Flyers Geography / In Defense of Randy Jones

Back in November, the Flyers were named by the Finnish Embassador to the United States as "the most Finnish team in the National Hockey League", due to the league high presence of four Finnish Players (Antero Niittymaki, Kimmo Timonen, Lasse Kukkonen, and Ossi Vaananen), as well as Finnish-American team President Peter Luukko. Add some past Flyers like Illkka Sinisalo and Sami Kapanen, and you've got yourself quite the Little Helsinki on Broad Street.

The Finns knew the Flyers were especially deserving of this award, as they did not allow any player who is not Finnish, Canadian, or American player into their lineup. The Flyers expressed their gratitude for this honor by putting Vaananen and Kukkonen on waivers.

The Flyers currently only have players from three countries, sharing the title of least international team with the Calgary Flames, who incidentally also only have Canadians, Americans, and Finns. Not a Swede, Czech, Slovak, or Russian to be found for miles.

This isn't to say that the Flyers don't have some demographic uniqueness. Randy Jones is from Quispamsis, New Brunswick. And despite the fact that there are 736,000 Canadians from New Brunswick, Randy Jones is the only New Brunswicker to currently be in the NHL. Out of the 476 Canadians currently in the NHL, Randy is the only one from a population that, proportionally, should have ten. Even Prince Edward Island, with a population of only 140,000, has more NHLers than New Brunswick (2).

I'm definitely not a Randy Jones hater. He got the highest vote total in the dump the chump poll, sure, but he's a pretty solid, physical defenseman who led the team in +/- last year, and is fifth in the team this year at +12, behind only Richards, Gagne, Carter, and Timonen, even though Randy has played only 32 games this season. None too shabby.

He's clearly overcome some major obstacles making it out of the hockey black hole that is New Brunswick. Props, Mr. Jones, Props.

(I wrote all this not counting Andreas Nodl, because we all know he doesn't matter).

Game #61 Preview: Flyers @ Devils 3/1/09

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As trade winds swirl and blow most every Flyer's name around, a "big" game in Jersey looms. Truth be told, the Flyers are pretty much a lock to finish in fourth, so no games in the regular season matter. Fourth is good, and would mean home ice for the first time since the lockout. Kind of a pathetic thought...

Still gonna watch the game though, so might as well talk about it.

Why The Flyers Will Win:

• Daniel Briere makes his triumphant return!
• Briere's BFF Marty Biron has a big opening here, a chance to clinch the starting spot on the heel's of Niittymaki's disaster vs. Montreal. He does well when the games matter.
• Scott Clemmensen's ghost has got to be haunting the Devils. He got screwed faster than a girl scout who came to sell cookies at R. Kelly's house.
• If Martin Brodeur plays, he'll be tired AND obese. If Kevin Weekes plays, he'll be not very good, because he's Kevin Weekes. Advantage Flyers.

Why the Devils Will Win:

• Daniel Briere makes his triumphant return! Odds are he gets reinjured and KO'ed for the season by the end of the first period. Morale killer.
• Claude Giroux went to the Phantoms while Jared Ross stays? Huh? Put Giroux on defense for all I care, he's gotta stay in the lineup. And Guenin? Seriously? Keep Kukkonen up, even if he sucks and can't get picked up on waivers to save his life.

Odds are this is somebody's last game in a Flyers jersey. Whether it is Randy Jones, Joffrey Lupul, Braydon Coburn, or Scottie Upshall is yet to be determined. Hell, it might even be Briere's. Can't say I hate any of them or love Keri Lehtonen or Jay Bouwmeester, so I'm not too pumped for the rest of this week.

Prediction: 3-2 Devils. In OT if we're lucky. This pre-deadline stretch is a big ol' pile of fuck it.

Lasse, Go Home!

Lasse Kukkonen got put on waivers for the second time on Thursday...let's hope it sticks this time.

The waiver is presumably to make room for Briere's return, though I think not wanting Kukkonen to play for the Flyers ever again is also a valid and important reason.