Flyers and Lindros agrees on a one year extension
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Eric Lindros and the Philadelphia Flyers reached a handshake agreement on a unique, one-year contract extension arrangement Tuesday that could keep the star center with the team through the 1999-2000 season.
Carl Lindros, the player's father and agent, called a late afternoon news conference to announce the deal. He said he had reached terms with Flyers team chairman Ed Snider.
The extension was left up to the Flyers' option at the end of the 1998-99 season and will pay Lindros about the same salary -- $8.5 million plus bonuses -- he was to receive under the Flyers' five-year contract proposal.
Nothing was put into writing, according to Gordon Kirke, the Lindros' legal advisor, because the NHL doesn't permit teams to do so.
Eric Lindros said he was satisfied with the arrangement because it ends negotiations for the time being and will allow him to concentrate on hockey for the season.
"As you know, I've been very open about my desire to stay in Philadelphia and play for the Flyers," Lindros said. "We've given the Flyers this option so that we can all work together this season."
Snider did not attend the news conference but appeared encouraged by the developments in comments he made later in the day.
"Quite frankly, we're thrilled with Eric's pledge and attitude," Snider said. "We think it shows tremendous leadership on Eric's part.
"We don't have a written contract but we have a unilateral promise on the part of Eric. ... We'll have to sit down and hope we can get it signed next year. And we have a five-year contract on the table. Maybe things will go well enough that [at the end of the year] everybody's happy and we can get it signed."
Flyers president and general manager Bob Clarke said he was glad to get the matter over for the time being. "I think it was generous of Eric and helps the stability of our hockey club over the next couple years," he said.
One of the prime reasons for reaching the agreement was to eliminate the possibility of Lindros playing out the final year of his current contract and becoming a Group II restricted free agent next July 1.
If the Flyers pick up the option, Lindros would sign the extension to play the 1999-2000 season in Philadelphia.
"Eric has given up four years of financial security for this," Carl Lindros said. "He's accepted that conditional risk for the likelihood of not being traded."
Eric Lindros stressed that he "wants to stay [in Philadelphia], to play here and to win here."
Added Carl Lindros, "Now he won't have to talk about it [a contract] for the rest of the season. He can just focus on getting the team functioning on the top end of its game."
Kirke, who handles contract work for the Toronto Blue Jays, says this is the first such arrangement he has seen in 20-plus years in the business.
It feel great to have Lindros tied up for one more year. Daniel Lacroix was signed to a one year deal worth about $475 000 earlier this week...
August 27
Richard Park is a Flyer
The Philadelphia Flyers signed free-agent center Richard Park to a one-year contract, team officials said Monday. Park, 22, recorded two assists and eight penalty minutes in 15 games for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks last season. The Seoul, South Korea, native has played in 84 NHL games with Anaheim and the Pittsburgh Penguins over the past four seasons. The Mighty Ducks obtained Park in a trade with the Penguins for Roman Oksiuta. Pittsburgh selected him in the second round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.
Park is a small speedy center. I hope he will get a fair chance to play for a place in the Flyers.
Flyers gets a sixth round pick
The Philadelphia Flyers acquired a sixth-round pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft from the New York Islanders on Tuesday in exchange for the rights to defenseman Raymond Giroux, the team announced Tuesday. The Flyers originally drafted Giroux from Powasson of the North Ontario Junior A League in the eighth round of the 1994 draft. The 22-year-old defenseman recorded nine goals and 30 assists for 39 points and 62 penalty minutes in 35 games for Yale University this season. During a four-year career at Yale, Giroux registered 22 goals and 62 assists in 124 games. A native of North Bay, Ontario, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Giroux was a finalist for the 1997-98 Hobey Baker Memorial Award and was named the ECAC Player of the Year and Best Defensive Defenseman.
August 17
Peter White stays as a Phantom!
Peter White, the AHL's scoring champion for the last two years, will be back to help the Philadelphia Phantoms shoot for a second straight league championship.
White, 29, of Montreal re-signed with the parent Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.
White, originally drafted by Edmonton and also briefly in Toronto's NHL organization, amassed 105 points in each of his last two seasons with the Phantoms.
"He's been a huge part of the success the Phantoms have had," said Flyers GM Bob Clarke. "He will be one of the top players in the league for a long time."
Clarke also announced the signing of Steve McLaren, 23, of Owen Sound, Ont. The North Bay OHL grad has played the last three seasons with Indianapolis in the IHL.
