Notes from Flyerland

Alright, y'all. It's starting to get cooler, leaves are changing a little, and hockey's back on TV. Unless you're like me and you have DirecTV, in which case you can't get CSN in the Philly area, so you're left with Versus and the NHL Network. Oh wait, Versus is out because of some dumb feud between DirecTV and Comcast, so you're stuck with the NHL Network which only shows Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts. Honestly, I've seen more Rangers preseason games than Flyers games. And yes, it pisses me off a bit.

However, it's only the preseason, so there's really nothing I'm missing. The Flyers have mostly played the Red Wings and the new-look Maple Leafs, losing both games. Some of the young guys like Van Riemsdyk and Mike Pyorala have shown they can compete in the NHL, and I expect them to make the full squad. Other than that, the most important thing is that no one has gotten hurt. It would be nice to have a healthy team for once.

In other personal news - during my trip to New York yesterday, I finally made it to the NHL Store off of Times Square, as you can see from the photo above. I deliberately took a later train in order to find the place. To be honest, I was expecting it to be bigger, but I'm not complaining. I also expected it to be full of Rangers gear, which it wasn't. Good selection of jerseys and other knick-knacks, including a whole rack of Winter Classic stuff. Seeing as how I din't have a lot of money (note to the kids: don't work a commission-only job), I gave in a bought...ready for this?...a Leafs T-shirt. Stop your booing. I can find better Flyers gear at Modell's, plus the Leafs are starting to grow on me. Don't ask why or how, it just sorta happened.

Speaking of the Leafs, and Flyers, they're playing tonight at the Wac. I think this is the last game before the major cuts are made for the final roster, so expect a lot of fringe players hitting everything that moves to make the team. I'll give you my list as to who should be on the senior squad next week.