2007-08 Flyers Road Trip Blog
The Philadelphia Flyers will begin their season with a 10-day trip through Western Canada, with stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Whistler and Vancouver. For the second consecutive season, philadelphiaflyers.com will be with the team throughout its longest road trip of the year. Flyers Manager of Communications and New Media Kevin Kurz will again be keeping a blog of the trip, but this time will have the help of goaltender Martin Biron, who will give his perspective of the events of each day.
Also this year, we are soliciting questions from fans, one of which will be chosen each day for Marty to answer. Submit your questions to Flyerswebsite@comcast-spectacor.com and we will choose the best question. Be sure to include your name and place of residence.
Make sure you check back every day for the latest pictures, video and a daily recap of what is going on with the Philadelphia Flyers as they begin the 2007-08 season!
Day 10 – October 11, 2007
Philadelphia, PA
5:39 p.m.
It’s safe to say that after 10 days, everyone on the team plane, from the players, to the management to the broadcast crew is ready to get back home. An early bus from the hotel departs for the Vancouver airport at 7:30 a.m., in order to get through U.S. customs and into the air as soon as possible. Fortunately, the ride home is about an hour faster going West to East, and the plane won’t have to stop mid-way to refuel. A message from the captain informs us that the flight will be four hours and 36 minutes, and we take off about 9:35 Pacific Time. One final glimpse of the mountains early on in the flight gives way to cloud cover after about 20 minutes.
Many of the players are napping about halfway through the flight, but fortunately Marty Biron is still awake and watching another episode of his Planet Earth DVD series. Here’s his final blog entry as he recaps the trip and answers one final question in a quieter voice than normal, so as not to wake a sleeping Danny Briere that is sitting to his left.
Martin Biron: Last night after the game and after our post-game talk, we had a meal waiting for us in the locker room. The guys hung out a bit later than normal and had something to eat before taking the bus back to the hotel so we could get to sleep for the early day today. We had the early bus because with the time difference, you don’t want to get into Philadelphia too late, because tomorrow we’re going to get right back on the ice for practice. At the airport we have to go through customs and all that, so it takes a little bit longer.
It’s great because the plane ride going home is so much faster than when we were going the other way with the jet stream and all that. But, it’s a tiring plane ride. Everybody seems to be sleeping in the corner and it’s a very quiet time compared to the way up here. It’s worth it though, because we’ll get home at a decent time and get to see our families again. It’s been 10 days, even though it seemed to go by pretty fast.
We’re happy about the trip and the way it went and the success we had. It’s definitely a great start for us. Tonight we’ll have a little bit of time to enjoy our families, and then we’re right back at it on Saturday.
Our final question for the blog comes from Hank Murphy of East Falls, PA, who asks: Is there anyone in particular you became closer with on this trip?
Martin Biron: I would generalize by saying everybody. In Whistler I roomed with Scottie Upshall, and as I said before as goalies we usually have our own rooms but for the sake of the exercises of getting to know each other better, I roomed with him. That was a lot of fun, that I got to know him a little better, and where he’s from, and all of that. But, everybody really hung out with one another, which was great. There are a lot of new guys, and I’d have to say I definitely learned a lot about most everyone on the trip, which was the plan. That’s the reason we did all this, and it was excellent.
Day 9 – October 10, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia
11:56 p.m.
The Flyers ended their trip on Wednesday night with an impressive 8-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. We caught up with Marty after the game, so let's hear his take on the game, as well his answer to an entertaining question today from one of our readers.
Martin Biron: This morning I got up, and went downstairs and was actually really excited about the game tonight, because we had been off for a couple days. I took the bus down to the rink and got to watch a little bit of the Vancouver practice just to see who’s on that team. We went on the ice and did our usual drills. It was high tempo with a lot of shots, and after the first drill I was tired we had so many shots. I got off the ice pretty quick after practice and took the first bus back to the hotel and went for lunch. I just hung out and read some stats, and some articles.
Yesterday when I got to town I bought a couple of DVD sets, and last night before going to bed I watched the first episode of this Planet Earth show that was on the BBC. It was from pole-to-pole last night, and today I watched half of the mountains episode. It’s just amazing. Right before going to bed for a nap today, I was really peaceful and quiet. I had the best nap I’ve had in a long time because I was so relaxed before I went to bed. So, I took about a two-hour nap and went downstairs to grab a couple Gatorades to bring to the rink before getting on the bus to get to the game.
Once at the rink I had a new stick I needed to tape, and we did our usual penalty killing video and pre-scouting on Vancouver. I felt really good in warmups and it looked like the guys were sharp. You saw that right from the beginning. There were second efforts all throughout the ice, and it was a great way to finish this trip off. The excursion to Whistler must have paid off, because the guys were working for one another and it was really good.
Today’s question comes from Kyle Tresnan of Huntington Valley, PA, who asks: What's the best prank that anyone on your teams has ever pulled?
Martin Biron: I have two. Both of them happened when I was in Buffalo. One guy, and I won’t say his name, got a little mouthy in the room. So, when we were on the ice, one guy asked our trainer to sew the bottom of his jeans shut, and sew his pockets shut with his keys in his wallet inside. So, he went to put his jeans on and couldn’t even get his legs through. So, he found the little needle and just cut the bottom out with that so he put his pants on. Then, we watched him go outside because he hadn’t put his hands in his pockets, so he went to grab his keys and couldn’t get them. He got so mad and embarrassed that ripped his pockets open and ripped his jeans open to get them.
The other one happened to me. We were on a trip and went out to dinner after a game. I went with a couple of the guys and Danny Briere was my roommate. He came home, and some guys came to see me and I wasn’t there yet. So, they took my bed out of my room and set it up in the hallway. I came home about 10 minutes after that, and I saw them putting the mattress on the box spring and fluffing up the pillows right in the hallway. It was pretty good, because now I had to bring it all back in. That was a pretty funny one, and those are the two that come back to me.
A 7:30 a.m. bus awaits the team in the morning for a long flight back to Philadelphia, so we'll talk to Marty one more time on the plane as the longest road trip of the season comes to its conclusion.
Day 9 – October 10, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia
3:04 p.m.
The team assembles in the hotel lobby after breakfast during the nine-o-clock hour, to board a 10:00 bus to GM Place where it
will have the pre-game skate. When the team is on the road, the pre-game skate usually takes place at 11:30, while the home team goes on the ice about 10:30. The Canucks are just starting their pre-game skate when the Flyers arrive to the rink.
After the skate, the team heads back to the hotel for their pre-game meal. Jason Smith gave us the okay to capture a little footage of the meal, so for that, click here.
Or, for a brief slide show of some random shots throughout the last 24 hours, click here.
With the game pushed back to 7:30 p.m. local time, there will be two buses to the arena for the team. The coaches and a few of the players who like to arrive early will grab the 4:30 bus, while the majority of the team will hop on the 5:15. Normally the team will check out of the hotel before heading to the rink on game days and leave for its next destination right after the game, but tonight the Flyers will spend an extra night in Vancouver and fly back to Philadelphia early tomorrow morning.
Check back later tonight for full coverage and reaction to the final game of this season-opening road trip, as well as for Martin Biron's latest blog entry.
Day 8 – October 9, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia
3:45 p.m.
The final leg of the road trip begins today, as the team has its last skate at the Meadow Park Sports Center in Whistler. The team heads to the rink on a 9:25 bus after checking out of the hotel for a 10:00 skate. After the skate, the players talk to the local media about the upcoming game in Vancouver as well as reflecting upon the experiences they had in Whistler.
We caught up with Marty after the skate, so he could fill us in on what the guys did on the second day of their team-building, as well as what he did to pass the time last night in the resort town.
Martin Biron: Yesterday after practice we grabbed lunch, and did more team-building activities in the afternoon, which was indoors. It was a lot of team-based discussions, and what it takes to be a good team and close group. We talked about what we expect from one another, what we see in the team, what we expect from the coaches, what the coaches expect from us, and all that kind of stuff. We broke into some smaller groups at times, and wrote down our thoughts and we put them all on a wall. It was interesting stuff.
