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NHL On The Fly has become my new best friend. Not only did Carter’s two goals (add on the assist as well for good measure) out of the Flyers three goals on a lovely Sunday afternoon in Atlanta spark a debate on how good Jeff Carter actually is, but there was also mention that he scores “so easily”. It must be awesome to be able to score like Jeff can. The rest of the commentary seemed to touch on other players trying shoot from areas they can’t score from in order to be more like Jeff. Apparently Jeff is having a negative influence on other players because he is so good. That doesn’t matter much though. What matters is that Jeff Carter has landed this season and isn’t going anywhere.
But come on Philly. It seems like just yesterday Mike Richards was the next big thing on the ice. What does that make Jeff? The next, next big thing? The question is obviously a trap. Who is more important to Philadelphia, the captain who embodies Flyers hockey perfectly or the guy putting all the pucks in the net? Which Flyer from that 2003 Draft Class has become the true spark of their city?
Unlike Jeff Carter’s “shooting techniques” these are questions not easily answered. Picking one of the two would suggest that the other is somehow lesser. Richards may be the captain and leader of the team, but Carter has become the exciting spark of this Flyers offense. It is impossible to take away from what they have done in Philadelphia since being drafted 13 places apart in 2003. Still these are two players who expect more. They have known nothing but winning since their days in the juniors, international competition, and even the AHL. Now they both bring it to the Flyers; that same spark that has kept this team a contender after the regular season 32 times in 39 seasons (40 years). Now the team is hoping to make it 33 times in 40 seasons of NHL hockey in Philadelphia. It doesn’t come as easy as some may believe. There is a lot of hard work involved. Richards and Carter demonstrate that hard work every time they step on the ice with their effort in doing even the most unrecognized of tasks such as fighting for pucks along the boards or backchecking hard to prevent an odd-man rush. Yes, both do the little things that keep this team winning hockey games.
It’s even harder to decide who is more important when looking at stats. In yesterday’s afternoon game in Atlanta Carter registered his 99th and 100th career goals, all of which while sporting the orange and black proudly. His 3 points (including the assist on Joffrey Lupul’s goal) add up to 190 career points. Mike Richards currently stands at 191 career points. It’s not hard to believe that both will soon have their 200th point as Philadelphia Flyers; Jeff scoring goals and Mike setting them up.
Those who have never been to Philadelphia may not know of the two towers that up until the construction of the Comcast Center were the two tallest buildings in the city. One and Two Liberty Place are two easily recognizable towers to any Philadelphian looking out across the sky line in the late evening. They stand right next to each other but look vastly different. One has a bold point at the top signaling towards the heavens while the other rounds off at a small peak but is no less impressive. That is how Carter and Richards are; two towers in this city. One will score more goals while the other will lead his team to victory. Asking to choose between these two is like asking someone to pick the best tower. There will always be favorites, but they are both just as important as the other. The Philadelphia sky line just wouldn’t be the same without them.
So as Philadelphia gets it’s 13th straight win against the struggling Thrashers team, and as backup Niittymaki gets his 12th straight against the same team there are a wide veriety of possible stories to follow after a good win on a beautiful afternoon ranging from how long the Flyers can keep up their domination of Atlanta to a possible goalie controversy brewing within the organization. Instead I choose to marvel at the great things the future will hold for these two giants of Philadelphia. They are just now emerging as great players. The future is wide open. So on that warm afternoon with the sun shining and wind breezing just right I could think of no better place to be than sitting in front of my television watching my team skate on a frozen tundra in Atlanta with hardly a capacity crowd as Jeff Carter netted his 100th career goal.
Mike Richards was not there unfortunately. The flu has kept him sidelined in the last couple of games. There is no doubt that he expects to be in the lineup with the Flyers as they welcome the Ottawa Senators back to the Wachovia Center next Thursday. Then we can get back to the sheer pleasure of watching these two skate on home ice for the city that they now call home; a city that recognizes what a great thing it has found in two kids picked 13 spots apart in the 2003 NHL draft.
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