As basically everyone else, Kimmo Timonen expected the first round playoff series against the Penguins to be tough, so after three hard fought games, he's not too surprised.

"All three games have been tough, I guess it's playoff hockey. Now we rest a couple days and go at it again."

Timonen himself fought in Game 3, something he doesn't remember doing that often.

"I feel a little beaten up, but it's part of the game. I don't remember the last time I've been thrown out in the first period. Sometimes you have to give and take some hits. That was the moment when you had to try and do something. It certainly wasn't my kind of game."

"We do everything to win and that fight was one part of the game. At least I got a little rest after that."

Continue reading this post »

As the playoffs are just around the corner, Kimmo Timonen takes a quick look back at the season so far and previews the first round playoff series versus the Penguins.

"The regular season is over and the best part is ahead", Timonen says.

"If I think about last summer and how big changes this team went through, our season has gone really well, at least so far. I think we got twelve new guys and seven of them rookies. Just because of that I thought this would be a tough season. We've grown as a team and especially the young guys have all exceeded my expectations, so things are looking good heading into the playoffs."

"I think our first round opponent is the toughest possible in our conference. But I'm feeling confident because our game is looking good, too. I think the team that takes less penalties will be the favorite to win the series."

Continue reading this post »

This is the translated transcript of the Finnish video interview that Kimmo Timonen gave to nhl.com after last night's game vs Islanders.

On reaching 500 NHL points:

"When you think about where I started, the Kings drafted me in 1993 and they told me that it looks like you're too small to play in this league. I have to admit that only a couple of people in the hockey world believed that I could play in the NHL. Nashville GM David Poile was one of them."

"That's where I started in 1998 and I have 14 years behind me now, so I've come a long way. Considering where I started I'm pretty happy about where I am now."

On Pronger's absence being a reason to Flyers' inconsistent play:

"Pronger has been away for a long time now and I don't even want to go back to that subject anymore. This team has moved on. He's not coming back and that's it. This team is not talking about him anymore."

"It could be one of the reasons, but we won't hide behind it. Every team has bad stretches and this has been ours. We've been in a rollercoaster of good games and bad games and we've been bad in the beginning of the games."

"But we have 19 games ahead of us and everything is in our own hands, being in the playoff picture. We just need to go one win at a time towards the end of the season."

On trade deadline being a distraction:

"Well, of course, it doesn't matter who you are, it's our life. You have to think about families and children if you get moved. It effects on every player's life, those few days. But usually you know a few days earlier if something is going to happen. In the worst case you don't know, but usually you get some sort of info at some point, whether it's from your agent or the organization that wants to trade you lets you know about trade talks involving you."

"Of course every player is following the trade buzz and everyone is interested in knowing what is happening around the league. And like I said, from my personal point of view, these things also include wives/girlfriends, children, houses and everything, so it's just natural that the players are interested in hearing about it."

It's the time of year when basically every team in the league has players appearing in trade rumors. One of them on the Flyers side has been Sergei Bobrovsky. The young goaltender knows the name of the game, but says he's only focusing on his job as a Flyer.

"I'm in Philadelphia now. I try to help my team the best I can. I'm not preparing to get traded. I'm only focusing on the games."

"The main thing is to just play. Everything can change very fast. You can't get stuck on things and you can't dwell on things. It's a tough schedule with three or four games a week. There's no time to get emotional."

"I like everything in Philadelphia. I respect the organization and the employees. But if something happens... That's life. And it's a part of my job."

"In this league, anyone can get traded at any time", says Flyers' goalie coach Jeff Reese. "But we like it that the Flyers have two good goalies. Look at Boston and Vancouver that played in the finals last season; both have very good tandems in goal with Luongo and Schneider and Thomas and Rask."

Bobrovsky says that sharing duties with Ilya Bryzgalov is an important experience for him.

"Ilya is a good goalie and I can learn something from him. He's helpful, he tells me things and I'm thankful for that."

Reese agrees the situation is a good learning experience for Bobrovsky.

"This season Sergei has no room for mistakes. Last season he could just go on to the next game after a bad game, but now it means riding the bench for a week behind Bryzgalov. But that's a great experience for a young goalie. I'm sure Bob will soon become a number one goaltender in the NHL."

Continue reading this post »

Kimmo Timonen shares his thoughts about his latest All Star Game experience. He tells the story on how he got a hint beforehand from Zdeno Chara about likely getting picked early in the fantasy draft.

"A week before the All Star break we played against Boston. At some point in that game, Chara and I went to talk with the ref about some penalty. It was then when Chara told me that if he got to choose the alternate captains, he would've chosen me. So from that I kinda knew that I might get picked early in the draft."