We all know what it takes to be a great team, and we can all put it out there. A lot of times, though, you just talk and talk and don’t follow through. We talked a lot about trust and accountability, and you trust the guy next to you is going to do the task at hand, and you have to hold yourself accountable for doing yours. That was all laid out, and is a big key.
After that when the session was over about 10 of us went into town and took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. They told us they could fit 10 of us in there, but then when we got in it was tight. You can maybe fit in 10 if you have some children, but 10 hockey players isn’t really comfortable. So, when we got halfway, some of us got out and got into another one for the rest of the ride up. We saw three bears on the way up, just munching on some grass. At the top there was about two feet of snow, so we took some pictures up there and we hung out a bit before we made our way back and grabbed some dinner to watch the ballgames.
The last two days were pretty intense and everyone was a bit tired. Plus, with the time change, it was funny to watch the football game end at 9:00. You feel like you should be going to bed, but what an amazing football game that was last night, too. We were at a place called Earl’s down the street, so we were watching the football game and then end of the Yankees game. Guys were screaming at the TV, and it was a lot of fun. After that we just headed back, and went to bed. It was a busy day.
Our question of the day comes from Andy Barnasevitch of Beaver Meadows, PA, who asks, Does the team always go out to eat dinner together, and is there any curfew?
Martin Biron: Most of the time we do go to dinner together. Not all 20-some guys, but there’s always going to be four or five guys here, and seven or eight guys there. Some guys have family or friends in town and might go on their own. Sometimes guys are a little tired and might just order room service and stay in.
As for curfew, there are some times where we play the next day and the coach will say, 11:00 curfew. Usually guys are in from dinner or whatever, but that usually means in your room. Sometimes you’ll go to somebody else’s room and play some cards, or watch a movie, and you can lose track of time. Most nights the coaches know that we know how to take care of ourselves and we’re responsible adults, and that he doesn’t really have to say anything. The guys are pretty good about that.
Finally, it’s time to leave the beautiful mountains of Whistler and head south to Vancouver. The buses pull out of the practice rink around noon for the three-hour trek south, and along the way we pass some beautiful scenery. Virtually the entire ride takes place along Howe Sound, a body of water that empties into the Pacific Ocean (we’re not sure if it’s named for Gordie or Mark). At any rate, waterfalls, cliffs, marinas and what looks like the Goondocks are all visible out the windows which make it a little easier to bear when the bus has to stop as they continue construction on the highway for the 2010 Olympics.
There’s nothing on tap for the team tonight, and tomorrow is the last full day in Western Canada so the focus will turn towards the game against Roberto Luongo and the Canucks as the morning skate is set for 11:30 at GM Place.
Day 7 – October 8, 2007
Whistler, British Columbia
4:55 p.m.
An 8:45 bus is the first item on the agenda today, as the team gets back on the ice for the first time since Saturday’s loss to Edmonton. A 10-minute bus ride takes the players to the Meadow Park Sports Center, where there’s a good crowd on hand to greet the team. There are several signs around the rink promoting the fact that the Flyers are practicing here today and tomorrow, and lots of children who are off of school for Canadian Thanksgiving are taking advantage of that.
Practice runs from about 10:00 to 11:30, and we got a chance to catch up with Marty Biron for his observations on yesterday’s team building exercises and this morning’s skate. Below is Biron’s latest blog entry.
Martin Biron: We all got up kind of late yesterday because we got in late the night before. We grabbed a quick breakfast and all met up around 11:00 to start the day. We started by doing some little exercises that had to do with communication, and playing a certain role. There was as exercise where there was a builder, an architect and two helpers, and some guys were allowed to talk and some guys had to observe and couldn’t talk. It was interesting, and got your head starting thinking. After that, we grabbed some lunch and went outside. It was raining for a little while so we all got the rain gear on and we did some crazy stuff out there.
As expected, the defensemen and goalies were really effective and really pulled through and got our heads together. But, we really did some crazy things. If there was a way where we could have as much fun to get the task done, we did. I was flying through the air like I was in Mission Impossible for awhile, and we had Niitty on a narrow beam hanging on, and everyone had a piece of rope to make sure he could maintain his balance. It was great to have the whole team work like that. It was loose, it was fun, and it was something we needed.
We kept things pretty quiet last night. Me, Simon and Danny, or the French Connection, grabbed a little dinner and went back home to our villa and popped in the first season of Entourage and watched a bunch of episodes and ordered desert in the room. It was nice and quiet and allowed us to recover from the long day.
Today I got up, grabbed a quick breakfast muffin and had a skate. It was actually a lot of fun because we’re skating at a different rink. The one side has all of these windows and they had the shades up, so there’s light that comes through and makes it feel like you’re outside on a pond.
It really is a totally different environment here in Whistler. It feels like we’re at a resort. I was talking to one of the cab drivers and he was telling me they keep the pools open all year round and they’re actually more popular in the winter because people come off of the slopes and go in the pool and the hot tubs. So, you drive around and you see steam coming up from every hotel where the pools are. It’s definitely a great atmosphere to be as a group and as a team and focused on what the task is for the entire year.
Our question today comes from long-time Flyers fan Jo Ann Burke, who asks: What are the advantages and disadvantages of starting out the season on the road?
Martin Biron: I’ll start with the disadvantages. Number one, it’s definitely a tough trip. You go and you play three tough teams that you don’t see very much and don’t know a whole lot about them. Being on the road for 10 days is a challenging trip, and having it at the beginning of the year, which is so important, is twice as challenging. But, so far, we feel like we can come out of this trip very successful and that’s what we’re trying to do.
The disadvantages of it, though, are more short-term, but the advantages are more long-term. Now, we’re a bunch of guys that don’t really know each other coming into this trip, we’ll leave after 10 days knowing a lot more about one another. That’s going to stick with us for a long time. We might be in February and remember something that we did over here that could help us.
Following practice, the players had another team-building session, but John Stevens wanted to keep this one private. Since it was still early, a group including myself, the Flyers broadcasters and team staff headed to Whistler Mountain to ride the gondola to the top and snap a few pictures. After a couple of hours there, we took the gondola back down and noticed one going to opposite direction jammed with bodies. As it got closer we noticed that the packed gondola was in fact half of the team, so lets all hope it made it safely to the top of the mountain.
For a slideshow of Day 7, click here.
Day 6 – October 7, 2007
Whistler, British Columbia
8:27 p.m.
After arriving in the early morning hours to what is really an incredible resort here in Whistler, British Columbia, the Flyers awoke to rainy conditions outside for their team bonding activities. Because there was no morning skate today, the team had to meet at 11:00
a.m. in a room on the bottom floor of the hotel. The rain was not much of a hindrance to the day’s activities, fortunately, as the many trees overhead helped to curtail the downpour.
We’re going heavy on the multimedia for today’s blog update, so the links below combine for over 40 minutes of raw video footage of the team’s activities both inside and outside the resort town. First, though, this slideshow will offer a little perspective and understanding as to what some of the video footage shows.
Enjoy!
Flyers in Whistler, Part 1: Video
Flyers in Whistler, Part 2: Video
Note: We’ll get Martin Biron’s view on the day’s activities tomorrow after the morning skate.
Day 5 – October 6, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
10:35 p.m.
We caught up with Marty just before the team plane was to take off for Vancouver, and after the Flyers’ lost a tough game to the Edmonton Oilers to even their record on the season to 1-1. Here’s the Flyers’ goaltender’s latest blog entry, as he takes us through the last 24 hours of the team’s road trip.
Martin Biron: Last night, Danny and I were trying to find a place to watch the hockey games that were on, but apparently in Edmonton there aren’t any places that get the pay- per-view games. So, we met up with Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble to grab dinner at the hotel and just watched the ballgames. I caught the end of the Red Sox game back in my hotel room, and saw Man-Ram clear the Coke bottle and blast it into the highway, so that was pretty nice. It was an early night, since we had to get ready for the game today.
