Friday, 6 February 2015

Boo Hiss



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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