Flyers Drop Winter Classic Heartbreaker

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Henrik Lundqvist stopped Danny Briere’s penalty shot with 19 seconds left, Brad Richards scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the New York Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the Winter Classic on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.

Playing on a rink that stretched from first base to third base, the Rangers made the league’s fifth Classic event a memorable one to stay atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Mike Rupp scored twice as New York won for the third time this season against Philadelphia.

The NHL surrounded the rink with Christmas trees, fire wood, fake snow, and even trash-can fires. But there was nothing artificial in the elements with snow flurries late in the second period and temperatures that dipped into the 30s, forcing 46,967 fans to bundle up for the big game.

Rookie Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers. It was Schenn’s first career goal.

While this game meant two points in the standings, like the four other NHL games set for Monday night, it received the kind of hype normally reserved for the Stanley Cup finals. NBC televised the game and HBO had 12 camera crews filming the game and behind-the-scenes action for its “24/7” series.

One of the breakout stars of the show was benched.

Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who signed a nine-year, $51 million contract in June, saw a recent slump send him to the bench. Sergei Bobrovsky got the call from coach Peter Laviolette and failed to hold the early lead built in front of a decidedly orange-and-black crowd.

The Flyers ended the game without star forward Jaromir Jagr, who played only a minute in the second period before leaving the game for good. The Flyers did not say what was wrong with the 39-year-old star. Jagr said after the game he injured his left leg and expected to return soon.

Even with Jagr out, his presence was noted.

Rupp’s first goal late in the second came with a salute toward the Flyers’ bench—the same move Jagr makes for the home crowd after one of his goals. Rupp smiled as his teammates mobbed him along the boards and the crowd booed his attempt at showing-up Jagr.

Jagr never really got a chance to respond and the Flyers hope whatever is ailing their third-leading points scorer won’t keep him out long.

Rupp, who scored the winning goal for New Jersey in Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup finals against Anaheim, delivered another clutch goal on the big stage when his wrister from the circle shot under Bobrovsky’s right arm and tied the game at 2.

Richards wasted no time scoring the winner, knocking in a rebound 3:20 later to put the Rangers up 3-2.

Lundqvist outplayed Bobrovsky, stopping 12 shots in the first, and had 34 saves.

His finest moment came in the waning moments after Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was whistled for covering the puck in the crease. Lundqvist stoned Briere with his pads when the All-Star center tried to sneak it through his legs.

With some fans paying more than a $1,000 a seat on the secondary market, the stadium was full to the end.

For a brief moment in the second, Flyers fans thought they’d see a winner.

Schenn, a prized rookie sent over from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards deal over the summer, scored his first midway through the second period, setting off the Liberty Bell in right field normally reserved for Phillies home runs.

Giroux showed a national audience how he’s blossomed into an MVP candidate with a backhander 1:55 later for his 18th goal and a 2-0 lead. But the Flyers couldn’t beat Lundqvist again.

That didn’t stop the diehards, though, from being entertained by hometown band, The Roots, and national anthem singer Patti LaBelle.

The trash-can fires gave the game a “Rocky” feel and the pitchers’ mound and home plate area were left uncovered. It was 41 degrees when the opening faceoff dropped just after 3 p.m., and temperatures fell over the next three hours. The start time was pushed back two hours to protect the rink from the sun.

New York received a dose of good news long before the final horn. Defenseman Marc Staal made his return to the lineup after a season-long absence from a concussion.

Staal, who turns 25 in January, has been out all season because of the effects of a concussion sustained in February when he was hit by his brother, Eric, a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been skating this month and was cleared for light contact.

Notes: The NHL used 20,000 gallons of water for the rink. … The Flyers played in their second Winter Classic in two years and have lost both. … The Rangers are 3-0 vs. Philadelphia this season.

Bernie, Bobby And Eric Win Alumni Classic

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Eric Lindros stepped out of the dugout to a roar he hadn’t heard in Philadelphia in almost 12 years.

Big E had his standing O.

