These were the words hockey fans were waiting to hear for the first 100-plus days of the NHL lockout. Commissioner Gary Bettman delivered them early Sunday morning.
For one night, the soundtrack of the NHL lockout included goal horns, cheers and the unmistakable sound of hockey. More than two dozen players stepped onto the ice for the Operation Hat Trick charity game, as collective bargaining negotiations were pushed aside for a few hours.
Claude Giroux is tired of the story at this point. At the 2006 NHL draft, then-Philadelphia Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke forgot the name of the player he was taking 22nd overall.
Broad Street and Broadway have been known as big-money places for hockey with the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers historically unafraid to spend to win. Printing money thanks to television revenue and decades of tradition, both teams are among the richest in the NHL.
The impact of enforcers in the NHL seems to be waning by the season. Fighting is still part of the game, but needing a guy just to drop the gloves doesn't always fit.
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that leading scorer and likely NHL MVP front-runner Claude Giroux was out indefinitely with a concussion. But just like every other time, the Flyers don't expect to miss a beat.
Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason and the first five games of the regular season for his hit on Toronto's Darryl Boyce.
Prized free-agent goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, making his first appearance as a Flyer, allowed stick-side goals to Juraj Mikus, Matt Frattin and Joe Colborne, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Philadelphia, 4-2, on Wednesday.
Prized free-agent goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, making his first appearance as a Flyer, allowed stick-side goals to Juraj Mikus, Matt Frattin and Joe Colborne, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Philadelphia, 4-2, on Wednesday.
