Philadelphia Flyers

Getting a concussion is just the thing to do in Philadelphia for hockey players.

After losing Chris Pronger for the season, plus leading scorer Claude Giroux for a number of games, the team lost rookies Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier to head injuries. Recently, James van Riemsdyk was diagnosed with a concussion.

When you sign a nine-year, $51 million deal, expectations are heaped upon you.

When you don't live up to those expectations, it's only fair you receive criticism, but when you are made to look foolish or people go out of their way to twist your words, it's not fair.

Let me back up a second, when you're down and they kick you, that's not fair.

Eventually every NHL team enters a rebuilding mode, in which winning becomes an elusive aspiration.

As struggling team's start stock-piling high draft talent, their future's begin to look a little bit brighter amidst the scourge of losing seasons.

Recently, the Edmonton Oilers have become the poster boy for the rebuild, and though they've had some tough hockey in Alberta, boy does their future sure look good.

Well, there go any rumors about JvR. Either that, or Paul Holmgren is beginning to get crafty with smokescreens. 

The Philadelphia Flyers issued a statement today regarding forward James van Riemsdyk.

"James was hit in the head in each of our last two games. He reported yesterday, not feeling like himself. He will be out indefinitely with a concussion," Holmgren said in his statement.

I wrote a speculation article a few days ago discussing the possibility that the Philadelphia Flyers could be in trade talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs regarding highly-touted defenseman Luke Schenn. It seems that all that speculation had some legs after all.

There is an old saying that the most popular athletes in a sports town are the backup quarterback and the backup goaltender. Any time the starters struggle, the fanbase automatically looks to the guy on the bench with longing in their eyes and see the second-stringer as the answer to all of the world's problems.

In Philadelphia this way of thinking seems to be an epidemic. This is the same town, after all, that had some maniacs shouting themselves hoarse that AJ Feeley was better than Donovan McNabb.

Philadelphia Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk has been mentioned in trade talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com:

According to TSN's Darren Dreger, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren and Leafs GM Brian Burke have been officially reported as talking to one another about a possible James van Riemsdyk—Luke Schenn trade.

There are two views about future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr—one positive and the other negative.

Both surfaced in the last week, which included JJ’s visit to Pittsburgh, where he received negative reviews.

The other day, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that Jaromir Jagr would once again be out of the lineup for a week to 10 days with another groin injury. Jagr is said to have sustained the injury during the Winter Classic, when it was at first thought to be a calf injury.

Funny thing is Jagr doesn't think it'll be that long before he'll be back.