April 6, 2008 Flyers V Penguins

Going into today's final game against the Pens the only thing the Flyers knew was that they were in the playoffs. The didn't know which seed and who they'd see in the 1st round. They still had a lot to play for as did the Pens who were still looking for the Eastern conference crown. I was lucky enough to have a ticket to the game and go down early in anticipation of a heated game just like last week's tilt.

The Wacovia Center was electric. I noticed during warmups, No #87. What was this about? Running scared? Resting for thr playoffs? A big disappointment for hockey fans, but not for the Flyers who were playing without injured Briere and resting Smith. Both teams played close throughout the game. The hitting was not a ferocious as I had hoped, but there was Upshall flying around out there. It wasn't until the end of the 2nd period when the scoreless tie was broken on a goal off a faceoff. The puck caromed off of Fleury and right to Upshall who buried it for his 14th goal. I certainly noticed from my seats that the refs and linesman give the Pens as sorts of leeway. They get the benefit of many calls, both penalties and icings that the Flyers don't seem to get. Is it because the hometown guys are more like the lunchpail gang and the Pens are more refined and like primadonnas? Who knows?

The game stayed 1-0 until the Pens pulled their goalie and Mike Knuble was able to score on an open net to make it 2-0. It had looked like Carter was going to get his 30th, but he totally flubbed the shot. Knuble was able to wrap the puck around and score on his 2nd shot.

Did the Penguins bring their A game? Maybe, maybe not. Did the Flyers play a great defensive game and get outstanding goaltending from Biron when needed? Absolutely.

Flyers end the season in 6th place and will open up the playoffs against the Capitals who are surging. The Flyers won the season series 2-1-1 and I heard that the Flyers are already favored, but I worry about this matchup. Ovechkin is a monster, but they have a bunch of other players stepping up now on offense. Their defense is mobile and plays with a mean streak. Erskin is going to be a problem for the Briere line. Cristobal Huet has solidified the goaltending position and has supplanted Kolzig as the number 1 goalie. In the end I think that if the Flyers can match the Caps enthusiasm and hitting, then they will win in 6. If they don't the Caps in 5.

The Flyers also handed out their awards today. Mike Richards won the Bobby Clarke trophy and Gene Hart Memorial award ; Kimmo Timonen won the Barry Ashbee award; Riley Cote and Braydon Coburn shared the Pelle Lindbergh trophy for most improved players; Marty Biron won both the Toyota Cup and Class Guy awards.

The playoffs are here. Time for some bubble hockey, foosball, or air hockey tournaments.

April 4, Flyers V Devils

THE FLYERS ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS



After tonight's 3-0 shutout of the Devils and the Hurricanes loss to the Panthers in regulation time, the Flyers have officially made the playoffs.

In as strong an effort all year, the Flyers showed that they deserve to be one of the top 8 teams in the Eastern conference. They pounded the Devils for the 1st 2 periods to the point where the Devils were making defensive zone errors. They played an "in your face" style all night. Going into the 2rd period, however, the Flyers held a 1-0 lead. Midway through the period they exploded for 2 goals while skating 4 on 4. This was enough to make the Wacovia Center rock in a sea of orange and black.

Goals tonight were scored by Umberger, Upshall, and Lupul. Biron played well in the shutout, but really wasn't tested too much. He had to make 22 saves. It was nice seeing the Devils have to pull Brodeur. Quite honestly it was more a move to rest him for the game against the Rangers on Sunday more than about this game against the Flyers.

Great team effort and a well deserved win.
Briere was kept out of the game tonight which makes me think his knee injury is more serious than was first thought. Considering the team has officially made the playoff, I would be shocked to see him suit up against the Pens on Sunday.

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April 3, 2008 Flyers V Penguins

I took a day to write this post because I wasn't quite sure how to approach its writing. By now we all know that the Flyers lost the game 4-2. It should not come as a surprise as the Pens have been unbeatable at home recently. How they lost the game, however, is debatable. Was it poor play? Poor goaltending? Poor special teams? Poor officiating? A league's obvious protection of certain players? Great goaltending and play against their opponent? All of the above are true.

