from Philly.com... Flyers A to Z
A is for Arron Asham, a hard-nosed forward whom the Flyers signed as a free agent after he spent last season up the turnpike with the Devils. He won't score a lot of goals, but he will punch his way into the fans' hearts.
"He's a character guy," general manager Paul Holmgren said, "who will . . . bring courage to our team."
B is for goalie Marty Biron. Which Biron will we see? The one who had an up-and-down regular season, or the one who was scorching hot in two of last season's three playoff series?
C is for the captain, Mike Richards. Give Holmgren and coach John Stevens credit for making a bold move. Forget that he's just 23.
D is for defense, of course. The new-look blue line is anchored by the return of Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen. Randy Jones is also steady, and 21-year-old Ryan Parent looks like a comer. The Flyers have also added speed and puck-handling skills with the addition of Steve Eminger and Danny Syvret. Ossi Vaananen provides steadiness, and Lasse Kukkonen lends some depth.
E is for experiments. Stevens will tinker with the lines in the preseason, moving center Danny Briere to right wing with Simon Gagne on the and Richards at center.
F is for fond farewells. The Flyers will say goodbye to the Spectrum with exhibition games against Carolina (Sept. 27) and the AHL Phantoms (Oct. 7).
G is for Simon Gagne. Can he return from a concussion that limited him to 25 games last season? Gagne says he is at 100 percent. If he returns to his 40-goal form, the Flyers will be a strong contender to get to the Stanley Cup final. If not. . . .
H is for history lesson. When the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup, in 1974, they did so after losing in the Cup semifinals in five games the previous season. Last season, the Flyers also lost in the Stanley Cup semifinals (a.k.a. the conference finals) in five games.
I is for inconsistency. That defines last year's regular-season, one that included a 10-game losing streak. "We were fortunate to make the playoffs," Holmgren said.
J is for jump-starters. The Flyers have plenty, returning six of the seven players who scored 20 or more goals last year. Gagne and rookie Claude Giroux (see "P") could add to the arsenal.
K is for key dates. Today: Camp begins. Monday: Preseason opener against New Jersey at the Wachovia Center. Oct. 11: Season opener against the visiting New York Rangers.
L is for Joffrey Lupul, a right winger who quietly had 20 goals and 46 points in 56 games last year.
M is for momentum. The Flyers think their surprising playoff run, reaching the Eastern Conference finals, will have a carryover effect.
N is for no-star lineup. Despite reaching the NHL's final four last season, the Flyers aren't getting much national respect. The Hockey News picks them to finish fourth in the East, and it lists just two Flyers, Briere (No. 42) and Richards (No. 49), among the league's top 50 players.
O is for odds. Most Las Vegas oddsmakers make the Flyers 15-1 or 20-1 to win the Stanley Cup. The Red Wings are the favorite at 4-1 and 3-1, depending on the oddsmaker.
P is for hotshot prospects. Take a bow, Claude Giroux. The 20-year-old right winger has the potential to be an impact player this season - and a chance to become the first rookie of the year in the franchise's history. Giroux and Steve Downie enter camp battling for a roster spot at right wing.
Q is for questions. Such as: How much will the Flyers miss assistant Terry Murray? Murray, who the club to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, has been replaced by Craig "The Chief" Berube, a former NHL bad boy who had an impressive stint as the coach of the AHL Phantoms.
R is for inspirational recoveries. Defenseman Bryan Berard, a former No. 1 overall draft pick trying to make the team as a free agent, will attempt to write another chapter in his remarkable recovery from a 2000 injury that nearly blinded his right eye.
S is for shoot-outs. The Flyers will be working in the preseason to improve last year's dismal shoot-out record (3-6).
T is for title quest. The Flyers are aiming for their first Stanley Cup since 1975, back when most of the players on this year's team weren't even born.
U is for R.J. Umberger. No matter how they spin it, the Flyers will miss Umberger, who was traded to Columbus because of salary-cap restraints. Umberger blossomed by scoring 10 playoff goals last season.
V is for "Back with a Vengeance." Oops. That was last season's slogan, which morphed into "Vengeance Now!" in the playoffs. This year, the club has rolled out "Hungry for More." OK, it's a bit of a cliche and it's not as catchy as the 76ers' famous "Buy the Seat You'll Never Sit In," but it does make its point.
W is for wins. The Flyers had 42 victories last season - 20 more than their previous season. To get to the 45- or 50-win plateau, the club needs to give Biron better support. The Flyers allowed an average of 32 shots per game last season, 27th out of 30 teams. Improving on faceoffs (.493 percentage, 20th in the league) would also help.
X is for Xerox. As in copy. Antero Niittymaki, whose last name looks like a typo, recently had hip surgery. Again. The Flyers are hopeful the valuable backup goalie is ready early in the season, but they will keep a watchful eye on his health.
Y is for the fountain of youth. Veteran right winger Mike Knuble has found it. He scored 29 goals last season and provided the Flyers with a Gary Dornhoefer/Tim Kerr-like presence in front of the net. At 36, can he continue his strong play?
Z is for some new zip in the broadcast booth. Chris Therien has replaced Brian Propp as the color analyst for radio broadcasts on WIP (610).
The late, great Gene Hart would have loved Therien's tell-it-like-it-is style.