The Flyers Fall Early: Philly's Title Drought Continues

Another spring arrives and another NHL season ends with the Philadelphia Flyers falling short in their run at a Stanley Cup. It's been 31 years now since the team from the Cheesteak Capital of the World last hoisted Stanley's Silver goblet atop their collective shoulders. Worse yet is the fact that the city of Philadelphia---as diehard a USA sports town as there is---has not won a championship in any of the major professional North American sports leagues since the 76ers in 1983.

The Eagles have been close of late, what with four straight NFC Championship game appearances culminating in a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots in '05; the 76ers have been less close, though they did make it to the NBA finals in '01 thanks to Allen Iverson's superhuman playoff run; the Phillies, well, they're the Phillies . . . They haven't made it to the postseason since a trip to the World Series in 1993.

But the Flyers! They have remained the most consistent contender of all the major Philadelphia sports clubs over the past few decades. Year in, year out, they begin their campaigns with as much hope and expectation as any club in the NHL, and for myriad reasons, each year they fall short. Which is not to say they haven't been close: in 1987, the Flyers took the Gretzky/Messier-led Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the Finals before falling; in 1997, the Lindros-led Flyers rolled to the Final round before getting routed by the Detroit Red Wings; and in 2004, the Flyers took the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning to seven games before succumbing in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This year was supposed to be different. After a year-long hiatus from any NHL action due to the lockout, the Flyers signed center Peter Forsberg, a star with plenty of championship experience from his time in Colorado. Also signed for his grit and experience was veteran defenseman Derian Hatcher. Mix in young up and comers like Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and R.J. Umberger, and it looked like Philly finally had just the right mix of youth and experience. With Robert Esche and Antero Nittymaki providing solid play in net, everything was in place for a legitimate championship run. Could this finally be the year the Flyers ended the drought for themselves and their city? It seemed so, for a while, at least: halfway through the year the Flyers had 60 points and the best record in hockey.

Then, the harshness of reality set in all over again . . . Philly was devastated by injuries, with star players Peter Forsberg, Simon Gagne, Joni Pitkanen and Robert Esche all missing significant chunks of time with various injuries. Coach Ken Hitchcock did his best to keep the team afloat with constant line shuffles and changes: the Flyers would rally late in the season and come just one point short of winning the Atlantic Division in spite of it all, but instead Philly got a five seed and a tough first round draw in the Buffalo Sabres.

This is the new NHL we are watching now (or not, depending upon your television package). It's a more wide open league where there is more speed, more scoring and more penalties called, even in the playoffs . . . For the Flyers, though, it seemed like the old problems had sprung up all over again: not enough defensive mobility, not enough playmakers, and too many stupid penalties, sending devoted owner Ed Snider (the founder of the franchise) and long-time General Manager Bob Clarke back to the retooling room once again.

And so, the tinkering of the roster is set to to begin anew. The Flyers will do their best to come back deeper, stronger, faster and better able to deal with the new NHL next year, hoping to bring that elusive Cup back to the town that hasn't had it since back-to-back titles in the 1970s. For now though, with the 76ers not even making the playoffs, the city of Philadelphia continues another long summer's wait for a crown.

It's of minor consolation to Philly sports fans, but as the old saying goes, "There's always next year!" I know, I know: straight yuck.