Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips – February 10, 2012 FLYERS Headlines 1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Hartnell leads Flyers over Maple Leafs, 4-3 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers Notes: Flyers' Bryzgalov hit by flu 3. Philadelphia Daily News- Flyers' Hartnell gets his revenge over Leafs' Phaneuf 4. Philadelphia Daily News- Bryzgalov sick, so Phantom gets call for Flyers 5. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers beat Leafs to snap three-game skid 6. CSNPhilly.com-Varying views on Hartnell-Phaneuf scrap 7. CSNPhilly.com- Schenn finally hitting stride with Flyers 8. CSNPhilly.com- Busy Laperriere training for L.A. Marathon 9. CSNPhilly.com- Holmgren gives updates on Bryzgalov, JVR 10. Delaware County Times- FLYERS: Schenn, Flyers win sibling battle 11. Delaware County Times- Flyers Notebook: Grabovski sorry about Pronger 12. Delaware County Times- FLYERS: Drexel Hill's Musciano sees a pro-level shot as fill-in goalie 13. Bucks County Courier-Times- Fired-up Hartnell burns Leafs 14. Bucks County Courier-Times- Flu bugs Bryzgalov, return date uncertain 15. Camden Courier-Post- A Howe for Hartnell 16. Camden Courier-Post-Leafs center 'sad' about injuring Pronger 17. Camden Courier-Post-Amateur goalie by day, AHL goalie by night fill in for ailing Bryz 18. ESPN.com - Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn combine as Flyers down Maple Leafs 19. NHL.com - Flyers edge Maple Leafs 4-3; TSN.ca – Giroux, Schenn lead Flyers to win over Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Headlines (FLYERS Last Opponent) 1. Toronto Sun - Lupul's not-so-happy anniversary 2. Toronto Sun - Alumni eye a fair shake 3. Toronto Sun - Leafs willing to mug for the cameras 4. Toronto Sun - Schenns hope to be teammates someday 5. Toronto Sun - Burke: Trade talks ’very quiet’ 6. Toronto Sun – Leafs-Wings doesn’t get any bigger than this 7. Toronto Star - Feschuk: Toronto Maple Leafs lose 4-3 in NHL action to Philadelphia Flyers 8. Toronto Star - Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer played well despite loss to Flyers 9. Toronto Star - Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings all set for NHL Winter Classic 10. Globe and Mail - Leafs fall in Philadelphia New York Rangers Headlines (FLYERS Next Opponent) 1. New York Post - Rangers defeat Lightning in overtime, upset with hit 2. Newsday - Richards' OT goal lifts Rangers 3. Newsday - Rookie defenseman Bickel a healthy scratch 4. New York Daily News - NY Rangers, backup goalie Martin Biron right ship in time, get decisive goal from Brad Richards in overtime win over Tampa Bay Lightning

Adirondack Phantoms Headlines 1. Glen Falls Post-Star - Taking a look at the Phantoms by the numbers 2. Glen Falls Post-Star - Critical road stretch begins for Phantoms 3. Glen Falls Post-Star - Flyers recall Bacashihua on emergency conditions NHL Headlines 1. ESPN.com - John Tortorella wants review system 2. ESPN.com - Gary Bettman believes in Blue Jackets 3. NHL.com - Gretzky impressed with his former franchises 4. TSN.ca – Hurricanes look to sign Ruutu to new deal ahead of deadline 5. TSN.ca – Report: Canada could support nine NHL teams 6. TSN.ca – NHL officially announces 2013 Winter Classic matchup FLYERS Articles 1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Hartnell leads Flyers over Maple Leafs, 4-3 Sam Carchidi Flyers center Brayden Schenn continued his sizzling scoring and, in the process, netted the game-winner and got the best of his big brother on Thursday night at the charged-up Wells Fargo Center. Schenn scored his fourth goal in seven games, and Scott Hartnell had a "Gordie Howe hat trick" - a goal, an assist, and a fight - as the Flyers outlasted the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, and ended their losing streak at three games. With a little less than five minutes remaining in the second period, Schenn scored on a rebound to put the Flyers ahead, 4-2. He did it while his brother, Luke, was on the ice as a Toronto defenseman. "It's nice to rub one in, I guess," Brayden Schenn said with a smile. The Schenns' parents were not at the game. "I don't think they can cheer for just one team," said Brayden Schenn, who scored by pouncing on Danny Briere's rebound. "I think they just hope for me and Luke to have good games." That's what happened Thursday. Brayden Schenn scored the game-winner and won eight of 13 (62 percent) faceoffs. Luke Schenn had two assists, three hits, and five blocked shots. Brayden Schenn, 20, acquired in the Mike Richards deal, was slowed by a shoulder injury, a broken foot, and a concussion earlier this season, but he has blossomed in the last few weeks.

"He finally feels like he's here," coach Peter Laviolette said. "It was a tough start to have three injuries like he did . . . and they were substantial injuries. I think it does take away from your timing and your conditioning and the game shape you need to be in, and now he's getting it back and finding his way out there." With the Flyers clinging to a 4-3 lead, Luke Schenn leveled Claude Giroux while the Flyers were in Toronto's end. The Leafs went down the other end, and Sergei Bobrovsky made a key stop on Tyler Bozak (two goals) on a rebound with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left. In addition to Schenn and Hartnell, Talbot and Giroux scored for the Flyers. Talbot tied a career high with his 13th goal, and Giroux scored just his second goal in the last 17 games, excluding an empty-netter. Hartnell, with a feed from behind the net, set up Giroux's goal, which was scored 74 seconds before Schenn's. "Scotty is not known for his passing, but once in a while he'll have a nice pass," Giroux cracked. The pass gave Hartnell his "Gordie Howe hat trick" - the assist to go with his goal and fight. "Anytime you can get a 'Gordie' - it doesn't happen too often," Hartnell said proudly, after scoring his team-high 26th goal - the Flyers' first opening-period score in the last four games. They are 14-4-3 when Hartnell scores a goal. Hartnell opened the scoring and immediately dropped the gloves and fought Dion Phaneuf. "That was probably the best celebration of a goal I've ever seen," Talbot said. "I told Scott, this was amazing. It's pretty cool. No fist-pump or anything. Just drop the gloves and go." Phaneuf, the Toronto captain, may have been upset by a comment Hartnell made to him after the winger set up a goal in the All-Star Game. As Hartnell, wearing a microphone for the game, skated past the opponent's bench in that game, he said, "Bleep it, Phaneuf." Bobrovsky, who in his previous game allowed six goals in 28:22 against New Jersey, got the start because Ilya Bryzgalov was suffering from the flu. Bobrovsky allowed three goals, but one deflected off teammate Braydon Coburn's skate, and another was scored as teammate Kimmo Timonen was pushed atop him.

The Flyers were coming off a 1-0 shootout loss to the Islanders Tuesday in which they had 45 shots - their second-most in a shutout in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They outshot the Leafs, 39-27. Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros set up Talbot's goal, had four hits, blocked three shots, and was plus-3. 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers Notes: Flyers' Bryzgalov hit by flu Sam Carchidi Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who has allowed one goal or less in five of his last seven starts, missed Thursday's game against Toronto because of the flu. General manager Paul Holmgren wasn't sure whether Bryzgalov would be ready for Saturday afternoon's key matchup with the visiting New York Rangers, who are 4-0 against the Flyers this season. Sergei Bobrovsky started Thursday against the Maple Leafs. He had a 4-2 win over Toronto earlier this season. Jason Bacashihua was recalled from the Phantoms to be Bobrovsky's backup. At Adiriondack, Bacashihua was 7-6-1 with a 2.98 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. Bacashihua, 29, appeared in 38 NHL games with St. Louis from 2005 to 2007, going 7-17-4 with a 3.19 GAA. The Flyers signed him as a free agent last summer. The Flyers couldn't recall Adirondack's Michael Leighton because they would have needed 24 hours for him to clear reentry waivers. As for Bobrovsky, the Flyers are confident with him. "To be honest, it doesn't really matter who starts for us," center Danny Briere said. "Bob has played tremendous hockey throughout the year. I'm never worried about him. He had a great season last year - obviously not the way he wanted to end it - but he was good for us for the most part. He seems to get better and quicker. He's definitely a goaltender who in the future is going to be one of the tops in the league. I'm guaranteed of that." At the morning skate, Justin Musciano replaced Bryzgalov. Musciano, 27, of Delaware County, was playing in a game with Comcast-Spectacor employees when he was asked to stay for the Flyers. Apologetic Leaf

Toronto forward Mikhail Grabovski feels bad about hitting Chris Pronger in the right eye with his stick on Oct. 24, but said "100 percent I didn't do it on purpose." Grabovski said he sent a message through Toronto GM Brian Burke to Pronger, telling him he was sorry. Pronger will miss the rest of the season with a concussion, and his career is in jeopardy. Schenn on radar Defenseman Luke Schenn said he loves playing in Toronto, but he hopes to one day be on a team with brother Brayden, who plays for the Flyers. Luke Schenn, who took a plus-9 rating into the game, has been on the Flyers' radar. The trade deadline is Feb. 27. JVR update James van Riemsdyk, who has been sidelined the last 12 games because of a concussion, did not participate in the morning skate. "Does that mean it's a setback? I don't know," said Holmgren, adding that the winger is "out indefinitely." 3. Philadelphia Daily News- Flyers' Hartnell gets his revenge over Leafs' Phaneuf Frank Seravalli SCOTT HARTNELL swears there was no carryover last night from when he embarrassed Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf on live television at the All-Star Game on Jan. 29 in Ottawa. Skating by Phaneuf after his All-Star linemate, Henrik Sedin, popped in a goal, Hartnell said, "Suck it, Phaneuf!" with a microphone underneath his jersey capturing the whole thing for a plugged-in "Hockey Night in Canada" audience. Last night was different.

"I thought it was somewhat of a cheap play," Hartnell said. "I was going behind the net that one time - I don't know if he pushed me or I lost an edge or what - but my neck was kind of in an awkward position." So, after his trademarked #HartnellDown spill into the boards, Hartnell got up and whacked his team-leading 26th goal of the season behind James Reimer off what he called "a lucky bounce." And then the melee ensued. Eddie Shore style. "It was the best celebration of a goal I've seen," Max Talbot said. "It was no fist-pump, no anything. Just drop the gloves and go. It was pretty great." With the flashing, red goal light giving them a tan, Hartnell and Phaneuf settled their differences just feet from the Maple Leafs net. The goal, meanwhile, got the Flyers started on their way to a 4-3 win over the surging Maple Leafs at the Wells Fargo Center. It was the Flyers' first win in four games, snapping a season-high three-game winless streak. "I thought it was just a typical 'Hartnell Down,' but he stayed in there and got a goal and a fight," Claude Giroux said. "When he gets [ticked] off, I think that's dangerous for the other team. He's on the puck, he's jumping. That was a great goal for him." For Hartnell, it was just his second fighting major of the season - his lowest production in that category since 2005-06. He said it was his first to immediately follow a goal. "I just went right after him," Hartnell said. "It was pretty standard. If someone does something to you like that, a cheap play or a slash, you stand up for yourself." Otherwise this season, Hartnell has traded the fisticuffs for goals and assists. He added an assist a period later for his second "Gordie Howe hat trick"; that is, a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game. Howe himself posted two such hat tricks in his career, a statistic that is officially recorded and kept by 10 NHL teams. "It's pretty cool," Hartnell said. "It doesn't show up in the stats or anything like that, but what counts is that we got the two points tonight. The Rangers won in overtime. Teams are winning behind us. We wanted to put some separation between ourselves and the Maple Leafs." With the win, the Flyers avoided having Toronto - which was in ninth place just 2 weeks ago - creep within three points for the first time since early December.

The Flyers are now 14-4-3 this season when Hartnell scores a goal. Coach Peter Laviolette believes there is something to that stat. "There's no question, when he plays a physical game, he seems to be a lot more involved," Laviolette said. "I think that's one of the key elements of that line. He gets in on the forecheck, he hacks and whacks in front of the net and he makes things happen." Hartnell's goal wasn't the only positive for the Flyers, as they never played behind against Toronto. Sergei Bobrovsky said he was glad he had "a chance to redeem" himself after a six-goal shellacking by New Jersey last Saturday. And Giroux tallied a pretty goal, one that he hopes will get him back on track in the scoring department. Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel (two assists) bested Giroux on the scoresheet, but Giroux (61 points) maintains a one-point edge on Kessel in the scoring race. Evgeni Malkin leads the league with 62 points. For the Flyers, their top line was finally able to break through after posting 16 shots on net Tuesday against the Islanders. "Even last game, we were getting pucks on net and they weren't going in," Giroux said. "It was a big goal. I think you just want to try and help the team win, and scoring is a good sign that you're helping." For the second time this season, Brayden Schenn got the best of the sibling rivalry. He netted the game-winner with his older brother, Luke, collecting a minus on the play. "It's always nice to score," Schenn said. "I guess with him being out there, it's nice to rub one in, too." Slap shots Scott Hartnell's other Gordie Howe hat trick was on Jan. 11, 2011 in Buffalo . . . Max Talbot was 7-for-10 on faceoffs . . . Both Luke and Brayden Schenn collected high-sticking penalties in the first 3:34. The two brothers, self-described best friends, posed for a photo and chatted postgame . . . Zac Rinaldo was tuned up by Mike Brown in a first-period fight . . . The Flyers play at Toronto twice in March. 4. Philadelphia Daily News- Bryzgalov sick, so Phantom gets call for Flyers Frank Seravalli MICHAEL LEIGHTON was one collective-bargaining-agreement loophole away from rejoining the Flyers on their bench last night, almost as unlikely as the way he fell into

their lap in December 2009 before leading them all the way to the Stanley Cup finals that spring. Ilya Bryzgalov, who reported to the Wells Fargo Center yesterday morning with flulike symptoms, was sent home and Phantoms backup Jason Bacashihua was recalled on an emergency basis to backstop Sergei Bobrovsky last night against Toronto. "You're in an emergency once you have one goaltender," general manager Paul Holmgren said. In the meantime, Drexel Hill native Justin Musciano, who tended goal at Division III Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island, stopped pucks in yesterday morning's optional pregame skate. Bacashihua, as his name might suggest, has a little more cachet. He was a first-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2001. Last night marked his first game on an NHL bench since 2007, when he appeared in 19 games with St. Louis. Both Leighton and Bacashihua would have needed re-entry waivers to make it to the Flyers' roster on a non-emergency basis. But Leighton, the Phantoms' All-Star starter who is in the final year of his 2-year, $3.1 million deal with the Flyers, was not eligible to be recalled on an emergency basis since he spent more than 80 games on an NHL roster over the last 2 years. The Phantoms were in town yesterday for practice, stopping here on their way to Norfolk, Va., for a weekend set. And Bacashihua might hang with the Flyers for a little bit. The Flyers could keep him on their roster for the next 29 days as an emergency replacement. Holmgren said he couldn't rule out Bryzgalov for tomorrow's game against the New York Rangers, though he wanted to keep him quarantined from the team. "We'll see how he is," Holmgren said of Bryzgalov. "I think I'll certainly have a better idea [this] morning. I'm sure he is [contagious]. Some kind of flu. I think it was important to get him away from everybody else this morning. We'll talk to him later and see how he is doing." JVR update Many thought that once forward Harry Zolnierczyk was reassigned to Adirondack on Wednesday that it might pave the way for James van Riemsdyk's return to the lineup last night against Toronto. The only problem was that van Riemsdyk's body didn't want to cooperate. Van Riemsdyk, 22, did not participate in yesterday's pregame skate, the first

time he was missing from practice in 3 days. He declined a request to speak to the media. "His status is the same. He is out indefinitely," Holmgren said. "I don't know. I've continued to say, 'Who knows?' on this. Does that mean it's a setback, who knows? His status is the same." Van Riemsdyk has been out since Jan. 12 with a concussion that is believed to have been sustained Jan. 7 vs. Ottawa. "I'm not going to say [I'm] frustrated," Holmgren said, "because a lot of these guys with these symptoms, that's the way they track." Getting your props If you have a hankering to wager on just about anything hockey-related - and have a buddy on the corner willing to take the action - Bovada recently released a few proposition bets this week. Odds on Jaromir Jagr re-signing with the Flyers for the 2012-13 season were set at 1-to-3, and you'd collect at 2-to-1 if you bet that he plays with someone else. Out since November with his second concussion in a year, Sidney Crosby has 3-to-2 odds to return this month. The most fun might have been to wager on whether Montreal albatross Scott Gomez, who earns $7.5 million, would score a goal this season. You'd have gotten 10-to-1 odds if you bet that Gomez wouldn't score in the final 26 games. You'd have lost, too, since he scored last night. 5. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers beat Leafs to snap three-game skid Tim Panaccio Every player in the NHL has his own way of celebrating a goal. First pump. Stick held high. Marching rapidly in place. Then there’s the odd bird, like Scott Hartnell, who decided to drop his gloves and throw down with Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf after scoring Thursday night during the Flyers 4-3 victory over the Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center. “That was probably the best celebration of a goal I’ve seen,” teammate Max Talbot offered. “I told Scott, this was amazing. It’s pretty cool. No fist pump, no nothing, just drop glove and go.”

