Philadelphia Flyers: Can the Broad Street Bullies Still Intimidate Opponents?

Optimistic Flyers fans look at the 2011 offseason and see a team with a bright future, invested heavily in skilled players with big potential who will become a force.  Pessimistic Flyers fans show concern about trading two of the centerpieces of the franchise, including captain Mike Richards. 

The debate between the sides has been played out for months now.  Goaltending is better, experience on offense is worse, off-ice issues should improve and the list goes on and on.

However, one area of concern that has not gotten much attention is toughness.  Is this new Flyers team gritty enough to compete in the Atlantic Division, the Eastern Conference and the whole NHL? 

Or have the Broad Street Bullies been replaced by the Broad Street Babies?

Young Blood

Having a young lineup is a good problem for a general manager to have; it means that the team will have a chance to develop chemistry together and learn more from losses than a stubborn older team would. 

But for all the growing we will see from Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux and company, this young group of forwards may see themselves being pushed around by opponents who are either bigger or grittier than the Flyers corps.

This is not to say that the team will play without spirit.  Both Giroux and JVR proved that they are not soft players.  During the 2011 postseason, Giroux seemed more willing to throw around his 5’10” frame than anyone else wearing the Flying “P.”

Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to make an opponent hesitate to get his hands dirty when the wrecking ball being swung at him doesn’t even hit 180 pounds on the scale.

JVR has the size to intimidate, but his youth has thus far prevented him from throwing the body around with confidence. 

Simmonds plays a hard-nosed game, but at 183 pounds, he won’t get the same respect in corners or in the crease that a bigger man could expect.  Newcomer Brayden Schenn can expect to be pushed around at the NHL level, as big veterans don’t take kindly to hyped-up youngsters.  It will be up to Schenn to establish that he’s as tough as every opponent who gives him a subtle slash or a personal verbal attack.

The Departed Demolition Men

In 2010-11, the Flyers’ most prolific hitter was none other than Ivy League bulldozer Darroll Powe.  Much to the chagrin of many Flyers fans, Powe was traded to Minnesota after the draft this offseason.  Max Talbot was brought in as his replacement on the penalty kill, but replicating Powe’s fearless style of play will be difficult for anyone.

Dan “Car Bomb” Carcillo is one of the most despised players in the league, and for good reason: he can throw almost any opponent off of his game.  While Carcillo took dumb penalties, he is also well known for drawing penalties and putting his team on the man-advantage. 

Carcillo could be relied upon to get under the skin of his opponents, and despite his relatively small size he embodied the definition of “Broad Street Bully.”  Like him or not, no other player in recent memory has had such disregard for his own well-being for the sake of intimidating the opponent.

Mike Richards is likely the most notable tough guy to depart from the team.  Putting aside the statistical contributions the team lost, Richards will be missed on both the forecheck and backcheck. 

Say what you want about the former captain, but he was never afraid to mix things up and steal back momentum for the Flyers.  On top of that, there was not an area on the ice in which Richards couldn’t play. 

The Flyers will miss that toughness along the boards, and it will take some time for newcomers like Brayden Schenn to get the league-wide respect on the ice that Richards developed.

Searching for Toughness

The Flyers should be intimidating in their own defensive zone.  Braydon Coburn has learned to throw his size around, and a healthy Chris Pronger is as intimidating as any defenseman in the league. 

Andrej Meszaros was an absolute wrecking ball in 2010-11, throwing his 223 pounds around more than anyone on the team except Powe. 

Offense will be a different story. 

Scott Hartnell will play the fearless style of hockey that fans have gotten used to, and if Max Talbot’s time in Pittsburgh is any indication, he won’t be afraid to get his hands dirty.  Fellow newcomer Jakub Voracek should have no problem battling opposing defensemen, though the fruits of his labor could vary from a 20-plus goal season to a complete bust.

But outside of these three players, size, age and toughness riddle the offense with questions about how they will be perceived.

Jaromir Jagr is huge, but can his 39-year-old legs be strong enough to push around rivals?  Jody Shelley loves to drop the gloves, but he failed to win many fights last year and he’s only going to look older this season.

Giroux and Danny Briere are tough for their size, but attitude only goes so far when trying to skate through someone like Zdeno Chara.

Fresh, Toothless Faces?

Philadelphia’s current depth chart seems to be set, barring a dismal performance by someone like Brayden Schenn at training camp.  However, the lack of intimidation may prompt Peter Laviolette and Paul Holmgren to give some new players the nod over older players, simply to gain the team a little respect.

Tom Sestito was brought in from Columbus as a possible replacement for Jody Shelley, should Shelley prove ineffective.  Sestito is a giant at 6’5” and 228 pounds, and his reputation seems like a logical choice for the team’s enforcer when Shelley cannot make opponents shake in their skates.

If Sestito is the natural replacement for Jody Shelley, Zac Rinaldo may be Philly’s next Dan Carcillo.  Rinaldo had more suspensions for the Adirondack Phantoms than he had goals scored in 2010-11, giving the perception that he is a bit of a loose cannon.

For the Flyers, a loose cannon may be better than no cannon at all.  Rinaldo would likely take Andreas Nodl’s spot in the lineup if Nodl doesn’t break out early this season (Talbot would play on the third line with Rinaldo on the checking line).  If Nodl cannot contribute offensively, the Flyers cut their losses and go with another player who is offensively stagnant, but will at least get under the opponent’s skin and get the crowd roaring.

Why Toughness Matters

With an offense this young, the Flyers are susceptible to being pushed around, forcing them to take shots from low-percentage areas.  Good defenses win games by bullying opponents into taking the shots they don’t want to take.

The most competitive teams in the league can smell fear and weakness, and if the Flyers appear even the least bit timid, opponents will get very chippy with the Flyers, which could lead to dumb penalties by the Flyers and problems producing on offense.

However, if teams try to intimidate the Flyers’ top players and end up answering to the fists of Sestito, the body checks of Rinaldo or the teeth of Scott Hartnell, the Flyers will get the respect they need to manufacture goals in the offensive zone.

As Laviolette and Holmgren put together their opening-day lineup, expect the suits to give some serious thought to sacrificing skill and speed, for brawn and brute force.  The team has a myriad of new players preparing for their first season in Philadelphia, and it will take the goons to show them just how Philadelphia plays hockey.