Giroux and Briere Head to Germany: a Round-up of Flyers Playing Hockey Elsewhere

Share

On the same day the NHL announced the cancellation of the first two weeks of its 2012-13 season, two important Flyers finally made the move several of their teammates had already made as far out as weeks ago. Claude Giroux and Danny Briere, two of the franchise's most recognizable players, are heading to Europe to play hockey.

Giroux and Briere apparently were a package deal, as both opted to join Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishiockey Liga in Germany. I'm not sure who else their roster is comprised of, but I'm willing to venture a guess they're going to have a pretty good team with these recent additions.

Wayne Simmonds is also among the NHL players who went to Germany, though he's playing in a second-tier league. Elsewhere, Matt Read recently left for Sweden, while Ilya Bryzgalov, Jakub Voracek, and newly-minted Flyer Ruslan Fedotenko fled to the KHL to play for teams in their respective countries of Russia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.

Of course, not everybody had to travel halfway around the world. Before the lockout began, the Flyers optioned Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn to Adirondack to continue their development. They join several players who spent significant time with the big club last season, including Marc-Andre Bourdon, Zac Rinaldo, and Eric Wellwood, among others.

And as we learned earlier in the week, just because not everybody has signed in a prominent European league doesn't mean they aren't skating somewhere. Earlier this week we discovered Max Talbot and new teammate Bruno Gervais are involved in a Quebec-Montreal exhibition series.

Others, however, are still contemplating their next move. For instance, Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen haven't made a decision yet, but it's notable they each own minority shares of a professional hockey club in Finland. Either or both certainly could make the jump as this devolves into a protracted standoff, as will others we should think.

On the plus side, the game is a bit different overseas. While injuries are always a possibility, there is generally less physicality, so wear and tear should not be a huge concern. Heck, a guy like Bryz seems to be at his finest when he's on the ice every night. Whenever this thing finally does end, the Flyers may have a bunch of guys returning in mid-season form.

But sadly, all of this is just another reminder that the NHL is not starting on time, and therefore North American fans will be denied the greatest of Giroux, Briere, and just the game itself.

Contact Us