You know those
rivalries that go so far back no one can recall when they started? Well, the Philadelphia
Flyer/New York Islander rivalry isn’t one of them. I’ve loathed the Isles since
the late 70s, when they were consistently pitted against my boys and robbed
them of the Stanley Cup in 1980. (Bob Nystrom scored in OT. I’d had surgery the
day before game 7 and hauled my drugged-out self from bed in anticipation of a
Flyer win and, yes, I’m still bitter.)
Okay, maybe they
had more scoring talent. They had Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, two
Sutters, a Goring, a Tonelli, a Tambellini and – my father’s favourite (not) –
Clark Gillies, but they also had a rat bastard goalie in Billy Smith, who didn’t
need three inches above his knob with that much skill up front.
I’m talking
about his goalie stick, people.
Anyway, old
grudges die hard, and though both teams have become mere shadows of their
brutal past, it yet pains me above all when the Flyers lose to the Islanders.
As they lost,
last night. They got a point from the game and are now 22nd in the
league standings, but a playoff appearance seems unlikely unless they start to
play like they deserve it.
As for the
Islanders … they’re in 7th place and pretty well assured a
post-season run.
Kill me now.
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