Hartnell’s impromptu fight was just the beginning because by night’s end he had his second career Gordie Howe Hat Trick. “I think I scored a goal and maybe taken a penalty afterward, but never a fight,” said Hartnell, who completed the Gordie in the second period by assisting on Claude Giroux's go-ahead goal. “Obviously, I was rattled up. I thought I got a cheap shot [trip] going into the boards right before I scored, but I'll take the five minutes and the goal, for sure. “I think it's only my second fight this year. I think this is the lowest total of fights I've had since I started when I was 18. But anytime you can get a Gordie, it doesn't happen too often, I'll definitely take it, but a win is always more important.” Indeed, the victory snapped the Flyers three-game losing skid while Hartnell's line with Giroux and Jaromir Jagr seemed to relax their sticks with a four-point game (two goals). “Everything is tightening up here in the standings,” Hartnell said. “Teams below us are winning. The Rangers are winning almost every night, so we need these points.” Equally impressive was the fact the third period was a track meet with the Flyers holding that one-goal margin and having to survive a 1-minute, 42-second 6-on-4 Leafs power play that actually ended the game. “It was fast – a fast game,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “They have a fast team. They were moving up and down the ice. “You really have to be accountable to a third man high in the offensive zone because if you didn’t have that, it could be 4-on-2 with some sort of reload.” Toronto’s top line of Tyler Bozak centering Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul proved a thorn in the Flyers’ collective sides with three goals and six points. “They’re a dangerous line,” said Talbot, whose unit with Matt Read and Jakub Voracek matched up on them. “They’re dangerous off the rush. Kessel is fast. He’s not the third scorer in the league for nothing.” Hartnell’s goal came against goalie James Reimer at 14:38 of the opening period. It was a bit of an odd goal, too, as both Jagr and himself appeared to chop down at the puck simultaneously with the puck striking Hartnell’s stick last. The goal was Hartnell’s 26th of the season and first in seven games. His last goal incidentally, was a natural hat trick Jan. 22 against Boston. “It’s been a while since [our line] had a five-on-five goal,” Hartnell said. "Seemed like we were cycling and we had cycle chances. Good to see we’re back playing hard, protecting the puck and skating.”

Hartnell plays his best when he carries a chip on his shoulder. The Flyers are 14-4-3 when he scores a goal. “When he plays physical, he seems to be a lot more involved,” Laviolette said. “That’s one of the key elements to that line. He brings a physical presence. “He gets in on the forecheck. He goes to the front of the net. He hacks and whacks in front of the net and makes things happen.” Toronto tied it 54 seconds into the second period on Bozak’s first of two goals. This one ricocheted off Braydon Coburn’s skate past Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished with 24 saves. Less than four minutes later, the Flyers regained the lead when Talbot redirected a wicked point drive from Andrej Meszaros downward through Reimer’s five-hole. That was Talbot’s first goal in seven games, as well, and his 13th overall. Again, however, the lead was short-lived as Lupul, the ex-Flyer, retied it at 2-2 at 5:57 on the power play for his 22nd goal. Now, Giroux has been struggling to score a goal that’s not an empty netter. The pressure lifted at 13:53 as he wristed one high under the crossbar for his 21st, with his entire line getting assists. “When you score a goal, it’s a good sign of helping the team win,” Giroux said. “It was a great pass from Scotty and I tried to put it on net. “Even last game, we did a good job of putting puck on net with some traffic but they just weren’t going in. Tonight was a different story.” Minutes later, Brayden Schenn struck with his seventh goal off a rebound, to give Bobrovsky a two-goal lead. Alas, Bozak, made it a one-goal game with his second of the night at 18:09. That set up a third period dash to the finish. “We didn’t want to change anything, the way we played,” Talbot said. “We’re not a team that is going to sit down and wait for them to attack us. We want to play the same way the whole game, even when we have the lead.” 6. CSNPhilly.com-Varying views on Hartnell-Phaneuf scrap Tim Panaccio

Everyone seemed to have a different viewpoint on why Scott Hartnell threw down with Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf a millisecond after scoring a goal. “Dion had hit him near the goal line and the other guy fell into the boards,” offered Leafs coach Ron Wilson. “I think it had to do more with that hit earlier then it had to do the goal. That is why [Hartnell] player slashed him after he scored the goal. That is why they got the extra penalty.” Claude Giroux liked what he saw. “It was typical #hartnelldown, but I saw the replay and he got tripped,” Giroux said. “He stayed in there with a goal and a fight. When he gets pissed off, that’s dangerous for the other team. He’s on the puck and he’s jumping.” Phaneuf had his own version. “Well he slashed me,” Phaneuf said. “And to be honest with you, fights happen they're part of the game. He came after me and obviously he wasn't happy. He voiced that and it's done.” Trading partners Nary a day goes by without a report of the Flyers dealing James van Riemsdyk to the Maple Leafs for defenseman Luke Schenn. Old news, says one Leafs’ executive. “We haven’t talked about that in a month and Schenn is playing very well,” the source said. Flyer sources said there was never a deal there because their feeling was JVR has the potential to be a 40-goal scorer while Schenn doesn’t match that potential from a defensive standpoint in giveback. Despite this, the Leafs remain interested in JVR, even though he is currently concussed. Recall the Leafs traded for Matthew Lombardi last July despite the fact he played only two games last season in Nashville with post-concussion syndrome. “That would not be a deterrent,” the source said. Loose pucks Brayden Schenn has two goals in three games. ... Toronto’s Mike Brown took out Zac Rinaldo in an early first period fight, while Hartnell and Phaneuf fought to a draw late in the period. ... This was Hartnell’s second career’s Gordie Howe Hat trick as a Flyer. His last came Jan. 11, 2011 against Buffalo. ... Luke Schenn drilled Giroux in the third period

while Jagr did the same to Bozak. ... Giroux’s 21st goal pulled him within one point of Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) in the NHL scoring race. He has 21 goals and 40 assists for 61 points. Giroux had 11 attempts on net. ... He was also 10-for-16 (63 percent) on faceoffs and is now 53.2 percent on the season, up from 50.9 percent on January 1. ... Max Talbot was 7-for-10 on faceoffs. He is 28-for-40 (70 percent) in his last four games. ... Toronto has already sold 60,000 tickets to next year's Winter Classic vs. the Red Wings at Michigan Stadium. 7. CSNPhilly.com- Schenn finally hitting stride with Flyers Tim Panaccio He’s had a bum shoulder, a fractured foot and a concussion. For most players, that kind of trifecta of injuries is enough to ruin your season. Yet, Brayden Schenn, the player who was the “prospect” portion of the trade that sent Mike Richards to the L.A. Kings last June, has managed to rise above it all. The 20-year-old forward really seems to have hit his stride with the Flyers now that he’s a healthy player in the second half of the season. Schenn scored his second goal in three games and continued to give the Flyers some dominating muscle up front in Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think he is finally feeling like he is here and a contributing factor,” said coach Peter Laviolette. “It’s just a tough start when you have three injuries the way he did right from camp. “You train all summer, you come to camp and you hope to come in and have an impact and then there are substantial injuries and substantial time. “I do think it takes away from everything, your timing, your game conditioning and everything you need to play. I do feel like now he is getting it back and finding his way out there.” Schenn outplayed his brother, Luke, in this one. “It’s always nice to score,” he said. “I guess with him being out there, I guess it’s nice to rub one in.” His line with Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds is getting consistent scoring chances. “I think after last game [against the Islanders], we got shut out, we had chances and things weren’t going in for us,” Schenn said. “And tonight kind of the same thing, but

they were going in. Good to see guys get rewarded and I guess we can build off it now.” Teammate Scott Hartnell lauded Schenn for everything he has overcome, going back to training camp when he injured his left shoulder. “He battles hard,” Hartnell said. “He's great at protecting the puck, he's good defensively, you see him on the draws. I'm not sure of his percentage this year, but he seems to be winning more than he's losing, and he's got a knack around the net. “Growing up, World Juniors, things like that, he's always been a goal scorer. I think he's feeling more comfortable everyday and he's going to be a big player in this league.” 8. CSNPhilly.com- Busy Laperriere training for L.A. Marathon Tim Panaccio “Gotta run!” It’s a frequently-used phrase you will hear often around the Laperriere household these days. When he’s not jet-setting off to places like Grand Forks, North Dakota or evaluating and checking in with Flyers draft picks, Ian Laperriere can be found training for his first marathon, logging long-distance runs in preparation for the Los Angeles Marathon on March 18. This will be Lappy’s first attempt to complete the 26.2 miles, and he’s targeting a 3:30 (eight-minute mile pace) to finish if his Achilles holds up. It’s been a diversion from hockey, where he still has difficulty with the realization he’ll never play again. “It’s not easy," Laperriere said. "I’m still dealing with that. Just ask my wife.” Playing in a charity hockey game last year, Laperriere’s symptoms resurfaced again, proving that a return to the NHL would never happen. The slap shot he took to his right eye in April 2010 still gives him issues. Laperriere admits, “the quick movements and lights present problems when I play.” He says a tinted visor helps but not enough to be symptom-free. Impressively, Laperriere, who just turned 38 in January, has maintained his slim physique. He has lost 14 pounds since hanging up the skates, while many players have a tough time controlling their weight once their playing days are done. “It’s the lightest I’ve been since I started playing in the NHL,” Laperriere said. Eating well (even though he says he enjoys the occasional hamburger) and staying in shape with his intense running regimen has helped Laperriere maintain his current

weight. Despite not playing hockey this past season, 2011 was a memorable year for Laperriere. He was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy at the NHL awards ceremony in Las Vegas for his dedication and perseverance to hockey. Two months later, Ian, along with his wife Magali, were formally sworn in as U.S. citizens. Together with their two boys, the Laperrieres moved into their newly-built Haddonfield, NJ home, which he plans to make his permanent residence year-round despite his French-Canadian roots. Lappy was clearly sold on Philadelphia after just one season, mainly because the Flyers organization was willing to find a place for him. Laperriere admits, “I played here for just one season. Many teams would say thanks a lot and good luck, but not here.” He never entertained the possibility of moving back to his native Montreal, mainly because his sons would have a difficult time speaking French as a primary language and he has spent the majority of his adult life here in the United States. Clearly, Laperriere wants to remain in hockey where he currently hits the road – keeping tabs on the team’s draft picks. He calls it a “mentoring” role and he has embraced the opportunity to pass along his knowledge. “Today’s kids think they know everything. You wonder if they’re listening to you,” he said. One player Lappy has been overly impressed with is Nick Cousins, a 2011 draft pick acquired in the Jeff Carter trade last summer. “You can tell he has a real passion for the game," Laperriere said. "When you watch him, he loves everything about it." Laperriere preaches perseverance, which he’ll need if he plans on finishing that marathon. 9. CSNPhilly.com- Holmgren gives updates on Bryzgalov, JVR Tim Panaccio Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said on Thursday night that he was uncertain how long goalie Ilya Bryzgalov will be absent from the club. Bryzgalov has a virus and Holmgren said that given how contagious the Norovirus is right now, he wanted him away from the club. “We’ll see how he is later and I’m sure [trainer] Jimmy [McCrossin] will talk to him tonight to see how he is doing,” Holmgren said. “It’s some kind of flu.”

Bryzgalov came to the Wells Fargo Center for the morning skate and was sent home. The Flyers recalled goalie Jason Bacashihua from the Phantoms. The club could not recall Michael Leighton because he would have to go through re-entry waivers and would not have cleared until Friday at noon. Bacashihua is here under emergency conditions and can remain up to 30 days. Holmgren wasn’t certain whether Bryzgalov would be available for either Saturday’s game against the Rangers or Sunday’s game in Detroit. Holmgren also was unable to shed any light on whether James van Riemsdyk, recovering from a concussion, had suffered a setback. JVR seemed to be making progress this week and was fairly upbeat but did not participate in the morning skate. “His status is the same – I don’t know,” Holmgren said when asked if a setback were involved. “We continue to say [with concussions], who knows? He didn’t skate today. Does that mean it’s a setback? I don’t know. He’s out indefinitely. “I’m not going to say it’s frustrating because with a lot of these guys, the symptoms, that is the way they track. I expect him to practice tomorrow but I am not sure.” 10. Delaware County Times- FLYERS: Schenn, Flyers win sibling battle Rob Parent PHILADELPHIA — It seems like it’s all about comfort with Brayden Schenn, and what better way to feel at ease when you’ve got your big brother looking over your shoulder? For the second time this regular season the Brothers Schenn got to wink at each other from opposite sides of the Wells Fargo Center ice Thursday, but this time Little Bro made sure to use the home-ice to his advantage, scoring what amounted to the game-winning goal in the second period then helping the Flyers hold on for a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Schenn the younger planted a rebound of a Danny Briere missile that had sharply rebounded off the shoulder of Maple Leafs goalie James Riemer at 15:07 of the second, forging a two-goal lead. But trying hard not to be outdone, Older Bro turned around and set up Tyler Bozak for his second goal of the game at 18:09 to bring the Leafs to within a goal after two periods. Scott Hartnell’s goal at 14:38 of the first had started the scoring, and also ignited a fight with Dion Phaneuf that excited the fans and the players alike more than the goal did. “That was probably the best celebration of a goal I’ve ever seen,” Max Talbot said. “I told Scott that was amazing. He scored, then they just dropped the gloves and said, ‘Let’s

go.’” That feeling may have carried over some, because Schenn’s goal capped off a wild second period in which Bozak (twice) and ex-Flyer Joffrey Lupul scored for the Leafs, and Talbot, Claude Giroux and then Schenn balanced it out for the Flyers. Yet it was in the scoreless third period when the younger Schenn and his teammates might have played their best, picking up the intensity and matching the talented Leafs shift for shift and protecting the precious lead for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Schenn looked very comfortable in being central to that Flyers effort. “He battles hard, he protects the puck, he’s good defensively,” Hartnell said of his team’s Schenn. “His (faceoffs), he’s winning more than he’s losing, and he’s got a knack around the net. Growing up, through Juniors and all that, he’s always been a goal scorer, and I think he’s feeling more comfortable every day. He’s going to be a big player in this league.” Who would know that better than Big Brother? “It was cool,” the 22-year-old Luke said of the 20-year-old Brayden. “The first couple of shifts, it’s a bit of a weird feeling playing your brother, but once you get the game going you get that out of your system, and he’s just another player out there and you play him like anyone else.” Brayden Schenn spent much of the early season looking like any other struggling rookie, but he had the handicap of a series of injuries to his shoulder, foot and finally head (a concussion) to deal with. “He had to adjust to the speed of the game and the NHL style,” Luke Schenn said. “But I also think that he had a tough start with injuries. It’s never easy in your first year bouncing back off key injuries like he did.” Also showing some bounce in the crease was Bobrovsky, who looked as comfortable in net as he could considering he allowed six goals over two periods to the Devils in his last start. Bobrovsky went in Ilya Bryzgalov’s stead. It is unknown how long Bryzgalov will be out. According to general manager Paul Holmgren, Bryzgalov is suffering from flu-like symptoms which could be the byproduct of a nasty virus. Fearing he’s contagious, Bryzgalov is being kept away from the club. Thinking former Flyers goalie Michael Leighton won’t easily pass through waivers, the Flyers left him with the Phantoms and brought up his backup, Jason Bacashihua. In other words, it’ll be Bob or bust for now. “It’s always tough when you don’t expect to play,” Bobrovsky sort of said through a

translator. “Because I knew in the morning, it made it a little bit better. Thanks to the team, they won today and all of the benefits go to them.” Bobrovsky stopped 24 shots and played a strong third period as Toronto cranked up a comeback effort that fell short because the Flyers were able to match their intensity. But Bobrovsky had to be big at the end, because a bad Talbot penalty gave the Leafs essentially a two-man advantage with their goalie pulled in the final minute. Fortunately for him, it wouldn’t matter. “When we were on the bench I told the team that we had to stay disciplined and stuff,” Talbot said. “I don’t know … it’s frustrating when you’re in the box when your responsibility is on the ice killing penalties.” Toronto 0 3 0—3 Philadelphia 1 3 0—4 First Period_1, Philadelphia, Hartnell 26 (Gustafsson), 14:38. Penalties_B.Schenn, Phi (high-sticking), :21; L.Schenn, Tor (high-sticking), 3:34; M.Brown, Tor, major (fighting), 8:45; Rinaldo, Phi, major (fighting), 8:45; Phaneuf, Tor, major (fighting), 14:38; Hartnell, Phi, served by Briere, minor-major (slashing, fighting), 14:38; Gardiner, Tor (hooking), 15:45. Second Period_2, Toronto, Bozak 11 (P.Kessel, L.Schenn), :54. 3, Philadelphia, Talbot 13 (Meszaros), 3:32. 4, Toronto, Lupul 22 (Phaneuf, P.Kessel), 5:57 (pp). 5, Philadelphia, Giroux 21 (Hartnell, Jagr), 13:53. 6, Philadelphia, B.Schenn 6 (Briere, Simmonds), 15:07. 7, Toronto, Bozak 12 (L.Schenn, Lupul), 18:09. Penalties_Meszaros, Phi (holding), 5:14; Gunnarsson, Tor (interference), 7:31. Third Period_None. Penalties_Grabovski, Tor (goaltender interference), 9:33; Talbot, Phi (boarding), 17:53. Shots on Goal_Toronto 5-12-10_27. Philadelphia 16-14-9_39. Power-play opportunities_Toronto 1 of 4; Philadelphia 0 of 4. Goalies_Toronto, Reimer 10-6-4 (39 shots-35 saves). Philadelphia, Bobrovsky 12-5-1 (27-24). A_19,684 (19,537). T_2:26. Referees_Dave Jackson, Wes McCauley. Linesmen_Shane Heyer, Derek Nansen. 11. Delaware County Times- Flyers Notebook: Grabovski sorry about Pronger

