Seidenberg scheint einen tollen Eindruck gemacht zu haben und setht wohl kurz davor, dieses Jahr schon den Sprung zu schaffen:

It's no secret that the Flyers' management had tapped Bruno St. Jacques to fill Luke Richardson's spot on the blue
line, after Richardson signed as a free agent with Columbus this summer.

Now, though, there may be some intrigue. As the Flyers prepare to open training camp on Sept. 13, coach Ken
Hitchcock believes the spot left vacant by Richardson is up for grabs.

"There have been a lot of impressive players, but for me, two have stood out," Hitchcock said last week at the
ongoing minicamp. "Dennis Seidenberg and Patrick Sharp."

Sharp is a 21-year-old center who signed his first pro contract in May and is not ready for the NHL just yet.

Seidenberg, the German-born 21-year-old, is slotted for the Phantoms this fall. Yet Hitchcock is wondering if the
quick, puck-moving defenseman is capable of pushing someone - perhaps St. Jacques - out of the picture and
making the NHL right now.

At 6-foot and 180 pounds, Seidenberg would have gone a lot higher in the 2001 NHL draft if he were bigger. The
Flyers took him in the sixth round and have been impressed with the progress he has made in international play
with Germany.

"His ability to move the puck and pass the puck is at a very high level," Hitchcock said. "We could see that at the
Olympics. He could get out of trouble against us, and the same thing at the World Championships.

"When you look at a defenseman who gets in and out of trouble as well as he does, you can't judge him until you
get some heavy competition in NHL exhibition games. But [he] has the dynamics that help your team."

Hitchcock said he was "very impressed" with Seidenberg's transitional play and believes his European background
has given him an edge to someday play with the Flyers. Hitchcock plans to teach the Flyers a five-man
transitional system like he used in Dallas. Seidenberg's style in moving the puck gives him some advantages
because he's been playing in a similar system in Europe for four years.

Hitchcock plans to pit Seidenberg against Flyers veterans in camp and also use him in exhibitions to gauge his
readiness for NHL play. Seidenberg has played the last several years for Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche
Eishockey Liga, the German elite league.

Seidenberg said his strengths are "seeing the whole ice" and skating. He also said he welcomes the challenge to
unseat someone in camp or at least serve notice that he is close to being brought up.

"I've played with NHL players in Germany, like Rene Corbet and Stephane Richer, and it's been good to play with
those kind of players," Seidenberg said. "I have never had to play against these players over here, only at the
Olympics. It will be interesting to see how I do."

Bell ringer. Hitchcock hasn't been in Philadelphia long enough to earn the distinction of being famous.
Nevertheless, he has been tabbed to ring the opening bell at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange on Tuesday. He will
be the ninth local celebrity this year to ring the bell on the first trading day of the month.

Loose pucks. If you think the Flyers' ticket increase was tough to swallow, you're lucky you're not a fan of the
Islanders, who reportedly raised the average ticket price by 70 percent... . Anyone notice that Los Angeles Kings
owner Phil Anschutz was named "Greediest Executive in America" by Fortune magazine for having cashed in stock
options over the last 21/2 years at his Qwest Corp. worth $1.57 billion? That's billion, not million... . Toronto
general manager Ken Dryden, talking about NHL salaries: "I don't know where whack is to know where out of
whack is. When I played in the 1970s, salaries were out of whack. It was outrageous that there were players
being paid $200,000 a year for a game they had played for nothing most of their lives. It was nuts, and there was
no way in the world hockey could survive with salaries at that level. Well, guess what."... Is this out of whack?
Donovan McNabb will earn $2.5 million in salary this season with the Eagles. John LeClair will earn $9 million with
the Flyers.

Speaking of LeClair, he has been cleared to resume skating, 71/2 weeks after surgery to remove scar tissue
from his back, the Associated Press reported yesterday. "I think, obviously, John was feeling good, but the doctor
wanted to see him once more," Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said. "He had been cleared verbally to do
whatever he could, but he had to be checked before he went on the ice."

LeClair, expected to be ready for the start of training camp, had surgery in early July to remove scar tissue that
had built up following his back operation in October 2000. He missed all but 16 regular-season games in 2000-01
after surgery to repair a herniated disc. He played all 82 games last season, scoring 25 goals.

Vancouver GM Brian Burke spoke at a sports conference in Toronto recently and was the pitchman for a
Canadian sports lottery that would help the Canucks, who, like other Canadian teams, say they suffer because of
the difference in value between the Canadian and American dollars. Previously, this proposal has come from
cities such as Ottawa... . Bobby Nystrom may be the director of corporate relations for the Islanders, but the
ex-Isle forward may need to take a course in public relations. He was charged recently with punching two
gas-station attendants after being asked by one of them to move his car. His lawyer, Michael Romano, said his
client was defending himself... . Florida GM Rick Dudley is trying to get his top draft pick, defenseman Jay
Bouwmeester, signed before training camp opens. The Panthers are desperate for defensive help. Despite being
just 18, Bouwmeester, the third pick overall, is expected to be in the starting lineup next month. "We're a ways
apart right now," Dudley said. "We have an idea of how far we can go. There are some parameters set in terms
of defensemen and the highest end of the defensemen scale on an entry-level contract, and we're willing to go to
that."
Hier der Link:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sp...key/3982230.htm

und die Meinungen des Flyers Forum:
http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=31751
still believe, to see the cup sometimes.
Thanks Charlie Simmer for the memories.
Same to you Jiri, you are the best.
Looking forward, Play Offs 2003 here we come

...yeah, Seidenberg bei den Flyers wäre genial!! Es wäre ihm echt zu wünschen, undd as er den Sprung in die NHL auch noch bei den Flyers wagt, begeistert mich noch mehr!!

