Overall, it is a great time to be a Philadelphia Sports Phanatic (Canada changed the spelling of center, so we definitely have the right to make changes as we see phit).

I don’t know about everyone else, but despite the baggage and poor reputation we receive (on what seems like a daily basis) from all across America, I’m honored to call myself a Philadelphia sports fan.  Could it get any better than this? It’s a very exciting time for our beautiful historic city, since things seem to be on the up and up on all fronts.  Please, take a moment to digest and let me explain.

Prior to 2008, we had the longest championship drought for a city with teams in all four major sports.  Consistently, year after year, the season would begin with the highest of expectations, proceed through the season with various levels of hope, just to be battered, beaten, bruised, kicked, punched, mollywhopped, and embarrassed come the post-season.

However, the optimist in me implores you to once again bestow your faith in the athletes we have come to love and hate simultaneously.  Let me break it down for you…

Phillies

I start with the Phillies because they are the obvious choice.  They snapped that grueling losing streak in 2008, made it back to the Fall Classic again in 2009 and are primed for another World Series run.  The recent acquisition of Roy Oswalt along with the team in general realizing, “Oh yeah! Winning is fun and we’re good at it” makes all sports fans in the city unite. This team is currently the cream of the crop. I dare you to find a neighbor without any Phillies “shwag” in their closet…ok so maybe ol’ Granny next door doesn’t count.

Flyers

After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997, and winning a home game in that series which hasn’t happened since 1987, the Fly Guys are chomping at the bit for another chance to drink out of Lord Stanley’s over sized chalice.  GM Paul Holmgren is continually making moves to better his team and this off season is no different.  I have already secured my home opener ticket and am more excited than Crosby before a dance recital. Boom! Roasted.

Eagles

While the Eagles season may or may not experience the same success we’ve had in the past 7+ years, Kevin Kolb is looking to prove himself worthy.  A dynamic offense partnered with a grinding defense will make an entertaining team to watch.  It may not happen this year, but I am confident our birds will fly their way back to super bowl contention relatively soon.

Sixers

Well, this is the one dark spot.  However, the glass is half full.  With that being said, we can’t get much worse than last year.  Young star Evan Turner seems to be the type of player a team can be built around.  If we can get some players to step up alongside him (looking at you, Jrue Holiday), maybe we can kick the laughingstock tune which has recently developed into our reputation.

Special Shoutout

I am going to take this opportunity to give a warm welcome to the Philadelphia Union.  Soccer and the MLS is growing in the good ol’ US of A and Philly is doing its part to contribute.  As with any other expansion team, the Union struggled this season.  If nothing else though, the games are highly entertaining. The stadium illustrates an overwhelming caricature of blue and gold complete with a 90 minute soundtrack of chants and drums.  Even non-soccer fans will be able to enjoy themselves.

Final Thoughts

Convinced?  I thought so.  So come on kids…dust off your blue and red cap, pull up your orange and black socks, throw on your Kelly green jersey, (dribble a basketball?) and join me in celebrating the greatness, that is Philly sports.  Oh, and don’t forget to chant “Asshole!” accompanied by an arm wave at every Devils, Mets, Cowboy fan you see.

Willie Penn would be proud.

Gagne, speaking with French reporters, said what we all knew: That he had a no-trade clause. What we thought we know, though, was that he had indeed waived it late last week, when in fact it seems to be news to him.

The question is why it has taken this long for Gagne to issue a denial. One would think an apparent move of that magnitude would have reached Gagne’s ears sooner than this. The denial is issued in an RDS video, in French, so we’re taking the word of those who know French that Gagne is still a Flyer with a no-trade clause. The video is here.

Perhaps the more important question is: Where did these reports come from? The most reputable hockey people in this city all had this story, so it’s not an Eklund-type or message-board-variety rumor. How did they all get it wrong?

Coming off the Stanley Cup run, this is another twist in what has been a strange offseason for the Flyers. With talks of a contract with Nikolai Zherdev reportedly close, and all those stories mentioning Gagne’s contracts soon coming off the books, it could get even weirder.

Change has come quickly to the Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. Game 6 of the Finals was on June 10, three weeks ago. Since then, the Blackhawks traded one of their biggest playoff contributors, Dustin Byfuglien, to Atlanta along with Brent Sopel and Ben Eager in a cap-clearing move, and the Flyers acquired and traded away the rights to Dan Hamhuis (sending Ryan Parent to Nashville, receiving a third-round pick from Pittsburgh) and have received permission to speak with both Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco. The NHL Draft also came and went, with lots of trade talks but nothing major coming together.

