Flying South

The Orange and Black are Booted by a Quick and Skilled Buffalo Squad

BARRING AN unexpected World Series win by the Phillies, 2006 will go down as yet another year without a championship for Philadelphia to celebrate. The Flyers' meek loss to Buffalo last night eliminated the Orange and Black from the Stanley Cup playoffs, capping yet another season of regular-season distinction followed by post-season disappointment. I saw not a second of the series, but the unanimous consensus is that lumbering Philadelphia was simply too slow for the swifter, more talented Sabres. Apparently the only time the Flyers were able to keep up with Buffalo was during the post-series handshake.

Last year's post-lockout euphoria saw Philadelphia exulting in the signing of Peter Forsberg, who was exactly as advertised: an incandescent player, among the best on the planet, who could pull a groin simply by sneezing. Concussions robbed the Flyers of their heart and soul, team captain Keith Primeau, and their most mobile defenseman, Kim Johnsson, but the real crusher remains Bob Clarke's inability to adapt to a changing game. Skill and speed are the watchwords of the new NHL, and while Clarke nabbed Forsberg, he also brought in a handful of hardnosed, ruinously slow blueliners -- the kind of grinders he loves, but whose day has passed. The Flyers are a terrific example of a wealthy team unafraid to spend money -- but unable to spend it correctly. The men who should be held responsible for such failure don't stand behind the bench; they sit in luxury boxes upstairs with pinched faces and bottles of water sitting in front of them. Head coaches have come and gone; players have been shuttled in and out. When will those whose dinosaur ways are keeping the team from success be held accountable?