Rob Parent PHILADELPHIA -- Mikhail Grabovski wanted to make it very clear Thursday that he came back to Philadelphia with a message -- he's sorry. Grabovski is a Toronto Maple Leafs center who unfortunately will be remembered in Philadelphia as the guy who at least helped put a premature finish to Chris Pronger's season. Everyone hopes his concussion symptoms don't drag on beyond that ... including Grabovski. "I ask (about Pronger) all the time," Grabovski said after the Maple Leafs' morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center. "I don't have his number, but I know our general manager talked to him and apologized. "It’s just hockey. It’s an accident. I have had so many shots in my face, too. ... I didn’t do it on purpose. I'm really kind of sad because he’s such a good player and it finished his career. But it’s an accident. "I know that’s bad, but it’s life and you can talk about Sidney Crosby, too. It just happened. I hope he’s doing better and starts playing." While everyone might be privately fearful that Pronger's symptoms are career threatening, no one is coming out and speculating that. Then again, there hasn't been much about him since it was announced he was out for the season, though some interpretations were that the club was holding out hopes for Pronger in the playoffs. That hope has all but dissipated now, though Pronger cheered a few people up by showing up unexpected at practice Wednesday. It was brother vs. brother Thursday night as Toronto's Luke Schenn came in with his team to play little brother Brayden Schenn and the Flyers. Coming in with the elder Schenn (all of 22) was the trail of speculation that he might get traded to Philadelphia in some kind of deal that may involve James van Riemsdyk. At least that was the talk before van Riemsdyk's concussion.

"Playing in Toronto and Philadelphia, obviously there’s lots of media and rumors tend to go around," Luke Schenn said. "Obviously, we’ve heard about them. One day it would be cool to play together down the road, but right now I’m real happy in Toronto and I love to be part of the Leafs organization. You obviously can’t control what goes on as far as trades (are concerned)." Schenn said he expects to stay put in Toronto beyond the Feb. 27 trade deadline, saying, "I want to be part of the winning culture here that we started to develop, but you can’t control anything that happens." The Brothers Schenn were called for consecutive penalties in the first period Thursday night, but the 20-year-old Brayden got a leg up with a second-period goal. Luke assisted on one in the second, too. NOTES: Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said before the game that Ilya Bryzgalov has "some kind of flu or something" and that it has been gauged as contagious. Therefore, Holmgren said, it's unknown how soon Bryzgalov would be able to return. That left Sergei Bobrovsky to start in net against the Leafs, and likely against the Rangers Saturday, too. Bobrovsky is being backed up by the Phantoms' Jason Bacashihua, who is Michael Leighton's backup. Leighton wasn't called up because he'd have to clear waivers. ... Luke Schenn on Brayden scoring his first NHL goal in the Winter Classic: "That was awesome. No better timing. Our family was down for the game and he’s been waiting for that first one for a while, and it was long overdue for him." 12. Delware County Times- FLYERS: Drexel Hill's Musciano sees a pro-level shot as fill-in goalie Rob Parent PHILADELPHIA — First came word that goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was sick. Then came the realization that somebody was going to have to stand in for him as a target at Thursday’s morning skate at Wells Fargo Center. Then came the obvious answer — there was already a big target kind of guy dressed in goalie gear in the building. For marketing specialist Justin Musciano, it was just another chance to network. Already blessed with an exciting job in the sports world — the 27-year-old Drexel Hill resident is a concessions manager at Citizens Bank Park — Musciano had worked his way into the good graces of Flyers CEO Peter Luukko’s exclusive hockey club.

Not the one Luukko is in charge of, but the group of mostly younger guys (and girls) Luukko plays hockey with a few mornings a week just past dawn. “It’s the 7:15ers, a bunch of morning hockey guys that play here at 7:15,” Musciano said as he sat by himself in a locker room that usually houses visiting NBA teams after the Flyers’ practice. “I was lucky enough to be playing with them this morning.” It was then that Musciano’s networking skills paid dividends, as he was approached after the pickup game by Flyers equipment manager Derek Settlemyre. “Nasty came in and asked if I wanted to skate with the boys today,” said Musciano, who is so plugged in here he freely uses Settlemyre’s nickname. “I said sure. It was kind of nice … lifetime experience, man.” Not that Musciano hasn’t had them before. He played goal at Upper Darby High, played two years at Division III Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I., and works as a goaltending coach for the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Again, that whole networking thing. But he admits all of that work didn’t really prepare him for his surprise call-up. “If you haven’t played with professionals and you just see it on TV, you get a totally different respect for what they do and (how they play) the game,” Musciano said. “How hard they actually shoot the puck. It’s just amazing.” It really was just a fun thing for Musciano to do … one that he did for free. Well, almost. “One condition,” Musciano said. “It was just, ‘You want to play?’ And I said, ‘Sure, but can you give me a granola bar and a couple of Gatorades?’” Musciano knows the gig isn’t going to lead to anything professional — at least from a playing standpoint. But he can probably say that he fared well, even stopping some guy named Jaromir Jagr on one shot. “I think Jagr was kind of toying with me a little bit,” Musciano said. “I stopped the shot and he was yelling at me, saying ‘I’m supposed to score that goal!’ It was pretty funny. “So yeah, lifetime experience and something I’ll never forget.” Musciano might work at the stadium around the corner, but he began hooking in with the Big Boss’ morning hockey group while working at Wells Fargo Center as a suite and club box manager. Before he was able to skate with the big boys, though, he had a call to make to his supervisor at Citizens Bank Park, Jeremy Campbell. “I said, ‘Hope you’ll forgive me, but the Flyers want me to skate with them,’” Musciano

said. “Thank God it wasn’t a problem. I’ll still have a job when I go back.” 13. Bucks County Courier-Times- Fired-up Hartnell burns Leafs Wayne Fish PHILADELPHIA - Mess with Scott Hartnell, says Claude Giroux, and you pay the price. The Toronto Maple Leafs learned this the hard way Thursday night as Hartnell registered a rare "Gordie Howe hat trick'' - goal, assist, fight - to lead the Flyers to a 4-3 win at the Wells Fargo Center. The victory snapped the Flyers' three-game losing streak, which was their longest of the season. Hartnell's temper came alive at 14:38 of the first period and the teams scoreless. Just before Hartnell scored off an Erik Gustafsson assist, Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf dumped Hartnell on his back with a nasty trip. After scoring, Hartnell went after Phaneuf, who is one tough cookie. The two fought to a draw but Hartnell was pumped up. Later, he set up Giroux for the Flyers' third goal. "You saw the replay, he got tripped,'' Giroux said. "(Hartnell) stayed in there and got a goal and a fight. When he gets ticked off, I think that's dangerous for the other team. "He's on the puck, he's jumping. That was a good goal for him.'' A player like Hartnell takes pride in an effort like that, including the confrontation with Phaneuf. "I don't know if he pushed me, if I caught an edge, but I kind of went awkward into the boards,'' Hartnell explained. "My neck was kind of in an awkward position. I thought it was somewhat of a cheap play. "I got a lucky bounce, it went in the net and I went right after him. Just pretty standard, someone does something cheap, you have to stand up for yourself.'' And as for the Howe trick? "It's pretty cool,'' Hartnell said. "It doesn't show up in stats or anything like that. What counts is that we got two points tonight.'' When Hartnell scores, the Flyers seem to get a boost. They are 14-4-3 when he hits the net.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, filling in for Ilya Bryzgalov (flu) picked up his 12th win against only five losses. After going 98 minutes and 41 seconds without a goal, the Flyers finally got the goal from Hartnell. Toronto bounced back on the first of two Tyler Bozak goals at 54 seconds of the second. Then Max Talbot tipped an Andrej Meszaros point shot past James Reimer to make it 2-1 at 3:52. Ex-Flyer Joffrey Lupul tied it again at 3:52 of the second on a power play from in close. Then the Flyers struck for a quick pair, Giroux getting the first at 13:53 off a Hartnell feed and Brayden Schenn following that up with his fourth goal in the last seven games off a Daniel Briere rebound at 15:07. But Toronto stuck around as Bozak scored with 1:51 to play in the second. As time was running out, Talbot was flagged for boarding. The Flyers basically had to kill off a six-on-four for the last 90 seconds but did so without allowing Toronto much in the way of quality chances. Coach Peter Laviolette had good things to say about Hartnell as well as Schenn, who picked up his fourth goal in the last seven games. "There's no question when (Hartnell) plays a physical game, I don't know if that's angry or not," he said. "When he plays physical, he seems to be a lot more involved. He gets in on the forecheck, he goes to the front of the net, he hacks and whacks and makes things happen. You have to be working a strong physical game in order to do that.'' And as for Schenn, who had to overcome a bunch of injuries early this season: "He finally feels like he's here,'' Laviolette said. "And a contributing factor. It's tough when you have those injuries. I do feel like now he's getting it back and finding his way out there.'' Giroux said: "When he came back everyone knew he could do better. The last few games he's been great. He's smart. He's been on the puck. He's a player that can do everything. It's good to have him on our team. He's so young still, a good player.'' Short shots The Flyers honored U.S. Marine corporal Zach Boone of Langhorne as a community partner during the game. ... Hartnell's other career Howe hat trick came Jan. 11, 2011 vs. Buffalo. ... Talbot has won 28 of his last 40 faceoffs (70 percent). 14. Bucks County Courier-Times- Flu bugs Bryzgalov, return date uncertain

Wayne Fish PHILADELPHIA — With starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov suffering from a case of the flu, Sergei Bobrovsky started Thursday night’s game against Toronto. Jason Bacashihua was called up on an emergency basis from the Phantoms to fill in as the second goalie. General manager Paul Holmgren said Bacashihua was called up from Adirondack (AHL) instead of Michael Leighton because Leighton would have had to clear 24-hour waivers and there wasn’t enough time. Bryzgalov showed up at the Wells Fargo Center, complained of symptoms and was immediately sent home. “We got (Bryzgalov) away from everyone this morning,’’ Holmgren said, citing it as a precaution to prevent other players from getting infected. “It’s some kind of flu.’’ Holmgren said he isn’t ruling out the possibility that Bryzgalov could be ready for Saturday’s home game against the New York Rangers. Bobrovsky continues to impress teammates with his strong work ethic. “Since the first day, he’s impressed me with the way he’s practiced,’’ Jaromir Jagr said. “He’s still so young and he’s going to get better and better. “For a goalie, to be a backup, it’s tough. Practice is not the same as a game. He has to work even harder than I like to do. Because you never know when the coach says you are going to play tonight.’’ Brayden Schenn has noticed how hard Bobrovsky works. “Bob’s worked hard all the way through this season,’’ Schenn said. “He’s played well for us. The last outing he had (a 6-4 loss to the Devils), we didn’t give him much of a chance — six goals against, bad defense. We’re looking for a better performance in front of him.’’ No skate for JVR James van Riemsdyk (concussion) had been skating each day this week until Thursday. Holmgren said nothing (in the way of a setback) should be read from that. “His status is the same,’’ Holmgren said. “He didn’t skate today. Is that a setback? Who knows? I expect him to practice tomorrow but I don’t know for sure.’’ Schenn dream reunion?

It’s one of those trade rumors that won’t go away: Toronto would consider sending defenseman Luke Schenn, brother of Brayden, to the Flyers before the Feb. 27 deadline, perhaps for someone like van Riemsdyk. Their salaries are comparable and their talents seem about on a same level. “It would be awesome to play with my brother,’’ Brayden said. “Ever since Day 1, we always wanted to, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. “They are just rumors. It’s kind of hard not to (see and hear them). Even if you don’t read anything or watch TV, you can’t come to the rink the next day and there’s going to be someone talking about it.’’ And the Flyers could use another talent to shore up their defense that’s been crippled by the loss of Chris Pronger. “Obviously his (Luke’s) name has been tossed out there for the last month. Those are just rumors. I guess we’ll see what happens.’’ Luke insists he wants to stay in Toronto but wouldn’t mind playing with his brother in Philly, either. “Anyone could get traded,’’ he said. “I’ve been drafted here, it’s my fourth year here, I love playing in Toronto and want to be part of the winning culture that we’ve started to develop. You can’t control anything that happens.’’ Brayden has told his brother Philadelphia is a great place to play hockey. “He enjoys Philly a lot,’’ Luke said. “It’s a great organization, a great fan following. They have a great team and he’s been given a good opportunity.’’ Grabovski’s remorse Although no penalty was called on the play and the play was clearly an accident, Mikhail Grabovski expressed some remorse over his shot follow through that hit Chris Pronger in the right eye on Oct. 24 and caused the concussion. “It’s hockey,’’ Grabovski said. “I have had so many shots in my face, too. It was a hundred percent I didn’t do it on purpose. But I’m kind of sad because he’s such a good player.’’ Grabovski didn’t try to contact Pronger directly but asked Toronto GM Brian Burke to contact the Flyers with an apology. “I hope he feels better,’’ said Grabovski. “I know it’s bad but that’s life. We can start talking about Sidney Crosby, too. I hope he (Pronger) does better every day and starts playing.’’

15. Camden Courier-Post- A Howe for Hartnell Randy Miller PHILADELPHIA — Miked up for his first All-Star Game two weekends ago, Flyers left wing Scott Hartnell helped set up a goal with a pretty pass, then skated past opposing defenseman Dion Phaneuf and threw out a borderline-insulting one-liner that was broadcast live on national television. “That was all in good fun,” Hartnell said Thursday night after scoring a Gordie Howe hat trick in the Flyers’ 4-3 win over Phaneuf and the Leafs. “I heard the Twitter world blew up after we went at it there.” Hartnell/Phaneuf II was a lot more than playful trash talk. This time, Hartnell felt he was the victim of a dirty hit during a first-battle scrum behind the net, so when he scored on a redirect moments later for the first goal of the game, the usual goal celebration was scrapped. First, Hartnell issued a retaliation slash, then he dropped his gloves and started fighting Phaneuf. “That was probably the best celebration of a goal I’ve seen,” Flyers winger Max Talbot said. “No fist pump, no anything. Just drop the gloves and go, so it was pretty great.” Hartnell was still mad after scoring because he felt that he was pushed into the boards with his neck in an awkward position. “I thought somewhat of a cheap play,” Hartnell said. “Then I got a lucky bounce and whacked one in out of the air, and I went right after him. It’s pretty standard: When somebody does something to you cheap — slashes, cheap plays like that — you’re going to have to stand up for yourself.” Phaneuf wasn’t apologetic afterward. “Well, (Hartnell) slashed me, and to be honest with you, fights happen,” he said. “He came after me and obviously he wasn't happy. He voiced that and it's done.” Hartnell’s two-minute minor left the Flyers short-handed, but his five minutes for fighting left him two-thirds of the way toward his second career Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist and a fight. He earned his assist in the second period when he made a chip pass to Claude Giroux, who scored for a 3-2 Flyers lead that held up. It was just the 74th Gordie Howe hat trick in Flyers history and their first since James van Riemsdyk and Hartnell each had one in a month last season.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Hartnell, who leads the Flyers with 26 goals but entered the night. “It doesn’t show up in the stats or anything like that, but what counts is we got two points.” The Flyers, who improved to 14-4-3 when Hartnell scores, welcomed the two points after coming in riding an 0-2-1 slump that was their first three-game slide of the season. The Flyers won this one with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal as Ilya Bryzgalov was home with the flu. Bobrovsky allowed a career-high six goals to New Jersey in just 28:22 last Saturday and three more in the first two periods against the Leafs, but the Flyers were up 4-3 after 40 minutes and won. “It’s really great that I had a chance to redeem myself and play better,” Bobrovsky said through a translator. The Flyers had a late scare when Talbot took a boarding penalty at 17:53 of the third and Toronto promptly pulled its goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, but the Leafs never came close to getting the equalizer. Afterward, Hartnell throwing punches right after scoring had the Flyers smiling. “It’s awesome,” said Brayden Schenn. “It’s pretty funny, pretty cool to see a guy score a guy and instantly drop the gloves.” 16. Camden Courier-Post-Leafs center 'sad' about injuring Pronger Randy Miller PHILADELPHIA — Toronto Maple Leafs center Mikhail Grabovski felt terrible the moment his swinging stick clipped Flyers captain Chris Pronger in an Oct. 24 game at the Wells Fargo Center. He feels worse now. Grabovski heard what originally was thought to be a scary right-eye injury has turned into prolonged concussion symptoms that ended Pronger’s season and has his career in jeopardy. “It’s accident,” Grabovski said from the Leafs dressing room Thursday following a morning skate that preceded his first game against the Flyers since Pronger’s injury — a 4-3 Toronto loss. “I have so many shots in my face, too. A hundred percent, I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m really kind of sad because (Pronger’s) such a good player and it (maybe) finished his career. But it’s an accident.”