"But this was the kind of event that it wouldn't have really bothered me if I had been picked last. Even without knowing about the car and the charity bonus."

Timonen has experienced the Eastern Conference versus Western Conference format as well and thinks the current fantasy draft format might be the better one.

"Maybe this is the better system. The fans were there in the draft, so we could interact with them that way. Of course the crowd yelled at certain players, but that's okay. Everybody liked it and all the players were in good mood."

Earlier this season Timonen thought it might be better to just rest instead of going to the All Star Game, but ended up going anyway.

"Now that I think of it, the last game we had before the break was on Tuesday and we didn't have to be back on the ice until Saturday, so we got three and a half days of rest."

"But of course it's hockey nonetheless. Sometimes it would be nice to get a break, not just from the games, but to get your thoughts away from hockey as well. It can't happen at the All Star Game, though it was a lot of fun. There are always two sides to the story."

This report was based off of a Finnish-language story in the publication Veikkaaja.

Kimmo Timonen says he's worried about the injuries the Flyers are facing right now and that the injuries are starting to show in the games.

We've had a lot of injuries. We need everybody to be healthy if we want to go far this year. Some guys are playing a lot right now and it's going to hurt us in the long run. It showed against the Rangers."

Timonen isn't only referring to the absence of fellow defenseman Chris Pronger.

"Pronger is great, but missing one guy is not a problem. Missing four, five guys is a problem."

Timonen has said before that he's had his share of smaller injuries this season, but he says he's doing 'okay'.

"I'm okay. I've had all kinds of small injuries and of course they hurt my game sometimes, but I'm pretty happy."

Timonen was also named on the All Star Game ballot, but says it's time for the younger players to shine in that game.

"Well, yeah, I guess I've been there before, but let's leave those games to the younger guys. It's nice [to be on the ballot], but I'm not interested in it anymore. I've been there a few times before and it's a nice event, but I rather take that vacation this time."

Timonen leads Flyers defensemen with thirteen assists, but hasn't scored a goal yet.

"I've been getting points pretty well and I've had some scoring chances, but the puck just hasn't gone in."

"But I'm worrying more about our team and that we'll get healthy again. That's the biggest worry right now."

This report was based off of a Finnish-language story released by STT.

When the Flyers lost to the Bruins in the playoffs, Bobrovsky says he didn’t get the feeling that the Bruins would go all the way.

"No, I didn’t even think about it. They are a good team and they played well against us. But it’s the playoffs. There are a lot of good teams and everyone plays well. It’s hard to guess which one of them will win the Cup eventually. I don’t think you can guess it."

Bobrovsky says he didn’t try to learn from the veteran Bruins goalie Tim Thomas who played a big part in the Bruins’ success.

"Oh, no. He’s got a different style. Yes, he played well, but a goalie can’t win the Cup. They played very well as a team, and I think that’s why they won. Thomas certainly had a very strong season and I’m not taking anything away from him. I just wouldn’t say that I learned something concrete by watching him."

Bobrovsky agrees with the old saying that regular season and playoffs are two different sports.

"Yes, I agree. Players are completely different. There are less mistakes and everyone is focused. Everyone is ready to pay the price and go to the net more aggressively. Of course it makes for different hockey."

Continue reading this post »

Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese says Ilya Bryzgalov is going through an adjustment period and the same goes for the whole team while Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t quite ready to be a starting goalie yet. In the big picture, Reese calls the Flyers’ goaltending one of the best in the league.

Having two Russian goalies on the team is a rarity in the league, but Reese doesn’t really see anything special about it.

"I don’t think them both being Russian really means anything. Though it’s great when I can’t explain something to Bobrovsky, Bryz can translate for me."

"They have a healthy competition and that’s never harmed anyone. I know that Bryzgalov won’t refuse to help Bob and Bob won’t be just a humble servant."

"I also have a lot to learn as a coach as well, there are always some new methods and techniques out there."

Reese has a lot of faith in Bobrovsky and says the 23 year old will offer serious competition for Bryzgalov, but when will he be ready to be the starter?

"I don’t know. Maybe it will never happen. But I believe in him and consider him a very talented and confident goaltender who has a strong personality and the right kind of attitude. With Bryzgalov, he offers depth and reliability for the Flyers."

"Look at Cory Schneider in Vancouver for example. He’s an excellent goalie behind Luongo. The same way Bryzgalov was in Anaheim behind Giguere. So Bob has time on his side. He has an NHL veteran in front of him and he can learn a lot from him. He learns to understand what it’s like to be the starting goalie and play through the pain of each game while maintaining your consistency."

