Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
Tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres was preceded by an event honoring long time Flyers color commentator Steve Coates. Coates will be retiring from broadcasting with the Flyers at the end of this current season. He will continue to be involved with team and fan events.
“Coatsey” was a professional ice hockey player before joining the Flyers broadcast team. The Flyers signed Steve as a free agent in 1973. He played for the AHL Richmond Robins before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1976. He played a total of five games in the NHL with the Red Wings before moving to the Central Hockey League. Steve was a member of the AHL Philadelphia Firebirds for the 1978-79 season. His professional playing career spanned from 1973 till 1980.
Coates retired from pro hockey in 1980 and became part of the Flyers radio broadcast team. Over the years he made the jump from radio to TV and eventually back to radio. After 43 years Steve’s voice is something that is quite familiar in the home of every Philadelphia Flyers Fan. You may remember his “Coatsey’s Corner” segments or his “Inside-the-glass” reporting. Steve has always been known for his sense of humor and practical jokes as well as his vast knowledge of the sport and its history.
Steve may have been born in Toronto but he will always be remembered fondly here in Philly by his adopted hockey family as one of our own. Tonight’s ceremony was heartfelt, emotional, and very well deserved. Best of luck Coatsey, thanks for everything!
Ok, drop the puck!
This game started off innocently enough. The Flyers didn’t look great but nothing tragic happened in the first period. In fact the Flyers scored first. Red hot Morgan Frost notched his 17th goal of the season thanks in a big way to Brendan Lemieux. Lemieux got the puck to Frost and then restricted a Buffalo defender giving Frost the time and space to pinpoint his shot. The Flyers had more shots on goal in the first period of this game then they did in the entirety of their last effort against Ottawa on Thursday night. Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres tying the game at one. The Flyers were starting to show signs of breaking down as that goal was scored on a 3-on-1 break.
Implosion
The Flyers fundamentally melted down in the second. It wasn’t so much about what the Flyers were doing as it was about what they weren’t doing. You name it, they weren’t doing it. Completing passes, getting pucks out of the zone, defense, coverage, supporting the puck and their goaltender. All of these things just seemed to fall by the way side. The Flyers second period effort had all the discipline of a choose-up game.
Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway, and Jeff Skinner all scored goals for Buffalo within a span of 2:23. Less than four minutes into the second period the Flyers were suddenly down 4-1. Alex Tuch added another one at 16:02 to make it 5-1. John Tortorella was not behind the bench again tonight and it seems as though he really should have been.
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Carter Hart is still out with an injury so Felix Sandström finally got a start in the first game of a back-to-back. Two on ones, three on ones, breakaways, this was not the game anyone would want to watch from between the pipes. Coverage in the Flyers zone was so bad it is impossible to say just how much blame Sandström should get for his poor performance.
Way too little way too late
Morgan Frost scored yet another goal after blasting through two Buffalo defenders sending the Flyers into the third period down 5-2. Travis Konecny returned to the line-up tonight after missing several games with an upper body injury. He scored a really nice goal from the top of the circle 5:11 into the third. Noah Cates won a face in the Buffalo zone right back to TK who wasted no time letting the shot go.
Alex Tuch completed his hat trick with a short-handed goal and that was it. Jack Quinn stole the puck and completed a crafty spin around pass to set up the goal. Everything about that goal was beautiful except for the fact that it was absolutely infuriating. At least the Flyers gave Steve Coates plenty to talk about on his big night. They are right back at it again in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins Sunday night at 6:00.
Extra Credit: To end on a light note, check out Coatsey getting pranked by the entire organization in this clip from a vintage Flyers broadcast. Good stuff.
