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19 Comments (8 conversations)
Chris
What a season.
And for those of you who attended the game – good on you. Hearing the cheers made me proud to be a Philly fan.
Michael Curran
Charlie what an outstanding article truly capturing how we feel about “our hockey team”. I think there is a shirt in that comment for next season.
I don’t want to go over the should haves, could haves of this game, there will be time for that and by much smarter people than me. I just want to relish in what this team did in the second half of the season. To hope that this is just the beginning of “our team” becoming a post season regular and bringing us many more memories.
This season for me was sheer enjoyment to watch my favorite Philadelphia team give it everything it had. So the memories of jumping out on the Pens 3-0, the game 6 OT thriller,eliminating Crosby and Malkin, the 2 OT games against Carolina will all have its special place in my Flyer fan existence along with many others.
So thank you guys and lets get ready for the 26-27 season!
LET”S GO FLYERS!
Robert Thrash
Charlie O’Connor
I’m more annoyed at the Michkov scratch because now I have to deal with the fan outcry on my birthday than I actually am annoyed at the Michkov scratch.
Dude was the worst player on the ice in Game 3. Painfully bad. Don’t want to get scratched? Don’t be the worst player on the ice.
And this is why I canceled my subscription. Becoming nothing more than Snow the Goalie.
Fans have we questions about Tocch and MM and the media glosses over it and then makes it personal.
Michael Curran
Now isn’t the time guy. That will be figured out. How about you give the TEAM its due.
Charlie O'Connor
AuthorYou can disagree with the scratch. But if you didn’t see WHY he was a scratch candidate and didn’t notice just how poorly he was playing in this series and the vast majority of the playoffs — yes, worse than any other forward on the team you can name — then I’m not really sure what to tell you.
It’s exhausting having to deal with this debate. To have to basically play mediator between the people who think Michkov can do no wrong and should get special treatment because of how important he is to the future, and the people who are already writing him off and have decided he stinks. I’m tired of it all. It’s the one part of this Flyers season I won’t miss.
Robert Thrash
I never said he could do no wrong so take that out of your equation. It honestly sounds like you’re getting tired of your job. We all have parts of our job we dislike yet you publicly complain publicly nearly every day. It’s low you write off a significant portion of the fanbase and like to teeet or take shots at them whenever you can.
I’m not here to argue about MM vs JL being in the lineup. What I am here to say is that I think you’re being disingenuous to the fans that question tocchs lineup decisions.
You do you… I usually really enjoy the content but your tone w a portion of the fanbase is every bit of the Ivy League pompous attitude
Fans scan share their frustration.
Randy
Trebor, you don’t need to be here. Don’t like what you’re hearing / reading? You are here by choice. Make a different choice, pal. Oh, and see you later, someplace else! Byeeeee……(waving goodbye).
Ira Smith
Trevor, go away. Charlie is the best beat writer covering the Flyers and he tells it like it is. Doubt he has an agenda.
Charlie O'Connor
AuthorI take shots at “The Subsection” (you know, the crew that created/publicly defended the Evan Atkins Twitter account) because they constantly take shots at me and because I find them to be insufferable people who lack intellectual honesty. Think they showed their true colors for all to see with that fake account.
As for the Michkov discourse, it’s just become tiresome because there’s no nuance anymore. It’s basically politics. Just a bunch of people yelling at each other. One can like Michkov and believe in his talent and also think he was severely disappointing in these playoffs. But that stance doesn’t work on social media. And I have to be on social media for the job. So as soon as the scratch happened, I knew I was going to get yelled at, and personally, I’d rather not get yelled at by a bunch of people for an honestly held opinion. But I’ll continue to provide my honestly held opinions and not be influenced by the yelling people. Because that’s the job.
Michael Curran
Trebor aside and definetly he is in the VERY SMALL minority of this fanbase that constantly whine the rest of this fanbase looks forward to your game recaps and insights. I myself have not always agreed with all that you have written but that’s what makes the back and forth with you and Les, Kyle Nuebeck and others on the site interesting. So keep up the good work.
Randy is right. Trebor has a choice he can move along to another site. Or maybe he is just a guy who likes being miserable.
Chris
Honestly, I like testy Charlie. I imagine your BP goes up to about 200/120, so be careful – but I chuckle every time he raises his pissed-off head. Keep it coming broski! LMAO
On a serious note, you are 100% right – you can (and should) be excited for Michkov’s upside and also be disappointed when he plays like shit. He doesn’t get a free pass. But, damn, does he ever show some really amazing stuff sometimes.
jonas
I have no idea who you’re referencing (from what I can piece together, I should count myself blessed), but I will say regarding this discourse that I agree about it having devolved into exhausting side-picking. I’m generally in the middle. Michkov is clearly a promising talent. At the same time, parts of his game need a lot more development. Tocchet may or may not be the right coach for him, given his defense-first system. They might find a way to work together well, or they might not. He might come into camp next year in much better shape, and he might not (he probably will). It’s still very early in the process to say anything with certainty.
Vandit Kalia
I too have no idea who Evan Atkins is or why you are getting shouted at. But yes, in general, a large part of the Philly fan base is painful to deal with (or is that my West Philly Ivy League snobbery also coming through?).
Anyway, Charles – thank you for a great season of Flyers writing.
Getting back to the Flyers, I hope Danny B realizes that this team os still a ways from being a contender and remains focused on the long term plan – instead of signing a bunch of veterans to try to get better next year. I am confident he will, but with this fan base and the pressure it puts on team management…
James Borger
On a really good team, Michkov is one of several key guys in the top 6. Last season, for many fans, he became the Luke Skywalker of the franchise. For as much shrapnel as Tocc took this season around his usage, it’s a much healthier path for all parties for Michkov to be treated like the rest of the team’s players and held accountable. And I think given how’s a young kid who is still learning English, living thousands of miles from home, and obviously has gone through a lot with his father’s death, I hope he gets maybe some extra TLC from teammates and coaches/staff to help him feel comfortable off the ice. The on-the-ice performance will be up to him. Excited for the offseason and whatever that brings. What a year.
Anthony Poponi
Well said Charlie about MM. Your well-articulated opinion on his current low quality of play can still exist alongside of a desire to see him do well in the future and be hopefully about what this whole experience of year 2 in the NHL can be for him. I’m curious about how he approaches the benching, his usage and his apparently less than stellar off-season preparation to mold him into the future star he wants to be. But he’s got to earn the title of “star”, it won’t be handed to him.
Vandit Kalia
I think the question is – how much improvement will we see out of Michkov based on his improved conditioning vs playing in a system that’s more friendly to his skills (ala the freedoms he got under Torts)?
Vandit Kalia
*freedom
Matthew Segal
I know there will be thousands of words written and said about Matvei Michkov. I am a supporter and see that he has skill. However, it is clear that he was not good in the Playoffs. He needs to work his ass off this off season, then come o Camp and play the ay his supporter believe he can. But the whole “he is being mistreated” argument does not hold up when he plays poorly. Charlie, I don’t see a 1C opportunity for us this offseason. Do you? And do you see a possibility to acquire a PP QB?
David LaVeck
I, like the fortunate fans in attendance for Game 4 applaud the Flyers players, coaches, and staff for an outstanding season that no one saw coming. The end to the season was breathtaking even if it didn’t hide the team’s fatal flaws which were exposed in this series. The one thing that I never understood was the power play and how very little it was changed even though it was abysmal. The PP1 squad were like Supreme Court Justices, locked into their spots for life. Why different personnel was never tried I don’t understand or really want to know as I don’t think I will like the answer. With that and finishing aside, it was a truly remarkable season and I appreciate your coverage, well done! 👍