"I asked Bob to add some strength during the summer and he did it. I can already see visible progress in his stick work as a result of our work at practices. Bob is eager to develop and will offer serious competition for Bryzgalov."

"There would be something wrong with Bob if he didn’t think he was as good as Bryzgalov."

Continue reading this post »

Sergei Bobrovsky hasn't played yet, but believes he will get a chance to compete with Ilya Bryzgalov at some point. While he's not in a hurry, he reminds that he's not just settling for backup duties.

"So far so good. I'm not focusing on who's the starter here. It's a long season. I certainly don't enjoy the role of a backup. But I'm going to work and wait for my chance."

"I don't think there's a big difference between me and Bryzgalov. I will play for the Flyers and try to prove that I belong to this team."

Bobrovsky says he hasn't been thinking about anything else than playing for the Flyers.

"Why should I be thinking about other options? That's the GM's job. All I can do is play. It's a simple situation. We got a new goalie and now I compete with him for the starting job."

"Ilya and I have a professional relationship. We talk, and there's no competing off the ice. But when we're on the ice, I don't just go there to give up."

"In general, I don't really pay attention to the circumstances. I just keep my focus ahead. I haven't gotten rusty on the bench. I feel great."

"When I will play is out of my hands. What matters is that the team wins."

This report was based off of a Russian-language story in the publication Sovetsky Sport.

Phantoms goalie Johan Backlund says the reason he hasn’t been playing so far this season is an injury he got after training camp.

"Right now I’m injured and I’ve been injured for the last week and a half. So the reason why I haven’t played in the beginning of the season is simply because I haven’t been cleared to play."

"I was sent down to Adirondack after training camp and then I got injured. My priority now is to rehab and look to come back as soon as possible after the injury."

Backlund isn’t sure how the three goalie situation on the Phantoms gets handled.

"We have a bit of a different type of situation here since we have three goalies in Adirondack. But are we going to continue with three goalies here or how it’s going to be in the future, I really don’t know. I haven’t heard any talk about anyone of us getting sent to the ECHL."

There were some rumors already back in the summer taking Backlund back to Sweden, but he says he’s fully focused on staying.

"Really? No, I haven’t talked about moving anywhere. Like I said, I’m doing my best to come back after an injury and then keep playing here."

Backlund says working with Jason Bacashihua and Michael Leighton is going well considering the circumstances.

"We don’t have any problems at all. Of course it’s not ideal to have three goalies and we rotate in practices. They’re both great guys and Leighton is the one who has played most of the games here in the beginning of the season, so naturally he gets the full time practices before the games."

"Like I said, it’s not the ideal situation to have three goalies, but you just have to make the best out of it. Of course all three want to play as many games as possible, otherwise we wouldn’t be here."

Continue reading this post »

Today it begins. Ilya Bryzgalov’s career as a Philadelphia Flyer. He’s excited.

"The Flyers are a great team. That’s what I wanted; to play in one of the best teams in the league. Everyone on the Coyotes will remain in my heart forever, I have a lot of friends there. But now I’m in Philadelphia. I can tell that this is a hockey town. And the team is like a family. They say ‘once a Flyer, always a Flyer’. There are a lot of ex-Flyers players working in the organization. That’s very cool."

Bryzgalov has noticed the difference in the level of interest from the media as well.

"There are a lot more reporters here. Though the questions are often the same everywhere."

Additionally, there are also the HBO documentary cameras chasing him.

"I just close my door on them and don’t let them in! This team is full of stars, so why would they film me?"

Known for his positive attitude, Bryzgalov says the positivity is a choice he’s made.

"I made a choice for life once; be happy. Of course I can be in a bad mood sometimes, but I try to fix it quickly. [After a bad game] I go to sleep. I wake up the next morning and if the sun is up, everything is fine again. I try to get back on my feet quickly."

A positive attitude might be needed, since the expectations for him will be massive since day one.

"Some people are expecting me to be a Messiah. But sorry, I’m not Jesus Christ. I have the same attitude towards the game as before. The puck is still that same small and black thing. Hockey players are still the same. We have to get to work, but time will tell how it pans out."

Coming with the pressure and expectations is also the old stereotype of restless Philly sports fans booing and throwing snowballs if things aren’t going their way.

"Yes, I’ve heard about that."

And he’s not afraid.

"Of what? That they’d throw snowballs at me? No. And if they boo me, then I deserve it!"

Continue reading this post »

Jaromir Jagr is ready for the new challenge that waits for him in Philadelphia, but admits there will be a lot of new things waiting for him that he needs to get used to. He even compares the current situation to the beginning of his career in Pittsburgh.