With free agency less than 24 hours away, the Flyers have $49.4 million dollars tied up in 17 players (16, really, because Riley Cote doesn’t count). That leaves them with roughly $10.6 million in cap space, with the salary cap rising to $59.4 million.

The Flyers have three restricted free agents: Braydon Coburn, Dan Carcillo and Darroll Powe. All three are expected to sign, Carcillo and Powe for marginal cap hits and Coburn for a decent sized chunk.

After those three sign, the Flyers will likely lose about $4.5-5 million of that cap space. Is that enough to add a Hamhuis-type defenseman or Nabokov-ilk goaltender? Not without moving a major salary.

Goaltender

Well, we haven’t seen the last of Michael Leighton in Philadelphia. Leighton signed a two-year deal with the Flyers Wednesday, but the team is expected to add another goalie to compete for the starting gig.

Bring up any one of the pending free agent goalies and the Flyers have been linked to them in some way. Paul Holmgren has had talks with Evgeni Nabokov, who is heading to the wide pastures of free agency, and Marty Turco, who may or may not have turned down a contract that may or may not have been offered by the Flyers.

Dan Ellis, a personal favorite to be signed, was traded from Nashville to Montreal on Tuesday. He has not signed with the Habs yet, however, and if he doesn’t will hit the market. Other candidates include Chris Mason, Jose Theodore and Flyer retreads Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki.

The hope is the Flyers add someone like Mason or Ellis who can legitimately push for the starting job. Best-case scenario for the Flyers involves having two quality goaltenders, one of whom will eventually take the reins and refuse to yield them back. In other words, someone besides Biron or Niittymaki.

Defenseman

The Dan Hamhuis episode was a curious and ultimately disappointing one, but Paul Holmgren did a great job getting a third-round pick for his rights from Pittsburgh. Hamhuis appears unlikely to sign with the Penguins, and all indications point to his signing out west with Vancouver.

It’s no secret the Flyers want to shore up their third defensive pairing—that’s why they traded for Hamhuis’ rights. Apart from him, there are several capable defenders out there who would markedly improve the defensive corps as a whole. Anton Volchenkov, Zbynek Michalek and Kurt Foster are three players the Flyers have apparently shown interest in, according to CSNPhilly’s Tim Panaccio.

Volchenkov would be a great fit for the Flyers, but his price tag might be too high. Same goes for Michalek, who will have many teams after him if he doesn’t re-sign in Phoenix. Foster may be the perfect candidate to fill the fifth defenseman spot, because he is a reliable veteran and likely will not cost nearly as much as the others.

Forwards

Really, there is only one forward position open on this team. Arron Asham is most likely gone, so the Flyers will need to find a winger for Claude Giroux’s line alongside James van Riemsdyk. That same winger may also be a candidate to move to the Mike Richards line alongside Simon Gagne.

Colby Armstrong and Matt Cullen are two interesting names. Armstrong brings a tough presence to any line he would play on, which could be perfect alongside Richards and/or Giroux. Cullen is a skilled center who also can play wing, and likewise would help fill out either the first or third line.

Of course, this all hinges on what the team plans to do with its glut of centers. Of Richards, Giroux, Jeff Carter and Danny Briere, the one who seems most capable of sliding to the wing without losing too much effectiveness is Giroux. Both Briere and Carter are players who need the puck on their sticks as much as possible, and sliding either to the wing lessens their impact—as we saw during the regular season and postseason.

With the start of free agency mere hours away, expect a flurry of activity, rumors and speculation. For the Flyers, however, it will likely be about one thing and one things only: Will Michael Leighton be given a competitor?

So: What says ye, Paul Holmgren?

Leighton, the waiver-wire wonder who personally mimicked the roller-coaster season the Flyers, signed a two-year deal with the Flyers today. The contract is worth $3.1 million total—$1.5 million this season, $1.6 million next.

This deal can’t be fully judged on its own merit right now. It remains to be seen whether Leighton will be joined by a veteran goaltender (such as Evgeni Nabokov or Marty Turco), a goalie of similar ability and career path (Martin Biron or Dan Ellis) or whether—Lord help us—Leighton and Brian Boucher will be the Flyers’ goalies for the second consecutive season.