Above all what concerns me is that the Flyers were able to beat the Pens handily 4 games in a row earlier in the season by using an abusing style that was relentless. Mike Richards was obsessive in his annoyance of Crosby. The last three games against the Pens (all losses) have seen this style disappear altogether. This method of play has not been played in more than a month. For the Flyers to be successful for the remainder of the games, they must return to this way of play.

With three games to go the Flyers need 4 points to ensure themselves a playoff spot. With last night's loss that number still remains 4 points, but now that number must be accomplished in 2 games against arch rival Devils and Penguins.

By the way, Washington wins tonight against the Lightning to take a one point lead over the Flyers for the 8th spot. Washington has 92 points with one game to go whereas the Flyers have 91 with 2 to go. Lets go Flyers.

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March 29, 2008 Flyers V Islanders

The Flyers played the 2nd game in 2 nights this evening against the injury plagued Islanders. I have never seen a scratch list as long as that. I wonder where they would be if half of those players were in the lineup? Then again, even when they were they couldn't score goals. After last night's shootout loss to the Devils I was hoping the Flyers would not sputter through this game. Although Prospal was out of the lineup with the flu, the Flyers seemed like they were ready to play.

The Islanders scored the first goal on a wacky play that saw the puck get away from Niittymaki right to the front of the net where Park was there to score. The 1st period ended 1-0. Around the 8 minute mark of the 2nd period the Isles scores a goal by Comeau that, if the Flyers had good team D, would never had been scored. Poor coverage made the Isles' entry into the zone easy and a few passes later the puck was in the net, 2-1. At the 15 minute mark, the Flyers finally broke through Dubielewicz on a goal by Danny Briere on the powerplay. It was his 31st of the year. He hit the high corner as Bubielewicz went into the butterfly. The period ended 2-1 with the Flyers outshooting the Isles 33-16 at this point (23 shots in the 2nd period).

Roughly 3:30 into the 3rd period Joffrey Lupul scored the tying goal. It was hist 1st since coming back from his high ankle sprain. He scores in bunches, so maybe this is a really good sign with the end of the season near. The joy didn't last long as the Isles retook the lead on a goal by Nielsen. Niittymaki certainly should have had the shot. The Flyers continued to press the Isles for the tying goal until, right after a faceoff, Thoresen passed the puck out to Richards who buried it for his 28th of the year. Regulation time end 3-3.

The Islanders had it made in the overtime as the Flyers game them 2, yes 2, powerplay opportunities to score, but they came up short. The overtime ends still tied and we had to endure another shootout. I hate these things when the Flyers are involved because thy usually cannot score and their goalies are usually horrible. Tonight was different. Niittymaki was able to stop all 3 Islander shooters (Park was the only one that made Niitty earn his keep). Dubielewicz stopped both Richards (lost the puck) and Carter (poke check), but couldn;t stop Briere who slowly made his way towards the goalie, almost stopped, made a move to his backhand, and scored to win the game for the Flyers. Well done.

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March 28, 2008 Flyers V Devils

The orange and black traveled to Newark tonight to take on a Devil's team that played last night and lost to the Rangers. Brodeur was in the midst of a career long 4 game losing streak. The Flyers have been playing well and looked to be the position to win their second game from the Devils.

The game started as the Flyers would have liked. The drew a lot of pressure on the Devils' goal and scored the game's 1st goal on another really nice play between Briere and Prospal. Prospal beat Brodeur with a wrist shot that seemed to mystify the goalie. That was about as much excitement that the Flyers could muster in the 1st period. Ultimately the Devils woke up and left the 1st period with a 2-1 lead.

The 2nd period didn't start much better as the Devils quickly opened up a 3-1 lead. Shortly thereafter, though, Jim Dowd scored a nice tip in goal to make it 3-2. The second period ended this way and the 3rd period saw both team trade chances and goals. The Flyers were able to tie the game on a floater by Randy Jones that sailed into the net, but the Devils were able to regain the lead with about 4 minutes left on a goal by Gionta (very poor defensive coverage). In the last minute of the game a really nice behind the back pass by Richards to Knuble led to Knuble scoring the game tying goal.