"I’m going to an unfamiliar environment. It will take a while to get used to everything. It’s comparable to when I started my career in North America when I was 18. I’m not saying it will be similar, my first year was worse, of course. I couldn’t talk and everything was new. Back then I didn’t even know if I’d still be there next year, I was actually thinking about returning home. So it’s a slightly different situation now, when I’ve been to North America before and I know what I’m getting myself into."

"But it will be a new team for me and I haven’t played there in three years, so a lot of things will be new to me this time as well. Everything will depend on how I’ve prepared myself for the season and how we’ll do as a team. It’s easier for you to do well if the team does well. Everything becomes easier. We just have to wait and see how it goes."

Jagr doesn’t mind if people have low expectations for him.

"That’s just fine for me. At least I won’t have any pressure. It would be worse if everyone expected a great performance and I wouldn’t fulfill their expectations. You can only be a huge disappointment that way, but now I really have nothing to lose."

Jagr arrived pretty late for the Flyers training camp compared to the other players. He says he’s been busy running his hockey team in Kladno. But now the focus shifts from Jagr the GM to Jagr the player.

"The last few days have been so hectic. But you could say that everything looks good now. Maybe not quite perfect, but the basement [for the club] has been built. Now I have to focus on myself."

Jagr doesn’t worry about arriving a little later and says he rather takes it that way.

"It’s better if I just jump straight into it than wait around and have nothing to do. We’ll just train the first three days or so, so I can look around for a house then and if I can’t find one, I’ll wait until the camp is over. At least I won’t get bored."

This report was based off of a Czech-language story in the publication iDnes.

This was published on Wednesday, but several other stories buried it. We've bumped it to the top for that reason. - Travis

Niko Hovinen was a hyped up goaltender in 2006 when the Minnesota Wild drafted him. Playing for the same junior team, he drew comparisons to Kari Lehtonen who was drafted 2nd overall a few years earlier. The sky was supposed to be the limit for the 6'7" youngster, but all that hype pushed him down instead. Hovinen says the pressure suffocated his love for the game to the point he almost gave up on it.

"I had no confidence left three years ago", Hovinen recalls. "I was afraid of making mistakes and being a failure and that’s why the pucks seemed to go even through me. I couldn’t catch anything back then."

"I was so sick of it that I almost quit playing for good."

Hovinen openly admits that he was too young to deal with that sort of pressure.

"All of the hype back then caused me a lot of pressure. I was really young afterall. The problem was between my ears. When I played for Jokerit, I felt like I had nothing to win, but everything to lose."

"Hockey didn’t feel good anymore and I even stopped caring about the goals that I allowed."

Already starting to look like a lost cause, Hovinen needed something to happen for his career to be saved.

That something was the first Finnish starting goalie in the NHL, current Pelicans GM and goalie coach Pasi Nurminen.

"When Nurminen called I was surprised, but also happy of course. It gave me a new sparkle. I thought that if he was able to develop Antti Niemi to the top, why not me as well."

"I didn’t know what to do with him, if it wouldn’t work out", Nurminen recalls. "Or I did; I’d keep working with him for another year. If that hadn’t helped, I would’ve given up."

Continue reading this post »

With training camp less than three weeks away, Jaromir Jagr is preparing for his NHL comeback with modest expectations, but hopes to score goals against the Penguins.

"First and foremost I want to stay healthy and be able to play. I’m not saying that I will be successful, but I believe I can be."

Jagr says the Flyers didn’t consult him about signing his old linemate Michael Nylander to a tryout deal and also keeps the expectations low about reviving that old chemistry they had years ago.

"No one talked to me about it, so it was a surprise to me. Nylander hasn’t signed yet, it’s just a tryout, so we’ll see how it goes, if he can get a contract. What worked five years ago doesn’t mean it will also work today."

His NHL comeback right around the corner, Jagr is also prepared to hear boos from some of the angered Penguins fans who wanted him to sign with the Penguins instead. He just doesn’t understand most of the animosity.

 "It just doesn’t make sense to me. I didn’t expect their fans to see it like this. For two reasons. First of all, I didn’t expect them to want me to sign in Pittsburgh so much to begin with, because the last eight years in the NHL, they booed at me whenever I went there. And those same fans suddenly wanted me to return. It’s a bit strange. It was a huge surprise to me. On the other hand, I expected them to respond the way they did when I signed with the Flyers."

"It’s their problem. I don’t think they all feel the same way, though. It's a good example on how easily people change their minds. As long as you wear their jersey, you’re the best in the world. When you take the jersey off, you’re nothing."