Today there was no pre-game skate, so I just woke up and grabbed a little breakfast and walked around the hotel for about a half-hour or 45 minutes. We had a meeting at 10:45, which was right before our pre-game meal at 11:00. We watched some video from the game in Calgary, and went over some power play stuff. Lunch was the usual, a little pasta and chicken, and of course a little ice cream to top it all off. The 6:00 start time was a little odd, in that we didn’t have a skate in the morning, so I tried to get a couple hours sleep in the afternoon. Then I just took the bus over to the game and went through the normal pre-game rituals like getting my stick ready, and then went out for the game.
Tonight’s game was one of those games that leaves you with a little bit of a bad taste in your mouth. It was a game that even though we didn’t play the way that we wanted to, we were right there. It was tied after one, and still tied after two, but the things that you always want to take care of we weren’t quite able to do. We gave up a goal in the last minute of the second, and gave up a goal early in the third. We hit like three posts, and had two pucks go in our net off of our own guys. I kind of wish we had practice right away or a game right away, because you have that fire in you right now. I was actually just talking to Danny on the bus, and we have practice Monday and Tuesday and don’t play again until Wednesday’s game, and I want to get back on the ice right away and get things worked out.
Since Marty had a plate of hot food in his right hand while stopping to talk to me at the back of the plane, we’ll skip the fan question today and catch up with him after the team’s off day tomorrow. Right now, the plane is headed to Vancouver in what is approximately an hour-long flight, and that will be followed by a two-hour bus ride to Whistler, British Columbia.
Team building exercises will start around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, so check back for complete updates of the Flyers’ activities in the mountains of Western Canada.
Day 5 – October 6, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
4:28 p.m.
With the absence of a pre-game skate this morning, today’s first blog entry comes live from the press box here at Rexall Place, near the many banners which remind the fans of the team's glory years here in the 1980's.
There were two buses to the game from the team hotel; a 3:00 and a 3:45. The coaching staff and most of the broadcast crew are always on the first bus as well as some players who like to get to the rink early. Today, those players include Danny Briere, Braydon Coburn, Lasse Kukkonen, Mike Knuble, Riley Cote, Jason Smith, Sami Kapanen and Denis Tolpeko.
For a video of the players exciting the bus and heading into the locker room of the arena, click here.
The big news around Edmonton today is the return of their former captain, Jason Smith. The rumor going around here is that the Oilers have prepared a 90-second tribute to Smith that will be played on the jumbotron screen either before or sometime during the game. Pretty classy move for the organization to honor its longest-serving captain in franchise history.
Tonight’s game features two clubs that went through extensive change in the offseason, and two clubs that won their respective first games of the 2007-08 season. Edmonton features a group of young, talented forwards that the Flyers will have to keep in check if they want to start the season off with two straight wins.
We’ll catch up with Martin Biron after the game, either on the flight to Vancouver or on the bus ride to Whistler, where the Flyers will have three days of practice and team-building activities before their next game on Wednesday, October 10 against the Canucks.
Day 4 – October 5, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
4:42 p.m.
Before getting to this afternoon’s skate at Rexall Place in Edmonton, here’s a little exclusive footage of the team checking into the hotel in the early morning hours of October 5. As is the case at every hotel, the keys are nicely laid out for the team to grab, and there is often water and fruit by the keys for a late night snack.
To see that video, click here.
Today, an 11:45 bus takes the team to practice at the home of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are wrapping up practice themselves when we arrive, so a couple of the players head up to the stands to watch a bit. Of course, there’s a familiar face on the ice for Edmonton, and Joni Pitkanen and Jeff Carter say hi to one another after making eye contact. Pitkanen, of course, was traded to the Oilers along with Geoff Sanderson for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul.
Smith, the captain of the Oilers for five seasons, is greeted after practice by a horde of Edmonton media. He answers questions on camera outside of the locker room, and then speaks with the Philadelphia beat writers in attendance after sitting down and catching his breath.
To see that video, click here.
Or, for a slideshow of some of the past two days' activity, click here.
Now, on to Martin Biron, who gives this assessment of the last 24 or so hours:
Martin Biron: Last night was fun. One thing that was really good, is that there wasn’t a huge presentation before the game for the first game of the year in Calgary. We didn’t have to sit in the locker room for 25 minutes before going on the ice, which was good. It kind of got carried away a little bit the last couple of years with some teams and their pre-game presentations.
We got off to a great start, and to be up 2-0 in the first in that building was just awesome. The guys were really excited to play the game, and winning in dramatic fashion like we did was really good for us. It made for some really smiley faces on the plane ride to Edmonton.
We got in late last night because the game in Calgary started at 8:00. I laid in bed for a little bit, because it’s hard to fall asleep right away. I watched a little TV, caught some highlights, and we all got to sleep in a little bit this morning with the late practice. When there’s a late practice like that, it’s good to get in a big breakfast or brunch type meal. Tomorrow, with it being an early game at 6:00, you want to good nutrition in today. We had an 11:45 bus to practice this morning, and I went downstairs at around 10:45 and most of the guys were all starting to get breakfast, which means most of the guys slept in and took care of themselves.
Our question for Marty today comes from Kim Daloisio of Moorestown, New Jersey, who asks: Which one of your teammates has the best fashion sense?
Martin Biron: I’d have to say that Riley Cote definitely can pull out some suits that would rival anyone in the league. I saw a couple last year, especially the last weekend of the year, when he had some pretty nice ones. He has yet to show his personality through his clothes this year, but I’m sure it’s going to come. He’s one guy that I think shows his wild side by the suits he wears.
The team will not skate tomorrow morning, instead opting for a meeting at the hotel. The game against the Oilers will begin at 6:00 p.m. local time.
Day 4 - October 5, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
2:08 a.m.
Following the exciting 3-2 win for the Flyers, it was no surprise that Danny Briere was a popular man after the game. Briere chatted with the Canadian CBC television live after being named the first star, as well as Comcast SportsNet before he even had a chance to enter the locker room where his upbeat teammates awaited. When he did, the rest of the media patiently allowed him to catch his breath remove some of his wet gear before another round of questioning. Just before that, however, he jokes with Jim Dowd about the pretty big hit he took while trying to locate the puck in the closing seconds of the game. It’s obviously much easier to laugh that type of play off in what was a perfect ending in the team’s first game of the season. I’m not sure anyone could wipe the smile off of Briere’s face at the moment, since he really couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Flyers career.
As usual, there is a stack of about 15 pizzas waiting for the team in the locker room while everyone gets showered and changed for the waiting bus outside of the arena. There is a solid group of about 40 Flyers fans standing behind bike racks outside, and many players make their way over to sign a couple autographs for the fans. Our boy Marty Biron, Riley Cote and Simon Gagne all take their time to make sure that no one leaves disappointed.
Two buses are outside in the zamboni tunnel of the Saddledome; one for the team and one smaller van for the “media,” which includes the television and radio crews as well as the PR staff. On this trip, our smaller bus is a little more cramped as Tim Panaccio and Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News are going to be with us on the team charter. We all just barely fit into the van, and Steve Coates and Tim Saunders are forced to get a little cozy while sharing the front seat. Fortunately, it’s a quick ride to the Calgary airport and then just a 30 minute flight to Edmonton from there.
Practice is scheduled for 1:00 tomorrow (or later today, depending on how you look at it), at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, so we’ll catch up with Marty after the skate and get all of his input on the first game and first win of the season. Of course, for a complete recap of the Calgary game, including post-game video interviews, click here.
Day 3 – October 4, 2007
Calgary, Alberta
2:51 p.m.
Before getting to today’s activities and the beginning of the season against the Flames tonight, a quick note about last night, as the team went to dinner at a steakhouse a couple of blocks from the hotel. The players all sat at a table with each other, while the coaches and staff sat at another table. Marty will pick up his blog with last night’s dinner.
