Zayde Wisdom was born on July 7, 2002. His birth was remarkable as he was born with the umbilical cord around his neck. That can be very detrimental to a baby’s development as no one knows how long the infant was in that position in utero. It can lead to many developmental issues.  Thankfully that was not the case for Zayde.

Wisdom grew up in Western Toronto and had experienced many hardships. His mother, at times, would work three jobs to support her boys. There were times when she had trouble paying the bills. Zayde saw all of that and made it his mission to get drafted into the NHL to support his family. He, like most children of single parents grew up at a very young age. Wisdom was aware of the sacrifices his mother had made for him and his brother, as he shouldered a lot for a young man and his maturity is proof of that.  Zayde took his hardships and used it as motivation on the ice. He battled for every puck, for every goal and finished every check, he battled to be the best and be the best in the NHL.

In an an article for the Inquirer Zayde was quoted as saying he watched his mother “cry way too much for me not to be great”, well he is on the path for greatness. He was selected by the Kingston Frontenacs after scoring 15 goals and tallying 53 points for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens during the 2015-16 season. Zayde continued his rise to greatness with the Frontenacs. In his final year with the team he played 62 games, scored 29 goals with 30 assists to tally 59 points.

The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Zayde Wisdom on October 7, 2020, and he began playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms due to the uncertainty with the OHL. He has played 10 games with the Phantoms, registered scored six goals, and has chipped in three assists for a total of nine points. His forechecks are complete, furthermore his agility and speed set him apart from the rest. Wisdom’s hunger to succeed is his main driving force. 

Zayde took his patience and perseverance to the rink. His life skills translated well onto the ice, as he plays the game with passion and hunger that can only come from hardships. This young man’s past seems to be in the rearview mirror as he is already an award recipient. Former Flyer Wayne Simmonds presented Zayde with the EJ McGuire Award of Excellence. It seems that this is just the beginning for this beyond impressive young man.

Last season when hockey resumed after the pause, the NHL did things right. They had two hub cities, one in Toronto and one in Edmonton. Not a single player tested positive for the coronavirus, and not a single game was cancelled/postponed due to the virus.

The players and coaching staff stayed in restricted areas. Food was brought in, the arenas had an aggressive cleaning protocol between games, and players were tested daily. No one other then The NHL and arena personnel were allowed entry into the facilities. Those measures ensured that the risk of transmission would be zero or near it. The season resumed with the Round Robin then the Playoffs then the Stanley Cup Final.

This season was set up differently. Canada and the U.S. had their own divisions.  Canada is the North Division, while the U.S. has the East, West, and Central Divisions.  There was going to be an abbreviated training camp along with some scrimmages, and then the regular season would start. All players were scheduled to get tested and report to Training Camp.

The Flyers camp was short one man as Shayne Gostisbehere had tested positive for the virus. He eventually missed six games, and Travis Sanheim was added to the Covid protocol list after a game against the Washington Capitals. The Flyers eventually shut down their practice facility for 11 days after Sanheim entered Covid protocol to conduct contact tracing. Player after player were added to the Covid list: Morgan Frost, Travis Konecny, Claude Giroux, Scott Laughton, Jake Voracek, Justin Braun, and Oskar Lindblom were all added to the list.  The only Canadian players that were on the Covid list were Winnipeg Jets Pierre-Luc DuBois and Ottawa Senators Ryan Dzingle as both had been traded from U. S. teams.
Canada encourages people to be vigilant, and  Canadian teams are told to only go out for practice, games and essential activities.  They are also encouraged to use food delivery services. While on the road, Canadian teams are only permitted in their hotel rooms and the arena. The North Division has not postponed any games due to the virus. All the rescheduled games were from U.S. teams and were due to the coronavirus. Moreover, the U.S. is varied in their response to the virus. States have different restrictions that are not as strict as the North Division’s restrictions.

For instance, the East and West Divisions follow their respective state’s restrictions as well as whatever regulations of the state they traveled to. The flights and hotels come with a risk of transmission. Additionally, some players have girlfriends or wives,  some players have children, some of the wives or girlfriends are also students or employed. Some of the children are school age, those activities, though essential, all come with an increased risk of transmission.

Hubs should have been put in place for the East and West Divisions. It is tough to be separated from family, friends, and loved ones but that sacrifice was made last season. In the end the results were dramatically different. For safety reasons, bubble hockey was better, and worked well without a glitch.