"I’ve experienced a lot in my nearly forty years. But it will be a strange feeling to play there. It’s not easy to play somewhere where everyone boos at you and wishes you the worst. It’s not an easy situation and it will depend on myself; how I will deal with it. The best response would be if I scored."

Continue reading this post »

As training camp is only a couple of weeks away by now, a lot of the European Flyers are finishing off their time in their native countries and prepare for a move back to Philadelphia. It's time for Andrej Meszároš to take one last look at the year behind.

"I wouldn’t say it was my best season, but one of the better. I’m glad I was able to play better hockey again than I did in Tampa and help my team win games. It’s just a shame how the playoffs went."

"We wanted to win last season, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. We had an excellent first half of the season, but then we put the brakes on in the Buffalo series and it became a pretty long and challenging series. And then we lacked the power and energy against Boston. Perhaps it was similar to the previous season when the Flyers went to the finals, but then lost to Chicago."

"But I think we will be successful this year. I hope this time we start with a good pace right from the start of the season and keep it up all the way to the victorious end."

Meszároš says his injured wrist is improving, but not quite there yet.

"I hurt some of the tendon and muscle in the wrist. I had a plate there for a week and a special brace for another six weeks. I had the wrist treated with a physiotherapist in the summer. It’s still healing and it seems to be improving, but I can’t use it 100% yet at the on-ice workouts. It should be fine eventually, perhaps by training camp."

Continue reading this post »

After spending most of his summer in Kuopio, Finland, Kimmo Timonen is getting ready for a move back to Philadelphia. He's been training already since the start of July and wants to be in good enough shape by training camp.

"I've been enjoying the summer and training", Timonen says. "I'm going back to Philadelphia in two weeks. The older you get, the more dedicated you have to be, making sure that you won't skip any practices. Otherwise the young guys leave you behind. If you're not in shape by training camp, that's what happens; you leave behind."

Timonen is happy that his personal goals and the Flyers' goals are the same.

"My only goal is to win the Stanley Cup. Considering the Flyers' traditions, they can't have any other goals either. It means a lot of pressure, but it's the same for everyone. A lot is expected from the players, the organization is ready to take action to achieve their goal and the fans expect a lot from us, too. And that's how it should be. It's only fair."

Timonen also appreciates the chance to play in Philadelphia.

"The arena is packed full every game and people recognize the players on the street. For a professional hockey player, I'm sure Philadelphia is one of the best places to play in. The organization takes care of their players and the facilities are good. It's terrific to play there and I hope I can finish my career there."

This report was based off of a Finnish-language story released by Yle.

Ilya Bryzgalov has spent his vacation in Turkey and held his own hockey camp for young goalies in Russia. Now he's getting excited about next season. He says he didn't spend much time in Philadelphia in the summer, but he liked what he saw.

"First of all, I didn't have a lot of time to look around in Philadelphia. I was there for only two days. And even then I was mostly at the practice rink."

"But it’s a beautiful city. The former capital. How could it be bad? There’s the Liberty Bell, and the building which is known for the declaration of independence. There’s a lot of stuff to see, so many stories."

 "They created America."

 "They're also committed to their team, they love their team."

Bryzgalov signed a massive deal with the Flyers, but he denies money being important to him.

"Money is just a piece of paper. The most important thing in life is the knowledge you have and how you can put it to use. You have to do something concrete. Be like an artisan. Do something you’re able to do and make a living out of it. And there will always be people supporting your work, giving you chances and give you a job."

The Flyers' ability to win the Cup was the main reason he signed.

"That’s why I signed, absolutely."

Bryzgalov isn’t afraid that the same could happen to him as what happened to Zherdev. The Flyers aren’t known for their Russians afterall.

"Well, they had Zherdev and Bobrovsky. They talk very highly of Bobrovsky. They don’t look at your passport and treat you by that. They treat you by your actions and how well you can respond to their expectations considering your paycheck. They look at how you fit in on the team and how you behave and treat you accordingly. If you’re a good guy and do your job, there will be no problems. If you have problems, it doesn’t matter what it says in your passport."

With a long term contract in hand and a Stanley Cup win already on his resume, one might think Bryzgalov has already achieved his goals. But Bryzgalov says he’s not there yet.

"You need to win a lot to be great. You should have your chest full of medals and fingers full of rings and then you’ll be great. I don’t think I’m even close to that yet."

This report was based off of a Russian-language story in the publication Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Jaromir Jagr is back home in Kladno, Czech after a short vacation in Mexico. It's time to get back to work. Jagr has started on-ice training twice a week, starting this week.

"Training camp is still far away, but I wanted to be back on the ice already", Jagr says. "There's still plenty of time until the season starts, but I've been wanting to be on the ice."