Until then, I’ll hold off judgment. Leighton was nothing short of solid for the Flyers, and that can’t be taken away from him. As for him being a savior…well, it’s a stretch.

Leighton is a decent goalie with the chance to be good. I’m not a big fan of his style, as at times he is too slow to react and doesn’t so much attack the puck as allow it to hit him. There’s no denying where he got the Flyers, though.

Now if he could close the five-hole quicker? We wouldn’t be having this discussion, and Leighton would likely be wearing a ring…

Brind’Amour, who began his career with St. Louis before being traded to the Flyers in 1991, was one of the most popular players in the city before being traded to Carolina for Keith Primeau during the 1999-2000 season. Brind’Amour holds the franchise record for consecutive games played (484) and developed into one of the best faceoff men and shutdown centers in the NHL.

After being traded to Carolina, he went on to win the Selke Trophy twice (2006, 2007) and captained the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup championship in 2006.

For his career, Brind’Amour played 1,484 games in the NHL, tallying 1,184 points (452 goals, 732 assists), good for 48th on the all-time list.

And, of course, there was his tireless work ethic:

Still wonder why they call him Rod the Bod?

One of those eligible for induction is none other than Bonnie and Carl’s son, Eric Lindros, who is a candidate for the first time. Lindros was a one-of-a-kind player, the type that doesn’t come along often. Unfortunately, that was true for Lindros in almost every way — evidenced by nothing better than the fact his parents’ names are well-known.

Lindros was a star from the start. Bigger, faster and stronger than nearly everyone he played against, he was an immediate impact player in the league after being drafted first overall by the Quebec Nordiques, who he refused to play for, and then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for a monstrous package that included another future Flyers enigma, Peter Forsberg.

He appeared to be on his way to legend status in his early years, winning the Hart Trophy in 1994-95 and promising in his speech that he would win the Stanley Cup. The closest he got was in 1997, when the Flyers went to the Cup finals before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings. Despite the embarrassing defeat, this proved to be Lindros at his peak, before the infamous concussion problems led to the more infamous parent problems, and then an ugly exit from Philadelphia.

For his career, Lindros was more than a point-per-game player. In 13 seasons (basically 10 considering he missed the equivalent of three full seasons due to injuries) he scored 372 goals and tallied 493 assists, good for 865 points in 760 games. He scored 40 goals three times and broke the 100-point barrier once.

More than his point totals, the real worth of Eric Lindros came from watching him play. He was a force of nature in every aspect of his game, a big bruising center with the skills of a player much smaller. It was nearly impossible to stop him, before the concussion problems, which proved to be enough to bring down his career.

So: Is Eric Lindros a Hall of Famer?

Andrew: Yes

Joe: No

The video includes some great shots of players walking into the arena before games (Blair Betts, Patrick Kane and Mike Richards, among others). What began with the “History will be made” commercials continues with these Stanley Cup ads, continual strokes of genius from the NHL in their postseason advertising.

And after tonight, we’ll have a new “History will be made” spot to watch continually heading into Friday’s Game 7…

Apparently these guys are actually ‘Hawks fans, though, which takes a little away from it. Oh, well.

We have a running joke here at Philly Fan Complex regarding overtime hero Claude Giroux. At one Flyers game in the middle of their mid-season swoon, a creative fellow sitting behind us took it upon himself to single-handedly chant each and every Flyer’s name.

There was no reason for any chanting. The game was rather boring, and the Flyers were having trouble generating offense as usual. During one sequence, Giroux danced through the middle of the ice and made a nice move around a defenseman, otherwise accomplishing nothing else but dumping the puck into the zone. Our resident noisemaker, however, found it the perfect time to unleash a healthy Giroooooooooooux, for no reason other than he wanted to.

With the Giroooooux-ing greeted with nothing but ignorance and apathy, our man was incredulous. “Why isn’t anyone saying it?” he wondered aloud.

And with that question, he has become a sensation. Whenever Giroux has come up big in these playoffs, we ask not why no fans are chanting, but reply instead that they are saying it.

Giroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooux.

No goal in Claude Giroux’s career was bigger than Tuesday night’s overtime winner. Before he capped the evening with a deft tip under Antti Niemi to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Finals game since Ron Hextall and the 1987 Flyers, Giroux assisted on both Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino’s goals, and really had a hand in all four. His pass to Braydon Coburn led to the rebound that became Danny Briere’s power-play goal in the first period.