A 28-year-old native of East Germany who was raised in Belarus, Grabovski didn’t have to plead his innocence. Television replays clearly showed Pronger was hit by the follow-through of Grabovski’s slap shot from the left-wing circle. Flyers fans booed when no penalty was called, but by NHL rules there was no infraction. “It was just a game situation and I tried to shoot,” said Grabovski, who is stuck on 18 goals and 39 points for the season after a scoreless, minus-1 evening against the Flyers. “I hope he’s doing better. I didn’t do it on purpose.” Pronger was bedridden for four days and missed six games. When he returned, he made it through just five games because of what was eventually diagnosed as postconcussion syndrome. More than three months later, Pronger still isn’t healthy and has been so depressed that his visit with teammates before the Flyers practiced Wednesday was the first time he’d seen most everyone since a team Christmas party. “I know that’s bad, but it’s life and you can talk about (concussed Pittsburgh Penguins star) Sidney Crosby, too,” Grabovski said. “It just happened.” Grabovski hasn’t spoken to Pronger, but sent a message through a team official shortly after the incident. “I ask (about Pronger) all the time,” he said. “I don’t have his number, but I know our general manager (Brian Burke) talked to him and apologized.” 17. Camden Courier-Post-Amateur goalie by day, AHL goalie by night fill in for ailing Bryz Randy Miller PHILADELPHIA — Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov showed up at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday morning battling the flu, so team officials promptly sent him home. That led to some scrambling, resulting in a stranger in goal for the Flyers’ morning skate and Adirondack Phantoms’ second-stringer Jason Bacashihua backing up Sergei Bobrovsky for Thursday night’s 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers found a second practice goalie by borrowing a netminder from a morning pick-up game at Wells Fargo Center. When the ice is available, Comcast-Spectacor President and CEO Peter Luukko sets up

and plays in 7:15 a.m. games that include friends and employees. That’s how Justin Musciano, a 27-year-old Drexel Hill resident who coaches hockey for the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, wound up staring down practice slap shots from Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr and others. Musciano was out on the ice for an hour, then peeled off his equipment, showered and left the building. “If you haven't played with professionals and you just see it on TV, you get a totally different respect for what they do and (how they play) the game,” Musciano told the Delaware County Times. “How hard they actually shoot, it's just amazing.” Meanwhile, the Flyers were busy trying to solve another problem because management decided Bryzgalov was too sick to even show up for the Leafs game. “I think it was important to get him away from everybody else this morning,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. With the goalie home resting, the Flyers needed to rush in an emergency replacement in case Bobrovsky became injured. Michael Leighton, the journeyman who was in goal for most of the Flyers’ 2010 playoff run to the Stanley Cup Finals, still is in the organization and playing in the AHL for the Phantoms, but wasn't an option. Because Leighton's AHL salary is above $105,000 and he’s been on an NHL roster for 80-or-more games over the last two seasons, he was subject to reentry waivers, which take 24 hours. The Flyers couldn't wait that long, thus the emergency recall went to Bacashihua, a 2001 first-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars who didn’t have to clear waivers because of his recent NHL service time. Bacashihua, who wore No. 33, had a 7-6-1 record with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 17 games with the Phantoms. As for Bryzgalov, the Flyers hope he’s available for Saturday’s home game against the New York Rangers. “I think we’ll have a better idea (this) morning,” Holmgren said. • Family reunion: Brayden and Luke Schenn, who had dinner Wednesday at a Philadelphia steakhouse and played against each other Thursday, hope to be NHL teammates someday. There were rumors last month that Luke, a Maple Leafs defenseman, soon would be traded to the Flyers, who employ little brother Brayden as a rookie forward.

“One day it would be cool to play together down the road, but right now I’m real happy in Toronto,” Luke said. "Ever since Day One, we always wanted to (be teammates in the NHL), but it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen," Brayden added. "Obviously, his name has been tossed out there for the last month and a bit. Those are just rumors. I guess we’ll see what happens." Both settled for productive nights in their second regular-season meeting: Brayden scored a goal with Luke on the ice in a Flyers win, and Luke assisted on two of the Leafs’ three goals in defeat. “Him being out there, it’s nice to rub one in I guess,” Brayden said. “There was really no talk out there. We were just going about our business.” • Empty netters: Claude Giroux’s 21st goal gave him 61 points, one behind Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin for the league lead. … Jaromir Jagr assisted on Giroux's goal for his 1,638th career point. He's three behind Joe Sakic for eighth all-time. ... James van Riemsdyk, still sidelined with a concussion, didn’t participate in the morning skate after practicing all week. “His status is the same,” Holmgren said. “He’s out indefinitely. He didn’t skate. Does that mean it’s a setback? I don’t know.” … Max Talbot has won just 44.1 percent of his faceoffs for the season, but he was 7-for-10 (73 percent) against the Leafs and is 28-for-40 (70 percent) over his last four games. ... The Flyers scratched Jody Shelley and Andreas Lilja. 18. ESPN.com - Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn combine as Flyers down Maple Leafs; TSN.ca – Giroux, Schenn lead Flyers to win over Maple Leafs Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- Frustrated by not converting ample scoring chances just two nights earlier, the Philadelphia Flyers' top line cashed in when it needed. Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn scored 1:14 apart in the second period to lift the Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Scott Hartnell and Maxime Talbot also had goals for Philadelphia, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Giroux, Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr -- Philadelphia's No. 1 line -- combined for four points. They had nothing to show for 30 attempts and 16 shots in a 1-0 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. "We were cycling, we had the confidence going and we had some chances," Hartnell said. "We work well together."

Tyler Bozak scored two goals and Joffrey Lupul had one for the resurgent Leafs, who were 6-2-1 in their previous nine games. "They were a team that lost three in a row, and they just took it to us in the first." Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "We coughed up the puck too much. We worked so hard to make it 2-2. We just have to learn from it." Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves, including a pad stop on Bozak's hard shot during a 4-on-2 rush with five minutes left. Bobrovsky allowed a career-worst six goals in a 6-4 loss to New Jersey last Saturday, and wasn't expecting to start until Ilya Bryzgalov showed up to the morning skate with the flu. "It doesn't matter whether it was my fault or not, I didn't want to allow those goals," Bobrovsky said through an interpreter. "It was good to have a chance to redeem myself." The up-and-down Flyers needed this victory to strengthen their hold on fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They were 1-2-2 in their previous five games. The teams changed their pace after a slow-moving first period and combined for six goals in the second, including three in the first six minutes. Giroux put the Flyers ahead to stay when he fired a shot into the top right corner. Jagr set it up with a perfect pass from the side of the net to Giroux, who scored his 21st goal. Schenn then made it 4-2 when he scored into a wide-open net after Danny Briere's shot from the right wing hit goalie James Reimer's right shoulder and ricocheted to the left circle. Bozak answered, scoring his second goal with 1:51 left in the period to cut it to 4-3. He put in a rebound in front with traffic surrounding Bobrovsky. The Flyers stiffened defensively and held on. In a matchup of two of the NHL's top three scorers, Phil Kessel had two assists, but Giroux had the difference-maker. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin leads the league with 62 points, Giroux has 61 and Kessel 60. A fluke goal by Bozak just 54 seconds in started the scoring barrage in the second period. Bozak's shot bounced off Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn's skate and went in. Just 2:38 later, Talbot deflected a slap shot by Andrej Meszaros past Reimer. Lupul then scored a power-play goal to tie it at 2. Dion Phaneuf's shot bounced out of Bobrovsky's glove, and Lupul put it in for his 22nd goal.

Hartnell gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with 5:22 left in the first period. Erik Gustafsson's shot hit Jagr, and the puck trickled to Hartnell, who shot it through Reimer's legs. Hartnell immediately turned around, exchanged words with Phaneuf and the two dropped their gloves. "He wasn't happy, and he let me know that," Phaneuf said. Game notes Jason Bacashihua was called up from Adirondack of the AHL to back up Bobrovsky. ... Hartnell and Talbot both snapped six-game, goal-scoring droughts. ... Lupul hadn't scored 20 goals in a season since getting 25 for the Flyers in 2008-09. ... Kessel has nine points in four games. ... Toronto's Mike Brown got the best of Zac Rinaldo in a first-period fight, landing several punches during a flurry of fists. ... The Flyers had won five of six against Toronto. ... The Leafs were 4 for 4 in penalty-killing, and haven't allowed a goal in the past 28 short-handed situations. Toronto hasn't given up a man-advantage goal in 17 games, the NHL's longest streak since Chicago had a 19-game run in the 1969-70 season. 19. NHL.com - Flyers edge Maple Leafs 4-3 NHL.com Two nights after they were unable to turn scoring chances into goals, the Philadelphia Flyers ' top line came through when it mattered. Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn scored 74 seconds apart in the second period as the Flyers held off the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, snapping a three-game losing streak. Scott Hartnell and Max Talbot also had goals for Philadelphia, which outshot the New York Islanders 45-18 on Tuesday but lost 1-0 in a shootout. Philadelphia's top line of Giroux, Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr combined for four points after going scoreless on 16 shots in the loss to the Isles. "We were cycling, we had the confidence going and we had some chances," Hartnell said. "We work well together." Tyler Bozak scored two goals and Joffrey Lupul had one for the Leafs, who were 6-2-1 in their previous nine games. "They were a team that lost three in a row, and they just took it to us in the first." Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "We coughed up the puck too much. We worked so hard to make it 2-2. We just have to learn from it." Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves, including a pad stop on Bozak's rocket during a 4-on-2 rush with five minutes left. Bobrovsky allowed a career-worst six goals in a 6-4 loss to

New Jersey last Saturday and wasn't expecting to play until Ilya Bryzgalov showed up to the morning skate with the flu. "It doesn't matter whether it was my fault or not, I didn't want to allow those goals," the second-year Russian goaltender said through an interpreter. "It was good to have a chance to redeem myself." After Hartnell scored the only goal of a nondescript first period, the teams combined for six goals in the second -- three of them in the first six minutes. Bozak tied it 54 seconds into the period, bouncing a pass off the skate of Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn and into the net. Just 2:38 later, Talbot deflected a slap shot by Andrej Meszaros past James Reimer. Ex-Flyer Joffrey Lupul scored a power-play goal at 5:57 to tie it at 2-2. Dion Phaneuf's shot bounced out of Bobrovsky's glove, and Lupul put it into the net for his 22nd goal. But Giroux put the Flyers ahead to stay when he beat Reimer with a quick shot into the top right corner after a perfect pass from the side of the net. Schenn made it 4-2 when he scored into a wide-open net after Danny Briere's shot from the right wing hit Reimer's right shoulder and ricocheted to the left circle. Bozak scored his second of the night and 12th of the season, banging home a rebound through traffic with 1:51 left in the period. But Bobrovsky stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third period. Toronto Maple Leafs Articles (FLYERS Last Opponent) 1. Toronto Sun - Lupul's not-so-happy anniversary Mike Zeisberger TORONTO - A loss in the City of Brotherly Loathe wasn’t the anniversary gift Joffrey Lupul had in mind. But even with the bitter taste in his mouth of a 4-3 setback at the rugged hands of the host Philadelphia Flyers, Lupul did everything in his power to make this a special evening. Exactly one year after coming over from the Anaheim Ducks along with defenceman Jake Gardiner and a 2013 conditional fourth- round pick in exchange for veteran blue-liner Francois Beachemin, Lupul scored a goal and added an assist at the Wells Fargo Center, a rink he knows well from his brief stint as a Flyer.

As colleague Terry Koshan points out, Lupul’s strong performance on Thursday night gives him 31 goals and 45 assists for 76 points in the 83 games he has played in blue and white. That’s almost a point-per-game pace. Not bad for a guy who was considered by many to be a throw-in when the original deal with the Ducks was made. At the time, Lupul was an unknown quantity, having come off an earlier 87-game absence with a blood infection that struck him after he had back surgery. He was also under contract through 2013 with an average cap hit of $4.25 million US. On the surface, it seemed as if the Leafs, who had cap space at the time of the deal, were willing to take Lupul’s salary off the Ducks hands in order to acquire Gardiner, a former first-round pick whose outstanding skating skills made him a coveted commodity. Gardiner has been a pleasant surprise for the Leafs, making the team out of training camp and showing composure in his development. At the same time, no one could have predicted the impact Lupul would have over the next 12 months. Who thought this guy would be in the top 10 in NHL scoring just a year after being traded? As we’ve said before, if Brian Burke is going to be slagged about the controversial Phil Kessel trade with the Boston Bruins, he needs to be praised for fleecing the Ducks in this deal. SCHENN VS. SCHENN The scoresheet will show Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn had more points (2-1) than younger brother Brayden, the rookie forward with the Flyers. But the summary does not tell the entire story. It was Brayden, after all, who will have the family bragging rights after scoring the eventual game-winner late in the second period off a fat rebound by James Reimer of a Danny Briere shot. Brayden played 17 minutes, 40 seconds in the game, just 1:02 less than Luke. Much of that ice time was spent against each other, an interesting sidebar in a game busting with storylines. In the first period, Brayden came up from behind and stole the puck from Luke in the Leafs zone, setting up Wayne Simmonds for a good scoring opportunity on Reimer. As the game progressed, there were even a couple of jostling incidents in the corner, probably bringing back memories of some playoff brotherly scraps of yesteryear.

In the end, both finished the night plus-one. But the fact that his goal proved to be the margin of victory gave Brayden the edge in this one. DOUGIE IN DETROIT With the buzz around the Leafs all day revolving around the announcement that the team will face off against the Detroit Red Wings in front of 115,000 fans at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, 2013, former Leaf Doug Gilmour confirmed to the Toronto Sun that he has already been contacted to play in the alumni game at Comerica Field on Dec. 31. To no one’s surprise, he is jumping at the opportunity. “Obviously, I’d love to play,” Gilmour said. “Look at how special the alumni game between the former Rangers and Flyers was (last month) in Philly. They sold the place out.” Gilmour is no stranger to outdoor games, having laced up the blades for the Leafs alumni against the Habs alumni at Hamilton’s Ivor Wynne Stadium last month. CROSS CHECKS Felt like the old Broad St. Bullies days for a moment, didn’t it? Scott Hartnell feuding with Dion Phaneuf, then the two drop the gloves after Hartnell scores. Give Hartnell the Gordie Howe hat trick — a goal, an assist and a scrap ... Did we hear it right? Did a TSN announcer actually say Luke Schenn gave a Philly player a “high (s--t)” instead of a “high stick?” People on Twitter certainly thought so. In fact, Twitter blew up after that alleged first-period comment was made ... When Reimer is on, pucks are swallowed up in his equipment. When he’s a bit wobbly, as he was at times on Thursday, he lets out juicy rebounds. He truly can be the lead in a Tale of Two Goalies — both of them being him ... Tim Connolly was shown on replaying “flamingo-ing” on a point shot — in other words, trying to get out of the way. Not quite the “sacrificing the body” mentality we’re sure Ron Wilson is looking for. 2. Toronto Sun - Alumni eye a fair shake Lance Hornby Mike Pelyk hopes the Winter Classic Alumni Showdown between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings doesn’t become a duel about allocation of profits to oldtimers. The unexpected success of the alumni game, a component of the Winter Classic’s main event, has led to questions about the veterans getting a fair shake when the final numbers are tallied. Comerica Park in downtown Detroit, the site of the alumni game, seats 41,000 at present.

