Journal Keith Russell's Journal: [Hockey] What did I say about Philadelphia? 1
Back in May, I wrote this about the Flyers' exit from the first round of the playoffs:
Could Ken Hitchcock's job be in jeopardy after the Flyers stunk the joint up in game 6? Too many good players were making too many half-assed plays in the second period of that game.
Fast forward to this season. The Flyers are still playing lackluster hockey. Part of the problem is their roster, which is still loaded with "old NHL" types. They shook up the lineup a bit yesterday, waiving Nico Dimitrakos, Petr Nedved, and Nolan Baumgartner. All three cleared, with Dimitrakos and Nedved landing with the AHL Phantoms. Three minor leaguers were called up, leaving Baumgartner as the odd man out, with a few weeks of healthy scratches to look forward to.
The other issue I'm seeing is that the team has given up on the coach. Wouldn't be the first time we've seen that. Heck, Jaromir Jagr almost single-handedly got Kevin Constantine fired from the Penguins. But this is the first time I think I've ever seen a team give up on a goaltender before. The Flyers are 1-2-1 in Antero Niittymaki's four starts so far this season. In Robert Esche's two starts, the Flyers are 0-2-0. Small sample size, you say? In those two Esche starts, the Flyers were outscored 13-1. Pittsburgh used the Flyers' skaters as heavy bags, Buffalo used them as turnstiles.
In fact, I think the skaters and Hitchcock are fighting over who gets to throw Esche under the bus, considering that Hitchcock left Esche in for all nine goals in that Sabres debacle. As a result, Esche's numbers are eye-poppingly atrocious:
Bad starts like this are what get coaches and general managers fired, so if you're an ex-NHL coach or GM, you might want to have your resume handy.
Update: 22 Oct 2006: Well, that didn't take long.
wow (Score:2)