History repeats? Injuries hurt Cup hopes

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Its cyclical, said Peter Laviolette, just like the uncanny number of unlucky deflection goals going into the Flyers net early this season pretty much stopped as they raced to the Eastern Conference lead.

Its like the old joke, not very funny these days in Flyerland, about the guy who asked why he pounds his head against the wall. He replied because it feels so good when I stop!

With Sean Couturier, the victim of another concussion caused inadvertently by a teammate (in this case a puck shot by Kimmo Timonen), bringing the Flyers toll of absentees suffering head trauma to four on Saturday, it only seems like this never is going to end.

At the same time, it doesnt merely seem that the Flyers have had more than their share of bad injury luck with teams good enough to get back to six finals and six other semifinals since winning the franchises last Cup in 1975. Its certifiable.

Bernie Parent and Rick MacLeish couldnt play in 1976, when the Canadiens ended the Flyers reign with a sweep. Norm Barnes was long gone, Bob Daileys arm hanging limply from his shoulder and Jimmy Watsons clavicle broken when Leon Stickle also took the ice for Game 6 in 1980 with an apparent tragically undiagnosed case of myopia.

The 1985 dream run to the finals with the NHLs youngest team ended without Tim Kerr and Pelle Lindbergh. And Kerr did not play in any of the last three rounds in 1987, when Philadelphia was down only 2-1 in the third period of Game 7 against probably the most loaded offensive team in NHL history.

The Flyers were healthy in 1997; in good conscience we cant insist Pat Falloon would have made the difference against the Red Wings, who swept, only the last game being close. But the Flyers had Eric Lindros knocked out in Game 7 against the Devils in 2000 and no Eric Desjardins or Kim Jonsson for the entire playoffs in 2004, when strong runs ended in Game 7 of the conference finals.

In the meantime Lindros and Keith Primeau, the primary forces of 1997 and 2004 respectively, proved gone too soon from repeated concussions. And even in 2009 when the Flyers finally arrived at a final as not a clear underdog, Pronger, their most essential player, was struggling with a bum knee through a horrific Game 5 and a not-good-enough Game 6.

In light of all this unfairness, it seems fair to say that nobody else in the NHL knows the trouble the Flyers have seen trying to win another one. Also, that the misfortune of having their do-everything defenseman, emergent top-five-in-the league forward, and two prized first-year forwards who came in bold summer trades, all sidelined following blows to the head is a staggering burst of misery that would turn even Pat Croce into a bitter man.

The probable causes of the NHLs concussion crisisbigger and faster bodies running into each other ever harder due to the post-lockout crackdown on obstruction, dont even apply to the Flyers worst three cases. Pronger got nailed in the eye by a stick on a follow through, Wayne Simmonds couldnt jump high enough to get his knee over the fallen Girouxs head and Couturier got hit on the side of the head by rising shot. You cant call an emergency Board of Governors meeting to legislate luck.

Following Saturdays 6-0 smoking by the Bruins, it was better to hear that Couturiers mental functions were at his baseline established during camp than to be told that they were not. But really, it will be at least days before we know whether hell come back and longer than that until we know approximately how soon.

We understand Girouxs concussion is not as bad as Prongers, but really know nothing else. People recover at their own rates, why Paul Holmgren opened the window a crack on Friday, a day after declaring Pronger gone for the duration.

You just never know, like we dont know if the Flyers, who were not told about their captains season shutdown until after their seventh straight win Thursday night, came out flat Saturday because of the shock or the depressing reality or both.

At least that question will begin to be answered by how they play Monday night in Denver. We can tell you unequivocally that the trading deadline is Feb. 27, but have no idea who by that time, the Flyers might have left to deal to fill their voids.

Jay Greenberg covered the Flyers for 14 years for the Daily News and Evening Bulletin. His history of the Flyers, Full Spectrum, was published in 1996. He can be reached at jayg616@aol.com.

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