“I think there will be more discussion with the league, the players association and the NHL almuni association as to what the financial horizon would be,” said Pelyk, a board member of the Leafs Alumni. “I don’t think any of that has been discussed yet. “I’ve said to many people, the NHL took a big chance organizing the game a few years ago. It could have been a flop, but was a huge success. Now everyone looks at it and says it’s fait accompli, it will (succeed). We don’t know that. There is still some uncertainty.” When the Flyers and the Rangers played before about 45,000 at Citizens Bank Park last month in Philadelphia, there were estimates of around $3 million in profit on that game alone, channeled to the host team. That was almost as much as the NHL game. The participants’ basic flights and hotels were paid for, but with no formal agreement in place, other costs were incurred by the players, which led to some gripes, especially by those who hoped for a big payday for the NHL Alumni’s charitable arm. Other Leafs alumni have suggested MLSE might underwrite some costs in the 2013 game. “At the end of the day, I think there will be some sort of agreement and everyone will walk away and say: ‘Let’s get on with the game’,” said Pelyk. There won’t be a shortage of old Leafs wanting to play “There will probably be some hard decisions,“ Pelyk said. “You want to have a (competitive game) so that already eliminates a whole group of players. Detroit will want to do the same thing. “People who think they should be included won’t be included. You can only dress 20 people. We’ve had Detroit-Toronto alumni games the past two years and they were both very good teams. Detroit had guys in their late-30s and early-40s, such as Petr Klima and Dino Ciccarelli and we had a couple of old coots in the their 50s such as me. But those days are gone. There is such a good group of players who’ve retired, but not reached 50 and I’d have to think the bulk of guys would be players of that age.” Toronto Alumni past president Mark Osborne has already projected Mats Sundin, Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour would play for the Leafs while Curtis Joseph, who also played briefly for the Red Wings, told NHL.com on Thursday he would love to play goal for Toronto. 3. Toronto Sun - Leafs willing to mug for the cameras Terry Koshan PHILADELPHIA - Two things came to mind when Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf learned officially that the Leafs would be playing in the 2013 Winter Classic against the Detroit Red Wings.

“One, the crowd, the amount of people that are going to be in the building will be very special,” Phaneuf said. “Two, you are playing outdoors. I know being from Edmonton and growing up and having a rink in my backyard, playing with my buddies on that, and the community rink, playing a lot outdoors. You have those two aspects — the amount of people and playing outdoors — and you put into it an Original Six matchup, it is an exciting thing to be a part of.” The Leafs and Wings will play on Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan in a game that could draw as many as 115,000 fans, which would be a record for a hockey game. Of course, the idea that the Leafs would be part of an HBO 24/7-style documentary would make the event that much more interesting. Those plans have not been finalized, but the documentary (which could be filmed by another broadcaster) has become as much of the event as the game itself. The idea that cameras would follow their every move, even, possibly, to their homes, does not faze the Leafs. Colby Armstrong, whose sharp humour could make him an off-ice star of the documentary, was part of something similar when he played for Wilkes Barre/Scranton, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate. “We did a chasing-the-dream thing when I was in the minors,” Armstrong said. “We had fun with it, and after a while, you don’t even notice (the cameras and their operators) are there. “It might be a little weird to have them in your house, but I guess you have to see what they would want to do with certain guys.” Armstrong and fellow Leaf Tim Connolly were opponents for the outdoor game in 2008, Armstrong with the Penguins and Connolly with the Buffalo Sabres, when the game was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Before a crowd of more than 71,000, Armstrong scored the Penguins’ only goal and Connolly assisted on the Sabres’ lone goal in a 2-1 Pittsburgh shootout win. “I thought that was a pretty unbelievable experience,” Armstrong said. “To see the amount of people that stadium (in Michigan) could hold is going to be really exciting. With our fans, I think everyone would enjoy it.” As far as the almost-constant presence of TV cameras goes, Leafs coach Ron Wilson has experienced something similar. In 1998, during the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup run, cameras followed the team.

“I don’t care what anybody says,” Wilson, the coach of the Caps then, said. “It does change what you are going to do and in my case, for sure with two granddaughters, I am going to clean up my act. I would not want to embarrass myself in front of my granddaughters. They call up if they see me yelling at an official.” Wilson didn’t watch much of the HBO 24/7 documentaries the past two years, but Phaneuf tuned in. Though the players would have been watching what, essentially, is their own lives but through different people, they found it fascinating. “They do an unbelievable job of giving a real look at the inside of an NHL hockey team,” Phaneuf said. “I think it is a great show for (fans) to watch and see what we do on a daily basis behind closed doors. I don’t think (cameras) would be a distraction. From talking to guys on other teams, they are very professional, they are really good at what they do, and that’s why they put together programs like that. “As players, we have talked about what an experience it would be to be a part of something like this. The focus is still on this year and the work we have to get done down the stretch, but the official announcement is very exciting.” 4. Toronto Sun - Schenns hope to be teammates someday Terry Koshan PHILADELPHIA - Playing against his big brother Luke is something Brayden Schenn enjoys, but it’s the relationship that he cherishes most. The Flyers forward and the Maple Leafs defenceman talk to each other every day, whether it’s by text or on the phone. “The off-ice stuff is more important to me, to keep in close contact like we do,” Brayden Schenn said on Thursday. “I have learned a lot from him, and he has done so much for me, whether it has been about the draft or the world junior or the NHL. Always given me advice.” Born on Nov. 2, 1989, Luke is not quite two years older than Brayden, whose birthday was Aug. 22, 1991. And do you think they would like to play on the same team in the NHL one day? Of course they would. They were teammates once before, back when they were kids in Saskatoon on a team called the Red Wings. Rumours, which have cooled off, last month had Luke Schenn being traded to the Flyers for forward James van Riemsdyk.

“It would be cool to play together down the road, for sure,” Luke Schenn said. “Right now I’m happy to be in Toronto.” Said Brayden Schenn: “It would be awesome to play with my brother. I’ve always wanted to, but that does not mean it is going to happen.” 5. Toronto Sun - Burke: Trade talks ’very quiet’ Terry Koshan PHILADELPHIA - Could the trade deadline on Feb. 27 come and go with no big moves made by Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke? It’s a possibility. Not only have the Leafs been playing well enough to possibly convince Burke that a significant trade does not need to be made, it appears there simply is not a lot happening on the trade front. “It’s very quiet,” Burke told reporters in Detroit at the Winter Classic announcement. Burke is past his usual trading time. Two seasons ago, he got Dion Phaneuf on Jan. 31, and Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the trade that brought Joffrey Lupul from Anaheim. Burke still would like to make an improvement at forward. But he’s not going to make a trade just so he can sit back and say he made one. GOALIE QUERIES James Reimer started in net against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, but coach Ron Wilson acknowledged he’s not sure how the goaltending picture will be painted in the final 27 games of the regular season. “James is supposed to be our No. 1 guy,” Wilson said. “We’re not going to kill a goalie (by playing him too much) in the busy part of our schedule. We have to find a rotation. I don’t know what it is yet.” Part of the problem, and it’s not a problem in the true sense of the word, is that Jonas Gustavsson has been playing his best hockey of 2011-12 since the beginning of January. Wilson, then, can’t justify running with one over the other. JAGR RE-ADJUSTED

Jaromir Jagr’s return to the NHL had been fairly successful through 54 games. Jagr had 38 points (13 goals and 25 assists) for the Flyers after playing the past three seasons for Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. Did the NHL game change much while Jagr was playing in Russia? “I don’t know,” Jagr said. “Now, I have adjusted to the league. If you had asked me three months ago, I might have a better answer. I don’t remember what happened three years ago.” Jagr turns 40 on Wednesday and a TV crew from his home country, the Czech Republic, has been following him this week. NICE TO JUST WATCH Flyers forward Max Talbot played in the Winter Classic in each of the past two seasons (for the Pittsburgh Penguins last year and the Flyers this year), and as such, was part of HBO’s 24/7 documentary series. Although the NHL and HBO have not hammered out a new deal for next winter’s Classic involving the Leafs and the Red Wings, the assumption is a documentary will be part of the fun, and Talbot is looking forward to it. “You have guys like Dion Phaneuf, and you look at the veteran Detroit team, it will be nice to see how guys like (Pavel) Datsyuk and (Henrik) Zetterberg act around the rink,” Talbot said. “I’m sure the Canadian fans in Toronto are going to appreciate the show and all the hype around it. I think the shows were great for both teams, and the result was amazing for hockey fans.” SEEKING GRABOVSKI Mikhail Grabovski was surrounded by Philadelpia reporters after the morning skate, as they were eager to get his thoughts about concussed Flyers captain Chris Pronger. Grabovski accidentally high-sticked Pronger during a game in Philly on Oct. 24, and though Pronger returned from that injury before leaving the lineup after a Nov. 19 game, the incident is seen as starting the path on Pronger’s road to a concussion. Pronger is done for the season. “I know that’s bad,” Grabovski said, “but that’s life.” 6. Toronto Sun – Leafs-Wings doesn’t get any bigger than this Ryan Pyette

DETROIT - The only way the NHL’s next Winter Classic could get any bigger is if Mike Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings and baseball Tigers, orders new first baseman Prince Fielder to drop the puck at the ceremonial faceoff.

The magnitude of the event — the Wings facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at the University of Michigan’s massive football Big House in Ann Arbor on New Year’s Day 2013, at the end of a two-week hockey festival on a second ice pad at Comerica Park — is heavy enough.

“It’s Hockeytown vs. the Centre of the Hockey Universe,” Leafs GM Brian Burke said at a Classic kickoff press conference on Thursday. “The league called me and asked if I thought I could sell 40,000 tickets and I told them, ‘I’ll need 48 hours.’

“They called back and asked if I could sell 50 (thousand), and I said, ‘Give me 72 (hours).’”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called this game, which should be the largest-attended hockey event in history, the product of the Ilitch family and a lot of imagination.

Filling the 109,901-seat Big House — and then some — for Leafs-Wings, he believes, is a slam dunk.

“It’s breathtaking,” Bettman said of the football venue. “It’s the biggest stadium in North America and we still won’t have enough tickets to satisfy the demand.

“Our league is used to playing in 15-20,000-seat arenas and this is a situation where we’ll put in the necessary seating (to make it 115,000).”

Union head Donald Fehr attended the announcement and said he’s looking forward to the spectacle. Of course, the owners and players first have to hammer out another labour agreement.

Ticket details according to Ilitch’s son Christopher, are still being hammered out. He’s looking at May as the month of release.

Bettman expects another 200,000 people to make their way to downtown Detroit from Dec. 15-31 to take in the Comerica Park action. American League MVP pitcher Justin Verlander’s workplace will be converted into a rink for the Wings-Leafs alumni game, an American Hockey League tilt between the Marlies and the Grand Rapid Griffins, an OHL doubleheader featuring London, Plymouth, Windsor and Saginaw, a four-team U.S. college hockey tournament, and everything right down to public skates.

“You look at football and the Super Bowl is a two-week celebration,” Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said. “That’s what this is going to be for us. It’s exciting. You have the Leafs, their fans and the media coming in, and this is going to be a big deal.”

The finale pits his Wings, the NHL’s model franchise the past two decades, against the Leafs, one of the most dissected puck clubs on the planet. With legends like Red Kelly, George (Chief) Armstrong and Ted Lindsay in attendance Thursday, Burke wasn’t afraid to let loose some early verbal truculence.

“We’ve had some lean years in the past but we feel like we’re finally heading north,” he said. “It’s going to be a good product (worthy of the Winter Classic).

“You talk to the players about (putting together) a postcard of memories in their careers. This is one of those where they can say they played in the Big House — and beat Detroit.”

A prediction from Wings GM Ken Holland?

“I’m not going to be so bold,” he said with a laugh. “Whenever Toronto comes into Joe Louis Arena, it’s like a playoff atmosphere. Their passionate fans somehow find ways to get tickets and get into the building. But because of the way the schedule has been, we only got them every two years so it’ll be nice to play them in this environment.”

Truth is, the Wings have lobbied the league to let them into the Eastern Conference, which would give them an opportunity to play the Leafs more. Bettman re-iterated the players’ association recently rebuffed a realignment proposal.

The commissioner also held off confirmation that HBO would film its 24/7 series featuring inside looks at the two teams as it has in lead-ups to previous Winter Classics.

“Nothing is formalized yet,” he said. “It has certainly been well-received. We have other TV partnerships in place, too.”

Babcock was blunt when asked if he was looking forward to the HBO cameras.

“No,” he said.

Burke, of course, has no problem with it.

“I don’t buy DVD sets,” Burke said, “but I purchased that one (the HBO 24/7 series).”

There are two big problems facing his GM counterpart.

The Red Wings have won 18 straight home games at Joe Louis Arena and have the NHL record of 20 in sight. If this carries on, why would they want to move into the Big House?

“It’s still our home game,” Holland said. “There will be blue, but there’s going to be a lot of red, too. Hopefully, more red than blue.”

The former goalie was also asked if he would suit up in the alumni game.

“I think I’ve earned the right to try out,” Holland quipped.

JOINT TORONTO-DETROIT WORLD JR. TOURNEY DISCUSSED

Limited by the Rogers Centre roof, there’s no Winter Classic in the City of Toronto’s immediate future.

So what could come out of the Leafs sharing centre stage with the Detroit Red Wings next New Year’s Day in the largest-attended hockey game of all-time outdoors at the University of Michigan’s Big House?

Perhaps a joint Toronto-Detroit world junior bid.

“It’s worth a look,” Leafs GM Brian Burke said.

Edmonton and Calgary, boasting both of Alberta’s NHL facilities, just finished combining on a wildly successful and profitable world junior tournament.

A set-up with games at both Toronto’s Air Canada Centre and Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena — or a new facility — would truly make the holiday season showcase an international event.

“I don’t think the world juniors have ever been held in two countries at once before,” Burke said. “We have a lot of good junior centres in our country, but it’s something to consider.”

It’s nothing more than an idea at this point. The teams would have to use their big-league clout to get Hockey Canada and USA Hockey on board together.

But if Detroit’s Hockeytown Winter Festival can create an event in which two warring bodies — the Ontario Hockey League and the NCAA (U.S. college hockey) — both play on the same ice at Comerica Park, then anything’s possible.

“That’s because of (Red Wings owners) Mike and Marian Ilitch,” Burke said. “They’ve poured millions of dollars into minor hockey here in Detroit. They’ve poured hundreds of millions of dollars into pro sports in this city.

“If there’s not a street named after them already here, there should be.”

JUST THE FACTS...

2013 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC

* Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings

* At the University of Michigan Stadium — the Big House (109,901 capacity)

* Jan. 1, 2013

HOCKEYTOWN WINTER FESTIVAL

Held at Comerica Park

(Ice scheduled to go in Dec. 15 and events run until Dec. 31, 2012. Dates of specific games to be announced)

* NHL Alumni Showdown: Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs former greats.

* American Hockey League game: Grand Rapids Griffins vs. Toronto Marlies.

* Ontario Hockey League doubleheader: London Knights vs. Plymouth Whalers; Saginaw Spirit vs. Windsor Spitfires.

* Great Lakes Invitational (NCAA hockey tournament featuring University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Western Michigan University).

* Also, high school, youth games, sledge hockey, public skating.

* Ticket information should be available by May.

