play harder. You take the extra stride. You put everything you have into making sure nothing happens on your watch. Hell, I have only been there on a high school varsity level and I understand what Max did for that team. I am sorry you have not been there. It is a tremendous feeling to come out on top after getting pummeled in the beginning.
they sat back?
or the pens from that point on said screw this, we are done playing….just a thought
" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009
by oldtimehockey09 on Dec 16, 2009 1:48 PM EST up reply actions
2-1
two to one flyers. asham i think won the go with rupp, he got in more solid shots. godard won his and ofcourse pens folk hero dan carcillo won his
" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009
by oldtimehockey09 on Dec 16, 2009 1:50 PM EST reply actions
Rupp vs. Asham: Tie
Godard vs. Cote: Pens win
Adams vs. Carcillo: Flyers win
by stoopidtom on Dec 16, 2009 3:04 PM EST via mobile reply actions
dumby carcillo
Hey while I see carcillo’s name being thrown around I credit him with lighting a bit of a fire under the Pens again. WTF a 4th liner jumping against the glass after scoring an incredibly rare goal? Hell if the clown had any skill he would have picked up the only TWO goals for the flyers. Dumby Carcillo is dumb, he’s a good fighter, crappy hockey player, Pens should put him on the payroll as their team motivator. Works wonders every time. Thank you danny!
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