James van Riemsdyk’s career started with the Philadelphia Flyers and it was a baptism under fire of sorts. He was still a newbie when the Flyers went on their amazing Stanley Cup run in 2010. JVR played on the third line with Claude Giroux and Aaron Asham. He gives credit to many mentors such as Chris Pronger, Danny Briere and Ian Laperriere. They all made huge sacrifices for the game by taking pucks to the face. Sadly Pronger’s and Laperriere’s careers ended due to those injuries.

Early on, JVR learned it was important to be physical and to finish his forechecks in the right position. JVR had learned how to be competitive from the best. Additionally, his six foot three inch body is perfect for screening goalies. Often he can be found around the net not just blocking the goalies’ vision but scrapping for the puck. JVR can score in just about any situation. He can deflect, score off the face and power play. His size and skating ability make him a solid force on the penalty kill as well.

JVR gives credit to his training regimen as well as his recovery efforts. He uses workout bands, eats right, gets plenty of rest and employs breathing techniques. The technique he uses before any game is used to clear his mind and body. JVR will make sure his posture is perfectly straight while breathing to shake off anything that would prevent him from focusing and being at his best. His post-game technique is deep belly breaths so that he can wind down after a long fought game which ensures he will get plenty of rest. Part of his training is using exercise bands to increase his muscle strength. JVR has stated that his natural curiosity is what leads him to
find various methods to train and recover. He is open minded to anything that would boost his performance.

Now he is married and a father. That gives him a little extra motivation to play well. It helps to have a cheerleading squat at home. One cannot argue with his stats this year as he has played thirteen games, scored seven goals with eleven assists to tally eighteen points. His career stats are quite impressive, as per the NHL he has played a total of 754 games, scored 254 goals with 245 assists to tally 499 points. JVR is on a tear and his stats are sure to go through the roof this year.

More thoughts on the Fletcher Presser from yesterday:

One question we have received a lot is why certain Flyers players were on the ice for practice yesterday and some were not. Here is the answer from Chuck Fletcher:

“We’ve been in a league-mandated quarantine for the past seven or eight days. However, not every player has the same quarantine start date, depending upon various factors, contacts, etc. We have a group of players that were eligible to return to the ice today and we have another, I believe, eight that will be allowed to practice tomorrow.”

Taxi Squad roster flexibility:

“The six can temporarily increase. If a player that’s loaned to your taxi squad is required to have a period of isolation or quarantine due to COVID protocols, you can exempt that player temporarily and replace that player. Right now, obviously our entire team has been in quarantine as I mentioned for the last week. We have other players because of COVID or contact-tracing with COVID are either in isolation or quarantine. There’s a lot of moving pieces right now. Clearly, there’s a lot of work on a day-to-day basis for Barry Hanrahan.”

Click here to shop for our latest sporting apparel for Flyers Nitty Gritty

Nolan Patrick was drafted second overall in 2017 by the Flyers. Patrick had shown such promise while playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings and it caught the scouts’ eyes. During the 2015-2016 season he finished fifth in the league for scoring, and really put himself on the map.

Patrick played a huge role with the Wheat Kings winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Patrick was the first 17-year-old to score over 100 points since 1976-1977. The following season Patrick was named their Captain.

After being drafted to the Flyers in the 2017-2018 season, Patrick played 73 games, scored 13 goals with 17 assists to tally 30 points. During the following season, Patrick played 73 games, scored 13 goals with 18 assists to tally 31 points. As it is known, he was out for the 2018-2019 season due to health issues.

The young 22-year-old Patrick came back with a vengeance this season. He seemed to prepare himself during his time off by participating in scrimmages. All of his skill was on display during the intra-squad exhibition game. Patrick was excellent on the forecheck, he passed the puck flawlessly and was skating as if he had not taken any time off. He seems to be exactly where he needs to be on the ice.

Patrick has already scored a regular season goal and has registered three assists. His numbers during the 17-18 and 18-19 seasons do not lie, he is far from a bust. Additionally, he is slotted to play center with Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny tomorrow night. That line has so much chemistry, so much so that it will be an extraordinarily dangerous line. Patty is back people and the revenge tour is just beginning. 