* Website: 2013winterclassic.com

7. Toronto Star - Feschuk: Toronto Maple Leafs lose 4-3 in NHL action to Philadelphia Flyers Dave Feschuk PHILADELPHIA—Maybe the Maple Leafs were guilty of looking 11 months ahead. On the day Toronto’s NHL team expressed wide-eyed happiness at the announcement of their inclusion in next year’s Winter Classic, they spent their evening producing a winter clunker. Toronto’s 4-3 loss to the Flyers was far more lopsided than the scoreline suggested. Philadelphia largely dominated the play for most of the night, cycling the puck in the visitors’ zone for lengthy stretches while outshooting the Leafs 39-27. And while the Leafs deserved credit battling back to make a game of it, Toronto’s second loss in as many games amounted to a lost opportunity. The Flyers, after all, were among five teams in the East that came into Thursday night’s action with more points than Toronto. Though the Leafs have talked often about their intention to catch some of those franchises in the race for playoff seeding, they are now

5-7-1 against those five teams this year. In other words, it’s hard to join them if you can’t beat them. “We’ve always talked about continuing (to try) to catch the teams in front of us, to only look forward and not look back,” Luke Schenn, the Leafs defenceman, said. “Those are games you’ve got to win.” Toronto could have easily lost Thursday’s game in the first period. The Flyers, who entered on a season-long three-game losing streak, were the grossly superior team in the early going, outshooting the Leafs 16-5 in a first period in which the overwhelmed Leafs could barely get it out of their end. Still, Philadelphia, which had struggled to score of late, only managed to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Scott Hartnell potted the Flyers’ first goal, taking advantage of a bum breakout pass from Dion Phaneuf to Colby Armstrong that created the chance. As soon as Hartnell whacked the puck out of the air and past Leafs goalie James Reimer, the Flyer turned and fought Phaneuf, effectively notching two-thirds of his night’s Gordie Howe hat trick — goal, assist, fight — in the span of seconds. “Fights happen. They’re part of the game,” Phaneuf said. “He came after me and obviously he wasn’t happy and he voiced that. It’s done.” The Leafs evened the score at 1-1 on a fluky one early in the second period. Tyler Bozak, feathering the puck into the crease after swooping around the net, banked it off the skate of Flyers defenceman Braydon Coburn and past Flyers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Philadelphia struck back quickly on another redirected goal. Max Talbot tipped a point shot from Andrej Meszaros that snuck through Reimer’s five-hole to make it 2-1 3:32 into the second. Joffrey Lupul tied it 2-2 just minutes later, tapping in a powerplay rebound. There was nothing happenstance about the goal that gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead after yet more puck-controlling dominance in the Leaf zone, Hartnell set up Claude Giroux for a point-blank wrister that beat Reimer cleanly, top blocker corner. Less than two minutes later Brayden Schenn popped a weak side rebound through Reimer to make it 4-2. The Leafs hung in admirably, mind you. Bozak scored late in the second period to make it 4-3. Certainly Toronto benefitted from the eyebrow-raising goaltending of Bobrovsky, who time and again failed to control rebounds. And certainly there were positives for the Leafs. While they surrendered four powerplay opportunities to the Flyers, the most they’ve given up in more than a month, the visiting penalty kill continued its remarkable flawless streak. The Leafs have now killed 28 straight penalties and haven’t given up a powerplay goal since New Year’s Eve. Still, at the end of a night that could have seen them pull within three points of the Flyers, they were seven points in Philly’s rear-view mirror, not to mention occupying eighth place.

“I don’t think there’s much separation (between Toronto and Philadelphia),” said Bozak. “When we were able to play our game and play our style, we were right there with them and had our chances just as much as they did. Obviously we got a little lucky in the first (period) to be within one goal. But we were able to fight back. “We obviously didn’t play as well as we could in the first, and who knows what would have happened if we did?” Who knows, indeed. For a team that fancies itself better than the standings suggest, there was at least one lesson in Thursday’s loss: It’s difficult to find out how good you can be unless you play the proverbial full 60. 8. Toronto Star - Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer played well despite loss to Flyers Dave Feschuk Leafs columnist Dave Feschuk answers the five questions he posed before Thursday night’s 4-3 loss to Philadelphia by the Toronto Maple Leafs. 1. Jonas Gustavsson was in net for Tuesday’s 2-1 loss in Winnipeg, but previous to that James Reimer had reeled off a three-game win streak that included a pair of shutouts. Is Reimer the obvious choice to play against the Flyers? Turns out he was. But Reimer would’ve needed a heroic effort to keep the Flyers off the scoresheet. He faced 39 shots in Thursday night’s 4-3 loss at the Wells Fargo Center, and did especially well to hold the deficit to 1-0 after a first period in which Philadelphia outshot the Leafs 16-5. Exactly who’ll start in Saturday’s game against the Canadiens is up for debate. Ron Wilson, the Leafs coach, spoke Thursday of arriving at a goaltending “rotation,” but acknowledged even he remains unsure about how best to mete out those starts. 2. The Flyers, acknowledged as one of the East’s elite teams, are slumping through a three-game losing streak. Are the Leafs arriving at Wells Fargo Center at precisely the right time to steal a road win against a good team? As Luke Schenn, the Leafs defenceman, said after the game, the Flyers arrived on the ice looking like a desperate team. The Leafs, by contrast, looked disinterested in the first period, when the visitors appeared completely overmatched by their ever-surging foes. It didn’t get much better in the second period, even though the Leafs traded goals with the Flyers in an entertaining back and forth. Whether the Leafs picked up their effort in the game’s latter stages, or whether the Flyers let up, is a matter of opinion.

3. After a slow beginning to the New Year, Phil Kessel has four goals and three assists in his last three games. How long will his stick stay hot? While Kessel saw his three-game goal streak broken, he registered two assists. But nothing came easy for No. 81, as the Flyers, like most teams, treated him to tight coverage and plenty of unwelcome bumps. 4. The Leafs have yet to allow a power-play goal in 2012, thwarting all 24 of their opponents’ efforts with the man advantage. The Flyers had scored on the power play in seven consecutive games until Tuesday night’s 1-0 shootout loss to the Islanders. Which special team will be the key to Thursday’s game? The Leafs’ penalty kill continued its dominance even if their recent run of disciplined play was interrupted. Toronto gave Philly four chances on the power play — the most for an opponent in more than a month — but still managed to extend the 2012 penalty-kill streak to 28 straight. 5. Glimpsing at the Eastern Conference standings, just five points separate the seventh-place Leafs and fourth-place Flyers. While Toronto has racked up a 10-5-1 record in 2012 by taking care of business against teams below them in the standings, the Flyers are no easy mark. How will the Leafs respond to the opportunity to make hay against a top-four club? Certainly it must have been comforting to Leaf fans to see the blue and white make a game of this one. But the reality was that Toronto’s play in the game’s first 40 minutes, especially the first period, suggested they weren’t particularly serious about beating the Flyers. In a game that could have seen them close the gap with the Flyers to three points, they ended the evening seven points back of the orange and black. Exactly why they arrived at Wells Fargo Center unprepared to compete from the faceoff is something that deserves a thorough internal review. 9. Toronto Star - Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings all set for NHL Winter Classic Kevin McGran The Maple Leafs have finally found a big, scoring centre who will suit up for them next season. His name is Mats Sundin, and he can’t wait to play in the Leafs-Wings alumni game that’s part of the festival of hockey that paired with the NHL’s Winter Classic. “I'd love to play in that (Winter Classic), I'd love to be there, count me in,” said Sundin, speaking earlier this week at a public appearance.

Such is the growth of the Winter Classic that the hype machine is already in full gear and the game in the 109,901-seat Michigan Stadium — a.k.a. The Big House — is still 11 months away. More evidence: · It’s “Hockeytown vs. the Centre of the Hockey Universe,” according to Leafs GM Brian Burke. · Tickets to the week-long event aren’t available, but spots on the waiting list are. · Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke of record crowds – surpassing capacity with 115,000 tickets for sale — for the biggest audience to ever take in a hockey game. (The record is 107,000, at The Big House, for a game between Michigan and Michigan State.) · Burke boasted of Leaf Nation being able to purchase 50,000 seats in 72 hours. · Wings GM Ken Holland joked — or maybe didn’t joke — that he’d hold back tickets to ensure the Wings had more fans in the seats than the Leafs. Whatever the case, the Jan. 1 TV spectacle that is the Winter Classic — which is really a regular season game on some bad outdoor ice — looks like it will be bigger than its predecessors. “It’s a no-brainer, with two Original Six teams,” said Richard Powers, the assistant dean at the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto. “Huge fan bases from both teams. The Leafs have the largest and most committed fan-base. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the league and the teams. It makes Bettman look brilliant. If it’s good for the league, it’s good for the Leafs.” It’ll be the second time the Wings will be in the Classic. They participated in the second one, in Chicago’s historic Wrigley Field. It will be the first time for the Leafs in any outdoor game. The two Heritage Classics in Canada featured Edmonton-Montreal and Calgary-Montreal. The Leafs have been clamouring to be included in league events and the league intends to tap into the Leafs’ vast and mobile fan base to help fill The Big House, the largest sports venue in North America. That’s why the Leafs are the first Canadian team to be invited into what had been a Made-In-America hockey event. “Toronto is the only team that could fill that stadium,” said Powers. “This is a win-win for the league. It supports Bettman’s U.S. strategy. They will hype this.”

The NHL likes to point out that its ratings for the annual outdoor game comprise five of the top six most watched regular-season NHL games in the U.S. in the past 37 years. So the league might be taking a risk in having a Canadian team on U.S. TV. “A Canadian team may impact ratings a bit in U.S.,” said Scott Becher, president of Florida-based Sports and Sponsorships Inc. “But if the NHL can identify come compelling personalities and storylines, they can overcome the lack of awareness and fan following and drive what's special with this event. “There's actually benefit to branding a Canadian team in the U.S. provided the team is appealing.” There’s more than just the outdoor game. It will be week-long celebration of hockey, with Detroit’s baseball stadium, Comerica Park, incorporated. It will host the alumni game, along with AHL, OHL and college hockey games. The AHL Marlies will play Detroit’s top farm team, the Grand Rapids Griffins, in the AHL outdoor game. All in all, Leaf Nation will be motivated to drive southwest along Highway 401 in late December. “Leaf fans will be all over this,” said Powers. “This a road trip.” Tickets and pricing are not available yet — probably within a month — but fans can get on a waiting list at www.mapleleafs.com/winterclassic. Winter Classic 24/7 The Winter Classic comes with all the accoutrements and more: -HBO will do a 24-7 featuring the two teams leading up to the Classic. -The game will be broadcast live on NBC in the U.S. and on CBC and RDS in Canada. -At Comerica Park, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Red Wings, will play the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs. -The Great Lakes Invitational will be played outdoors as Michigan Tech, the University of Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan University will be part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival. -The ball park will also host two OHL matchups: the Windsor Spitfires vs. Saginaw Spirit and the Plymouth Whalers vs. London Knights. 10. Globe and Mail - Leafs fall in Philadelphia

James Mirtle Immediately after whacking in the night’s first goal, the Philadelphia Flyers man of much hair, Scott Hartnell, turned to Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf, gave him a hack and dropped the gloves. A goal and a fight all at once – with the Gordie Howe hat trick capping assist not far behind. While a Leafs victory could have pulled them to within three points, instead they head back to the Air Canada Centre seven back of the fourth-place Flyers and rather dangerously close to falling back out of the top eight. A road trip to remember, this was not. Toronto fell to 0-2 in its two games in Winnipeg and Philadelphia, looking tired each night and getting beat up badly on the shot clock. The Leafs legs against the Flyers, in particular, were nowhere to be found early, as the home team outshot them 16-5 and deserved far more of a lead than the one Hartnell goal. “We came out really flat," Leafs centre Tyler Bozak said. "We were lucky to only be down a goal.” That first period led into a wild six-goal second, where the forwards traded tallies as the defence and goalies pulled their hair out trying to hold back the onslaught. The Leafs’ first line did all of the damage on their side, with Bozak scoring twice and Joffrey Lupul adding another on the power play. Problem was, the Flyers’ depth came through, with three lines putting pucks past James Reimer as he was besieged during a trying return to the crease. Adding insult to injury, the man getting the winning goal was none other than Flyers rookie Brayden Schenn, who served up older brother and Leafs defenceman Luke with a minus on his sixth career goal. (One wonders what Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, long rumoured to be looking at adding the Leafs defenceman via trade, thought of the play.) "It's always nice to score," Brayden Schenn said. "I guess with him being out there, I guess it's nice to rub one in." For Toronto, the damage could have been far worse after 40 minutes. Clearing pucks was a problem all night long, and the Leafs never seemed to come up with an appropriate answer for the cycle game of the Flyers’ top line of Claude Giroux, Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr.

Give them credit, at least, for coming out hard in the third period and keeping the game close, including a couple of chances on a game-ending power play that made things interesting. “We didn’t really start playing until the beginning of the second period," Leafs coach Ron Wilson lamented after the game. "We looked like we didn't want the puck in the first period ... A team like that, that had lost three games in a row, was hungry and they took it to us.” “They got a couple quick ones and we couldn’t recover," Phaneuf added, referring to Giroux and Schenn's goals 1:14 apart late in the second. "We like to dictate the pace of play and when we get away from that, that’s where teams, like tonight, capitalize on us and take advantage of us.” In the end, the Leafs often looked outclassed by a better team – one that may have been missing its captain to a concussion and No. 1 goalie to the flu but that nonetheless has scored the most goals in the league this season for a reason. No longer are these Flyers the typical Broadstreet Bullies, either; they’re not overly big and far more dangerous with their sticks than their fists, with the impish Giroux and Daniel Brière leading the way as part of an undersized group down the middle. (Average weight: 184 pounds.) It’s no wonder coach Peter Laviolette sloughed off a pregame question about his team’s ability to skate with the speedy Leafs. This is, after all, a solid hockey team destined for another bid at an Atlantic Division title and playoff run, one that boasts a tremendous amount of depth and poise despite its youth. The Leafs? They’re obviously still finding their way. Even after a 10-4-1 start to 2012 – including two impressive turns against the Pittsburgh Penguins – Toronto still sits at least one rung below the NHL’s contenders and is left scrapping for a playoff spot. For all their issues with injuries and in goal, the Flyers are still where the Leafs want to be. Thursday night, they showed why. "We worked so hard to get the game to 2-2," Wilson said. "We need to learn from that and make – in this type of building – harder, safer plays."

"It would have been a nice one to have," Luke Schenn said. "We could have pulled within a few points of them. We've always talked about trying to catch the teams in front of us here... Those are games you've got to win." New York Rangers Articles (FLYERS Next Opponent) 1. New York Post - Rangers defeat Lightning in overtime, upset with hit Larry Brooks Brad Richards not only delivered the play of the night, scoring on a gorgeous Artem Anisimov feed at 2:37 of overtime to lift the Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Lightning at Madison Square Garden, the Big Moment Kid also delivered the thought of the night in assessing Dominic Moore’s brutal shoulder to Ruslan Fedotenko’s head that almost certainly concussed the winger. “I’m pretty sure that’s what we’re trying not to do to each other,” Richards, who has seven game-winning goals, said after the Rangers had rallied from 3-2 down after two on Brian Boyle’s score at 10:13 of the third. “It’s us doing it to each other. “If we want to keep doing that to each other it’s going to keep causing problems. It’s idiotic.” Hits to the head, slew-footing, they were all part of last night’s match that was at times static, at times mean, at times thrilling while also featuring — wait for it — a Rangers power-play goal. Moore, who received just a two-minute minor for his transgression but should expect a call from NHL VP Brendan Shanahan, got his shoulder up as Fedotenko was moving in behind him at the Rangers’ left defensive circle. Fedotenko went down and stayed down before being helped off by trainer Jim Ramsay. The hit came just seconds after Fedotenko, who did not return, had nailed Moore against the boards on the opposite side of the rink. “There was no puck there, Feds had just hit him and it looked like [Moore] was looking for him,” said Brandon Prust, victim of an uncalled Victor Hedman slew-foot four minutes into the second. “There was no puck there and a lot of head contact, [but] we’ll let the league decide on the response.” Coach John Tortorella, irate when only a minor was called and visibly furious over the officiating of Gord Dwyer and Brad Watson much of the night, refused comment on the play. When told, however, that his players were upset, Tortorella said, “They should be.”

