Flyers Future

    The Flyers got pummeled. Beaten. Thrashed. Destroyed, rolled on, flattened, annihilated, etc., etc. Yes, I am a Philadelphia Flyers fan. But there's no use in trying to deny what happened Sunday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Flyers 6-0 in game five, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. There's no complaining about calls here or favoritism or injuries when you lose 6-0 in a hockey game. It hurts to say this, but congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
    Usually a loss like this would be a crushing blow. I'd skip school/work/commitments out of spite and anger and fight off the ultimate reality that we could possibly have choked away a birth in the championship by taking it out on my fellow man. I would be one unpleasant fellow to be around (see: 2002, 2003 NFC Championship games, 2004 Super bowl). But for some strange reason, even with the utterly demoralizing fashion in which it occurred, I'm not mad. I'm not disappointed. I'm optimistic.
    Was this not the worst team in the league last year? If memory serves, we finished dead last and had little hope for the future. With changes in management and shrewd deals, as well as developing young talent, the Flyers went from nowhere to the top four in a SINGLE year. That's reason for celebrating the Flyboys, not hating them. They got off to a fast start, stalled mid-season, and finished strong to take the sixth seed. Then they had the monumental task of playing the 3rd, 1st, and 2nd seeds in succession. A vast majority of the hockey experts said the Flyers had a snowball's chance in hell in each of those series.
"Oh, Ovechkin is going to smoke the Flyers!" "Habs in 5, no way they beat the top seed."
Well guess what? The underdogs defeated both the Capitals and Canadiens, and put up a damn good fight against the Pens before running out of steam in that game five debacle. The Philadelphia Flyers have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. But the real kicker here is that this is not a group of veterans. The core is young. It's going to be scary to watch these men in the coming years.
    Danny Briere is a star. Richards, Carter and Umburger are all going to be around for a long time and are top-shelf talent, and would be serviceable on a Stanley Cup winning team. Kimo Timonen was the Flyers best player this year. Hatcher, Smith, Coburn.. all good pieces. Also, lest we forget, Simon Gagne is a monster and will be back next year. Marty Biron played well enough to prove he's a capable starter, even a standout, in the NHL.
    So beware, NHL. You've been served notice. The Flyers will just keep getting better and better in the next few years. With one deep playoff run under their belts already, and many more sure to come, the future looks bright in Philly.