"He's a defenceman converted to a forward who is real tough and real physical," Clarke said. "At the AHL level, he can play both forward and defence and will add a lot of toughness for us.
"He is still young and still a prospect for us."
McLaren scored three goals and amassed 208 minutes in IHL penalties last season.
August 16
Flyers offer Lindros a five year $50 000 000 contract
The Philadelphia Flyers reportedly are willing to invest up to $50 million in star center Eric Lindros.
The Sports Network in Canada is reporting the Flyers have presented Lindros with a five-year contract that could be worth up to $50 million if all incentives were achieved.
Flyers general manager Bob Clarke met with Lindros' management team Thursday in Toronto. According to the Canadian network, Clarke's proposal consisted of more than 100 pages and will be studied over the next few days by Lindros' father-agent, Carl, and family attorney Gord Kirke.
"I don't know what it's worth because I haven't read it, it's so big," Kirke told the Philadelphia Inquirer of the offer. "I do know it's incentive-laden throughout."
Clarke is hoping to have a deal settled with Lindros by the start of training camp on September 11. The general manager has been outspoken in his lofty expectations of Lindros in the weeks leading up to the meeting.
Lindros, a four-time All-Star, and Anaheim's Paul Kariya will be the highest-paid players in 1998-99 at $8.5 million. Lindros will enter the second year of a revised two-year deal worth $16 million.
The 25-year-old Lindros, who captained Team Canada at the Nagano Olympics, played in just 63 games last year and had 30 goals and 41 assists. He missed 18 games after he sustained a concussion when checked hard by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Darius Kasparaitis in a March 7 contest.
A heavy hitter sometimes accused of being a dirty player, the 6-foot-4 Lindros has been hampered by injuries throughout his six-year career. Since his highly anticipated NHL debut in 1992, Lindros has missed an average of 24 games per season due to a variety of injuries.
The Flyers finished with the third-most points (95) in the Eastern Conference last season, but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by Buffalo. The first-round elimination was so stunning that Lindros trade rumors started to filter out of Philadelphia, but all were denied by Clarke.
In 1996-97, Lindros was limited by injuries to 52 games but had 32 goals and 47 assists and led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. In the playoffs, he had 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 games as the Flyers reached the Finals for the first time in 10 years, losing in four games to the Detroit Red Wings.
Lindros won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season, when he had 29 goals and 41 assists in 46 games and missed just two contests.
Lindros' best season came in 1995-96, when he had 47 goals and 68 assists in 73 games. The former top overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques has 223 goals, 284 assists and 507 points in 360 career games, all with the Flyers.
This is a very good contract offer. Lindros will get $10 000 000 every year wich is a very good amount based on the way he played last season. I really hope that Lindros sign this contract but Iīm not sure he will...
If he sign the contract he will probably stay five years in Philly but if he rejected he will be on his move to another team.
BrindīAmour and Klatt are signed!
With big-money arbitration rulings perhaps in the back of their minds, the Philadelphia Flyers took no chances Friday and signed versatile left wing Rod Brind'Amour to a three-year contract. Brind'Amour's deal is worth $11.25 million.
"It's a deal that places him in the upper echelon of our (team) salary structure as one of our top players," Flyers General Manager Bob Clarke said. "It's where he deserves to be."
Brind'Amour, who made $1.6 million last season, will earn $3.5 million this season, $3.5 million in 1999-2000 and $4.25 million in 2000-01.
The deal makes Brind'Amour, an Ottawa native, third on the Flyers payroll, behind captain Eric Lindros ($8.5 million) and John LeClair, who will make just under $3.7 million this season The deal, however, is not worth what some thought Brind'Amour was asking for, or may receive in arbitration.
St. Louis Blues center Pierre Turgeon was awarded a record $4.65 million one-year contract Wednesday. That ruling came two days after an arbitrator gave Montreal Canadiens right wing Mark Recchi a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
The 28-year-old Brind'Amour was second on the Flyers in scoring last season with 74 points on 36 goals and 38 assists. He tied for second on the club with 10 power-play goals, added a pair of shorthanded tallies and was among the league leaders with eight game-winners.
Brind'Amour, who turned 28 on Sunday, appeared in every regular-season contest for the fifth straight campaign, stretching his consecutive games streak to 402, a team record.
