Another beautiful October today can only mean one thing – another edition of Between the Pipes! Let's take a look at a few headlines making the rounds.
Danny Briere to be honored prior to Tuesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres – [Jeff Neiburg – Philadelphia Daily News]
Briere, one of the most beloved Flyers in team history, will be honored for his retirement from the NHL during Tuesday night's game against one of his former clubs, the Buffalo Sabres. In a career that saw him net almost 700 points, some of his finest moments occurred in the postseason where he was given the nickname "Mr. Playoffs." His most notable accomplishment in Orange and Black came during the Stanley Cup run in 2010 when he scored 30 points in the postseason as the team came within two victories of securing their third championship in team history. Although he is retired from being an active player, Briere is still involved with club, working along with President Paul Holmgren on special projects. It's always good to have Briere in the building and the Philly crowd will be pumped tonight as they honor one of the classiest men to ever wear an NHL uniform.
Flyers biggest fan Jackie Lithgow recovering after traumatic brain injury – [Sam Carchidi – Philadelphia Inquirer]
Lithgow, a huge Flyers fan was recently given the club's "7th man award" for his determination to overcome adversity. As a college freshman, he was severely injured and suffered massive brain damage as a result of breaking up a fight. After almost 300 days in the hospital and extensive rehabilitation, Lithgow is on the path to recovery and most recently took part in the Flyers Charities 5K event with his family. His love of the game and will to do whatever it takes to defy the odds of traumatic brain injuries is an inspiration to everyone, from the guys in the locker room to those of us reading about his story.
Michael Raffl 'fine' after scary incident Saturday night against the New York Rangers – [Dave Isaac – Courier Post]
Fans knew something was wrong when a glove came flying onto the playing surface from the Flyers bench during Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over the New York Rangers. Forward Michael Raffl had momentarily collapsed on the bench after taking an inadvertent elbow from Rangers forward Jarret Stoll (actually, Raffl more or less ran into Stoll's elbow). TV cameras focused in on Raffl who needed assistance down the tunnel and into the locker room. Always the clown of the room, Raffl passed all of his concussion testing and said he "felt fine" afterwards, having likely absorbed the blow in a sensitive area. He was joking around with teammates by the time the game was over and figured to be right back on the top line when the Flyers resume play tonight at the Wells Fargo Center against the Buffalo Sabres.
Zach Hopkins is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @healedbyhockey.
