PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers are ready to celebrate the Big 5-0.Its a golden anniversary for the orange-and-black and the Flyers plan a yearlong celebration of their history.Former Flyers stars will play an alumni game against retired rivals from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Theres a new book packed with history and promotional nights sprinkled through the schedule honoring Phillys greatest captains, tough guys, goalies and playoff stars.The Flyers even underwent a cosmetic makeover, producing special 50th anniversary jerseys and hanging new banners commemorating division, conference and Stanley Cup championships in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center.But will the Flyers add a new one in the 51st year in honor of this season?The Flyers made a surprising playoff run in coach Dave Hakstols first season, who seemed as smooth on the bench of an NHL franchise as he was as one of the great college coaches at North Dakota.Shayne Gostisbehere emerged as one of the top rookies and Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn handled the bulk of the goal scoring. Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth were steady in net. And the Flyers built on their one-and-done postreason run by ... doing nothing.Flyers general manager Ron Hextall had a quiet summer, a sign perhaps, that he expects the team to stay steady simply by having his core roster get better. The Flyers expect Jakub Voracek to bounce back after he tailed off following a breakthrough season; and theres a chance that 19-year-old prized prospects Ivan Provorov (defenseman) and Travis Konecny (forward) could make the opening night roster.Those guys have done a good job throughout camp, Hakstol said. Its not a single night evaluation but every evaluation and every game is important. They along with a lot of others in that room have are doing their job and making decisions difficult.Also difficult, the Flyers will play their first season without founder and owner Ed Snider. Snider died of cancer in April and his presence had been the one franchise fixture from the expansion years, the Broad Street Bullies era, the Legion of Doom and every run at the Stanley Cup.Neuvirth had the image of the respected owner painted on his goalie helmet .He is pretty special within our locker room and every player is going to pay tribute in their own way, Hakstol said.The Flyers should be playoff bound but are likely looking at another empty season without a Stanley Cup championship.Here are some other things to know about this seasons Philadelphia Flyers:THAT DROUGHT: The Stanley Cup drought is one of the longest in the league: The Flyers havent a championship since back-to-back Cups in 1974 and 1975.The Flyers were the hit of the NHL in the 1970s thanks to those hard-hitting Broad Street Bullies. Led by Hall of Famers Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, the Flyers were Stanley Cup regulars and seemed poised to build a dynasty.The only thing the franchise has a built is a loyal, yet frustrated, fanbase wondering if the orange-and-black will ever celebrate with a championship parade again through the heart of Philadelphia.The Flyers have been close -- real close: Philadelphia lost in the Stanley Cup finals in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1997 and 2010.NEW KIDS IN TOWN: Provorov and Konecny hope to turn sensational preseasons into spots on the roster.Hextall is a patient GM and he wont put them on the roster with the idea of sending them back to the minors in a month. Provorov said hes felt comfortable in camp. Konecny has impressed his veteran teammates by playing like one in preseason games.Hes not a big guy but hes not afraid to go into the dirty areas, Flyers forward Sean Couturier said. He wasnt afraid to share his thoughts on the bench of what he could see out there and what he could tell us. He wants to learn and to get better and thats all you can ask from a young guy.WHOS NO. 1: Mason was the clear No. 1 entering last season and won 23 games to help the Flyers reach the playoffs.But he never recovered from the 101-foot goal allowed in a Game 2 playoff loss at Washington that was replayed on an endless loop in Philadelphia.Neuvirth stepped in and won two straight games, including a whopping a 44-save effort in a Game 5 shutout win. He stopped 103 of 105 shots in only three games.Both goalies can become unrestricted free agents in July.GHOST BUSTER OR BOON: Gostisbehere might have won rookie of the year had he played a full season. But 17 goals and 46 points in only 64 games made quite an impression on the Flyers and the rest of the league. He was the Flyers top defenseman and he set a team rookie record for goals scored by a defenseman. The Flyers were 5-8-3 when he was promoted, and with his Ghost nickname name and instant hot streak, he was an immediate fan favorite.I didnt think I was going to make such an impact the way I did, he said.Can he do it again? http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Kelvin-Beachum-Jersey/ . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Buster-Skrine-Jersey/ . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/ . Self was acquired from the Buffalo Bandits in a trade for Alex Hill midway through last season, and made his debut in Rochester on March 16, 2013. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Joe-Namath-Jersey/ . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. http://www.jetsrookiestore.com/Jets-Josh-Martin-Jersey/ . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Never bashful, Matthew Centrowitz always believed he could win at the Olympics.The American runner showed that supreme confidence on Saturday as he took the lead in the 1,500-meter race with two laps remaining and held off a late charge from the field to capture gold.It was the first title in the event for the United States since Mel Sheppard won the metric mile more than 100 years ago at the 1908 London Games.Doing my victory lap, I literally kept screaming to everyone I know, `Are you kidding me? Centrowitz said.Distance running just so happens to run in the Centrowitz family. His father, Matt, represented the United States at the 1976 Montreal Games. His sister, Lauren, competed in college for Stanford.Then theres Matthew, of course, the confident runner who always believed he was going to be the next big thing in the 1,500.He took a brazen approach in a race Saturday that was rather slow at the start. Centrowitz jumped to the front with about two laps to go and only got stronger with the finish line in sight. He finished in 3 minutes, 50 seconds, beatinng defending champion Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria by 0.dddddddddddd11 seconds. Nicholas Willis of New Zealand captured bronze.After crossing the line, Centrowitz looked straight ahead, stunned at what he had just done. He then dropped to his knees and put his hands on top of his head.It was that unbelievable.His dad took in the entire scene from the stands. These two are tight, so much so that the son has a tattoo across his chest that reads, Like father, like son.Centrowitz went to the University of Oregon, home of the late Steve Prefontaine -- the training partner of his father before Pres death in a car accident at the age of 24.The 26-year-old Centrowitz grew up hearing all the stories. He even hung posters on his wall of Prefontaine, the charismatic and talented runner who finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics.Theres nothing like it, Centrowitz said of his win. It doesnt compare to anything else Ive won in my life. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