Click here to shop at our store for Flyers Nitty Gritty

Practice Update:

All indications are pointing towards Shayne Gostisbehere returning to the lineup tomorrow. He was also on the second Power Play Unit at practice today. Sean Couturier also was skating on the ice and working out with skills coach Angelo Ricci. He says he’s feeling better, and that the first few days were “Painful”.

Nolan Patrick had a “Maintenance Day”, per Alain Vigneault.

Here were the lines from practice today:

JvR-Hayes-Voracek

Lindblom-Laughton-Farabee

Giroux-Andreoff-Konecny

Raffl-Bunnaman-NAK

Provorov-Gostisbehere

Sanheim-Friedman

 Hägg-Braun

Gustafsson-Prosser

It appears Erik Gustafsson by all accounts will be the healthy scratch tomorrow if Ghost is a go.

Newly acquired Kasperi Kapanen is slotted to skate on the first line with Sidney Crosby and Jason Zucker, granted his immigration issues are cleared up. Last season, Kapanen played 69 games and tallied 36 points.  He scored 13 goals and had 23 assists. Crosby played 41 games with 16 goals, 31 assists to tally 47 points. Zucker split the year playing with Minnesota and Pittsburgh. With the Wild he played 45 games with 14 goals and 15 assists to tally 29 points. With Pittsburgh played 15 games with six goals and six assists to tally 12 points. Pittsburgh’s goaltender Tristan Jarry had 33 wins with three shutouts.  Jarry’s GAA was 2.43 and SV% was .921.

After a little digging I found a couple articles on the projected lines, only time will tell if these are accurate. For Pittsburgh it is Zuker-Crosby-Kapanen, Guentzel-Malkin-Rust, Tanev-McCann-Lafferty, Aston-Reese-Blueger-Sceviour. Projected defensive lines are to be Dumoulin-Letang, Pettersson-Marino, Matheson-Ruhwedel, and the  Goaltender is projected to be Tristan Jarry.  Pittsburgh’s top line points are as follows:  Sidney Crosby 41 games played, 16 goals, 31 assists for 47 points, Jason Zucker (Wild) 45 games played, 14 goals, 15 assists for 29 points (Penguins) 15 games played, six goals, six assists for 12 points, Kasperi Kapanen 69 games played, 13 goals, 23 assists for 36 points.

Philadelphia’s projected lines are to be as follows: Lindblom-Couturier,-Konecny, Giroux-Hayes-Voracek, JvR-Patrick-Voracek, Raffl-Laughton-NAK. Projected defensive lines are as follows: Provorov-Braun, Sanheim-Myers, Hägg-Gustafsson.  Philadelphia’s lines overall have better numbers than Pittsburgh. Claude Giroux played 69 games with 21 goals, 32 assists for 53 points. Jake Voracek played 69 games with 12 goals, 44 assists for 56 points.  Sean Couturier played 69 games with 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points. Moreover, Joel Farabee had four points on opening night (1g,3a). Goaltender Carter Hart has 23 wins with one shutout.  His GAA was 2.42 and SV% was .914

Click here to shop at our store for Flyers Nitty Gritty

So again, who’s ready for the matchup???  

Training camp is upon us and our first game is next week. Are we all excited for the Flyers/Penguins matchup????

Newly acquired Kasperi Kapanen is slotted to skate on the first line with Sidney Crosby and Jason Zucker, granted his immigration issues are cleared up. Last season, Kapanen played 69 games and tallied 36 points.  He scored 13 goals and had 23 assists. Crosby played 41 games with 16 goals, 31 assists to tally 47 points. Zucker split the year playing with Minnesota and Pittsburgh. During his tenure the Wild last season he played in 45 games, potted 14 goals and chipped in 15 assists to tally 29 points. With Pittsburgh Zucker played in 15 games as he finished with six goals and six assists to tally 12 points. Pittsburgh’s Goaltender Tristan Jarry had 33 wins, three of which were shutouts.  Jarry’s Goals Against Average (GAA) was 2.43, and his Save Percentage was .921.