The 6-1, 200-pound Brind'Amour has 206 goals and 313 assists in seven years with the Flyers, ranking in the team's all-time top 10 in goals, assists and points. A first-round pick of the Blues in 1988, he was traded to Philadelphia in 1991 with center Dan Quinn for center Ron Sutter and defenseman Murray Baron.
The nine-year veteran has 249 goals and 380 assists in 696 NHL games.
Brind'Amour's signing comes one day after an arbitrator awarded Philadelphia right wing Trent Klatt a $900,000 deal. The move also comes after the Flyers offered star Lindros a reported five-year, $50 million incentive-laden contract.
Itīs good that the Flyers avoided arbitrator and signed Brindy for three years. He is the most important player on the team.
Bygones: Flyers sign deal with controversial radio station
PHILADELPHIA -- WIP Radio, which six months ago settled a lawsuit with the Philadelphia Flyers over allegations involving center Eric Lindros, on Thursday reached agreement to broadcast the team's games for five more years.
The new agreement runs through the 2002-03 season. WIP has broadcast Flyers' games every season since 1977-78.
"We are pleased to be able to continue our relationship with WIP in a new and positive spirit of cooperation," said Ron Ryan, the team's chief operating officer. "We believe that we now have an agreement in place that will provide our fans with comprehensive and objective coverage of the Flyers for the next five seasons."
Last year, Flyers officials talked of ending the team's relationship with WIP after talk show host Craig Carton reported that Lindros sat out a Feb. 15, 1997, game against the Pittsburgh Penguins because he had a hangover.
Lindros had suffered a back injury two days earlier and the team filed a libel suit against station owner Infinity Broadcasting on March 5, 1997, charging that Carton's allegations were "a continuation of a pattern of reckless sensationalism."
Last April, WIP and the Flyers reached a settlement that called for the station to issue an apology and make a contribution to the Children's Miracle Network.
Carton no longer is employed by the station.
"We couldn't be more pleased to have reached an agreement with the Flyers to broadcast their games for the next five years," said Cecil R. Forster Jr., WIP vice president and general manager. "The Flyers are a first-class organization and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship."
Referring to last year's incident, Forster said, "We'd like to look at it has having an ongoing relationship with (the Flyers) instead of looking at the past."
August 7
Three new signings
The Flyers have signed winger Mike Maneluk and defenseman Dave MacIsaac to one-year contracts, and defenseman John Stevens to a two-year deal.Maneluk, who was the MVP of the playoffs last year, is expected to make a run at a spot on the Flyers this season. MacIsaac also had a strongplayoff run.
Stevens, who has been the captain of the Phantoms since their inception, was given the suprising two-year deal even tho he is 35 years old and is coming off a major knee injury from last year.
Phantoms 1998-99 schedule released
Klick here for Phantoms regular season schedule.
Johan Hedberg traded to San José
Flyers Swedish goalie Johan Hedberg was on Saturday traded to San José Sharks for a seventh-rounder in the 1999 entry draft. 25 year old Hedberg spent last season in Detroit Vipers and Manituba Moses. This when he couldnīt agree on a contract with the Flyers in 1997.
Hedberg demanded full wage and the rigth to cancel the contract if he couldnīt take a place in the Flyers. Something Clarke dinīt like and Hedberg signed with the Vipers. This season Hedberg signed a five year deal with the Leksand Stars. The club he left in 1996. He has the right to cancel the contract after this season if any NHL club (San José) wants him.
Hedberg was third goalie for Sweden in the Olympics and backup goalie in the Wrold Championships this year. A very good goalie. I think the Sharks got him very cheap, but Hedberg isnīt a part of Flyers future plans and now they at least got something for him. I believe that Hedberg has a big chance making the Sharks roster next season.
Heward signs with Nashville
Free agent defenseman Jamie Heward has signed with the Nashville Predators, the team announced Thursday.
Heward scored 17 goals and notched 48 assists last season to help the Philadelphia Phantoms to the AHL championship.
In 25 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Heward has one goal and and four assists.
The Regina, Saskatchewan, native was the Pittsburgh Penguins' first-round pick in 1989 NHL draft.
August 5
Flyers sign pair of wingers
The Philadelphia Flyers signed free agents Jason Zent and Mark Greig to two-year contracts Tuesday.
Terms were not disclosed.
Greig, a 28-year-old right wing, netted 26 goals and added 36 assists in 69 games last season for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the International Hockey League.
Greig, of High River, Alberta, was a first-round draft pick in 1990 and has played in the NHL for the Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.