"It feels tough at first, but I hope it starts feeling better next week."

"I have to be prepared. I haven't played in the NHL in three years. It won't be easy. The NHL is just something completely different."

At age 39, there is only one goal in Jagr's mind.

"If the Flyers didn't have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, I wouldn't have signed with them. They were in the finals two years ago, they always have their goals set as high as possible and it never changes."

"I think positively and believe that the Flyers can go deep in the playoffs."

Jagr isn't sure what kind of a role he can expect for himself on the team.

"Maybe it will be the first line. Maybe it's the second. Maybe it's the third. It depends on how things work out."

"I wouldn't have signed, if I didn't believe that I could still play in a good role in the NHL."

Jagr says he talked briefly with Chris Pronger before signing with the Flyers.

"I talked with Chris before I signed. He told me about the team and how things are over there."

"I'm glad to have him on my side and that I don't have to play against him."

Jagr's return to the NHL was, and is, big news. Jagr says he's aware of the attention, both positive and negative.

"Most of the negative critic has come from the Penguins fans who couldn't understand my decision to sign with the Flyers."

"I think we're all free to make our own decisions."

This report was based off of a Czech-language story in the publication TN.

"I went to Philadelphia in good spirits and had a great preseason. The coach was pleased with me after the preseason games and told me I would be on the top two lines."

"But when the season began, it all went down in flames."

This is how Nikolay Zherdev describes the beginning of his turbulent season with the Flyers. It went on to be full of misunderstandings and mysteries.

Let's hear about it from the man himself as he describes his feelings about getting scratched to make room for the likes of Jody Shelley, to his relationship with his ex-teammates, ex-coach and ex-GM.

Let's start with coach Peter Laviolette, the key factor on why Zherdev's season went the way it did. Down in flames.

"Unfortunately, he didn’t have confidence in me."

"I can’t say that he favors skill based hockey. Some skilled players received normal ice time from him. But if you talk about me, I was never on the top two lines. It was like that right from the start of the season. So I couldn’t even dream about putting up good numbers."

Zherdev isn't sure if his lack of ice time was because of something he did wrong.

"I don’t know. It was more that he simply decided not to change the top two lines that he had had in place already the year before, when the Flyers reached the Cup finals."

Zherdev did have talks with Laviolette.

"Of course. He said I must fight more. [laughs] But I’m not a fighter. Of course, sometimes I can fight and throw punches. But I can’t play all the games like that. For example, if I hurt someone in a game situation, I can back it up in the North American style."

Sometimes the size of the contract can have an effect on the lineup. The bigger the contract, the bigger the minutes. Zherdev doesn't think this was the case with him.

"I don’t think so. There were players on the top lines who earned less than me."

Zherdev is still puzzled about what he could have done better.

"It’s a mystery to me. I think that for those five to seven minutes I got to play in a game, I gave it my all and did the best I could. Especially when you consider I once sat six weeks in the pressbox between the games."

Even Jody  Shelley got ice time over Zherdev, which surprised many.

"It didn’t hurt me. It’s a shame, of course. I believed I could play more and help the team, but I was just in the doghouse. It was what it was."

Moving on to Paul Holmgren after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Andrej Meszároš finished his first season as a Flyer with 8 goals and 32 points in 81 games and was honored with the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the team's most outstanding defenseman.

Meszároš admits it was a good season for him.

"It was one of my better seasons. Perhaps the best yet."

"I had good numbers in my three years in Ottawa, but then I had two years in Tampa that weren’t so good."

"I got traded to Philadelphia last year and they always set their goal as high as possible. I got a taste of hockey again and it also showed in my numbers. It was a good first season there and now I will try to at least repeat it."

As a team, the Flyers have changed quite a bit during the offseason. The question is, are they a better team now than they were last season?

"I believe so, because of the changes. Though we did lose two very good players in Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Both were young and talented. The team will be slightly different because of these changes, but the goal remains the same; to win the Stanley Cup."

Continue reading this post »

Marcel Noebels is currently at the Flyers prospect camp. He isn’t only showing his skills to the Flyers at the camp, but also figuring out where to play next season. He has a contract offer literally in his hands from the German DEL league and intends to have a talk about it with GM Paul Holmgren during the camp.

But first, Noebels takes a look back at the draft in Minnesota where the Flyers picked him in the 4^th round. He says it was quite the experience.

"It was just incredibly exciting! It also made it especially interesting when you sit there and your name has not been called yet and you just get more and more nervous. It can go on and on, but when your name is finally called, then everything is great and you can be happy that one of the teams has picked you and you’re curious to see what’s going to happen next."