Overtime was pretty uneventful except for a few chances by both sides. Shootout time...

The Devils score on all three of their chances to win the game. Carter and Briere score for the Flyers. The Devils' shooters abused Biron who is just a hot mess when it comes to defending shootouts. At least the Flyers earned a point.

During the 2nd intermission, the feature was on the new Devils' arena. It looks beautiful, but unlike the Wacovia Center, it didn't seem to have the Super Chexx Bubble Hockey games in the concourse.

March 25, 2008 Flyers V. Rangers

The Flyers took the ride up the New Jersey turnpike and crossed the bridge into Manhattan for a tilt against the Rangers last night. Riding a 3 game win streak that included a 4-3 SO win against these Rangers last week, they seemingly are getting their game back together at the right time.

Less than 2 minutes into the game the Rangers opened up the scoring on a play that was a mess from the start. Timonen lost his stick and meandered out towards the blueline to retrieve it. As he got back into position, he was not able to handle Jagr's size who spun around and beat Biron for his 20th of the season. The remainder of the period saw the Rangers controlling play as they had 3 powerplay opportunities.

The second period saw more of a stalemate with both team exchanging chances. It seemed like the Flyers began to get their skating legs and began to earn more scoring chances on the Rangers. The third period saw more of the same action until, during a 4 on 4 opportunity, the Flyers' Briere and Prospal connected on a gorgeous give and go to tie the game.

The game ended in a tie and overtime began. It was hectic as both teams went back and forth. Sean Avery carried the puck into the zone and curled up ala Gretzky. Problem was that he was surrounded by 3 Flyers. Jason Smith recognized this an eased his way up to the blueline as Avery sent a pass across the blueline that was intercepted by Smith. Smith saw Richards streaking and hit him for a semi breakway. Richards was able to beat Lundquist on the backhand for a 2-1 overtime win. What an ending!

It May Be A Good Idea To Sign Prospal



Briere and Prospal are looking really good together these past few games. They seem to possess a 6th sense about one another's position on the ice. A friend asked me last week if I try to resign Prospal and I said no. After seeing last night's goal. I changed my mind to an emphatic YES.

Check out the goal from last night:



Bubble Hockey, Foosball Tables and Air Hockey Games at Great Prices.

Introducing Super Bubble Hockey

Super Bubble Hockey is an ecommerce business established on December 20, 2007 in Willow Grove, PA. It is an online store dedicated to providing its customers with the best in home gaming tables available. It is a family run business that started by offering only bubble and rod hockey games. At present time, Super Bubble Hockey offers a wide variety of table and bubble hockey games as well as brand name foosball and air hockey tables. All of the games offered by Super Bubble Hockey are manufactures in the USA.

What is Bubble Hockey?

Bubble, or dome hockey as it is also called, got its name because of the very distinguishable dome that covers the playfield. Typically the game is played either one on one or two one two with the competitors being responsible for the 5 players and the goalie. Game play is fast and furious as the puck never leaves the playing surface. Face-offs are automatic as the puck is either dropped onto the surface from above or ejected onto the playing surface. Most of the games have audio effects that offer realistic gaming experiences. Some offer coin-op options that can be switched on and off for business or home use.

Bubble Hockey History:

It is very important to distinguish that the histories of bubble hockey and table hockey are very different in their origin. The 1st table hockey games arrived in the 1920s. They had players made from wood and wire. Because the players could only spin in place, early table hockey games required a hump in the center of the table to keep the puck moving during game play. In the 1950s, our idea of modern table hockey was born. These games featured full color players capable of sliding up and down the playing surface. Most agree that table hockey in this manner existed in Europe since the 1930s.

The history of bubble hockey began in 1982 when Innovative Concepts in Entertainment created the first Chexx bubble hockey game. The Chexx bubble hockey game became incredibly popular with arcade goers and hockey fans alike. The game focused the USA hockey team against the Russian hockey team. Obviously some of the allure of the game played on the emotions of American hockey fans still proud from America's 1980 Olympic Gold medal hockey victory. Today, the Super Chexx bubble hockey game is the brand of choice for most bubble hockey enthusiasts as its standards have never waned from the beginning. There are other brands competing with Super Chexx for bubble hockey supremacy. Along with the original Super Chexx, models made by Regent- Halex, Harvard, Shelti, and Carrom are all worth checking out.