After a little digging, I found a couple articles on the projected lines, only time will tell if these are accurate. For Pittsburgh it is Zuker-Crosby-Kapanen, Guentzel-Malkin-Rust, Tanev-McCann-Lafferty, Aston-Reese-Blueger-Sceviour. Projected defensive lines are to be Dumoulin-Letang, Pettersson-Marino, Matheson-Johnson* (*granted he is still with Pittsburgh). Goaltender is projected to be Tristan Jarry. Pittsburgh’s top line points are as follows: Sidney Crosby 41 games played, 16 goals, 31 assists for 47 points, Jason Zucker (Wild) 45 games played, 14 goals, 15 assists for 29 points (Penguins) 15 games played, six goals, six assists for 12 points, Kasperi Kapanen 69 games played, 13 goals, 23 assists for 36 points.

Click here to shop at our store for Flyers Nitty Gritty

Philadelphia’s projected lines are to be as follows:  Giroux-Voracek-Couturier, Farabee-Hayes-Konecny, Lindblom-Laughton/Frost-Aubé-Kubel, van Riemsdyk-Frost/Laughton-Raffl **Patrick (Could be 3C or 4C and this would throw these projected lines off). Projected defensive lines are as follows: Provorov-Myers, Sanheim-Gustafsson, Braun-Gostisbehere **Hägg. Philadelphia’s top line has better numbers than Pittsburgh. Claude Giroux played 69 games with 21 goals, 32 assists for 53 points. Jakub Voracek played 69 games with 12 goals, 44 assists for 56 points. Sean Couturier played 69 games with 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points.  Goaltender Carter Hart had 22 wins with one shutout. He finished with a 2.42 GAA, and .914 Save Percentage.

So again, who’s ready for the matchup???  

Sean Couturier was born in Phoenix, AZ and moved to Canada at a very young age.  His father had taken a job as the general manager for the Acadie Bathurst Titans of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  Couturier started out playing for Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 2008-2009 season. He helped the team win their first President’s Cup in the 2009-2010 season.  Couturier led the QMJHL in points the following year. However, he had come down with mono and played less games but still managed to tally 96 game points with playing ten less games.

Sean Couturier became a Flyer during the 2011-2012 season.  His first year he had 27 points with 13 goals and 14 assists.  He did not do as well the following year. However, he bounced back in the 2013-2014 season. As a matter of fact, in 2014 the city of Bathurst named a street after Couturier.  He was quoted as saying “It’s special, it’s a great honour,” he said. “It’s not something you dream of growing up, but if you can be an example for other young kids and remind them even coming from a small town like Bathurst, anything is possible if you make the sacrifices and believe in what you can do.”

It was during his first playoffs that Couturier was tasked with shutting down Evengi Malkin and Sidney Crosby which he did flawlessly. Jarimor Jagr had said that he had never seen anyone that good defensively at such a young age. He called Sean Couturier the best defensive forward at age 18, 19. Couturier has always played smart. He has an awareness of the puck’s position. He knows where to skate and dose not over skate. Couturier seems to be in the right place at the right time which is a skill that is not learned. He makes ice hockey look easy. I remember thinking that he had to have been born holding a hockey stick.

In November of 2017, Dave Hakstol put Sean Couturier on the first line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Giroux was moved to the wing.  It had an amazing result.  They were the top line leading the team with nine goals and came in second with fifteen points. On March 20, 2018 he recorded his 100^th point, being the 7^th player from his draft class to do so.

Click here to shop for our latest sporting apparel, and accessories.

Sean Couturier’s stats soared high.  During the 2017-2018 season he had 31 goals, 45 assists for a total of 76 game points. The following season he had 33 goals, 43 assists for a total of 76 game points. And in the abbreviated current season, he had 22 goals, 59 assists for a total of 59 game points.  Sean Couturier started racking up awards. He was awarded the Gene Hart Memorial, Pelle Lindberg Memorial and Yanik Dupree Class Guy Award in 2018. He was awarded the Gene Hart Memorial again in 2019.

It really is no wonder that Sean Couturier had won Selke. The real question is why on Earth did it take so long for the world to catch up and see he is beyond a worthy candidate for that honor.

I could tell early on that the team was on point.  They were aggressive up front and solid in the back.  The New York Islanders had to work, as they should.  The first period ended without a Flyers goal, but I was happy with the team’s performance.