Zent, a 27-year-old left wing, finished with 25 goals and 17 assists in 66 games for the American Hockey League's Worcester IceCats last season.
The Buffalo, New York, native was traded by the New York Islanders to the Ottawa Senators for a fifth-round choice in the 1996 draft.
August 1
Clarke bangs on Lindros
Associated Press --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said Eric Lindros must start performing if he wants to be the league's highest paid player. Lindros signed a contract extension in December that will pay him $8.5 million next season, but he and the Flyers both have said they want to negotiate a new multi-year deal for after that.
In his most candid comments since the deal was struck, Clarke said Lindros must pick up the level of his game for that to happen.
"If you want to be the highest-paid player in the game or close to it, you've got to play that way," Clarke was quoted as saying in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday. "You're not a kid anymore. He's 25 years old, and he's been in the league six years. It's time."
Last year, Lindros had 30 goals and 41 assists for 71 points in 63 games. His career totals are 223 goals, 284 assists and 507 points in 360 games.
Carl Lindros, Eric's father and agent, had not comment on Clarke's remarks. He did say he expected his son would get a new contract with the Flyers.
Addressing on-and-off again rumors, Clarke said he has never told Carl Lindros that Eric would be traded.
"I've never said that to Carl, but if there's a change on the landscape and we can't get Eric signed, then, yes," he would be traded, Clarke said.
Lindros, the NHL MVP in 1994-95, came to the Flyers in 1992, after the NHL's first overall draft choice in 1991 sat out a season rather than play for the team that selected him, the Quebec Nordiques.
The Flyers sent six players, two first-round draft choices and $16 million to Quebec for the rights to Lindros.
I think itīs good that Clarke gives Lindros a warning in public, however Iīm pretty sure that Lindros will make a very good season and stay with the Flyers.
July 31
Pre-season schedule
Sept. 19 at Washington
Sept. 22 vs. Pittsburgh at First Union Center
Sept. 23 at Montreal
Sept. 26 vs. Pittsburgh at HersheyPark Arena
Sept. 29 vs. Washington
Oct. 1 at Detroit
Oct. 2 at New Jersey
Oct. 3 vs. Detroit
Oct. 4 vs. New Jersey
July 16
CoreStates Center renamed to First Union Center
The CoreStates Center, home to the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers the past two years, is being renamed the First Union Center, effective Sept 1.
The 21,000-seat arena opened its doors Aug. 31, 1996. It is scheduled to host the 1999 NBA and AHL All-Star weekends, the 2000 Women's NCAA Final Four and the 2001 NCAA Men's East Regional.
The nearby Spectrum, the home of the AHL's Phantoms and the Kixx of the National Professional Soccer League, also will add the First Union name. The Spectrum formally housed the Sixers and Flyers.
First Union Corporation, the sixth-largest bank holding company in the United States, merged with CoreStates Financial Corp. on April 28. Comcast-Spectacor owns both arenas plus the 76ers, Flyers, Phantoms and Comcast SportsNet.
Hextall gets one-year extension
The Philadelphia Flyers signed a one-year contract extension with Ron Hextall, general manager Bob Clarke said Wednesday.
The deal will keep the 34-year-old goalie with the Flyers through 2000.
"We wanted to keep Hexy," Clarke said. "We obviously like Hexy a lot -we always have. We know how competitive he is, what kind of person he is and how important the team means to him."
Hextall had a 21-17-7 record and 2.17 goals-against average in 46 games last season. He allowed one goal on eight shots in 20 minutes of relief of Sean Burke at Buffalo on April 27, his only appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Hextall is the Flyers career playoff leader in games played by a goaltender (84) and victories (45).
"I look forward to completing my career in Philadelphia doing everything possible to help the Flyers win a cup," Hextall said in a release.
Itīs good that Hextall finish his career in the club he started his NHL career.
July 7
"Beezer" is a Flyer!!!
Florida goalie John Vanbiesbrouck has signed a three year deal with Philadelphia Flyers worth $11 milion. Beezer a former Vezina winner and unrestricted free agent was very happy to be a Flyer: "I'm very, very touched," he said. "I spoke to (general manager) Bob Clarke earlier today. It's very flattering for me to have the Flyers' organization come to me first and want to do a deal with me. It was never anything more than getting that response from somebody and knowing that I was wanted. Once I found out that they were interested, we were going to do a deal, as far as I was concerned."