The excitement of getting drafted isn’t comparable to game excitement.

"No, the draft is something quite different. I mean... it’s something you can’t experience every day and games happen a little more often. So you get the feeling that something is different. It’s hard to describe. In any case, it’s a unique experience."

"You don’t meet 30 GMs at once every day and they’re basically sitting right in front of you. I was sitting on the lower level, relatively close, where you can see everything and everyone. You see the guys getting drafted and go shake hands with the scouts, GM, owner, head coach... It was nice and it was worth going to no matter what. You don’t experience stuff like that too often."

Noebels says he didn’t meet many Flyers representatives at the draft, though.

"Not many, actually. But that’s what the rookie camp is for. We were told that we will get to meet all the important people there and stuff. They tell us who’s in charge of what and who can I keep in touch with and so on."

Continue reading this post »

Ilya Bryzgalov says it was fairly easy for him and the Flyers to find common ground in the contract negotiations. The Flyers were very eager to find a goalie.

"They've had problems in reaching their goal in the recent years, coming very close. They expect to have success every year; win the Stanley Cup, and they've reached the finals. It's very important for them because the management of the club wants to win. And once they got eliminated from of the playoffs, they decided that they need a good goalie."

"They started looking for a goalie right after they got eliminated. It's almost impossible to win the Stanley Cup without a good goalie, unless the team as a whole can compensate it. But in any case the goalie has to play well to win the Stanley Cup."

The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to a nine year deal. He will be 40 when the contract runs out. Is it realistic to expect that he will still be playing at that age?

"I love this game, I love hockey. I'm going to play as long as possible. I want to enjoy my job. There's nothing better than being able to enjoy your job."

Continue reading this post »

Andreas Lilja signed a two year contract with the Flyers yesterday, the first day of free agency. Lilja says it happened faster than he probably expected and he's happy to join the Flyers.

"It feels really good and inspiring", Lilja says about joining the Flyers. "It's a classic organization that plays rough and tough hockey. They also take good care of their players and their families."

Once the free agency window opened, it only took a half an hour for Lilja to receive a phone call from the Flyers.

"It definitely came a little unexpected. Last year I had to wait until October before signing with Anaheim afterall. I'm very thankful it all happened so fast. It's good for both me and my family."

But it wasn't the soon 36 year old defensive defenseman who stole the headlines. Lilja is looking forward to the opportunity to play with another new Flyer, Czech legend Jaromir Jagr, 39.

"Obviously it's going to be amazing to get the chance to play with an artist like him."

Spending his vacation in Sweden, Lilja says he's going to move back to North America sooner than usual this summer.

"Right now I'm at home and I'm going to train as usual. Then we'll go over there and find a house for ourselves. We also need to find schools for the kids."

There were tons of rumors going around about Lilja returning to Sweden already last summer, but now it looks like it's at least two more years in the NHL for him.

"Me and my family enjoy ourselves over there and a two year contract is just perfect for me."

"But I will return to play in Sweden at some point. Right now it didn't fit my plans."

This report was based off of a Swedish-language story in the publication Helsingborgs Dagblad.

The flurry of offseason trades by the Flyers has caught many fans by surprise. Kimmo Timonen says his initial reaction was the same.

"The moves surprised me, too. When I opened my computer during the draft weekend, my email was full of messages from people saying ‘wow!’."

But after the initial shock faded away, Timonen says one of the trades probably wasn't that big of a surprise, though he won't mention any names.

"One of the trades was probably a bit expected, but there have been so many after that."

"It’s a whole new team now with a new goalie. Time will tell if the trades were worth it."

One of the questions after the trades is, who will be the next Flyers captain? Timonen doesn't think it's going to be him.

"I think I’m going to wear an A next season. I don’t think they’ll give the C to me. If they give it to me, I’ll gladly accept it, but I believe it’s going to be an A for me."

Continue reading this post »

Ville Leino came back to Finland on Monday to relax and enjoy the summer. He talks about adjusting to the luxury life style in the NHL, his contract situation and the Stanley Cup finals.

Very few people on the streets seem to recognize Leino in Helsinki. He says it's different in Philadelphia.

"People don't recognize and come to me that often in Finland, but hockey is so big in Philadelphia that people recognize me there."

Leino says he's been treated like a star and he's been able to enjoy it.

"Well, yeah, it is easier when you can get past the lines or when you don't have to wait for things to be handled."

"It is a luxury life. But you get used to it, and it's not that much different compared to any other kind of life. And when you play 82 games a season, travel continuously and live in hotels, it shakes off the glamour sometimes."

