I’m looking forward to the aggrieved Flyers fan comments about how the No-Hitting-League is ridiculous and that Bettman is a sissy and that you should keep your head up on the ice.  Followed by “the Broad Street Bullies are back!” We get it guys, the Flyers are the victims in this scenario.

Posted by PDXWing from Portland, OR on 12/03/07 at 03:12 PM ET

I dont care how bettman feels. Flyers shouldnt have to change their style so bettman can sell what is left this sport to soccer moms or the causal fan.

Maybe he should go look in a mirror and see why the sport isnt popular as NFL or MLB.

Flyers are making this intersting again and it’s sad that bettman wants to turn this sport into something it is not.

I’m Proud to be a Flyers Fan.

Posted by FlyersFan on 12/03/07 at 03:35 PM ET

FlyersFan -

Ever think it’s not Gary, but fans like you and teams like yours, that are hurting the league so badly?

I’m just sayin’…

Posted by Primis from Michigan on 12/03/07 at 04:13 PM ET

Now the NHL is putting the Flyers on notice?  What’s it going to take for Bettman to actually take action, another 5 suspension?

Posted by Rachel from San Jose on 12/03/07 at 04:23 PM ET

If I’m Daniel Briere, I’m really, really nervous every time I’m on the ice.  He’d be an easy target for “finishing a check.”

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 12/03/07 at 05:20 PM ET

If I’m Daniel Briere, I’m really, really nervous every time I’m on the ice.  He’d be an easy target for “finishing a check.”

Yeh right, it’s bad enough boston players are dropping flies against flyers and bruins players have no bulls, it comes straight from the ir head coach

Ever think it’s not Gary, but fans like you and teams like yours, that are hurting the league so badly?

No, i think we are a dying breed in the nhl. we are still apart of the fan base of any team that still supports this dribble on the ice. but since the lock out, bettman are driving the hardcore fans away from hockey. i dont understand why cant see this. the majority of the core of the people who didnt come back after the lockout was were people who supported teams from their begining. look at that low rate of season ticket renewals AFTER THE LOCKOUT. they already started to leave when bettman institued the instagator rule before the lockout. the lockout wast the excuse the hardcore fans use to leave this game for good bacause they dont want to be assicated with league that is runned by a pinhead and a game that turning into the NBA.

Now the NHL is putting the Flyers on notice?  What’s it going to take for Bettman to actually take action, another 5 suspension?

Colin Campbell has zero balls. he would of done something by now

Posted by FlyersFan on 12/03/07 at 05:42 PM ET

“he would of done something by now”

FlyersFan--stupid and illiterate. Quite an achievement there.

Posted by Blackcloud on 12/03/07 at 06:52 PM ET

Hardcore!  Blood, guts, intent to injure!  It’s great!  Let the body count add up!  >_>

It all sounds like some dude saying, “That’s so EXTREME!” five years ago.

Physical, hard-hitting, entertaining hockey does not equal multiple suspensions for multiple intent-to-injure hits.  It’s possible to grind and scrap and even have a fight or two in a game without players leaving their feet or plowing into players in vulnerable positions, shrugging off any injuries with the lame old, “I was finishing my check.”

The art of a clean but bombastic checking is a lost one, and very few players can pull it off because it involves something less than going all-out.  That’s a shame.

The only thing I agree with FF about is that Colin Campbell’s testicles have been misplaced.  This isn’t “six strikes, you’re out,” or, “Okay, okay, it really, truly has to be a third of your roster before we actually do anything more than smack your organization’s palms.” Five players suspended in four months for intent to injure hits = $100,000 fine, minimum.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 12/03/07 at 06:58 PM ET

I, for one, can’t wait until Briere or Richards gets completely taken out and FlyersFan is /screaming/ for blood and a lengthy suspension, and the hypocrisy completely of it will completely go over his head.

Or I have a better idea—someone needs to run Biron and hurt him for a few weeks so he can’t play.

Then we’ll see how much he cares for “making it interesting”, and how fair it suddenly seems to him.

RE: Bettman and Campbell… I normally don’t pile on either of them for things, but yeah, this is gutless by the league.  They’re apparently scared to upset the Philly (and Anaheim) markets—plain and simple.

10 years ago one of those checks started a vicious feud that the league itself wasn’t expecting or completely ready for.  I guess it’s a shame that in all of these cases, none of the victim teams have taken the Flyers seriously to task over it, because it’s clear the league has no interest in showing any cojones.

Isn’t it funny how in every single other instance liek this, the league doesn’t want players to “police themselevs” and is more than happy to step in… and yet in these Flyers cases they’re sitting on the sidelines shrugging and basically saying “Hurt em’ back, then, if you don’t like it!!!”?

Posted by Primis on 12/03/07 at 09:08 PM ET