Effect of Keith Primeau’s absence on the Flyers
On Tuesday, Keith Primeau finally etched in stone that he won’t be returning to the Flyers for the rest of the season. This is a huge loss to the team considering all of the injury question marks that the Flyers currently have. Gagne has a bone bruise, Forsberg has an iffy groin that could act up anytime, and there are other minor injuries to some other marquee players such as Nedved, Desjardins, and Kapanen. Primeau was the major factor in the Flyers getting within 1 game (and 1 goal in fact) of the Stanley Cup Finals 2 years ago. During those 2004 Playoffs, Primeau was arguably the best player in the entire NHL and carried the Flyers on his back every game. He finished the playoffs with 9 goals, and 7 assists which most likely would have earned him the Playoff MVP had the Flyers advanced to the Finals.
Now the question becomes, how do the Flyers go about replacing Primeau and is that even possible? On the ice, the Flyers could potentially replace him by acquiring a high profile player before the trade deadline arrives on March 9th. The most prominent players that the Flyers are looking into acquiring are Olli Jokinen and Keith Tkachuk (Try spelling that 10 times fast). There are rumors circulating that both the Flyers and Senators are vying for the services of Jokinen. In order to obtain Jokinen from the Panthers, the Flyers would probably have to give up R.J. Umberger and some draft picks. That seems worth the price to me considering Jokinen has 27 goals and 35 assists and has proven to be one of the NHL’s elite players.
However, Primes might be missed even more in the locker room where his leadership was key. Primeau was an ideal captain that led by example. Derian Hatcher replaced Primeau as the permanent captain a few weeks ago but he is only in his first year in Philadelphia. He may not be able to give this team as much of a emotional boost as a proven Philly veteran such as Primeau can. The leadership of Primeau could have been crucial come playoff time when rookies such as Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger (assuming he is still here), Freddy Meyer, and Niittymaki are looking for a little advice from a proven veteran.
Here are some reminders of the effect Keith Primeau had on the Flyboys.
- 2004 Playoffs, Game 6 vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs in . Sami Kapanen gets destroyed on the sideboards by Darcy Tucker and has trouble getting up and is having lots of trouble getting to the bench. Here is Video of that brutal hit that Kapanen took. Primeau leans out on the ice and guides Sami Kapanen to the bench. The hidden part of this story is that Jeremy Roenick was able to get onto the ice after Sami finally got there, and seconds later Roenick scored the game-winning goal that put the Flyers into the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m pretty sure a Maple Leafs fan edited that video just so it only shows the hit and not the goal seconds later that cost them a shot at a Stanley Cup.
-The second example is one that every Flyers fan will remember like it just happened yesterday. 2000 NHL Playoffs, Game 4 vs. the Pittsburgh Penquins. It was a game that became the third longest game in NHL History. 12 minutes into the 5th overtime, Primeau skates up the ice, cuts inside and shoots top shelf over Ron Tugnutt. Game over.
Hopefully Primeau will be back with the Flyers next season but there may be too much personal risk in him coming back to play hockey. Primeau will be sourly missed by this hockey club. As the Counting Crows once said, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
- Kyle Garis
Let’s hear your thoughts on Primeau and replacing his presence.
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Posted on February 28, 2006 by Kyle Garis | Filed Under Flyers, Philadelphia
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First off, thanks for citing Counting Crows…real nice. Now, when it comes to Primeau, I will admit that for his first few seasons with Philly, I was not a fan of him at all. I didn’t like his style of play, and I just didn’t think he fit with the Flyers. Then the 2004 Playoffs happened. I’ve never seen anyone spark a team more and strive for a cup more than Keith did in those several weeks. For this, I will say that I am going to miss him, as I’m sure the team and the fans will. Do I think that his absence kills our chances of surviving in the playoffs? Of course not. We’ve been through hell this season and still sit in a decent position. If we can pick up either Jokinen or Tkachuk like you said (preferably Jokinen due to his age and stats), then I think we will still be in good shape to make a considerable run at the cup. Long story short…Keith, I’m sorry for ever doubting you. You are a tremendous asset to the team, and you will be missed. But as the Beatles once said…”Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on.”
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