Right now, Leino says his agent is in contact with the Flyers, but the negotiations won't really start until July.

"We're feeling things a bit right now and the negotiations officially begin on July 1^st."

And how much is Leino going to get?

"It won't be less than a million", Leino smiles.

Leino also doesn't exclude the possibility of signing elsewhere. He believes there will be other GMs knocking on his door come July.

Wherever he signs, he's looking for a long term deal.

Continue reading this post »

Sergei Bobrovsky is back home in Novokuznetsk, getting ready to relax before it’s time to start training again. It’s also time to look back a little to see what he was able to do in his first year in the NHL.

"In general, I can say that my first season in the NHL wasn’t easy. Everything was difficult. Everything was new and unusual to me."

"But I have already adapted in Philadelphia, I feel comfortable there and I’m fine with the fans. They recognize me and come to me in stores ane coffee shops asking for autographs and photos. It happens often when I’m going to movies or I’m in a restaurant. But it’s not annoying. It’s nice if you’re recognized and appreciated."

"The atmosphere at the games, it’s different there. They’re all supporting you. I’m very happy about that."

"As for my own game, at first, it was probably a shock for myself too how it all turned out. I was already tired at the end of the season and my play dropped."

"But in general, I think that was an invaluable experience and now I hope that next season will be even more successful for me. This will help me in the future. Next year I know what the NHL is about. What it is to play 82 games and playoffs after that. Not to forget that the regular season lasts seven months and there are games almost every day."

"I’m going to make the right adjustments and work to prove that I didn’t go through all those difficulties for no reason."

Continue reading this post »

After a promising rookie season on the Phantoms, Erik Gustafsson is ready to set his goal higher for his second season.

"My goal is to get a spot on the Flyers. We’ll see if it is as the sixth, seventh or eighth defenseman, but my goal is to be up there with the team when the season begins."

"But if I get sent down, it’s not the end of the world."

"When I signed, my goal for last season was not to be called up, but to just be a sixth defenseman in the AHL and play a lot of games."

Continue reading this post »

Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets reports the following this morning:

The Philadelphia Flyers forward Nikolay Zherdev attacked his wife after a quarrel in a restaurant, caused damage to her car, insulted her and threatened her with death.

The couple was enjoying lunch with their friends at around 12:30 pm in a restaurant Osteria di Campagna, near the Rublyovo-Uspensky highway. Suddenly, Nikolay and his wife started arguing and the wife decided to leave the restaurant. She went to the parking lot, got in her car and started driving away. She had to stop in the traffic lights only a couple of meters away from the restaurant. This is when Nikolay rushed out of the restaurant, caught up with his wife and tried to open the doors of the car, but his wife had locked the doors.

According to eyewitnesses, Nikolay picked up a metal pole from the parking lot and began hitting the car with the pole while shouting expletives at his wife. Fearing for her life, his wife rushed to escape, turning in the wrong direction on the highway. The same day, she went to the police.

The local police department confirms that a woman came telling them that her husband had threatened her with violence and, moreover, caused serious damage to her car.

The broken vehicle is still being examined by the experts. As soon as the car has been examined, Nikolay is expected to face charges for "intentional damage to property of others". Another charge may await for the death threats that Nikolay's wife confirmed receiving.

Kimmo Timonen is full of confidence after the Flyers' successful first round series and says that as long as the team keeps playing like they did in Game 7, it won't matter what team they'll be facing.

"If we can play this kind of game that we just played, it's going to be tough for any team we face."

Timonen doesn't care what team the Flyers are going to meet next.

"It doesn't matter. No matter what team it is, they're all good teams."

"But if we can keep up this kind of skating and two man forecheck, then we'll gladly face anyone. We have good chances with this kind of skating."

Timonen says he's happy about the Flyers' play in the first round series overall.

"Even if it went to seven games, we actually played a fine series. Just like the last game showed, we're a good team when we skate and work hard."

Continue reading this post »

Flyers goaltending coach Jeff Reese thinks Sergei Bobrovsky was basically perfect in his first playoff game and sees a bright future for the 22 year old.

"I thought Sergei was perfect in the first game. Unfortunately he can’t score goals."

"25 saves and one allowed goal is a good indicator. I know Sergei wasn’t happy. But no one expects him to post a shutout every game."

Reese says that he’s not really worrying about Bobrovsky.

"He’s not nervous or impatient. I really want to see how Sergei performs in his new role. Playoffs are a very different level of hockey. I saw he was a little nervous at first, but quickly went back to normal. I’m pleased with his performance and the whole team played very well on defense. They just failed to score on Miller, who won the game for the Sabres."

Continue reading this post »