We managed today to get video footage of Marty explaining the design of his goalie mask to Flyers color analyst Steve Coates. To see that video, click here.
Today, the team took a 10:00 bus to the Saddledome for the pre-game skate at 11:30. The Flyers open the 2007-08 season tonight against Calgary at 10:00 p.m. (8:00 local time).
Martin Biron: Last night we had a team dinner a couple blocks from our hotel. It was kind of nice because we got to watch the hockey game and the baseball game a little bit in our room at the restaurant. It’s always good getting everyone together to kick off the season. It was really weird because of the time change that we’re still getting used to, and even though dinner was at 6:00 it felt really late, so after dinner we got out of there pretty quickly and just went back to the hotel and went to bed. But the dinner itself was a lot of fun.
Today is all about the game, of course. We had our morning skate, just to get a feel for the puck and feel the rink a little bit and make sure your gear is alright. I had a couple of things to get fixed, like the laces that hold the tip of my pad to my skate had to be replaced. I broke in a couple of new sticks, too. It was pretty intense out there for a morning skate, which is good, and now we’re just going to get back to the hotel. The team will have the pre-game meal, so we’ll chit chat a little bit, and read some stats and player bios on their team, and maybe some of the media clippings.
The feeling in the room today is great. Everyone is on their toes, and the butterflies are starting to come back. It’s a little difficult to describe because everybody is confident and everyone has a clean slate. All of our expectations are really high, and there is a quiet confidence. It’s fun, though. It’s the first morning and all of the media is in our locker room from both teams, trying to get all of their quotes.
The question for Marty today comes from Theresa Carney from Williamstown, New Jersey. She asks: Do you get to choose your roommate when on road trips or does the coaching staff do room assignments?
Martin Biron: Actually, I’ve got my own room. That’s a common thing around the league, that the goalies get their own rooms. I think the reasoning behind it is that sometimes you get roommates that you’re not so compatible with in terms of a routine and sleep patterns. Also, if your roommate has the flu or a cold, you don’t want your goalies getting sick. The last few years though in Buffalo, I had a roommate. Buffalo goalies have roommates, so I roomed with J.P. Dumont for a bunch of years and then last year I was with Danny, actually. We talked about that a bit this year, but since goalies get their own rooms here that’s fine with me.
Usually, it’s the coaches that determine who is going to room with who; if two guys are childhood buddies or from the same town or country, they might be paired together. And sometimes, guys just aren’t compatible. It’s not that they don’t like each other, they could be best friends, but one guy might want to sleep in the afternoon and the other guy might want to watch TV in the afternoon.
There’s also a rule where if you’ve played a certain amount of games in the NHL, you get your own room. So, some of the veterans take advantage of that and just get rooms to themselves.
That's all for now, but make sure to check back here to philadelphiaflyers.com for complete coverage of the game against the Flames.
Day 2 – October 3, 2007
Calgary, Alberta
3:01 p.m.
The first full day of the Flyers’ road trip begins essentially at 9:00 a.m., when the team buses to the Pengrowth Saddledome. Instead of practicing there, though, the players change into their gear and bus to another rink. It’s a pretty odd scene, in that the guys are all wearing their gear from head to toe, except on their feet instead of wearing skates they are in sneakers and flip-flops.
In fact, you can see for yourself by clicking here.
Slideshow
It’s evident here in Calgary that autumn has arrived, as many of the trees are sporting bright yellow leaves and it’s only about a high of 50 degrees. There’s also plenty of construction around town, including a casino which is being built right next to the Saddledome.
After a bus ride of about 20 minutes, the team gets off with their sticks and skates in tow and file into the cozy Peter Bauer rink. This isn’t to be confused with Jack Bauer rink, which I believe is located in Southern California and is under constant surveillance. An hour-long practice ends around 11:30, and the team files back into the bus and heads back to the Saddledome to get out of their gear and take showers.
But enough from me, let’s let our guest blogger, Martin Biron, give his take on the day’s activities. We caught up with Marty just before he stepped back onto the bus to head back to the hotel.
Martin Biron: I got up this morning, and it was a little different with it being two hours later than Philadelphia time. You wake up at 7:30 here, and it almost feels like you’re sleeping in a little bit. I went downstairs to the lobby of the hotel and met up with a couple of the guys to grab a bite to eat. We got on the bus, and came here to the Saddledome first to get changed before busing to the rink where we skated. As a goalie, it’s not really something we like, getting halfway dressed and then having to go to another rink. But, we did it anyway, and got on the ice at Team Canada’s facility. It was a little different because it was an international ice surface, but it was a good practice. When you’ve been on a plane for awhile, and then you get to practice, the skates feel a little tight and your mask is a little tighter, so you get that out of the way and then everything feels a lot better.
Now, we’re just going to head back to the hotel and grab lunch with a couple of the guys and watch the Phillies game. There’s a little market right next to our hotel, and there’s a Joey Tomato’s right across the street that’s a nice enough pasta place for lunch. Today is a big baseball day today so we’ll probably end up watching a lot of those games. We have a team dinner at 6:00 tonight, and we’ll be watching some more baseball and the hockey game that’s on tonight to get ourselves in the mood for tomorrow.
Our fan question today comes from Marcus Zimmerman from Haddonfield, New Jersey, who asks Marty: What is the team's dress code and who comes up with it?
Martin Biron: The dress code when we have to fly is business casual, so we have to wear slacks or dress pants with a collared shirt. It could be a golf shirt, or button down. On the off days like today, where we only practice, we’re allowed to wear jeans. We can’t wear jeans with holes or shirts with shark-bites in them. I’m not even sure what that means, but that’s what Johnny said, no shirts with shark-bites. You’re allowed to wear a hat, as long as it’s not on backwards or sideways. You can look casual, but still look nice.
Tomorrow, on game days, it’s business casual the morning of the game and then it’s a suit the night of the game. A tie is optional. Some guys like to wear ties, and I’m one of those guys. It’s just something I always had since juniors and in the American League. Tomorrow after the game we’ll be flying to Edmonton, so we’ll be wearing our suits on the plane.
That's all for today, but make sure to check back tomorrow as the focus turns to the start of the 2007-08 season when the Flyers take on the Calgary Flames.
Day 1 – Tuesday, October 2
Calgary, Alberta
7:15 p.m.
Hello Flyers fans, and welcome to the Philadelphia Flyers’ road trip blog, version 2.0. This year, the blog will be bigger and better than before, as we solicit the help of the always personable and insightful goaltender of the team, Martin Biron, while at the same time we take advantage of our new and improved website with plenty of slideshows and video that will be posted exclusively here on philadelphiaflyers.com.
While day one of the trip really didn’t bring all that much excitement other than a six-hour trek to Calgary with a stop for fuel in Fargo, North Dakota, we still managed to snap some photos on and off the plane of the team doing what they do. Which, of course isn’t all that different from what anyone else does on an extended travel day, and that’s kill time. For a brief slideshow of the trip from Philadelphia to Calgary, click here.
Tomorrow, we will get the first of Marty’s blog entries, as he takes us from the first practice here in Calgary through games against the Flames, Oilers and Canucks, as well as a three-day team building excursion in Whistler (about three hours north of Vancouver). Make sure you visit philadelphiaflyers.com on a daily basis, as the team begins the 2007-08 NHL season, and don't forget to send in your questions for Marty!
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| Martin Biron |
Also this year, we are soliciting questions from fans, one of which will be chosen each day for Marty to answer. Submit your questions to Flyerswebsite@comcast-spectacor.com and we will choose the best question. Be sure to include your name and place of residence.
Make sure you check back every day for the latest pictures, video and a daily recap of what is going on with the Philadelphia Flyers as they begin the 2007-08 season!