Lindros pointed his stick toward nearly 49,000 fans and took his long-overdue walk toward the infield ice to join his Flyers teammates. One of the great players in a franchise loaded with them was back in the orange and black.

With a packed Philadelphia crowd standing and going wild in appreciation, Lindros made a triumphant return to the city in a Philadelphia Flyers jersey, a bitter parting more than a decade ago forgotten from the moment No. 88 hit the ice for warmups.

The red reserved for the Phillies at Citizens Bank park gave way to 40,000 fans in Flyers orange—so many who paid just to see Lindros play in the alumni showcase, a prelude to Monday’s Winter Classic between the Flyers and New York Rangers.

Lindros assisted on the first goal of the game, connecting with former Legion of Doom linemate John LeClair, to help the former Flyers beat the old-time Rangers 3-1 Saturday.

“It really felt special here,” Lindros said. “It’s nice to be back and heading out to restaurants and hearing the well wishes around town. I’m happy to be here and catch up with some people I haven’t seen in a while.”

Lindros’ last appearance for the Flyers was in May 2000 when he was laid out by New Jersey’s Scott Stevens in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

He would be traded 15 months later to the Rangers because of a nasty falling out with former general manager Bobby Clarke.

All was forgiven Saturday.

Lindros and Clarke, who won two Stanley Cups with the Flyers in the 1970s, chatted and skated together during warmups. Clarke received a huge ovation from the 45,808 fans who filled a reconfigured ballpark. Lindros also took a seat on the bench during intermission with youth teams playing on an auxiliary rink.

The two Flyers greats—who led a triumphant final lap around the ice when the team left the Spectrum in 1996—hadn’t talked since the trade until this weekend.

“It’s good. We talked this morning and everything’s great,” Lindros said.

Clarke, still an adviser to the Flyers, stood by his comments that all ill will toward Lindros evaporated the day of the New York trade.

“He’s 38. He can make a comeback,” Clarke said, laughing.

After Lindros, the loudest cheers were reserved for goalie Bernie Parent. “Bernie! Bernie! Bernie!” echoed throughout the park for the affable goalie, who sparked the phrase in the `70s, “Only The Lord Saves More Than Bernie Parent.”

Parent played 5 minutes, 32 seconds and stopped all six shots. Each save made the “Bernie!” chants return.

“I felt the pressure,” Parent said. “Once you get on the ice, you want to perform, you want to do well in front of your fans.”

Shjon Podein and Mark Howe also scored for the Flyers and Pat Quinn was behind the bench.

Flyers founder and chairman Ed Snider dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff between honorary captains Clarke and Mark Messier.

Messier, Brian Leetch, Adam Graves and Stephane Matteau were among the former Rangers who returned for this reunion, also having won the franchise’s last Stanley Cup in 1994. Mike Keenan coached the Rangers.

“These were successful players who had successful runs,” Keenan said.

Glenn Anderson scored in the second period for the Rangers.

“Once you get to a certain age and have bypassed your prime, there’s a lot of mistakes and it’s pretty funny to watch,” Anderson said.

Wins and goals hardly mattered Saturday.

This was all about Lindros’ homecoming.

Lindros and the Flyers had been estranged since their breakup more than a decade ago. Lindros won a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, made six All-Star teams, and led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals in 1997. His career was shortened by a series of concussions, and clashes with management paved his way out of town.

From the moment No. 88 peeked out of the Phillies’ dugout, the crowd stood and started cheering. The fans went wild when Lindros took the long walk to the infield rink that stretched from first base to third base.

He raised his arms in triumph and broke into a wide smile after his feed to LeClair put the Flyers up 1-0. LeClair, Lindros and winger Mikael Renberg comprised the popular and productive Legion of Doom line in the 1990s that helped the Flyers out of their darkest era in franchise history and into the finals.

The game served as opening act for a week’s worth of games. High school, college and minor league teams will play at Citizens Bank Park and there’s an open skate for fans.