That all changed shortly into the Second Period. Matt Barzal scored on a power play.  It was a messy goal so Alain Vigneault challenged it. The referees barely glanced at it and deemed as a good goal so we were penalized. Ironically enough, later in the game the referees would take it upon themselves to review a play that neither coach challenged. They reviewed that play for about 15 minutes and you could see our coach fuming. The referees stated it was not a goal and the game continued. Coach was furious, you could see it. Can someone say no more coach challenges please?? However, Ivan Provorov tallied the winner in the second overtime, and sent the Isles back to Hotel X scratching their heads.

I have been using the Boston 2010 series as an example and as you all know, the Flyers won that series. Every game was do or die, and they killed it. The energy was intense for Game 6. Mike Richards and Danny Briere each scored a goal, while the Bruins only tallied one. Of course, the Flyers forced a Game 7, and then the rest was history.

Or we could use the 1975 Flyers v. Islanders series as an example. The Flyers won the first three games, and then lost the next three forcing a Game 7. They came out strong and dominated on both ends of the ice. The final score was 4-1, and of course the Flyers moved on. As you all know that was the year the Flyers repeated, they won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The boys wore their big boy pants on Thursday. They better wear them again tonight because I am not ready for this insane ride to end.

I could tell early on in Game 5 that the team was on point. They were aggressive up front and solid in the back. The Islanders had to work, as they should. Unfortunately, the first period ended without a Flyers goal, but it was a sign of good things to come.

That all changed shortly into the Second Period. Josh Bailey scored on a power play. It was a messy goal with multiple players in front of Carter Hart so Alain Vigneault challenged it. The referees barely glanced at it, and deemed as a good goal so we were penalized. Ironically enough, later in the game the referees would take it upon themselves to review a play that neither coach challenged. They reviewed that play for about 15 minutes and you could see Vigneault fuming. The referees stated it was not a goal and the game continued. AV was furious, you could see it. Can someone say no more coach challenges please???

Claude Giroux was quick to answer the Islanders goal on an assist from Philippe Myers with 4:14 left in the period. Just a few minutes later James van Riemsdyk hit the net on a one timer with 1:42 left in the second period. Shortly into the third period, Matt Niskanen scored but the Islanders Brock Nelson answered back to tie things up with 2:41 left in the third period. Carter Hart made a huge save on a breakaway to keep the Flyers season alive, and Scott Laughton won it for the Flyers with 7:42 left in overtime. They get to live to see another day all thanks to Laughton.

I have been using the Boston 2010 series as an example and as you all know, the Flyers won that series. Every game was do or die, and they killed it. The energy was intense for Game 6. Mike Richards and Danny Briere each scored a goal, while the Bruins only tallied one. Of course, the Flyers forced a Game 7, and then the rest was history.

Or we could use the 1975 Flyers v. Islanders series as an example. The Flyers won the first three games, and then lost the next three forcing a Game 7. They came out strong and dominated on both ends of the ice. The final score was 4-1, and of course the Flyers moved on. As you all know that was the year the Flyers repeated, they won Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The boys wore their big boy pants on Tuesday. They better wear them again today because I am not ready for this insane ride to end.

The past few games have been difficult for the Flyers. They have been manhandled and outplayed for the most part. The Flyers seemed disjointed at times, committing turnovers, icing, etc. They cannot seem to make many complete plays. It appears they are spending way too much time in their zone and defending it. This has to change and fast if the Flyers want to extend the series.

It is like the Flyers are skating while holding their breaths. They need to exhale. The Flyers need to get back to the basics, one shift at a time, one period at a time, one goal at a time, which leads to wins. It is a simple basic fact. Alain Vigneault needs to hit the reset button.

Tonight the lines must click. They have to play like it is our last game as it could be. The orange and black need to break up the New York Islanders plays, which could correlate to scoring chances. In 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs overcame theis deficit and beat the Detroit Red Wings. In 1975, ironically, the NY Islanders came back and eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins, and of course the Philadelphia Flyers came back against the Boston Bruins. Cue that beautiful Boston footage.

I am sure most of you remember Chris Pronger’s antics during the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals with the puck stealing. Peter Laviolette said, “I think it’s kind of comical. If Chris Pronger wants the puck, then he can have it, as far as I’m concerned.” When asked about the missing pucks he responded in a way that only Chris Pronger can, he said they were in the trash
where they belonged. In an interview this past January with Sportsnet, when asked about the puck antics he responded to say that he still has the puck from Game Two.

Can someone recruit Chris Pronger to give the team a much needed pep talk? I think it would do a world of good. Just saying.