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Blog
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Photo Gallery |
Video |
| Day 1: October 2nd | Photos | |
| Day 2: October 3rd | Photos | Getting Ready for Practice |
| Day 3: October 4th | Biron Talks About His Mask | |
| Day 4: October 5th | Photos | Briere: Post-Game Calgary John Stevens Post Game Flyers Arrive in Edmonton Smith Prepares for Edmonton |
| Day 5: October 6th | Pre-Game Edmonton | |
| Day 6: October 7th | Photos | Team Building Part 1 Team Building Part 2 |
| Day 7: October 8th | Photos | |
| Day 8: October 9th | ||
| Day 9: October 10th | Photos | Pre-Game Meal in Vancouver |
Day 10 – October 11, 2007
Philadelphia, PA
5:39 p.m.
It’s safe to say that after 10 days, everyone on the team plane, from the players, to the management to the broadcast crew is ready to get back home. An early bus from the hotel departs for the Vancouver airport at 7:30 a.m., in order to get through U.S. customs and into the air as soon as possible. Fortunately, the ride home is about an hour faster going West to East, and the plane won’t have to stop mid-way to refuel. A message from the captain informs us that the flight will be four hours and 36 minutes, and we take off about 9:35 Pacific Time. One final glimpse of the mountains early on in the flight gives way to cloud cover after about 20 minutes.
Many of the players are napping about halfway through the flight, but fortunately Marty Biron is still awake and watching another episode of his Planet Earth DVD series. Here’s his final blog entry as he recaps the trip and answers one final question in a quieter voice than normal, so as not to wake a sleeping Danny Briere that is sitting to his left.
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| Jason Smith, Martin Biron and Simon Gagne arrive back in Philadelphia and head to their cars. (Flyers Photos) |
Martin Biron: Last night after the game and after our post-game talk, we had a meal waiting for us in the locker room. The guys hung out a bit later than normal and had something to eat before taking the bus back to the hotel so we could get to sleep for the early day today. We had the early bus because with the time difference, you don’t want to get into Philadelphia too late, because tomorrow we’re going to get right back on the ice for practice. At the airport we have to go through customs and all that, so it takes a little bit longer.
It’s great because the plane ride going home is so much faster than when we were going the other way with the jet stream and all that. But, it’s a tiring plane ride. Everybody seems to be sleeping in the corner and it’s a very quiet time compared to the way up here. It’s worth it though, because we’ll get home at a decent time and get to see our families again. It’s been 10 days, even though it seemed to go by pretty fast.
We’re happy about the trip and the way it went and the success we had. It’s definitely a great start for us. Tonight we’ll have a little bit of time to enjoy our families, and then we’re right back at it on Saturday.
Our final question for the blog comes from Hank Murphy of East Falls, PA, who asks: Is there anyone in particular you became closer with on this trip?
Martin Biron: I would generalize by saying everybody. In Whistler I roomed with Scottie Upshall, and as I said before as goalies we usually have our own rooms but for the sake of the exercises of getting to know each other better, I roomed with him. That was a lot of fun, that I got to know him a little better, and where he’s from, and all of that. But, everybody really hung out with one another, which was great. There are a lot of new guys, and I’d have to say I definitely learned a lot about most everyone on the trip, which was the plan. That’s the reason we did all this, and it was excellent.
Day 9 – October 10, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia
11:56 p.m.
The Flyers ended their trip on Wednesday night with an impressive 8-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. We caught up with Marty after the game, so let's hear his take on the game, as well his answer to an entertaining question today from one of our readers.
Martin Biron: This morning I got up, and went downstairs and was actually really excited about the game tonight, because we had been off for a couple days. I took the bus down to the rink and got to watch a little bit of the Vancouver practice just to see who’s on that team. We went on the ice and did our usual drills. It was high tempo with a lot of shots, and after the first drill I was tired we had so many shots. I got off the ice pretty quick after practice and took the first bus back to the hotel and went for lunch. I just hung out and read some stats, and some articles.
Yesterday when I got to town I bought a couple of DVD sets, and last night before going to bed I watched the first episode of this Planet Earth show that was on the BBC. It was from pole-to-pole last night, and today I watched half of the mountains episode. It’s just amazing. Right before going to bed for a nap today, I was really peaceful and quiet. I had the best nap I’ve had in a long time because I was so relaxed before I went to bed. So, I took about a two-hour nap and went downstairs to grab a couple Gatorades to bring to the rink before getting on the bus to get to the game.
Once at the rink I had a new stick I needed to tape, and we did our usual penalty killing video and pre-scouting on Vancouver. I felt really good in warmups and it looked like the guys were sharp. You saw that right from the beginning. There were second efforts all throughout the ice, and it was a great way to finish this trip off. The excursion to Whistler must have paid off, because the guys were working for one another and it was really good.
Today’s question comes from Kyle Tresnan of Huntington Valley, PA, who asks: What's the best prank that anyone on your teams has ever pulled?
Martin Biron: I have two. Both of them happened when I was in Buffalo. One guy, and I won’t say his name, got a little mouthy in the room. So, when we were on the ice, one guy asked our trainer to sew the bottom of his jeans shut, and sew his pockets shut with his keys in his wallet inside. So, he went to put his jeans on and couldn’t even get his legs through. So, he found the little needle and just cut the bottom out with that so he put his pants on. Then, we watched him go outside because he hadn’t put his hands in his pockets, so he went to grab his keys and couldn’t get them. He got so mad and embarrassed that ripped his pockets open and ripped his jeans open to get them.
The other one happened to me. We were on a trip and went out to dinner after a game. I went with a couple of the guys and Danny Briere was my roommate. He came home, and some guys came to see me and I wasn’t there yet. So, they took my bed out of my room and set it up in the hallway. I came home about 10 minutes after that, and I saw them putting the mattress on the box spring and fluffing up the pillows right in the hallway. It was pretty good, because now I had to bring it all back in. That was a pretty funny one, and those are the two that come back to me.
A 7:30 a.m. bus awaits the team in the morning for a long flight back to Philadelphia, so we'll talk to Marty one more time on the plane as the longest road trip of the season comes to its conclusion.
Day 9 – October 10, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia
3:04 p.m.
The team assembles in the hotel lobby after breakfast during the nine-o-clock hour, to board a 10:00 bus to GM Place where it
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| Simon Gagne reads the morning paper in the hotel lobby before getting on the bus to GM Place in Vancouver. (Flyers Photos) |
After the skate, the team heads back to the hotel for their pre-game meal. Jason Smith gave us the okay to capture a little footage of the meal, so for that, click here.
Or, for a brief slide show of some random shots throughout the last 24 hours, click here.
With the game pushed back to 7:30 p.m. local time, there will be two buses to the arena for the team. The coaches and a few of the players who like to arrive early will grab the 4:30 bus, while the majority of the team will hop on the 5:15. Normally the team will check out of the hotel before heading to the rink on game days and leave for its next destination right after the game, but tonight the Flyers will spend an extra night in Vancouver and fly back to Philadelphia early tomorrow morning.
Check back later tonight for full coverage and reaction to the final game of this season-opening road trip, as well as for Martin Biron's latest blog entry.
Day 8 – October 9, 2007
Vancouver, British Columbia
3:45 p.m.
The final leg of the road trip begins today, as the team has its last skate at the Meadow Park Sports Center in Whistler. The team heads to the rink on a 9:25 bus after checking out of the hotel for a 10:00 skate. After the skate, the players talk to the local media about the upcoming game in Vancouver as well as reflecting upon the experiences they had in Whistler.
We caught up with Marty after the skate, so he could fill us in on what the guys did on the second day of their team-building, as well as what he did to pass the time last night in the resort town.
Martin Biron: Yesterday after practice we grabbed lunch, and did more team-building activities in the afternoon, which was indoors. It was a lot of team-based discussions, and what it takes to be a good team and close group. We talked about what we expect from one another, what we see in the team, what we expect from the coaches, what the coaches expect from us, and all that kind of stuff. We broke into some smaller groups at times, and wrote down our thoughts and we put them all on a wall. It was interesting stuff.
