HOCKEY'S HERE: PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

The first hint of fall is in the air. It's getting dark earlier, and soon it will be too cold to spend Saturday nights sharing a 2-4 of Blue and listening to Guns N' Roses at the gravel pit. It's time to air out your gear, sharpen your skates and tape your stick -- it’s hockey season. Sure, your team flat-out ached last season, but there's hope, unless you're an Islanders fan. In that spirit, Out of Left Field offers looks at all 30 NHL teams. Presenting: The Philadelphia Flyers.

Last season: 101 points, 2nd in Atlantic Division; lost to Buffalo in first round of playoffs
Coach: Ken Hitchcock (4th season with team)
Young guns: Jeff Carter, Mike Richards
Store this name away: Alex Picard
Hey, get a load of the new guys: Randy Robitaille, Geoff Sanderson
Blogs (including but not limited to): Bullies Blog, Flyers Fan Central
Pop culture moment: The Devil's "Jury of the Damned" in a classic Simpsons episode: "And the starting line of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers!"

As that episode alluded to, long-time Flyers GM Bobby Clarke must be an acolyte of Satan. There's no punchline here; the one-time Captain Courageous, the guy who's revered to this day in Canada for busting Valery Kharlamov's ankle in the '72 series against the Russians, is in tight with our Dark Lord. How else do you explain that Clarke has kept his job this long, despite that Flyers having been chronically unable to win the Cup since he quit playing? How else do you explain that goalie Antero Nittymaki was supposed to miss two months with a hip injury, and now he's expected back in a few days?

(So much for the Flyers taking Mikael Tellqvist off the Leafs' hands, by the way.)

Well, Clarkee is gonna need to ask for a few favours this year. The Flyers look slightly like last year's Leafs. You hate to hang that on a team, but look at the similarities: Lot of veterans with diminishing skills, kind of slow, too much reliance on the power play, thin defence corps. With Peter Forsberg wearing the C, they even have a Swede as team captain. The main difference between Philly and Toronto is that Simon Gagne gives the Flyers a proven scorer under the age of 35. Fancy that.

Philly was a 100-point team in '05-06 despite injury problems, but the salary cap tied Clarke's hands when it came to improving the team over the off-season. The Flyers could finish anywhere from first to third in the Atlantic, but probably won't have enough for a long playoff run... once again.

Also in Atlantic Division: New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins

Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.