Saturday’s start time was pushed back two hours to 3 p.m. for more ideal temperatures for the outdoor game.

The NHL expects Monday’s game to start at its scheduled 1 p.m. time.

“We have a pretty big window to get the game in,” said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins.

Collins addressed other topics on the future of the Winter Classic:

— The NHL isn’t likely to stretch much beyond the Midwest for future Winter Classics because it likes the 1 p.m. EST window on Jan. 1 or 2.

— The NHL has considered Citi Field, MetLife Stadium, the Yale Bowl, and even West Point as potential sites in New York/New Jersey. Detroit is in the mix as potential future site.

— The NHL and HBO have not yet talked about a “24/7” going forward for 2012.

— Canadian teams could become part of the Classic.

— Collins on the Jan. 1 day off: “It’s not ideal that we have this dead day tomorrow. But it’s kind of nice in that it stretches the event over a couple of days and I think there are more fans who have the ability to come out and touch it and feel it.”

“88” Back In Town For Winter Classic

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—For eleven years, the final image of Eric Lindros in a Philadelphia Flyers uniform has been him curled in a fetal position, knocked cold after a brutal shoulder-to-jaw check on the open ice from New Jersey’s Scott Stevens. Two teammates escorted Lindros off the ice, then gingerly handed off his limp body to the training staff. The “Lindros 88” jersey faded into the darkness of the tunnel leading toward the locker room.

“I know what the story is going to be now,” ESPN sideline announcer Al Morganti somberly told the viewing audience moments after the hit. “It will be whether or not he can ever play again.”

Lindros did return to the NHL, but not until the end of an ugly 15-month saga over irreconcilable differences with former general manager Bobby Clarke that destroyed his relationship with the franchise and culminated with a trade to the New York Rangers. Lindros, one of the most gifted players of the 1990s and perhaps the Flyers’ greatest offensive player, never got to give his final goodbye to the orange-and-black faithful.

Once he was gone, Lindros was gone for good.

For a franchise that prides itself on its deep, daily connection to the past (yes, they really do play a video of a women who’s been dead 25 years singing “God Bless America” for good luck before big games), Lindros was persona non grata. No tributes. No banners. For a player once dubbed “The Next One,” as in the next Wayne Gretzky, Lindros had turned into “The Forgotten One,” a sad commentary on how ill feelings lingered for more than a decade.

All it would take was a move across the street to a baseball stadium for their connection to start anew.

With all eyes in the NHL on Philadelphia this week for the showcase Winter Classic, Lindros and the Flyers have seemingly patched their dysfunctional relationship and hope to put the past to rest when Lindros takes the ice in front of a sold-out crowd of 44,000 fans in Saturday’s alumni game. He’ll play for the Flyers organization for the first time since the first period in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 26, 2000.

Knowing one of the greats had to be included on a star-studded roster, general manager Paul Holmgren reached out to Lindros to ask about playing.

“It was great to hear Paul’s voice on the other end of the line,” Lindros said by phone from Toronto. “We had a real nice talk and I’ll leave it at that. It was real positive and I’m grateful for it. I know they have a number of players to choose from, and I was fortunate to get the call.”

Clarke, who had stripped Lindros of his captaincy and repeatedly blasted him in the media, believed the time was right to move on. He said Holmgren did not ask for permission to invite Lindros—nor did he need it.

“I didn’t care,” Clarke said. “Eric won the MVP as a Philadelphia Flyer. He’s important to this franchise. He should be playing.”

But it was Clarke who said in the months leading up the trade, “I don’t care if I talk to Eric for the rest of my life—it won’t kill me.”

Clarke won a pair of Stanley Cups in the 1970s during the Flyers’ “Broad Street Bullies” era. He’s remembered as much for his role in the Lindros-Flyers soap opera that could have filled 52 weeks of programming for HBO’s “24/7” series. While Clarke has been prodded to rehash Lindros’ nightmarish final year, the 62-year-old Hall of Famer insisted he no longer had hard feelings toward him.