He actually signed a two-year contract with an option for the 2000-2001 season.
After letting the situation fester for too long, Philadelphia finally has upgraded its poor goaltending by singing Florida free agent, John Vanbiesbrouck for $11 million over three years," said Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Michael Farber. "Vanbiesbrouck obviously didn't come cheap but he was a less costly alternative than the other two front line free agent goalies, Mike Richter and Curtis Joseph.
"Both Richter and Joseph figure to be $5 million per year men, but it appears now that only the New York Rangers are prepared to go that high to keep Richter or lure Joseph. Vancouver, another team in search of a goalie, is reluctant to go past $4 million per year. In this high stakes game of musical goalies, neither Richter nor Joseph will be left standing but one of them probably won't reap all the benefits of his long anticipated free agency."
The 34-year-old Vanbiesbrouck, an unrestricted free agent, won the Vezina Trophy, given to the league's top goaltender, with the New York Rangers in 1985-86 and remained with the team until a trade to the Vancouver Canucks in June 1993. He was subsequently selected by the Panthers in the expansion draft and backstopped the young franchise to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1995-96, when Florida was swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Last season Vanbiesbrouck was 18-29-11 with a 2.87 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage in 60 games with four shutouts. In 717 career games he is 306-285-90 with a 3.12 GAA and 29 shutouts. In 65 playoff games he has compiled a 26-34 mark with a 2.80 GAA and four blankings.
Despite capturing the Vezina, the three-time All-Star's best statistical season was 1996-97, when he was 27-19-10 with a 2.29 GAA. By contrast, he was 31-21-5 with a 3.32 GAA for the Rangers when he was named the NHL's top netminder, well before the majority of teams switched to a defensive style.
The Flyers have been one of the league's top teams since the emergence of center Eric Lindros and left wing John LeClair, but have been continually undermined by the inconsistent play of their goaltenders, including Ron Hextall and Garth Snow. Snow was dealt to Vancouver for Sean Burke for the stretch run this season, but Burke fared no better as the Flyers were whipped by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs.
A very good signing by Clarke. "Beezer" is on of Flyers missing links. He may be a bit old, but when his contract expires the club believe that top prospect Brian Boucher is ready to take his place. He was cheaper than Cujo and Richter, he wasnīt looking for a long contract -a very good signing by Clarke!
Ramsey new assistant coach
Flyers yesterday named Craig Ramsey assistant coach.
The 47-year-old Ramsay served in the same post with the Ottawa Senators for the past two seasons and is reunited with Neilson and Clarke, with whom he worked in Florida from 1993-95.
He will take Keith Actonīs place in the coaching staff. It also seems like Bill Barber will stay one more year with te Phantoms!
Bureau to replace Otto
Flyers signed Montreal center Marc Bureau to a three year deal worth $3,3. The Inquirer reported that Bureau will earn $1 million this season, $1.1 million next year and $1.2 million in 2000-2001.
"Marc is a top defensive centerman. He can replace (Joel) Otto in our lineup," said club president and general manager Bob Clarke. "Marc is aggressive. He is very good on face-offs, during penalty killing situations and is quite capable of scoring goals."
Bureau, 32, an unrestricted free agent, recorded 13 goals and six assists for 19 points and 12 penalty minutes in 74 regular games for Montreal this past season. He averaged close to 20 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-1, 202-pound center played three seasons for the Canadiens beginning in 1995 after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also played three seasons for the Lightning after stints with the Minnesota North Stars, where he played in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, and the Calgary Flames. He was originally signed as a free agent by Calgary in 1987.
Bureau showed how tough he can be on February 1, 1996, when he gave Flyers defenseman Petr Svoboda an elbow to the face in the neutral zone. Svoboda missed a game with a concussion and Bureau was fined $1,000 and suspended for five games.
According to Bureau, he was under intense pressure that night.
"My wife was in labor that week with our son, and Montreal would not allow me to be with her," Bureau said in his telephone interview. "It was just a reflex. He probably thought I did it on purpose, but I snapped. I hadn't slept in three days."
The couple's son, Alex, was born that night. Bureau said he tried to call Svoboda in the hospital but couldn't get through.
"Even now I am not sure what I will say to Petr when I see him or how I will be received," Bureau said. "But I know when I sit down with him, it's going to be a long story to tell."
Bureau is a younger and better Joel Otto. He has Ottoīs defensive skills plus that he can come up with good offensive play, something that Otto missed the past season.
