 The old Broad Street Bullies version of the Philadelphia Flyers may just be back. In a city inexplicably renowned as "The City of Brotherly Love", opponents will find no such love from the team this year. The Flyers fit the Philadelphia's personality – tough, hard-working, and ready to punch you in the face! With an overabundance of talent, and a rambunctious group of fans backing them, can the Flyers muscle their way back to the Stanley Cup championship? The Flyers made a big impression in the offseason, not only overhauling their goaltending situation, but adding a lot of physicality as well. Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki have been replaced by Brian Boucher and Ray Emery in goal in the face of concerns pertaining to the consistency of the previous net-minders. Both new goalies possess a lot of NHL experience, but each has some things to prove before being recognized as a true starter in the league. Probably the loudest noise made by the Flyers was with the acquisition of the NHL's most intimidating defenseman, Chris Pronger. The Flyers may have paid a hefty price, but with their primary rivals possessing such major offensive threats as Ovechkin, Malkin, and Crosby, Philly simply needed a major shutdown defender, and the nasty Pronger is just the one to slow down the opposing stars. The Flyers made some other smaller changes as well, replacing the departed Mike Knuble, Andrew Alberts, and Lasse Kukkonen, with the younger and tougher Ian Laperierre, Krys Kolanos, and Lukas Kaspar, with especially Laperierre being the type of player that coaches covet for his hustle and grit. The Philadelphia Flyers also have some serious scoring on hand, the likes of captain Mike Richards who scored 80 points last season and considered to be one of the league's best all-around players. In addition to Richards is Jeff Carter, a breakout star whose career-high 46 goals and 84 points led the team. Both are considered amongst the league's most dangerous, All-Star caliber players. As if that were not enough, it gets better; Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell also scored 30 times last year, providing Philly with a very deep lineup of elite talent. Add to that equation the fact that the Flyers can expect complete seasons from Claude Giroux and Daniel Briere, and this collection of forwards appears to be one of the best in the entire NHL, and one which is sure to provide another very high scoring season in Philadelphia. Already quite strong, the Philadelphia Flyers' defense will be outright dangerous this year with the addition of Pronger, who not only provides lethal defense but also contributes at the offensive end as well. By acquiring Pronger to join with Braydon Coburn, Kimmo Timmonen, and Matt Carle, the Broadstreet Bullies now have two exceptional tandems that have the potential of eat up huge chunks of ice time. There is definitely no question that Philadelphia is one of the most talented teams in the league. They are fast, mean, very motivated after watching their bitter rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, hoist the Stanley Cup last year. Get your tickets and come the Wachovia Center to watch one of the most exciting teams in the NHL. There will be plenty of offense and defense on display whether they choose to take to the ice as the Broadstreet Bullies or the Philadelphia Flyers, so don't miss a game with Philadelphia Flyers tickets!
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