Let me say, I am not just a Flyers fan, but a true hockey fan. I look at hockey with a realistic point of view, so it's extremely rare that I allow my emotions to get in the way of what I am seeing in front of me.
In 1997, when the Flyers were swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, I was distraught.
In 2000, when the Flyers blew a 3-1 series lead to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference finals, and lost Game 7 by allowing a goal with 2 minutes left...I was shocked.
Quarterfinal nosedives to Buffalo ('98, '01, '06) and Toronto ('99) left me angry, but not surprised as the Flyers were clearly not the better team in either of those years.
The losses to the Ottawa Senators in 2002 and 2003 were expected as the Flyers did not match-up well with their speed and youth.
The disasters against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and 2009 left me with a completely bitter taste in my mouth.
And even after all that playoff turmoil...I still never shed a tear.
My eyes filled up when I saw Ray Borque lift Lord Stanley over his head with the Colorado Avalance in 2001. That was the first time I ever felt true emotion for the sport.
It happened again three years later.
When the Flyers battled the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, everyone asked me who I thought would win. As much as I knew the Flyers could beat Tampa, I knew with the defensive injuries that the Lightning would have the edge.
I predicted the Tampa Bay Lightning to beat the Flyers in 7 games.
With both teams winning every other game, it seemed like it was anyone's series. That was until Game 6 at the Wachovia Center.
Knowing about the inevitable NHL lockout to occur, I knew that it was now or never for most of the players on the Flyers' squad.
John LeClair, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Primeau, Tony Amonte, Mark Recchi, Eric Desjardins, Marcus Ragnarsson, Sami Kapanen, Alexei Zhamnov, Sean Burke, and Vladimir Malakhov were each over 30 years old and in the twilight of their careers.
Hockey fan or not, you just knew that this was the last chance that most of them would have to win it all.
Most of you remember...but the Flyers were facing elimination in Game 6, and were down 4-3 with the clock winding down.
Then, Keith Primeau scored the game-tying goal with 2 minutes left in the 3rd...it was the first time I had ever let my emotions get the best of me. I collapsed to my knees in a sigh of relief. I had just seen the most clutch goal of my entire life.
When Simon Gagne scored the OT winner, I jumped around my room like a 5-year old. The Flyers had forced a Game 7.
However, the Flyers wound up losing 2-1 in that fateful Game 7, and I found myself watching the coverage with a tear to my eye, wondering if the Flyers would ever win the Cup in my lifetime, and wondering if I would ever see hockey again due to the lockout.
It was one of the saddest days ever to be a Flyers fan. The 2003-04 team still remains one of the favorite squads in team history just in part to all the heart they played with.
Up until the playoffs this year, anyone who would have shed a tear for the Flyers would be considered a complete idiot.
Since the lockout, the Flyers had not shown the heart or consistency that is acceptable by the fans of Philadelphia.
That is, until Peter Laviolette came into town.
Up until the Stevens' firing, the Flyers had a complete lack of consistency and effort night-in and night-out. Laviolette changed all that by making players accountable for their actions on the ice. It's exactly what the Flyers needed, and why he was brought into town.
Laviolette has transformed this team from underachiever status to a team that is on the brink of going to the Stanley Cup Finals.
With that, he helped lead the team to the most unbelievable comeback in NHL history.
When the Flyers lost Game 3 to the Boston Bruins, most Flyers fans knew the team was biding it's time to break out the golf clubs.
That was, until the Flyers won Games 4 and 5. I thought I had heard the Wachovia Center reach it's noise capacity when the Flyers clinched a playoff spot in the shootout against the Rangers.
I was wrong...
The Center almost blew it's lid when the Flyers held on for a 2-1 victory to tie the series in Game 6.
Everyone...including the Bruins...knew that the Flyers were going to win the series.
It didn't start off well for the Flyers in Game 7, as two power-play goals added with another gave Boston a 3-0 lead with the 1st period winding down.
Laviolette called a timeout to re-group the team, and you could see him saying the words "Just one goal, all we need is one goal."
He was absolutely right.
The Flyers scored four unanswered goals by James VanRiemsdyk, Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, and Simon Gagne to cap off the most incredible comeback in modern NHL history.
To be down 3 games to none, then 3-0 in Game 7, only to come back and win...it shows heart.
Philadelphia fans don't care if you win or lose, but if you put it all on the line, we love you for it. This is why Ian Laperriere and Brian Boucher got standing ovations from the fans when they were put on the big screen.
They may not be the best players on the ice, but they give the most heart. That's all Philly asks for.
Putting this all together, I felt a tingling in my eyes. After the joy of a Flyers win subsided, my eyes began to fill.
I teared up for only the 2nd time in my life because of the Flyers.
I shed a tear for a team that had beat all the odds, and to show that no matter what, they refuse to quit.
A team that has given a city hope.
A team that never gave up.
A team that showed as much heart as it's fans.
A team that pulled off the biggest miracle since the 1980 U.S. Hockey team
A team that will achieve it's destiny...
And that's when Mike Richards raises Lord Stanley over his head in June.
Until next week, keep your stick on the ice.
Semi-Finals Results:
Game 1: at Boston, L 4-5 OT
Game 2: at Boston, L 2-3
Game 3: at Flyers, L 1-4
Game 4: at Flyers, W 5-4 OT
Game 5: at Boston, W 4-0
Game 6: at Flyers, W 2-1
Game 7: at Boston, W 4-3
Flyers win series 4-3
Eastern Conference Finals Schedule:
Game 1: at Flyers, Sunday 7PM
Game 2: at Flyers, Tuesday 7PM
Game 3: at Montreal, Thursday 7PM
Game 4: at Montreal, Sat 5/22, 3PM
Game 5: at Flyers, Mon 5/24, 7PM (If Necessary)
Game 6: at Montreal, Wed 5/26, 7PM (If Necessary)
Game 7: at Flyers, Fri 5/28, 7PM (If Necessary)
Caption of the Week:
The Flyers make history...
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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