What the Philadelphia Flyers have been able to do this season given over 200 man games missed due to injury is a testament to the organization. Even before they embarked on a team-record 11 game road trip, the Flyers had proven to be a resilient, deep squad. General Manager Bobby Clarke and head coach Ken Hitchcock knew coming into this season they had one of the best teams in the league and one of a handful of teams favored to drink from Lord Stanley’s chalice. What they did not know was how deep and determined this team looks to be. What they did not expect in that the Flyers would take 17 of a possible 22 points on the road trip and set an NHL record for wins on a single road trip (8), earning their way to the best record in the league by the trip’s conclusion

On the outset of the trip, the Flyers knew they would be without their team captain, two of their top defensemen and their presumed number one goalie for its duration. What they discovered was that many of the players that won a Calder Cup championship for the Philadelphia Phantoms are real-deal, ready-for-the-NHL players, a fact that will make them a team to be reckoned with.

Pundits pointed to Mike Richards and Jeff Carter as two young Flyer players that should have an impact as rookies. But the avalanche of injuries forced several more players to step up. R.J. Umberger has been a human wrecking ball, and has earned the right to stay with the Flyers with his play. Young defenseman Freddy Meyer has shown poise and promise, and has been rewarded with ice time on both special teams units. Goalie Antero Niittymaki has been unconscious at times for the Flyers. His play has made Hitchcock even admit publicly that the “number one” goalie for his team is not necessarily the injured Robert Esche. Niittymaki has even played his way into the Olympics, replacing the injured Miikka Kiprusoff on the Finnish team.

And the really scary part is the Flyers are starting to get healthy. Joni Pitkanen and Esche are expected to start skating with the team soon. The timetables on captain Keith Primeau and defenseman Eric Desjardins are a little more unclear, but both are veterans who will not need much time to get up to speed.

The Breakaway

Congratulations to Mark Messier on the retirement of his number 11 by the New York Rangers. The always emotional Messier could give Dick Vermiel a run for his money in the waterworks department. While never a fan of the teams he played for, it’s impossible not to respect what Messier accomplished in his career. Rising from the shadows of Gretzky in Edmonton, “Moose” became “Captain Courageous” and finally “Messiah” to the long-suffering Rangers fans in New York by leading them promised land of a championship in 1994. Save some tears for Toronto and your Hall of Fame induction Mark.