“As far as I was concerned, they were gone as soon as he was. When he left, it was over,” Clarke said. “He went to the Rangers and it was all over. Whatever had gone on, was done. I didn’t have any animosity.”

The two Flyers greats—who led a triumphant final lap around the ice when the team left the Spectrum in 1996—haven’t talked since the trade.

Neither knows what they’ll say when the finally meet.

“I haven’t thought about it,” the 38-year-old Lindros said. “It’s just two people saying hello to one another. I’ll be a teammate of his in the alumni game, and I look forward to it.”

Based on the numbers and achievements alone, Lindros’ inclusion in the alumni game was as easy as an empty-net goal.

He won a Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, made six All-Star teams, scored 40 goals four times over eight seasons, sparked the construction of a new arena, and led the Flyers out of the darkest period in franchise history and into the Stanley Cup finals in 1997.

He was “The Big E,” 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds of scoring force at center whom the Flyers deemed worth six players, two first-round draft picks and $15 million to acquire in a blockbuster trade with the Quebec Nordiques in 1992. With left winger John LeClair and right winger Mikael Renberg, the trio formed the Legion of Doom, a nickname popularized because of their muscular frames, tough play, and dominant scoring.

Lindros nearly became the first Flyer to win a scoring title, just losing out in 1995 to current Flyer Jaromir Jagr, and was only 22 when he won the MVP that same season.

Clarke said then Lindros could become the greatest player ever.

That promise went unfulfilled.

Lindros had his career derailed by a series of concussions, at least eight by his count, and the consequences of the devastating blow suffered from the Stevens hit played a role in what cost him the 2000-01 season.

The collapse stretched beyond the actual injury. Lindros had criticized the team’s medical staff for failing to diagnose his second concussion of the season on March 4, 2000. Clarke questioned the severity of Lindros’ concussions, and ripped his parents, Carl and Bonnie Lindros, for meddling in their son’s life. Lindros rejected the Flyers’ qualifying offer, became a restricted free agent and demanded a trade.

While Lindros played through his share of controversy and injuries, he’s refused to live haunted by what could have been had he remained healthy.

“There’s no point in that. When you look back, you just want to look at the positive,” he said. “It’s upsetting we didn’t win. It’s extremely disappointing. Beyond that, when I think back to playing there and living there, I think of the good people that are around, and my teammates.”

He’s thankful he can look back in good health. While all those head shots rattled his brain, Lindros insists he feels good and doesn’t suffer from headaches, memory loss or other symptoms associated with repeated concussions. Lindros still plays pick-up hockey at outdoor rinks throughout Toronto and practiced this week for the alumni game with a junior team in the Ontario Hockey League.

Lindros said being smart about concussions at a time when little was still known about their destructive effects has saved him.

“I had time off in between, I didn’t play,” he said. “Sometimes, that wasn’t the most popular course of action. There’s some real unfortunate situations that some of the guys have had to go through. I count my blessings.”

Lindros hasn’t been forgotten in Philadelphia. He made his first public appearance in the city in years at a recent autograph signing at a suburban mall and 500 tickets were sold within hours. Fans lined up as early at 8:30 a.m. for the 6 p.m. signing he had with LeClair. Fans gushed as a steady stream of 8 x 10 prints, pucks, and figurines slid past him. Money raised from the show and a luncheon all went to a Philadelphia children’s hospital.

“I’m a Flyers fan because of you! I started watching when you came!” one woman told him.

They’ll all be watching Saturday.

“It’s a great opportunity for the fans to give Eric a big thanks for the time that he spent in Philadelphia,” said Flyers broadcaster, and former teammate, Keith Jones. “I know there’s a lot that want to do that. This is their chance to come out and give one final goodbye to a player that brought a lot of fans out of their seats in Philly for a long time.”

It might not be his last hurrah.

Lindros said he’s “open” to continuing his relationship with the Flyers beyond the weekend.

For now, his wave to the crowd at the NHL’s version of Old Timers’ Day can become the new final image of his Flyers career.