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| Jeff Carter, Joffrey Lupul and Riley Cote relax after checking out of the hotel in Whistler. (Flyers Photos) |
We all know what it takes to be a great team, and we can all put it out there. A lot of times, though, you just talk and talk and don’t follow through. We talked a lot about trust and accountability, and you trust the guy next to you is going to do the task at hand, and you have to hold yourself accountable for doing yours. That was all laid out, and is a big key.
After that when the session was over about 10 of us went into town and took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. They told us they could fit 10 of us in there, but then when we got in it was tight. You can maybe fit in 10 if you have some children, but 10 hockey players isn’t really comfortable. So, when we got halfway, some of us got out and got into another one for the rest of the ride up. We saw three bears on the way up, just munching on some grass. At the top there was about two feet of snow, so we took some pictures up there and we hung out a bit before we made our way back and grabbed some dinner to watch the ballgames.
The last two days were pretty intense and everyone was a bit tired. Plus, with the time change, it was funny to watch the football game end at 9:00. You feel like you should be going to bed, but what an amazing football game that was last night, too. We were at a place called Earl’s down the street, so we were watching the football game and then end of the Yankees game. Guys were screaming at the TV, and it was a lot of fun. After that we just headed back, and went to bed. It was a busy day.
Our question of the day comes from Andy Barnasevitch of Beaver Meadows, PA, who asks, Does the team always go out to eat dinner together, and is there any curfew?
Martin Biron: Most of the time we do go to dinner together. Not all 20-some guys, but there’s always going to be four or five guys here, and seven or eight guys there. Some guys have family or friends in town and might go on their own. Sometimes guys are a little tired and might just order room service and stay in.
As for curfew, there are some times where we play the next day and the coach will say, 11:00 curfew. Usually guys are in from dinner or whatever, but that usually means in your room. Sometimes you’ll go to somebody else’s room and play some cards, or watch a movie, and you can lose track of time. Most nights the coaches know that we know how to take care of ourselves and we’re responsible adults, and that he doesn’t really have to say anything. The guys are pretty good about that.
Finally, it’s time to leave the beautiful mountains of Whistler and head south to Vancouver. The buses pull out of the practice rink around noon for the three-hour trek south, and along the way we pass some beautiful scenery. Virtually the entire ride takes place along Howe Sound, a body of water that empties into the Pacific Ocean (we’re not sure if it’s named for Gordie or Mark). At any rate, waterfalls, cliffs, marinas and what looks like the Goondocks are all visible out the windows which make it a little easier to bear when the bus has to stop as they continue construction on the highway for the 2010 Olympics.
There’s nothing on tap for the team tonight, and tomorrow is the last full day in Western Canada so the focus will turn towards the game against Roberto Luongo and the Canucks as the morning skate is set for 11:30 at GM Place.
Day 7 – October 8, 2007
Whistler, British Columbia
4:55 p.m.
An 8:45 bus is the first item on the agenda today, as the team gets back on the ice for the first time since Saturday’s loss to Edmonton. A 10-minute bus ride takes the players to the Meadow Park Sports Center, where there’s a good crowd on hand to greet the team. There are several signs around the rink promoting the fact that the Flyers are practicing here today and tomorrow, and lots of children who are off of school for Canadian Thanksgiving are taking advantage of that.
Practice runs from about 10:00 to 11:30, and we got a chance to catch up with Marty Biron for his observations on yesterday’s team building exercises and this morning’s skate. Below is Biron’s latest blog entry.
Martin Biron: We all got up kind of late yesterday because we got in late the night before. We grabbed a quick breakfast and all met up around 11:00 to start the day. We started by doing some little exercises that had to do with communication, and playing a certain role. There was as exercise where there was a builder, an architect and two helpers, and some guys were allowed to talk and some guys had to observe and couldn’t talk. It was interesting, and got your head starting thinking. After that, we grabbed some lunch and went outside. It was raining for a little while so we all got the rain gear on and we did some crazy stuff out there.
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| Kimmo Timonen and Lasse Kukkonen sign some autographs for fans in Whistler. (Flyers Photos) |
As expected, the defensemen and goalies were really effective and really pulled through and got our heads together. But, we really did some crazy things. If there was a way where we could have as much fun to get the task done, we did. I was flying through the air like I was in Mission Impossible for awhile, and we had Niitty on a narrow beam hanging on, and everyone had a piece of rope to make sure he could maintain his balance. It was great to have the whole team work like that. It was loose, it was fun, and it was something we needed.
We kept things pretty quiet last night. Me, Simon and Danny, or the French Connection, grabbed a little dinner and went back home to our villa and popped in the first season of Entourage and watched a bunch of episodes and ordered desert in the room. It was nice and quiet and allowed us to recover from the long day.
Today I got up, grabbed a quick breakfast muffin and had a skate. It was actually a lot of fun because we’re skating at a different rink. The one side has all of these windows and they had the shades up, so there’s light that comes through and makes it feel like you’re outside on a pond.
It really is a totally different environment here in Whistler. It feels like we’re at a resort. I was talking to one of the cab drivers and he was telling me they keep the pools open all year round and they’re actually more popular in the winter because people come off of the slopes and go in the pool and the hot tubs. So, you drive around and you see steam coming up from every hotel where the pools are. It’s definitely a great atmosphere to be as a group and as a team and focused on what the task is for the entire year.
Our question today comes from long-time Flyers fan Jo Ann Burke, who asks: What are the advantages and disadvantages of starting out the season on the road?
Martin Biron: I’ll start with the disadvantages. Number one, it’s definitely a tough trip. You go and you play three tough teams that you don’t see very much and don’t know a whole lot about them. Being on the road for 10 days is a challenging trip, and having it at the beginning of the year, which is so important, is twice as challenging. But, so far, we feel like we can come out of this trip very successful and that’s what we’re trying to do.
The disadvantages of it, though, are more short-term, but the advantages are more long-term. Now, we’re a bunch of guys that don’t really know each other coming into this trip, we’ll leave after 10 days knowing a lot more about one another. That’s going to stick with us for a long time. We might be in February and remember something that we did over here that could help us.
Following practice, the players had another team-building session, but John Stevens wanted to keep this one private. Since it was still early, a group including myself, the Flyers broadcasters and team staff headed to Whistler Mountain to ride the gondola to the top and snap a few pictures. After a couple of hours there, we took the gondola back down and noticed one going to opposite direction jammed with bodies. As it got closer we noticed that the packed gondola was in fact half of the team, so lets all hope it made it safely to the top of the mountain.
For a slideshow of Day 7, click here.
Day 6 – October 7, 2007
Whistler, British Columbia
8:27 p.m.
After arriving in the early morning hours to what is really an incredible resort here in Whistler, British Columbia, the Flyers awoke to rainy conditions outside for their team bonding activities. Because there was no morning skate today, the team had to meet at 11:00
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| Marty Biron tries to rappel between two trees. (Flyers Photos) |
We’re going heavy on the multimedia for today’s blog update, so the links below combine for over 40 minutes of raw video footage of the team’s activities both inside and outside the resort town. First, though, this slideshow will offer a little perspective and understanding as to what some of the video footage shows.
Enjoy!
Flyers in Whistler, Part 1: Video
Flyers in Whistler, Part 2: Video
Note: We’ll get Martin Biron’s view on the day’s activities tomorrow after the morning skate.
Day 5 – October 6, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
10:35 p.m.
We caught up with Marty just before the team plane was to take off for Vancouver, and after the Flyers’ lost a tough game to the Edmonton Oilers to even their record on the season to 1-1. Here’s the Flyers’ goaltender’s latest blog entry, as he takes us through the last 24 hours of the team’s road trip.
Martin Biron: Last night, Danny and I were trying to find a place to watch the hockey games that were on, but apparently in Edmonton there aren’t any places that get the pay- per-view games. So, we met up with Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble to grab dinner at the hotel and just watched the ballgames. I caught the end of the Red Sox game back in my hotel room, and saw Man-Ram clear the Coke bottle and blast it into the highway, so that was pretty nice. It was an early night, since we had to get ready for the game today.