The guy is a big-time player, no question. His regular-season output was disappointing, considering before the season he was expected to partially make up for the offensive production lost with the departures of Joffrey Lupul and Mike Knuble. For much of the season though he played with James van Riemsdyk, a rookie, and Arron Asham, a tough player with some offensive skill but not the type of player who can bring the most out of Giroux.

In the playoffs, with the opportunity to play on the power play and at times with players such as Ville Leino, Giroux has come up big time and time again. He had a quiet first two games of the series, but each other time that has happened in these playoffs Giroux has responded with big-time performances, none bigger than last night.

With that overtime goal, the Flyers can finally say they have outplayed the Blackhawks and won a game in the series. It’s a hollow argument to make when you lose the first two games that you have indeed been the better team, but now there is validity to it.

We had a series all along but with nothing to show for it. Thanks to Giroux, we now have a legitimate argument.

Byfuglien was the talk of the hockey world after a monstrous series against the San Jose Sharks, but from the get-go Pronger has trained his sights on the big, bad Blackhawk, effectively neutralizing him. Byfuglien has one point in the series, an assist, and is an impressive minus-3 with only three shots. His lackluster play is part of the general ineffectiveness of his line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, with a combined one goal among the three of the them.

It’s a little odd to ask for Cliff Lee in return, unless he learned how to hit and play left field since he left for Seattle, but no matter. If Pronger keeps this up, we may have to resume our “Craigslist Ad of the Day” feature.

You the fan can now buy the puck used as the Flyers scrambled to score the game-tying goal in both Game 1 and 2, only to fall short. Pronger, the wily vet, made sure his team didn’t come up empty-handed in either game, however, shrewdly snagging these once-in-a-lifetime commodities.

Pronger’s actions upset Chicago’s Ben “Holy shit, I scored a goal!” Eager following Game 2, earning both players misconducts as Pronger shot a towel at Eager:

Now that we see Pronger’s intentions were nothing but pure entrepreneurial capitalism, however, it is obvious why Eager was so upset: His ads in the “Causal Encounters” section keep being removed.

Hockey is hot across the country, with the teams from two of America’s largest cities representing their respective conferences, but only one is getting all the pub nationally: the Chicago Blackhawks.

Inevitably, when the pick is made, each certified expert speaks along the lines of “You have to give the Flyers credit for all they’ve battled through, but…Blackhawks in five.” One of such writers, ESPN.com’s Pierre Lebrun, went so far as to title the Western Conference finals the real Cup Finals. These are the same Western Conference Finals that ended in four games, with Chicago sweeping San Jose.

If that is what embodies a true championship series, then we’ll have to take back our enjoyment of the Flyers’ dramatic run up to this point. After all, these Flyers weren’t supposed to beat Martin Brodeur and the second-seeded Devils, couldn’t possibly have come back and defeated the Bruins after losing the first three games of the series and certainly weren’t going to easily solve the Ovechkin-and-Crosby-slaying Montreal Canadiens and Patrick-Roy-reincarnated Jaroslav Halak.

They definitely weren’t going to do all of that after losing Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere, nor keep playing long enough to get any of them back. They weren’t going anywhere with Brian Boucher in net or, after he was injured, with a just-returned Michael Leighton.

Sure they weren’t.

The Flyers are here though, and for all the talk of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg, Duncan Keith, Seabrook and Antii Niemi, there is Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Michael Leighton. Is there a definite disparity in talent there? A resounding “No” rises from the rational, the objective and the sane.

Yeah, but…

We know. The Blackhawks swept the postseason-impotent San Jose Sharks and psychologically tormented Gold-medal winning goaltender Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks. It did take them six games to beat Nashville in the first round (a result that may have been quite different if Marian Hossa had been properly penalized —and if Martin Erat felt like holding on to the puck longer) but of course, because it did take six games, it just proves Nashville obviously to be a scrappy band of pluckers, grinders and muckers — and the Blackhawks all the more impressive for beating them.

No one has yet to make a convincing argument for Chicago’s supposed advantage in every aspect of the game. Where is this obvious gap between the two teams? Where is this chasm of talent between the high-flying Blackhawks and the knuckle-dragging Flyers?

It’s not there. Regardless of who they played to get here, the Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals and have as good a shot to win the damn thing as the Blackhawks do. Period.

Recapping the conference finals: Andrew picked the Cup matchup; Joe picked the bronze-medal game. For the playoffs, Andrew is 9-5, Joe is 6-5.