Bubble Hockey Rules:

The official IBHF (International Bubble Hockey Federation) rules are:

• Three, 90-second periods in a game. Side of play is determined by coin flip.
• The puck must stay in the net, and be registered by the game unit for a goal to be scored.
• If regulation time ends in a tie, or a team is losing by one goal, then the game will be played until there is one decisive winner.
• Tournament Play: If one team is ahead by two goals at the end of regulation, the game is over.
• If the game malfunctions, the game will be replayed no matter what the score is.
• Roughing the game will result in immediate disqualification. Examples of roughing include lifting, shaking, moving, and kicking the game, striking the dome, etc.
• Players must be respectful and show good sportsmanship while playing. Foul language is discouraged. Spectators are not permitted to touch the game during play, including pushing the Boo button.
• Penalties are called when violations occur involving Play Stalling, Spinning Players, and Shaking Goaltenders.
• Play Stalling: Players are not permitted to stall play by deliberately holding puck for extended periods of time. A player may request a 5-Count (counted as one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, etc.) from the referee if their opponent is stalling play. The player receiving the count must then pass or shoot at the end of the 5-Count. Failure to move the puck on the 5-Count will receive a penalty.
• Spinning Players: Players are permitted to spin players for a maximum of one second per instance. Excessive spinning will result in a penalty.
• Shaking Goaltenders: Players may shake the goaltender back and forth to the point of moving the puck. Goaltender shaking that causes the puck to move on the ice surface will receive a penalty.
• Penalties are enforced in a two-step process. First penalty: player will receive a warning from the referee (yellow card). Second penalty: player will be disqualified by the referee (red card).

Manufacturers:

Super Bubble Hockey has established business relationships with the top manufacturers of bubble hockey, rod hockey, foosball, and air hockey games. The crown jewel of bubble hockey games is the famous Super Chexx. Manufactured by Innovative Concepts in Entertainment, this game has been manufactured in New York for over 25 years and continues to be the industry standard. Capable of being set to free play or coin op makes this a popular choice for both home and commercial use.

The Carrom Company provides Super Bubble Hockey with a wide variety of well-made and beautifully designed stick and dome hockey games. Popular stick hockey games by Carrom are elite stick hockey, super stick hockey, and the signature series that, depending on customer wishes, can be bought with leg support or with a pedestal. Of particular interest is a combination stick hockey and foosball table that is very popular for home entertainment needs.

Recently, Super Bubble Hockey was able to begin offering foosball and air hockey tables by Carrom as well. The most popular of these foosball games is the Signature Series Burr Oak Foosball table, but other color schemes are available. Through joint ventures between Carrom and NASCAR and Carrom and Harley-Davidson, Super Bubble Hockey is also able to offer NASCAR Licensed Premium Foosball Tables and the official Harley-Davidson Foosball as well. These games are manufactured and shipped from Michigan.

Carrom also supplies Super Bubble Hockey with its line of air hockey tables. Designed to last, these air hockey games will last in any home, school, business or recreational environment. Aside from its Signature series, again Carrom has partnered with NASCAR to provide Super Bubble Hockey with another officially licensed product.

Regent-Halex provides Super Bubble Hockey with two NHL sponsored dome and rod hockey games. Both the NHL Elite and NHL Dome hockey games complete with stickers so customers can decorate the games with their own team’s colors. Regent-Halex is affiliated with Spalding, Mitre, and MacGregor producing these hockey games for over 80 years from their NY location.

Valley-Dynamo provides Super Bubble Hockey with commercial and tournament level air hockey games. At 8 feet long, these are the air hockey games used on the professional circuit. Another game of note provided by Valley-Dynamo is the famous Tornado Foosball. A coin-op game, this is a best bet for arcades and sports bars everywhere.