Welcome Philadelphia Flyers fans to a hockey season that cannot be denied as anything but amazing from the start. With a starting record so far of 14-4 the Flyers have gotten to one of the best starts of the club’s stay in Philadelphia. Richardson and the rest of his team seem to be able to do no wrong on home ice with a record of 7-0 in the First Union Spectrum and the home crowd loves them.
AJ McLean and Fedoruk have been nicknamed the gladiators by fans and teammates a like since their record for fighting has become as well known as their playing abilities. You know when McLean and Fedoruk will be taking the ice when you hear the familiar sound of the Gladiator theme form the movie. Of course it makes you wonder what goes through the fans minds when they start chanting, “Spaniard. Spaniard. Spaniard,” when McLean scores a goal. McLean has also been spotted singing The Doors songs lately instead of the Beatles. He was screaming “Break on Through”, “Light My Fire”, “Touch Me” and “People Are Strange” at today’s practice telling everyone that Paris officials should leave Morrison’s grave where it instead of moving it like they are threatening to because of graffiti on it. It makes you wonder what goes through McLean’s mind on a daily basis.
On the other end of the spectrum is Nick Carter whose personality is a quiet one and he keeps to himself mostly during practices and games only talking to Brian Littrell and AJ McLean at times. Carter has also been spotted at local rinks by his home skating after practice and doing drills, but to no avail since he has not been able to move from his third string position.
Richardson on the other hand is not doing s well as everyone else. He will be out for a few weeks with a twisted kneecap, which means that Eric Desjardins will be leading the team until Kevin comes back. The doctors have told the press that Kevin will have to rest his knee for a while with ice, heat and therapy for it before he comes back to the games. This is a bad blow to the Flyers who consider Kevin their best defenseman. This only means that both offense and defense will have to make up for Richardson not being on the ice. We can only hope that he will come back soon.
Littrell has been feeling just as bad lately complaining of shoulder pains in practice yesterday. Littrell, though in pain, has been pushing himself to play because the title of starting goalie has not yet been named and he, as well as the public, have seen a change for the better in last years back up goal tender Brian “Boosh” Boucher. Before the season started Boosh threatened to leave the team unless he got to have good ice time this year. “When you sit on the bench most of the time I think I know where I stand on the team,” Boosh said earlier this season. Littrell has been feeling the pressure on himself too. Littrell was the guy that everyone loved last year even though he had a slump. This season though he has been loosing his temper at practices, along with Boosh, when he does not do as good as he thinks he can.
We can only hope that even though this team does not have Richardson that a player will take the role he played as the leader of the team. It could surprise you and turn out to be a player like Carter that will lead the team now.