Andrew: Flyers in six (Gotta stay with what works — haven’t been right yet, but the Flyers haven’t lost yet.)

Joe: Flyers in seven

Guess not.

Because Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey knows a guy who knows a guy who robbed the Blackhawks of millions of dollars (Martin Lapointe), the Tampa Bay Rays will be the official MLB cheerleaders for the ‘Hawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

From Puck Daddy via USA Today’s First Pitch:

“I think we’re going to get 20, maybe 25 guys to do it,” Hickey says. “Nothing like a little pro-Chicago, anti-Philadelphia sentiment. I thought we could share our mutual dislike for Philadelphia sports teams.”

Who would’ve thought — people don’t like Philadelphia teams! This is certainly an odd match, especially considering a team from Tampa will support Chicago’s hockey team more than the two baseball teams in the Windy City. Who’s jumping on the bandwagon next: the 1980 Kansas City Royals? The 1975 Buffalo Sabres? 1985 Georgetown Hoyas?

We’ll take any bad luck Chicago can get. Though it feels like the Phils haven’t scored a run since the 2008 World Series, they haven’t had a perfect game thrown against them in each of the past two seasons like the Rays have — or at least not yet.

They are who we thought they were…in September.

Yes, your Flyers will represent the Eastern Conference in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals — surprising considering their regular season performance, not so much when you consider the preseason expectations.

How did the Flyers get here? By beating the second-seeded New Jersey Devils in five games, coming back from a 3-0 series deficit to beat the Boston Bruins and allowing a whopping two goals in four wins over the Montreal Canadiens.

All that leads to a matchup with the Chicago Blackhawks, a team the Flyers beat 3-2 on a last-second Chris Pronger goal in their only meeting this season. The Blackhawks, like the Flyers, have progressed rapidly in the last three seasons, led by their abundance of youthful talent.

With the Cup Finals not set to begin until Saturday night, the real significance of this playoff run has not fully sunk in. With each game and series won, the bandwagon grows exponentially. It’s not quite real yet — mainly because it’s not a surprise.

This team is now doing what it was expected to do all along. Granted, the path they have taken to the finals was unpredictable. If anything, these playoffs have proven it’s easier to go by preseason predictions than pre-playoff picks.

Don’t agree? Let’s look at the facts:

Paul Holmgren built this team for the playoffs, simply as that. He didn’t exactly expect them to need a shootout in Game 82 to qualify for the second season, but the playoffs were what this team appears to have been waiting for all season.

John Stevens was fired and replaced by an all-around better coach, Peter Laviolette. He has pushed all the right buttons with this squad. It is hard to believe the Flyers would be in the same position if Stevens was still the coach.

As for the players, Danny Briere and Claude Giroux have been point-per-game players in this postseason, rebounding from lackluster regular seasons to produce in the clutch.

Mike Richards has led the way through grit, pluck and timely contribution, no better evidenced than by the first goal in Monday’s Game 5 victory. Jeff Carter has four goals in six playoff games, including the game-winning goal in Game 5.

Braydon Coburn has logged heavy minutes among the top four defensemen, overcoming his tendencies to play brainless hockey. Matt Carle has helped key the Flyers’ offense from the back end as Pronger’s partner. Simon Gagne has been both offensively dangerous and defensively responsible. Ian Laperriere blocks shots, Blair Betts wins faceoffs and Scott Hartnell manages to stay on his skates once in a while.

Then, of course, there are Pronger and Kimmo Timonen, the top two defensemen who provide the steadying influence and high level of performance expected from veteran blue-liners. Pronger-Carle and Timonen-Coburn give the Flyers two strong pairings, meaning their opponents rarely see the third pairing, with Ryan Parent firmly secured to the bench. There is little time off for the four d-men, but that also means there is little time off for the opposing forwards.

Michael Leighton? Well, he’s been a revelation, and no one saw that coming (least of all me). He has done what was generally expected of Ray Emery, though: be a solid goalie who doesn’t allow bad goals and relies on his defense. The player has changed, but the expectation stayed the same.

Are any of these statements outlandish? It would be hard to argue so. The fact is the Flyers are peaking at the right time, and after a season of turmoil and strife are finally performing up to their potential. As has been repeatedly said, the playoffs are a different animal, an opportunity to write a new story regardless of the regular season plot. The Flyers are doing just that, and the reality of where this team currently is has not quite sunk in yet.

The truth can be said: The Philadelphia Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals — and we saw it coming all along.