Dear Flyers ‘fans’ jumping off the bandwagon after last night’s loss:
All you negative bandwagon people are ridiculous, and you might not expect this position from me, but you’re looking at the Flyers run – and devastating end – through hangover glasses. Wake up this morning and realize that you were witness to history, and take a real look at what this team has done over the last eight weeks. They gave us a playoff run for Philadelphia to cherish for generations.
No, they didn't win. And it sucks. And losing is not comparable to winning, and losing makes the Flyers no more of a Stanley Cup champion this year than the last-place Oilers in that neither won it all. No one is saying much less hinting that this is as good as winning, nor are 'satisfied' with it. We'd rather be celebrating a parade down Broad Street on Monday. Did the Flyers fail in a quest for the ultimate prize? Yes, and they’re no more "winners" than the Rangers, Devils, Pens, and Caps. But that's the argument of the bandwagon jumper, not the true fan that knows that the game is more than wins, losses, standings, and OT goals.
What this team did, a team that was in complete disarray after the Olympics, a team with a big new goaltender that flamed out due to injury, a team who fired their coach mid-season, a team who was 2-7-1 after the coaching change, was legendary.
This was a team, that through eight starting goaltender changes, fell and fell in the standings until it took a last-game miracle to make the playoffs in a shootout with the team's biggest rival.
This was a team that dominated the favored (even for the Cup) Devils in 5 games, highlighted by Dan Carcillo's memorable OT goal.
This was a team, and I won't belabor the point, that without injured stars Carter and Gagne and later Boucher, became the 3rd team EVER to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win a series, and the first team EVER to go down 3-0 in a Game 7 in the road and win the game.
This was a team that then faced a Canadiens team that already knocked off the President's Trophy winner and the reigning Stanley Cup champions where the Flyers THIRD STRING goalie had three shutouts in 5 games, and capped the series with Richard's highlight short-handed goal.
This was a team that was now in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 13 years, facing a team that finished 24 points ahead of them in the standings who just swept the number one seed, where they get dominated in Games 1 and 2 yet only lose by a goal each game. The team-that-never-dies comes back from 'oh they're finished' to capture both games at home to tie the series, highlighted by Giroux's OT thriller. Once again dominated by the Hawks in Game 5, they come back again to stay in the series with a Daignault-like goal by Sideshow Scottie Hartnell with under 4 to play to force another OT, one of the great moments in Flyers history. Sadly, no miracle occurs in OT, and yes, the Flyers fail the ultimate goal when a Calder Trophy winner, All-Star, and Olympian scores on our - did I mention - third-string goalie.
Did it end in victory? No. Did it end in disappointment? Yes. No one is celebrating second place, we're celebrating honor, faith, determination, grit, pride, teamwork, resilience, overcoming obstacles, and heart. No one wants to lose, but in absence of that, we'll take what this team did, the special gift they gave us this spring. They gave us a two-month roller-coaster run that no one expected. They gave this city all they had, and much more. This was a seven-seed that squeaked in to the playoffs on the last day of the season and found a way to ride momentum and miracle all the way to overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. This was more than a nice story, this was history.
I hate losing as much as anyone. We're disappointed, even heart-broken. The '93 Phils hurt, Joe Carter was crushing, but damn do we love that team in hindsight. Overachievers, defying expectations, capturing hearts with determined, gritty play. Sound familiar? We're not Cubs fans, we're not lovable losers; we're not fans of snake-bit teams the nation feels sorry for like the pre-2004 Red Sox. We're the proud, allegiant fans of the Orange and Black. And you can take your antagonism and your 'standards' and jump on someone else's bandwagon. The real Flyers fans, the real Philadelphia fans, don't need you. And I, for one, would welcome a parade (well, at least a rally at City Hall) for this team and what they accomplished, and a place among Philly sport's greatest seasons.
And I can't wait for October to get this all going again, because next year, I'm still not satisfied with second place as great a story as it may be. I'm ready to go all the way.
Love, Philadelphia
18 comments:
Well Put, my man. Oh so close really hurts, but there is still plenty to be proud of. Thanks for reminding me and everyone else, who thinks losing in the cup is the same as missing the playoffs. It's not even close.
WELL SAID!! AN AMAZING LETTER!!
"GREAT" letter!!! All true Flyers fans should feel this way!!