Boyle was certainly upset, calling the hit, “garbage,” and saying that Moore “should take a look in the mirror.” As Shanahan takes a look at the tape, the Rangers almost certainly will have to recall a wing from the AHL Whale for tomorrow’s match in Philadelphia. Wojtek Wolski, in Connecticut on a conditioning assignment, is the most likely candidate. The team was not at its sharpest, and neither was Martin Biron, but the group and the goaltender got the job done. Biron, who faced just 17 shots, was erratic, but he made a pair of sensational saves against Steven Stamkos at the right doorstep with 5:45 to go in the third to keep it tied at 3-3. If the Rangers never yielded after falling behind 1-0 in the first and 3-2 in the second, neither has Richards yielded to frustration. Dropped to a fourth-line while mired in a stretch in which he had recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in the previous 12 games and partially culpable for a power play that had gone 0-for-17 and 1-for-34 (and 0-for-35 in five-on-four situations), Richards’ approach never wavered. “He’s very professional,” Henrik Lundqvist told The Post. “He’s been the same guy in the room, providing the same leadership, preparing for every game the same way.” Last night, after finishing it, Richards acknowledged that he has much work to do. “I’m not anywhere near where I want to be,” No. 19 said. “But at least tonight I’ll be able to get some sleep.” While Shanahan sleeps on what to do about Moore. 2. Newsday - Richards' OT goal lifts Rangers Steve Zipay Rangers stat zone Rangers coach John Tortorella knows the ebbs and flows of Brad Richards, who won a Stanley Cup with him in Tampa. "It's a struggle right now for him," Tortorella said before last night's game against the Lightning, "but he's still capable of making big plays at key times. I've got a tremendous amount of faith in him." Richards, who had only one goal and two assists in the last 12 games, rewarded that faith when he scored with 2:23 left in overtime to give the Rangers a 4-3 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Falling to the left of goalie Mathieu Garon, Richards reached out just enough to score his seventh game-winner of the season after a battle in the zone by Michael Del Zotto and a great pass from Artem Anisimov. It capped a comeback that began when Brian Boyle tied it at 3 with 9:47 left in the third period, one-timing a puck that had deflected off Victor Hedman into the left circle. "I hammered it as hard as I could," Boyle said. "I can't believe it went in." That set the stage for Richards. "It's been a grind the last month and a half," he said. "It weighs on you, but little by little, I'm working on it." The resilient Rangers (34-13-5), who remained four points ahead of the Flyers for the division lead, answered a loss with a victory for the seventh straight time. Their last back-to-back losses were in mid-December, 22 games ago. They are a league-leading 4-9-1 when trailing going into the third period. "I know [Richards] was pretty relieved to get that one," Del Zotto said. "We all were. It was a great comeback for us -- just the way things have gone for him and the team as a whole not scoring many goals." But the Rangers may have lost Ruslan Fedotenko to a head shot from Dominic Moore that left players livid. Moore nailed Fedotenko in the jaw with his right shoulder but was assessed only a minor for roughing. Fedotenko was helped to the locker room and there was no immediate update on his condition. Tortorella would not comment, but a few players did. "We're still pretty angry," Boyle said. "That was a really, really dirty play." Said Richards: "It's idiotic." Martin Biron, who had not played since a 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils on Jan. 31, earned his 10th victory. "He was a bit all over the place," Tortorella said, "but he makes two great saves on [Steven] Stamkos in the third and a couple of others, too." The Rangers allowed a season-low 17 shots to Tampa Bay, which had won five of six against the Rangers, including three straight at the Garden. With Tampa Bay ahead 1-0, the teams exchanged three goals in 1:15 of the second period. Ryan Callahan deflected Del Zotto's shot past Garon at 4:33 for the team's first power-play goal in six games. Derek Stepan spun in front to score at 5:27 for a 2-1 lead, but Vinny Lecavalier banked a shot from the left of Biron off Callahan only 21 seconds later. With Steve Eminger, playing for the first time since Dec. 17, off for tripping at 11:40, defenseman Bruno Gervais converted a feed from Stamkos, who had scored his league-leading 36th goal in the first period, to give the Lightning a 3-2 lead.

Notes & quotes: Eminger had a team-high five hits in 12:59 of ice time. The Rangers outhit the Lightning 37-13 . . . Del Zotto had two assists and Stepan had a goal and an assist. 3. Newsday - Rookie defenseman Bickel a healthy scratch Steve Zipay Rangers stat zone Rookie defenseman Stu Bickel played in 21 straight games before becoming a healthy scratch Thursday night against the Lightning (he was replaced by Steve Eminger). But John Tortorella would like the chance to keep coaching him, perhaps as a seventh defenseman. "Business and all the other stuff aside, I want to continue working with him," Tortorella said of the 25-year-old, who would have to clear waivers if assigned to the AHL. "He's a work in progress as far as moving the puck and understanding our coverages . . . [but] I love his willingness." Bickel, who will be a restricted free agent and earns $600,000, has five assists and 48 penalty minutes, including four fighting majors. Tortorella provided an example of what the 6-4 blueliner brings to the club. On an early shift in Tuesday night's game against the Devils, Tortorella said, "He clears the puck out, clears the front of the net and ends up fighting [Tom] Sestito, and that was a legitimate fight, not a staged one." On further review . . . Tortorella suggested an NFL-style review be considered on last-minute disputed goals, such as the one with 3.5 seconds left Tuesday night against the Devils. "I'm not questioning the call, but it brings up a discussion and I think the NFL gets it right," he said of Artem Anisimov's goal that was waved off because of goaltender interference. "In the last two minutes, it's a booth replay to get the call right. But maybe the last minute . . . maybe you do have to go upstairs to get the call right. "We spend a lot of [time] with the shootout and all these little gimmicks we have; I think it's more important to make sure we get the calls right in those situations. Have I thought the ramifications through? No." 4. New York Daily News - NY Rangers, backup goalie Martin Biron right ship in time, get decisive goal from Brad Richards in overtime win over Tampa Bay Lightning Pat Leonard

Fans at the Garden Thursday night may not have recognized the team on the ice. Shaky goaltending, 1-for-3 on the power play and a Brad Richards goal? Who are these guys? The Rangers’ 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning threw recent trends in reverse, beginning — or ending that is — with Richards’ goal 2:23 into overtime against the club he won the Stanley Cup with in 2004. His teammates mobbed him behind the Lightning net as if they had just closed a playoff series. “This was a great win,” said Richards, who had scored just one goal in his previous 12 games. “It’s been a grind the last month, and it’s tough, it weighs on you. But I’ve still got to keep working. And there’s a lot of work left.” Michael Del Zotto and Artem Anisimov did the work on Richards’ goal. Del Zotto knocked the puck down near the right boards and fed Anisimov in the slot, who said he tried to fake a shot and draw the defense before dishing to the low right circle, where Richards dove forward with his stick blade on the ice and punched in his seventh game-winner of the season. “He’s a great leader,” said Brian Boyle, who sent the game to overtime with a slapper past shaky Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon (27 saves) with 9:47 remaining in regulation. “I’m sure people want him to put up 100 points and do all this, but he’s gotten us key points, and he’s made a lot of clutch plays this year.” The Blueshirts (34-13-5) had enough motivation when they trailed, 3-2, entering the third period, but then they took exception to a brutal head shot from Tampa Bay forward Dominic Moore on Ruslan Fedotenko with 16:55 left in the third. After Fedotenko hit Moore with a bodycheck, Moore found the Rangers winger seconds later, rose up and caught Fedotenko’s head with his right shoulder. Fedotenko crumbled to the ice and was down for minutes before being helped off by trainers. The team had no update on his status, but Fedotenko could have a concussion. “We’re still pretty angry about that,” said Boyle, who called Moore’s hit “garbage” and said teammates told him Moore’s hit was in retaliation. “That was a really, really dirty play. We’ve talked about it enough, that we’ve got to get away from that stuff.” “There was no puck there, and it looked like he was looking for him,” said Brandon Prust, who also didn’t appreciate a “dangerous” slew foot from Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman in the second period. After falling behind, 1-0, on Steven Stamkos’ NHL-leading 36th goal of the season, the Rangers scored twice in 44 seconds to take a 2-1 lead with 14:33 left in the second. That included Ryan Callahan’s tip-in of a Del Zotto slapper — the Rangers’ first 5-on-4 power play goal in 14 games — and Derek Stepan’s goal on a four-on-four rush. The Blueshirts surrendered the lead 21 seconds later to Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier, then fell behind on Bruno Gervais’ power-play tally midway through the

period. Rangers backup goaltender Martin Biron, starting for the first time since Jan. 31, struggled for most of the game and gave up three goals on just 17 shots. But with 5:45 remaining in the third period, he slid across the crease to deny Stamkos twice on the doorstep — once with his left pad, and once with his left shoulder — to send the game to overtime. Adirondack Phantoms Articles 1. Glen Falls Post-Star - Taking a look at the Phantoms by the numbers Tim McManus If a picture is worth a thousand words, has anyone ever figured how many a number equals? I decided to try something a little different this week. Instead of using words - you've probably heard enough of them from me this year, anyway - to describe the state of the Phantoms, I chose a set of numbers to illustrate it instead. Now, no one's ever going to confuse me for a math major, but the numbers do seem to tell a story, or several. See what you can find: 30 - games remaining in the season. 7 - games of the last nine the Phantoms have lost since Jan. 16. It's their worst stretch since losing 10 in a row in December of 2010. 19 - transactions - either roster additions, deletions or trades - since Jan. 20. 7 - games the Phantoms have lost in a row on the road since their last win away from home in Syracuse on Dec. 12. 2 - Phantoms' league rank in home record (15-9-0-1), tied with Manchester. 30 - Phantoms' league rank in road record (7-13-1-0), the worst in the AHL. 9 - games of the next 11 the Phantoms play are on the road between now and March 12. 4 - games at the Civic Center in February, the fewest of any full month in the schedule. 5 - current playoff teams the Phantoms face in their next nine road games. 6 -times the Binghamton Senators and goalie Mike McKenna have beaten the Phantoms this season. If they'd won half those games, they'd hold a playoff spot.

2 - games left with Binghamton this season, including one there on Feb. 25. 2 -games remaining in Albany. 6 -straight games the Phantoms have lost in Albany since Jan. 5 of last year. 9 - rookies in the AHL leading their team in points. Jason Akeson of the Phantoms is one of them with 35 in 46 games. 7 - goals scored by Denis Hamel in his first 10 games this season. 8 - goals scored by Denis Hamel in his next 35 games. 2.31, .925 - goals-against-average and save perentage of Michael Leighton entering play against Rochester on Dec. 10. 2.79, .908 - goals-against-average and save perentage of Michael Leighton entering play against Norfolk on Friday night. 3 - players left from the opening night roster in 2009 after last week's trade of Kevin Marshall. They are Oskars Bartulis, Garrett Klotz and Jon Kalinski. 185 - games played in an Adirondack Phantoms jersey by Kevin Marshall, the most of anyone. 178 - games played in an Adirondack Phantoms jersey by Jon Kalinski, the new active leader in games played. 229 - games Kalinski has played overall as a member of the Phantoms dating back to Philadelphia. He is the team's longest-tenured player. 31 - average number of wins the Phantoms had in their first two seasons in Glens Falls, both 80-game seasons. They had 32 their first season, 30 last season. 22 - number of wins for the Phantoms through 46 games this season. 13.5 -average end of season conference ranking for the Phantoms in their first two seasons in Glens Falls. 13 - Phantoms' current rank in the Eastern Conference. 4 - years since the Phantoms last won a playoff series. The Philadelphia Phantoms beat Albany and then-goalie Michael Leighton in a seven-game series in the first round of the 2008 Calder Cup playoffs.

1 - number of playoff series the Phantoms have won since their last Calder Cup title in 2005. 3,784 -average attendance at 39 home games at the Civic Center in 2009-10. 3,203 -average attendance at 39 home games at the Civic Center in 2010-11. 3,492 -average attendance at 24 home games at the Civic Center this season. 5,100 and 5,380 -average league-wide attendance in the AHL the last two seasons. 2. Glen Falls Post-Star - Critical road stretch begins for Phantoms Tim McManus GLENS FALLS -- When the Adirondack Phantoms take the ice Friday night at Scope Arena in Norfolk, it will have been almost two months since they last won a road game. If the Phantoms have any aspirations of getting back in the playoff race, that streak must end. The Phantoms' weekend back-to-back in Norfolk kicks off perhaps their most difficult portion of the season. Seven of their next eight games and nine of their next 11 are away from the Civic Center. Of those nine road games, five are against current playoff teams. Another is against Binghamton, who the Phantoms are winless against in six tries the season, and another is in Albany, where the Phantoms have lost six straight. The Phantoms' last road win came Dec. 17 in Syracuse. Their road record of 7-13-1 is the worst in the AHL. "I try not to dwell on past things. I look ahead," coach Joe Paterson said. "These are things that we control: We're going to Norfolk. We have two games, we've got to win the first game. You win the first game, you go after the second game." The Phantoms have lost seven of nine to fall into last place in the Northeast Division, a season-high five points out of the final playoff spot. Since the tailspin began on Jan. 16, they've averaged two goals a game. With that in mind, Paterson knows his team can't be getting into any high-scoring games on the road, especially against Norfolk. The Admirals are second in the AHL in scoring per game. "Right now we're not scoring as much and we have to try to win games 1-0, 2-1. We have to be really conservative, maybe, and play a lot tighter," Paterson said. "If we could get

one more goal off the power play, one more (from a defenseman) or off a faceoff play. ... If we can create that extra offense flair from any of those three situations, that will help." The Phantoms' offense received a boost late Wednesday when the Flyers assigned winger Harry Zolnierczyk to the Phantoms. Zolnierczyk last played three games here during the NHL All-Star break. He has six goals and 10 points in 13 games with the Phantoms this season. That good news was somewhat tempered by the knowledge the Phantoms will likely be without newly acquired forward Matt Ford this weekend. He left the team on Tuesday to attend to a family matter. Ford may rejoin the team at some point during the trip. The Phantoms head to Toronto next for a game on Tuesday. Garrett Klotz is also available to play for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 19. The big forward has been limited to 19 games this season because of injuries. "He gives us some size on the road. We could use that," Paterson said. Defenseman Matt Walker is questionable for the weekend series. The lower-body injury that kept him out last weekend has gotten better, but he's missed six days of practice and likely needs a few days of skating before rejoining the lineup. Loose pucks: The Flyers recalled goaltender Jason Bacashihua on Thursday afternoon and he dressed as the backup for their home game against Toronto. Ilya Bryzgalov is out with the flu. Bacashihua may rejoin the Phantoms in time for their games this weekend. In the meantime, the Phantoms recalled goalie Brad Phillips from Trenton ... Forward Andrew Rowe, who missed Saturday's game with an upper-body injury, will be re-evaluated by the Flyers' doctors this week. He's out at least through this weekend. Rowe missed the first two months of the season with a shoulder injury. 3. Glen Falls Post-Star - Flyers recall Bacashihua on emergency conditions Tim McManus The Flyers have recalled goalie Jason Bacashihua from the Phantoms on emergency conditions. He will be the backup in Philadelphia on Thursday night as the Flyers play the Toronto Maple Leafs Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is out with the flu. Bacashihua should be able to return to the Phantoms in time for Friday's game in Norfolk. In the meantime, the Phantoms have recalled goalie Brad Phillips from Trenton.

If you're wondering why Bacashihua and not Leighton -- and given the expected brevity of this call-up, it really doesn't matter -- apparently the plan all along has been for Bacashihua to be the first goalie recalled. Here's a quote from Michael Leighton in a story from before the Outdoor Classic: "If there's an injury up there, they're going to call up (Jason Bacashihua). And I've expected that. They told me that when I get sent down that would probably be the scenario," Leighton said. EDIT: As a couple of Philly writers pointed out Thursday night, the Flyers had to recall Bacashihua because Leighton wouldn't have cleared waivers in time. Even under emergency circumstances, waiver rules apply. However, Bacashihua is exempt because he is labled a "veteran minor-league player."(Don't ask. Really.) NHL Articles 1. ESPN.com - John Tortorella wants review system Katie Strang NEW YORK -- New York Rangers coach John Tortorella wants hockey to adopt an NFL-style review system for the last minute of a game, he said in a pregame news conference Thursday. The Rangers saw their late-game rally fall short in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Devils after a goaltender interference call against them negated what would've been the game-tying goal with less than four seconds to play. Tortorella was careful not to link the suggestion with criticism of that particular play -- he was fined $30,000 last month for ripping officials after the team's 3-2 win over the Flyers in the annual Winter Classic -- but said he supports a system that would require any questionable call to be reviewed by the league's nerve center in Toronto in the last minute of regulation. In the NFL, calls and plays are reviewed "upstairs" in the last two minutes of the game. "I'm not questioning the call, but it brings up a discussion and I think the NFL gets it right," Tortorella said before the Rangers hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at MSG. "In the last two minutes, it's a booth replay to get the call right. I haven't thought it all through. But maybe the last minute of an NHL hockey game, get that call right. Maybe you do have to go upstairs and make sure it's the right call." Tortorella said calls that could have serious implications on the game's outcome deserve the league's concern and attention.

"We spend a lot of B.S. with the shootout and all these little gimmicks we have in our game, I think it's more important to make sure we get the calls right in those situations," he said. The fiery coach admitted he hasn't spent significant time thinking about a new policy, but believes clarity is needed. "Have I thought the ramifications through? No. I'm just speaking as far as what we experienced the other night. Maybe it does take a few extra seconds but in the last minute of a game you need to try to get that call right," he said. "I'm not saying [Tuesday's goaltender interference call] was wrong, [I was] just saying you've got to get it right." 2. ESPN.com - Gary Bettman believes in Blue Jackets Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio -- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says he is aware of how frustrated Columbus Blue Jackets fans are about another losing season. He is also certain that the franchise has the right people in charge to turn the sorry club around. "I'm aware of the fact that there's a little bit of frustration by some fans in the on-ice performance," he said of the Blue Jackets, 15-32-6 heading into Thursday night's game against Dallas. "I can assure you, because I know it firsthand, there is nobody more frustrated than ownership and management. And nobody more committed to getting it right on the ice than ownership and management. I have no doubt about the future of this franchise because it's in extremely strong, committed hands." A few hundred Blue Jackets held a rally recently to protest the club's front office, which has overseen a terrible season. The team faltered at the start and hasn't recovered. The Blue Jackets entered their most recent game with just 36 points -- 11 behind Edmonton, the team with the next-worst record. Bettman has chosen to view the angry fans as a plus. "I saw that somebody was trying to organize a pep rally. But that's a good sign," joked the commissioner, who is often met with jeers when introduced at games to make on-ice presentations. "It's kind of like when you get booed when you go out on the ice, it's better than when it's quiet. I know about that firsthand." Columbus was recently awarded the 2013 NHL All-Star Game. The Blue Jackets, who hosted the draft in 2007, are averaging 14,526 spectators per game this season and 16,236 over their 11 seasons.

