Good vs Evil Round 2

Tonight is the type of game you live for as a Flyers fan. Head to head against arguably our biggest/most hated rival-the Pittsburgh Penguins. These teams are slowly becoming the Red Sox & Yankees of the NHL, not because of the successes on the ice, Pittsburgh has only been good for the last few years, and the Flyers havent made it to the finals since 1997.

The Penguins are at the top of my "hate list" Im not talking about just hockey teams, I hate the Pens more than any team in any sport. Most teams have at least a couple guys that I really like, there isnt a single guy on that team that I like even remotely. Their fans act like they are the best in hockey. Ill admit, they have a great home ice advantage now-a-days, but where were all these "fans" from '01-'06? Where were these "fans" when the team was literally hours away from being moved to Kansas City? The answer is they werent even following the team, but now that they are good again (thanks to an incredible 4 year draft run) all the "fans" come out of the woodwork. Now I'm sure that there are plenty of true fans who stuck with the team through thick & thin, but I would say at least half of them are prototypical frontrunners.

The Pens have had our number over the last couple seasons. They beat us in the '08 conference finals and last year in the 1st round, & as well as a 5-4 win earlier this season. Are they in our heads? I cant answer that, but I do know that 2 wins over these guys in the next 3 days may be just the medicine we need to get the season turned around. And I also know (as does anyone who's watched Flyers vs Pens over the last couple seasons) that this will be an incredibly physical affair. Last time these teams played, the game ended with Pronger manhandling Chris Kunitz & Scott Hartnell biting the finger of Kris Letang.

LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE & LETS GO FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!