Very well said-Of course a win would have been un-fucking-believeable but I was happy to see them get this far and have so much heart!! GO FLYERS-GO PHILLIES-GO BIRDS!!!
it couldn't of been said any better. though i still feel the sting of coming up short,i tooo, am proud of the flyboys and all they gave us this year...what a spectacular finish to a dream season. i havent seen any team in any sport in a while show so much heart and determination...a standing ovation is in order. long live the orange n black,and as they say, LETS GO FLYERS!!! C U IN OCTOBER :)
Sure they had a great run and sure it was entertaining hockey. But it isn't what we, as the greatest fan base in hockey, wanted or deserved.
"I can't wait for next year" is all well and good, but I have been saying that since 1987 (and other since 1976). And what has it gotten me? Constant disappointment. So yeah, I am feeling pretty bad about this today and there is NOTHING wrong with that. How else are you supposed to feel when something you have been waiting for for most of your life is so close and you are denied YET AGAIN?
Perhaps what hurts most is the bad goals that Leighton allowed last night. The five hole on the second goal and that bad angle shot on the game winner were brutal.
Having said that, I really loved this run. I went to games 2, 5 & 7 in Boston and game 4 of the finals, and was heading to Chicago if last night's game ended differently. I'll never forget the Bruins fans and the look on their faces when the horn sounded at then end of game 7. Priceless!
Thanks indeed Flyers!
I think, after watching 105 meaningful Flyers games this year, that I've earned the right to bitch and complain some. The letter was good in the middle, but don't sling around the word "bandwagon" to guilt people for being disappointed.
And DON'T fault us for some pessimism, this team is in a difficult roster situation with a window of one to three years closing fast before a rebuild is necessary. Too many centers, no true #1 goalie, a less than servicable third defensive pairing, and an offense prone to going silent is plenty to be concerned about.
I appreciate the sentiment of not hating this team, not forgetting this run, and all that noise, but there's plenty to be pessimistic about.
Pretty much how I woke up thinking, this morning. Last night, I was too numb to think of anything, particularly how bizarre that last goal was.
Great Season. Worst ending ever on a weak inexcusable goal. Now go get a freaking god damn goalie. Keep Bouch or Leighton as a great back up.
BRAVO!!!! I couldn't have said this any better.
Waltsense...the issue is that Leighton was the backup and was MORE than serviceable. No one asked him to be the #1, but Emery got hurt.
What he did this postseason went well above and beyond expectations. Without him, they aren't in the Finals.
Chin up, brother and sisters.
Fly guys gave us lots to cheer about this spring, and they even gave us the bonus of distracting from that hideous Phillies slump.
Can't wait for next year in, like, four months.
Flyers 4 Life
I use the term 'bandwagonners' because, if you have kept an eye on the social network sites and the comments posted on CSN Philly and Crossing Broad and places like that, you'll see that there were a TON of bandwagoners. I'm not saying that all pessimistic fans are bandwagoners, but those that jumped on, and then were mad when they didn't get the championship they felt they were entitled to even tho they didn't give a damn until after the Boston series.
And I'm not saying 'just wait til next year' like we're a bunch of Cubs fans, but I'm excited to get this going again. I am realistic. This team could be a one-hit-wonder that will be the story of legend like the '93 Phils and the '01 Sixers. There's a good chance they return to mediocrity next season and this was lightning-in-a-bottle. That makes it even more special, but a little more frightening. Let's hope it's a moot point by making a Cup run again next year.
I have one and only one point in this article: Yes, we're disappointed about last night, and yes, it hurts, and yes, winning would have been so much better, but, in hindsight, we will look back on this run as a piece of history and we should feel privileged to have witnessed it while remembering the thrills of the last two months.
Two words... Perfectly Said.
And here's what those jackasses in Chicago had to say about us: Flyers fans: Classless to the end: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-pain/2010/06/flyers-fans-a-classless-act.html
You mean the same Chicago fans who leaped the fence and attacked the first base coach? Yeah, they can throw stones. This whole bad Philly fan thing is so tired already, perpetuated by journalists too lazy to actually research a story themselves.
As for the Flyers, it was a great run. The Boston series will be talked about for years to come. This was one of the most gutsy, resilient teams I have ever seen in any sport. They did this city proud. But those soft goals will haunt me for a long time :-(
If anyone likes this, feel free to read my actual I-get-paid-to-write it column:
http://www.phillyjobsblog.com/search/label/Laid-Off-Life
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