Earlier Thursday, Bettman was in Detroit for the announcement of next year's Winter Classic. The game between Original Six rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, is expected to draw around 115,000 to Michigan's "Big House." Bettman was asked if Columbus might someday host a Winter Classic game at 105,000-seat Ohio Stadium. "We just did the All-Star Game," he said with the laugh. "You want more right now?" Bettman declined to discuss proposed conference realignment, which would most benefit teams such as Detroit and Columbus -- the only Eastern time zone teams in the Western Conference. The NHL Players' Association refused to allow the league to implement the new alignment. "This league has had 13 different types of alignment and scheduling in the regular season since 1966. The playoffs, since the league took control of the Stanley Cup 80-some odd years ago, had 13 different formats," Bettman said. "This is the first time that the union has weighed in. We're not looking for a confrontation right now. We'll deal with this at another time. But ultimately our hope and expectation is that we'll wind up where we want." Bettman said the NHL was looking into the Blue Jackets' recent last-second loss at Los Angeles in which the clock at Staples Center stopped for more than a second an instant before the winning goal was scored. The league is in the process of putting high-definition cameras in all goal nets before the playoffs begin this spring. The cameras will have a direct feed to the league's video-review room in Toronto. 3. NHL.com - Gretzky impressed with his former franchises Dan Rosen LAS VEGAS -- Wayne Gretzky is enjoying life as a hockey fan. The Great One watches games from his home in Los Angeles, and admires the players, the skill, and the parity in the National Hockey League. "I think the hockey has been so good, and the players have been getting so good," Gretzky told NHL.com Thursday morning from the Bellagio, where he is hosting his 10th annual Fantasy Camp. "When you can have 20 teams that can legitimately say they have a chance to win, some tougher than others, that's great. I think the hockey is very good right now." Gretzky, though, keeps an especially watchful eye on four teams in particular. Yes, they are the four teams he played for in his illustrious career.

He said he still talks to Edmonton President Kevin Lowe quite often, so he pulls for the Oilers and wants to see them do well. Being that he's in Los Angeles, he watches the Kings a great deal and said he periodically talks to GM Dean Lombardi. Gretzky remains good friends with Blues President John Davidson, so he said he's always hopeful and curious about how they're doing. And because of his relationship with Rangers GM and President Glen Sather, as well as his special ties to New York, the city where he last played, Gretzky has a great deal of interest in the Rangers. "Those four teams I keep an eye on and pull for," he said. So, what does he think about the Oilers, Kings, Blues and Rangers this season? Well, read on … Praising patience in Edmonton Gretzky said he believes the Oilers are rebuilding the right way and that Tom Renney is the right man for the job. He said through conversations he's had with Lowe, his former teammate in Edmonton, there is concern the fans won't be as patient as the front office, but, "you have to stay the course. "Obviously they'd like to have a few more wins this year, but they're on the right path to getting stronger and better and more talented each year," Gretzky said. The Oilers now, with young stars such as Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Sam Gagner, remind Gretzky of his early days with the franchise. "I think that they made a conscious decision a couple of years ago to say this is how we're going to go, sort of take the blueprint from '79, so to speak, when we drafted Messier, Coffey, Anderson, Kurri, Lowe, Fuhr and Andy Moog," Gretzky said. "They decided to surround them with some older guys who are professionals and work hard, play hard and a very unselfish, but they're going to let those kids playing important minutes -- power play, penalty kill, last minute -- and deal with the growing pains. "Those kids are still 19, 20, and 21, and in this day and age, the game is better, players are better, and it's harder to win. They're very patient. It's going to take them some time, but they're making baby steps, getting better each and every year." He said Renney is the perfect guy for the job because he has the patience and will to let the young players develop. "He understands they're going to make mistakes, and that it does none of those kids any good to be sitting in the press box or on the third or fourth line," Gretzky said. "He's given them quality minutes. He's a tremendous teacher and student of the game, and they're only going to get better. He's definitely the right guy."

Regarding Nugent-Hopkins' recent shoulder injuries, Gretzky said they're likely a combination of the 18-year-old former No. 1 pick needing to mature physically, but also being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. "He's such a deceiving player with his turning and his hockey awareness, but the game is harder now and it's physically demanding for these guys to play 82 games at a high level with the speed of the game and the size of the players," Gretzky said. "It's difficult." Oh so close in L.A. Since he lives in the Los Angeles area, Gretzky said he watches a lot of Kings' games. "They're very close," he said. "They have a very good team." Gretzky praised the job done by ex-Kings coach Terry Murray, who he said instilled a defensive philosophy that has carried over into the Darryl Sutter regime. He said he believes Sutter has them thinking about scoring more through an aggressive forecheck, but what the Kings lack is a natural goal scorer. They are, after all, last in the NHL in scoring at 2.11 goals-per-game. "They need a Luc Robitaille, a Bernie Nichols, a guy that can just score goals when everybody is tired, who can get that lucky, fluky goal through a battle in front of the net and it goes off your butt," Gretzky said. "Yeah, they need that, and Dean knows that. Obviously it's no secret, but all in all their team plays with a lot of grit and they play hard every night. Even when they lose, it's 1-0 or 2-1. They play hard each game, so with that and the past two years of playoff experience, that's going to help them a lot going into the playoffs this year." What's also going to help -- or rather, who is also going to help -- is goalie Jonathan Quick. Gretzky said the Kings' All-Star netminder belongs in the same class as guys like Henrik Lundqvist and Pekka Rinne. "He's been outstanding," Gretzky said of Quick, who is third in the League in goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.935). "You can't win a Stanley Cup unless you have a top-flight goaltender and he's a top-flight guy right now, proving that each and every night. He's been as good as anybody." Marveling at Hitchcock's work in St. Louis Having worked with Ken Hitchcock at various times with Team Canada, Gretzky said he can't think of anybody in hockey "that eats, lives, sleeps and thinks about hockey as much or more" than the current Blues coach.

Gretzky wasn't sure the Blues would have as massive of a turnaround as they've had since Hitchcock took over for Davis Payne in early November, but he was certain that the 60-year-old coach would have an impact. "You knew that he's too good of a hockey coach and has too good of a hockey mind," Gretzky said. "I'm not trying to compare anybody to Scotty Bowman, but you see guys like Scotty and Glen Sather and Toe Blake, guys that have won, Ken is just like them. He lives and dies with the game, and thinks each and every day about how he can make his team better, any strategy he can implement to make them a better squad." "When you can have 20 teams that can legitimately say they have a chance to win, some tougher than others, that's great. I think the hockey is very good right now." -- Wayne Gretzky Gretzky added Hitchcock's will to continuously learn about the game and the players has also benefitted St. Louis, which is currently fourth in the Western Conference and four points behind the first-place Red Wings. "He was part of two gold medals for Team Canada, he's coached in World Championships and coached a Stanley Cup team, but Gordie Howe once told me you never stop learning about the game," Gretzky said. "Ken feels the same way. He's always learning about the game and about players and people, and to a man the players in St. Louis will tell you that he has really turned that franchise around. He's taken them to another level and they've been exceptional. They play hard and smart hockey, and they're going to be a contender in the playoffs because they play playoff hockey each and every night." Confident in the Big Apple Rangers coach John Tortorella uses the word swagger to describe the attitude and demeanor he wants from his players. Gretzky used words such as "charisma" and "strut" to describe the Rangers this season. "They have everything going in the right direction now," Gretzky said of his former team, which is first in the Eastern Conference with 71 points. "They play hard and they play smart. They believe in themselves and each guy does his own job. They don't have guys that try to do what they're not supposed to do. On top of that, John is a tremendous coach." Gretzky, though, praised his former coach, Sather, for showing patience with the Rangers' young core. Glen's forte has always been his patience with the young guys, and he's always put a great deal of responsibility on a young player," Gretzky said. "He's brought in some good ones and he's surrounded them with some really good veteran players."

Gretzky said Brad Richards, who has struggled of late and was recently demoted to the fourth line, has nonetheless proven to be a great signing for the Rangers "because he's a consummate pro that plays hard every night, is unselfish and has been a winner." He added that Lundqvist has probably been the best goalie in the League through the first 50-60 games this season, and the Rangers toughness and hard work has given them a chance to win just about every game this season. But it still all comes down to that swagger, that charisma, that strut. "Whatever you want to call it, Glen has it and John has it, and you can see that it has gone into their team," Gretzky said. "They play with a great deal of pride and confidence. I think that was really evident in the Winter Classic. You could just see that they were not going to be denied winning that game." 4. TSN.ca – Hurricanes look to sign Ruutu to new deal ahead of deadline TSN.ca Staff When it comes to his immediate hockey future, the ball appears to be in Tuomo Ruutu's court. According TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford will try to re-sign the pending free agent forward. "So our priority now is to try and re-sign him," Rutherford told LeBrun on ESPN.com. If the two sides can't reach an agreement on a contract by the end of next week, it's Rutherford will likely move the forward before the NHL trade deadline. The two sides had contract discussions earlier in the week. TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie reported earlier in the week that Rutherford's price for Ruutu has been steep - a significant draft pick and a solid prospect or a top prospect alone. Last month, the Hurricanes locked up defenceman Tim Gleason to a four-year deal. Gleason was in the same contractual situation as Ruutu, but elected to stay. In 55 games this season, Ruutu has 17 goals and 11 assists. 5. TSN.ca – Report: Canada could support nine NHL teams The Canadian Press

TORONTO - Is it time to Make it Nine? Researchers behind a new Conference Board of Canada report believe it is. The report from the Ottawa-based think tank concluded that the country could sustain as many as nine NHL franchises. The briefing, co-authored by Glen Hodgson and Mario Lefebvre, is the latest in an extensive project examining the viability of pro sports in Canada. "The fact that we could support nine hockey teams is an incredible testament to how much we love hockey," Lefebvre said Thursday in an interview. "We are one-tenth the size, give or take, of the U.S. population. They don't have 90 baseball teams, they don't have 90 basketball teams. "They have 30." Quebec City and Hamilton are the most suitable cities for the league to look at placing a franchise, according to the report. The researchers used four "pillars" while conducting their analysis -- population size, market wealth, corporate presence and the level playing field created by a Canadian dollar that is at par with its U.S. counterpart. They ruled out any area with a population lower than 750,000. "We've had questions about Halifax and Saskatoon and Regina," said Lefebvre. "And no (they won't work), we're getting into too small of markets there to have teams survive." Deputy NHL commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday the league "would have no reason to know one way or the other" if the findings of the report were accurate. Seven of the league's 30 franchises are currently based in Canada, with the Winnipeg Jets becoming the most recent to join the fold after a move from Atlanta in the off-season. Many view Quebec City as a possible landing place for another struggling team, potentially the Phoenix Coyotes, which are currently being run by the league for a third season. Lefebvre did offer some caution about Winnipeg, Quebec and Hamilton -- markets he views as being at the lower limit of the threshold needed to support a team "These are markets that are going to need dedicated ownership," he said. "You're going to need an owner that is not going to pack the bags the first time that they hit an annual loss. In all likelihood, it could happen. "We'll need dedication -- someone that's not there for a quick asset flip."

The findings of the report support the belief put forward by Jim Balsillie, the former CEO of Research in Motion, when he attempted to buy the Coyotes out of bankruptcy in 2009. At the time, he launched a "Make it Seven" campaign -- the Jets had yet to be reborn -- while claiming that Canada could support more teams. Even though Balsillie's bid was unsuccessful, the report suggests his premise was sound. Winnipeg's return to the league has been a smashing success. A spirited season-ticket drive virtually guaranteed sellouts at the MTS Centre for five years and the building has become one of the toughest places for visiting teams to play. Lefebvre believes Quebec could make a similarly strong return given the chance. While acknowledging that staff would have to work hard to sell luxury boxes in a city with a small corporate base, he cited an improved economy as a reason why the reincarnated Nordiques could work. "Our dollar is not going back to 62 cents anytime soon -- it's not even going back to the 70s or 80s," said Lefebvre. "Our country is in a very enviable position around the world. Our fiscal house is in order. ... Our commodities are in incredibly high demand. "We're an economy that is creating jobs so we're on solid footing and this dollar is not about to drop drastically on us." The report also concluded that "getting and keeping" a second team in Toronto would be difficult. Reports surfaced in November about a group looking to build a NHL-sized arena in the suburb of Markham, but Lefebvre believes that area is too small to support its own franchise. 6. TSN.ca – NHL officially announces 2013 Winter Classic matchup The Associated Press ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Two iconic franchises, two passionate fanbases and the largest stadium in North America. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings are set to take the Winter Classic to a whole new level in 2013. "It's Hockeytown versus the centre of the hockey universe," Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke said Thursday. The two Original Six foes will play outdoors at Michigan Stadium on Jan. 1, part of an outdoor showcase that will also include minor league and college hockey games at Detroit's Comerica Park. Toronto will become the first Canadian team to play in the Winter Classic when the Maple Leafs and Red Wings face off in Ann Arbor, about 75 kilometres west of Detroit.

They'll arrive with a large contingent of fans who only needed about an hour to crash the ticket pre-sale website after Thursday's announcement. The team's official Twitter feed cited "overwhelming demand" for the problem. Michigan Stadium -- affectionately known as the Big House -- drew a Guinness World Record crowd of 104,173 for a 2010 NCAA hockey game. The NHL is expecting to eclipse that mark with ease. "Even with 115,000 or more tickets available, we still won't have enough to satisfy the demand," said commissioner Gary Bettman. The Detroit-Toronto rivalry dates to 1927. Although the teams are currently in different conferences, they've played 117 playoff games against each other, second only to the 170 meetings between Boston and Montreal. Buffalo, Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia have all hosted the Winter Classic. With the Detroit area hosting next year, Bettman felt the time was right to include a team from Canada. "We thought that we had built this event to a level where it made sense to do it, and that even from a U.S. network television standpoint, we were comfortable that it would work well," Bettman said. The event will also likely see the teams given extra exposure on HBO. Even though nothing has been finalized with the U.S. cable network, a league source confirmed the NHL intends to open its doors to the all-access "24/7" series for a third straight year. There have been two outdoor Heritage Classics on Canadian soil: Montreal vs. Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium in 2003, and Montreal vs. Calgary at McMahon Stadium last year. The game in Edmonton was the league's first outdoor regular-season game. Although Detroit hasn't hosted the Winter Classic, the Red Wings played in it in 2009, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 at Wrigley Field, home of baseball's Chicago Cubs. While the centrepiece game next January will take place in a college town, the league is making sure to include Detroit, scheduling what it calls the Hockeytown Winter Festival at Comerica. The rink at the downtown ballpark will host an American Hockey League matchup between the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins along with games involving the OHL's Windsor Spitfires, Saginaw Spirit, Plymouth Whalers and London Knights. The Comerica rink will also be open for public skating. Michigan Stadium has undergone changes recently, such as the addition of permanent lights. Michigan hosted its first prime-time football game last season, beating Notre Dame in dramatic fashion.

"This is just an incredible facility," said Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon. "We spent $226 million expanding and renovating it, and we use it eight days a year. To the extent we can come up occasionally with an opportunity -- and that's why we're doing weddings and we're doing corporate parties. We're doing a lot of things to try to say, 'You know what, let's use this, let people enjoy it, take advantage of it."' The possibility of the NHL breaking attendance records brought out Brandon's competitive side. Michigan's night football game at the Big House drew an NCAA-record crowd of 114,804. "If they can figure out a way to do better than that, then they will set the record not only for the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game, but the largest crowd to ever watch anything in this stadium," Brandon said. "And then my job will be to figure out a way to beat it." Veteran Detroit defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom was at the Big House to promote the Winter Classic. That raised an obvious question: Does it mean he's definitely planning on coming back for a 21st season in 2012-13? "We'll have to wait and see," said Lidstrom, who turns 42 in April. "It's only one game, but it's an intriguing one."

-FLYERS-