P.S.: *schon mal Seidenberg-Jersey bestell* !!

holypalooza ...und nichts ist wie es scheint!!

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...visit: http://www.broadstreetbully.com ; Donald Brashear herrscht !!

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Neues vom Ex Mannheimer:

The Flyers' rookie camp featured prominent figures in team’s future

By Brian Marks, philadelphiaflyers.com

Although the annual Flyers' rookie mini-camp closed house last week, it showcased some interesting faces for the future of the club. And for the first time in recent memory, Training Camp, which starts September 13, will feature some roster openings and opportunities for rookies to take advantage of.

“The boys have worked hard. They’ve been here at seven o’clock in the morning until two in the afternoon. They’ve put in an excellent effort,” said Flyers Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim McCrossin, who ran the camp. “We’ve run, we’ve biked, we’ve lifted. We did a lot of speed and agility work. There were boys who really needed some quick feet work. We look at the weak links of our boys and try to individualize a program that’s going to better suit their needs so when camps comes September 13, they’re ready to go.”

McCrossin, a one-time disciple of Philadelphia conditioning legend Pat Croce, had many keys to running a successful camp.

“One, you know you’re going to have to make them work hard but, two, you have to make it fun. You have to get some competitiveness to it,” he said. “There should be no surprises. [The players] get our conditioning manual, I speak to them – they know what to expect, it’s up to them to prepare themselves to get here. We give them all the tools.

“In fairness to them, it’s awfully hard if you’re working out by yourself [in the off-season] to push yourself as hard as when you’re in a group. It’s a whole new experience [coming to camp] because you have boys from all over the world. Everybody has a different work ethic.”

Among those McCrossin was impressed with are defensemen Jeff Woywitka, the 19-year-old first round pick from the 2001 NHL Entry Draft and Dennis Seidenberg, a sixth round pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft from Germany and forward Guillaume Lefebvre, who saw action in three Flyers games last season.

“I see people like Jeff Woywitka. Last year, he looked like the typical 17 year old with some baby fat on him. This year, he’s matured physically,” McCrossin said. “Guillaume Lefebvre – he was in great shape last year and I think he’s in phenomenal shape this year. Dennis Seidenberg – he gained 17 pounds, but he put it in all the right places. The kid looks unbelievable. I can go down the list and tell you each of them who was here last year compared to this year has improved because they know [how it’s going to be].”

And nothing makes McCrossin more satisfied than to see a player buy into his conditioning system.

“It’s a great feeling, it makes my job a lot easier,” he said. “It makes my job fun. I like competitiveness, it’s great. You want that.”

First-year Flyers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock used the camp to gain a different perspective.

“It was really interesting for me to watch the improvement of players, to watch people come in like [Antero] Niittymaki, who was struggling at the start because of the smaller ice and shots were coming from anywhere and everywhere to see where he’s at now,” he said. “Same thing with [Seidenberg]. Where he was at the start and where he’s at now – he’s comfortable.”

Hitchcock also revealed that Training Camp competition may be coming from some of the most unlikely of sources. One may not have thought of Radovan Somik as a possible contributor to the 2002-03 Flyers. Many probably haven’t even heard of the fourth round pick in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. But the international experience that the Czech forward has gained over the past seven years gives him an advantage over many prospects in the entire organization.

“He’s 25 years old and he’s played top international play for almost five years now,” Hitchcock said. “He’s been in that type of program – between World Championships, between Olympic games – he’s played there.”

Another player from rookie camp that Hitchcock is keeping an eye on is center Patrick Sharp, who was signed to a contract this summer. Sharp starred at the University of Vermont.

“Where did Chris Drury come from?” Hitchcock asked, referring to the Colorado Avalanche center and former Boston University standout when asked how a college player could adjust to the NHL level. “It’s not like they’re coming from [Quebec] Major Junior, these guys have played at an unbelievably high level.”

Woywitka and fellow defenseman Jim Vandermeer are players that used the mini-camp as a stepping stone. Woywitka will most likely return to Red Deer of the Western Hockey League for his last season of junior hockey and the second-year pro Vandermeer is pointed as being a leading blueliner with the Phantoms.

“Vandermeer is moving up on the learning curve and he’s doing a good job,” he said. “I think the whole organization is high on Woywitka. He’s another player that has to come into camp and has experience and confidence coming from the World Junior Championships.”

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Rock on,
and on, and on...

Vielleicht hab ich 'nen Stock im Arsch und führ 'nen Spießerleben.
Doch mein Zeige- und dein Mittelfinger würden Peace ergeben.
by eins zwo