Today there was no pre-game skate, so I just woke up and grabbed a little breakfast and walked around the hotel for about a half-hour or 45 minutes. We had a meeting at 10:45, which was right before our pre-game meal at 11:00. We watched some video from the game in Calgary, and went over some power play stuff. Lunch was the usual, a little pasta and chicken, and of course a little ice cream to top it all off. The 6:00 start time was a little odd, in that we didn’t have a skate in the morning, so I tried to get a couple hours sleep in the afternoon. Then I just took the bus over to the game and went through the normal pre-game rituals like getting my stick ready, and then went out for the game.
Tonight’s game was one of those games that leaves you with a little bit of a bad taste in your mouth. It was a game that even though we didn’t play the way that we wanted to, we were right there. It was tied after one, and still tied after two, but the things that you always want to take care of we weren’t quite able to do. We gave up a goal in the last minute of the second, and gave up a goal early in the third. We hit like three posts, and had two pucks go in our net off of our own guys. I kind of wish we had practice right away or a game right away, because you have that fire in you right now. I was actually just talking to Danny on the bus, and we have practice Monday and Tuesday and don’t play again until Wednesday’s game, and I want to get back on the ice right away and get things worked out.
Since Marty had a plate of hot food in his right hand while stopping to talk to me at the back of the plane, we’ll skip the fan question today and catch up with him after the team’s off day tomorrow. Right now, the plane is headed to Vancouver in what is approximately an hour-long flight, and that will be followed by a two-hour bus ride to Whistler, British Columbia.
Team building exercises will start around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, so check back for complete updates of the Flyers’ activities in the mountains of Western Canada.
Day 5 – October 6, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
4:28 p.m.
With the absence of a pre-game skate this morning, today’s first blog entry comes live from the press box here at Rexall Place, near the many banners which remind the fans of the team's glory years here in the 1980's.
There were two buses to the game from the team hotel; a 3:00 and a 3:45. The coaching staff and most of the broadcast crew are always on the first bus as well as some players who like to get to the rink early. Today, those players include Danny Briere, Braydon Coburn, Lasse Kukkonen, Mike Knuble, Riley Cote, Jason Smith, Sami Kapanen and Denis Tolpeko.
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| Derian Hatcher chats with Flyers beat writer Wayne Fish before the game against the Oilers. (Flyers Photos) |
For a video of the players exciting the bus and heading into the locker room of the arena, click here.
The big news around Edmonton today is the return of their former captain, Jason Smith. The rumor going around here is that the Oilers have prepared a 90-second tribute to Smith that will be played on the jumbotron screen either before or sometime during the game. Pretty classy move for the organization to honor its longest-serving captain in franchise history.
Tonight’s game features two clubs that went through extensive change in the offseason, and two clubs that won their respective first games of the 2007-08 season. Edmonton features a group of young, talented forwards that the Flyers will have to keep in check if they want to start the season off with two straight wins.
We’ll catch up with Martin Biron after the game, either on the flight to Vancouver or on the bus ride to Whistler, where the Flyers will have three days of practice and team-building activities before their next game on Wednesday, October 10 against the Canucks.
Day 4 – October 5, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
4:42 p.m.
Before getting to this afternoon’s skate at Rexall Place in Edmonton, here’s a little exclusive footage of the team checking into the hotel in the early morning hours of October 5. As is the case at every hotel, the keys are nicely laid out for the team to grab, and there is often water and fruit by the keys for a late night snack.
To see that video, click here.
Today, an 11:45 bus takes the team to practice at the home of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are wrapping up practice themselves when we arrive, so a couple of the players head up to the stands to watch a bit. Of course, there’s a familiar face on the ice for Edmonton, and Joni Pitkanen and Jeff Carter say hi to one another after making eye contact. Pitkanen, of course, was traded to the Oilers along with Geoff Sanderson for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul.
Smith, the captain of the Oilers for five seasons, is greeted after practice by a horde of Edmonton media. He answers questions on camera outside of the locker room, and then speaks with the Philadelphia beat writers in attendance after sitting down and catching his breath.
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| Marty Biron and Flyers goaltending coach Reggie Lemelin have a laugh before heading up to their rooms in Edmonton. (Flyers Photos) |
To see that video, click here.
Or, for a slideshow of some of the past two days' activity, click here.
Now, on to Martin Biron, who gives this assessment of the last 24 or so hours:
Martin Biron: Last night was fun. One thing that was really good, is that there wasn’t a huge presentation before the game for the first game of the year in Calgary. We didn’t have to sit in the locker room for 25 minutes before going on the ice, which was good. It kind of got carried away a little bit the last couple of years with some teams and their pre-game presentations.
We got off to a great start, and to be up 2-0 in the first in that building was just awesome. The guys were really excited to play the game, and winning in dramatic fashion like we did was really good for us. It made for some really smiley faces on the plane ride to Edmonton.
We got in late last night because the game in Calgary started at 8:00. I laid in bed for a little bit, because it’s hard to fall asleep right away. I watched a little TV, caught some highlights, and we all got to sleep in a little bit this morning with the late practice. When there’s a late practice like that, it’s good to get in a big breakfast or brunch type meal. Tomorrow, with it being an early game at 6:00, you want to good nutrition in today. We had an 11:45 bus to practice this morning, and I went downstairs at around 10:45 and most of the guys were all starting to get breakfast, which means most of the guys slept in and took care of themselves.
Our question for Marty today comes from Kim Daloisio of Moorestown, New Jersey, who asks: Which one of your teammates has the best fashion sense?
Martin Biron: I’d have to say that Riley Cote definitely can pull out some suits that would rival anyone in the league. I saw a couple last year, especially the last weekend of the year, when he had some pretty nice ones. He has yet to show his personality through his clothes this year, but I’m sure it’s going to come. He’s one guy that I think shows his wild side by the suits he wears.
The team will not skate tomorrow morning, instead opting for a meeting at the hotel. The game against the Oilers will begin at 6:00 p.m. local time.
Day 4 - October 5, 2007
Edmonton, Alberta
2:08 a.m.
Following the exciting 3-2 win for the Flyers, it was no surprise that Danny Briere was a popular man after the game. Briere chatted with the Canadian CBC television live after being named the first star, as well as Comcast SportsNet before he even had a chance to enter the locker room where his upbeat teammates awaited. When he did, the rest of the media patiently allowed him to catch his breath remove some of his wet gear before another round of questioning. Just before that, however, he jokes with Jim Dowd about the pretty big hit he took while trying to locate the puck in the closing seconds of the game. It’s obviously much easier to laugh that type of play off in what was a perfect ending in the team’s first game of the season. I’m not sure anyone could wipe the smile off of Briere’s face at the moment, since he really couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Flyers career.
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| The Flyers' room keys are laid out nicely when the team arrives at its hotel in Edmonton in the early morning hours. (Flyers Photos) |
As usual, there is a stack of about 15 pizzas waiting for the team in the locker room while everyone gets showered and changed for the waiting bus outside of the arena. There is a solid group of about 40 Flyers fans standing behind bike racks outside, and many players make their way over to sign a couple autographs for the fans. Our boy Marty Biron, Riley Cote and Simon Gagne all take their time to make sure that no one leaves disappointed.
Two buses are outside in the zamboni tunnel of the Saddledome; one for the team and one smaller van for the “media,” which includes the television and radio crews as well as the PR staff. On this trip, our smaller bus is a little more cramped as Tim Panaccio and Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News are going to be with us on the team charter. We all just barely fit into the van, and Steve Coates and Tim Saunders are forced to get a little cozy while sharing the front seat. Fortunately, it’s a quick ride to the Calgary airport and then just a 30 minute flight to Edmonton from there.
Practice is scheduled for 1:00 tomorrow (or later today, depending on how you look at it), at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, so we’ll catch up with Marty after the skate and get all of his input on the first game and first win of the season. Of course, for a complete recap of the Calgary game, including post-game video interviews, click here.
