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Tony’s Takes: Injuries, Clark Gillies, and the Salary Cap

(Heather Barry Images, LLC)

Injuries Everywhere

I know nothing about medicine or sports medicine but the amount of times Flyers players have been hurt this year and then came back and played with these injuries not fully healed only to go out longer seems like there is a problem. Kevin Hayes, Sean Couturier, Ryan Ellis, Joel Farabee, Derick Brassard x3 and now Wade Allison have come back too soon from injury only to be hurt again. Seems like there is something rotten in the state of the people giving medical advice.

Fletcher Has His Work Cut Out For Himself

Chucky Two Trades cannot survive another abysmal season by the Flyers. They sold young assets to compete this year. They had a veteran core and both goalies were half decent for the most part. The Flyers need new blood everywhere, sell everything and repent for sins against Claude Giroux.

Speaking of CT² (trademarked), losing Nicolas Aube-Kubel for nothing being a footnote on how putrid this season has been telling you all you need to know. Fletcher should be removed before he gets last year’s Taylor Hall return for Claude Giroux.

R.I.P. Clark Gillies

R.I.P. Clark Gillies. He retired before I was born. I know my dad’s generation of Flyers fans hated him. I was blown away by how pedestrian his personal stats were to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He had 319 goals, 378 assists for 697 points in 958 career games. That comes out to 0.72 points per game. He had 94 points in 164 Playoff games. And that was in an era where there were 9 goals scored per game. He never won a Conn Smythe or any other major or minor personal NHL award. Sure, he won 4 Stanley Cups as the 5th or 6th best player on the team. Same energy goes for Kevin Lowe from Edmonton.

In-Game Experience

Comcast/Flyers are asking the fans ways to improve on the Wells Fargo Experience. Other than improving the product on the ice and making things less expensive I think the WF experience is solid. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. All the concessions are updated. As a man I don’t wait too long in the bathroom line (I cannot speak for the opposite sex) I would ask for better and more local craft beer options but that’s minimal. Spotlight and showcase a local brewery or distillery each month. Quit doing the drum thing. There’s like 10 other teams that do the drum. Let a celebrity or fan throw batteries at someone dressed as the opposing team. That’s a little bit more Philly.

USA vs. Canada

Someone wrote an article saying women’s hockey should not be an Olympic sport because of a lack of competition. I do not agree with that it should not be an Olympic sport but even though they will never do this, here is my work around. The USA and Canada teams are the best in the world. Both US and Canada have are -115 and -105 to win gold. The next closest team is Finland at +1400. There is no point letting US and Canada running up double digit victories against those countries. Let US and Canada play a best of 7 series for gold and let the rest of the teams compete for bronze. The mere attrition of a seven-game series between the two best teams in women’s hockey would not only be most watch television but give the rivalry some real snarl.

Abolish the Salary Cap

Get rid of the salary cap in hockey and in all sports. Parity is dumb and so is the salary cap especially if teams can invent skin disorders for players, so they do not count against the cap. If a team wants to spend 100 million on contracts a year, then that is on them to do so. Montreal is at 94 million against the cap this year already and are one of the worst teams in the league.

I am a bearded manchild with a love for the Flyers, Eagles, Sixers, Phillies, Union, and all other things Philadelphia. I am here with my jar of pennies to throw in my 2 cents. Also, #girldad and craft beer lover.

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