Day 3 – October 4, 2007
Calgary, Alberta
2:51 p.m.
Before getting to today’s activities and the beginning of the season against the Flames tonight, a quick note about last night, as the team went to dinner at a steakhouse a couple of blocks from the hotel. The players all sat at a table with each other, while the coaches and staff sat at another table. Marty will pick up his blog with last night’s dinner.
We managed today to get video footage of Marty explaining the design of his goalie mask to Flyers color analyst Steve Coates. To see that video, click here.
Today, the team took a 10:00 bus to the Saddledome for the pre-game skate at 11:30. The Flyers open the 2007-08 season tonight against Calgary at 10:00 p.m. (8:00 local time).
Martin Biron: Last night we had a team dinner a couple blocks from our hotel. It was kind of nice because we got to watch the hockey game and the baseball game a little bit in our room at the restaurant. It’s always good getting everyone together to kick off the season. It was really weird because of the time change that we’re still getting used to, and even though dinner was at 6:00 it felt really late, so after dinner we got out of there pretty quickly and just went back to the hotel and went to bed. But the dinner itself was a lot of fun.
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| The Flyers walk down the busy streets of Calgary to dinner on Wednesday night. (Flyers Photos) |
Today is all about the game, of course. We had our morning skate, just to get a feel for the puck and feel the rink a little bit and make sure your gear is alright. I had a couple of things to get fixed, like the laces that hold the tip of my pad to my skate had to be replaced. I broke in a couple of new sticks, too. It was pretty intense out there for a morning skate, which is good, and now we’re just going to get back to the hotel. The team will have the pre-game meal, so we’ll chit chat a little bit, and read some stats and player bios on their team, and maybe some of the media clippings.
The feeling in the room today is great. Everyone is on their toes, and the butterflies are starting to come back. It’s a little difficult to describe because everybody is confident and everyone has a clean slate. All of our expectations are really high, and there is a quiet confidence. It’s fun, though. It’s the first morning and all of the media is in our locker room from both teams, trying to get all of their quotes.
The question for Marty today comes from Theresa Carney from Williamstown, New Jersey. She asks: Do you get to choose your roommate when on road trips or does the coaching staff do room assignments?
Martin Biron: Actually, I’ve got my own room. That’s a common thing around the league, that the goalies get their own rooms. I think the reasoning behind it is that sometimes you get roommates that you’re not so compatible with in terms of a routine and sleep patterns. Also, if your roommate has the flu or a cold, you don’t want your goalies getting sick. The last few years though in Buffalo, I had a roommate. Buffalo goalies have roommates, so I roomed with J.P. Dumont for a bunch of years and then last year I was with Danny, actually. We talked about that a bit this year, but since goalies get their own rooms here that’s fine with me.
Usually, it’s the coaches that determine who is going to room with who; if two guys are childhood buddies or from the same town or country, they might be paired together. And sometimes, guys just aren’t compatible. It’s not that they don’t like each other, they could be best friends, but one guy might want to sleep in the afternoon and the other guy might want to watch TV in the afternoon.
There’s also a rule where if you’ve played a certain amount of games in the NHL, you get your own room. So, some of the veterans take advantage of that and just get rooms to themselves.
That's all for now, but make sure to check back here to philadelphiaflyers.com for complete coverage of the game against the Flames.
Day 2 – October 3, 2007
Calgary, Alberta
3:01 p.m.
The first full day of the Flyers’ road trip begins essentially at 9:00 a.m., when the team buses to the Pengrowth Saddledome. Instead of practicing there, though, the players change into their gear and bus to another rink. It’s a pretty odd scene, in that the guys are all wearing their gear from head to toe, except on their feet instead of wearing skates they are in sneakers and flip-flops.
In fact, you can see for yourself by clicking here.
Slideshow
It’s evident here in Calgary that autumn has arrived, as many of the trees are sporting bright yellow leaves and it’s only about a high of 50 degrees. There’s also plenty of construction around town, including a casino which is being built right next to the Saddledome.
After a bus ride of about 20 minutes, the team gets off with their sticks and skates in tow and file into the cozy Peter Bauer rink. This isn’t to be confused with Jack Bauer rink, which I believe is located in Southern California and is under constant surveillance. An hour-long practice ends around 11:30, and the team files back into the bus and heads back to the Saddledome to get out of their gear and take showers.
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| Danny Briere heads to the bus with his skates in hand after a hard practice in Calgary. (Flyers Photos) |
But enough from me, let’s let our guest blogger, Martin Biron, give his take on the day’s activities. We caught up with Marty just before he stepped back onto the bus to head back to the hotel.
Martin Biron: I got up this morning, and it was a little different with it being two hours later than Philadelphia time. You wake up at 7:30 here, and it almost feels like you’re sleeping in a little bit. I went downstairs to the lobby of the hotel and met up with a couple of the guys to grab a bite to eat. We got on the bus, and came here to the Saddledome first to get changed before busing to the rink where we skated. As a goalie, it’s not really something we like, getting halfway dressed and then having to go to another rink. But, we did it anyway, and got on the ice at Team Canada’s facility. It was a little different because it was an international ice surface, but it was a good practice. When you’ve been on a plane for awhile, and then you get to practice, the skates feel a little tight and your mask is a little tighter, so you get that out of the way and then everything feels a lot better.
Now, we’re just going to head back to the hotel and grab lunch with a couple of the guys and watch the Phillies game. There’s a little market right next to our hotel, and there’s a Joey Tomato’s right across the street that’s a nice enough pasta place for lunch. Today is a big baseball day today so we’ll probably end up watching a lot of those games. We have a team dinner at 6:00 tonight, and we’ll be watching some more baseball and the hockey game that’s on tonight to get ourselves in the mood for tomorrow.
Our fan question today comes from Marcus Zimmerman from Haddonfield, New Jersey, who asks Marty: What is the team's dress code and who comes up with it?
Martin Biron: The dress code when we have to fly is business casual, so we have to wear slacks or dress pants with a collared shirt. It could be a golf shirt, or button down. On the off days like today, where we only practice, we’re allowed to wear jeans. We can’t wear jeans with holes or shirts with shark-bites in them. I’m not even sure what that means, but that’s what Johnny said, no shirts with shark-bites. You’re allowed to wear a hat, as long as it’s not on backwards or sideways. You can look casual, but still look nice.
Tomorrow, on game days, it’s business casual the morning of the game and then it’s a suit the night of the game. A tie is optional. Some guys like to wear ties, and I’m one of those guys. It’s just something I always had since juniors and in the American League. Tomorrow after the game we’ll be flying to Edmonton, so we’ll be wearing our suits on the plane.
That's all for today, but make sure to check back tomorrow as the focus turns to the start of the 2007-08 season when the Flyers take on the Calgary Flames.
Day 1 – Tuesday, October 2
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| Mike Richards (left) and Martin Biron carry their luggage from the plane. (Flyers Photos) |
7:15 p.m.
Hello Flyers fans, and welcome to the Philadelphia Flyers’ road trip blog, version 2.0. This year, the blog will be bigger and better than before, as we solicit the help of the always personable and insightful goaltender of the team, Martin Biron, while at the same time we take advantage of our new and improved website with plenty of slideshows and video that will be posted exclusively here on philadelphiaflyers.com.
While day one of the trip really didn’t bring all that much excitement other than a six-hour trek to Calgary with a stop for fuel in Fargo, North Dakota, we still managed to snap some photos on and off the plane of the team doing what they do. Which, of course isn’t all that different from what anyone else does on an extended travel day, and that’s kill time. For a brief slideshow of the trip from Philadelphia to Calgary, click here.
Tomorrow, we will get the first of Marty’s blog entries, as he takes us from the first practice here in Calgary through games against the Flames, Oilers and Canucks, as well as a three-day team building excursion in Whistler (about three hours north of Vancouver). Make sure you visit philadelphiaflyers.com on a daily basis, as the team begins the 2007-08 NHL season, and don't forget to send in your questions for Marty!
