Paul Holmgren

ILYA BRYZGALOV performed his final stand-up routine of the season yesterday; please, tip your servers and try the caviar. It really was a Tour de Bryz. His target this day was the media. At one point, he said that perusing stories written about him - which he apparently does with a highlighter - often leaves him thinking, "Sometimes you're reading and it's like, 'Oh my God, who is this lunatic?' " But, he said, it doesn't bother him. "Not anymore," Bryzgalov said. "Not anymore.

Jeff Carter said Thursday he would need the weekend to digest his shocking trade to Columbus. But when yesterday rolled around and Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson had still not personally heard from Carter, the player for whom he partly mortgaged his team's future to acquire, Howson started to get a little worried. Howson, in turn, rounded up an envoy that included head coach Scott Arniel and team captain Rick Nash to fly to Philadelphia and drive to Carter's offseason residence in Sea Isle City, N.J., to seek out their new star player.

WITH THE HEAD coach apparently returning for at least the start of next hockey season, and the general manager likely to survive the Flyers season that wasn't, this star-crossed team seems poised for yet another franchise-shifting decision. And wouldn't you know it, it revolves around a goalie. Alas, who to use their amnesty buyout on - Danny Briere or Ilya Bryzgalov? From a performance standpoint, Briere seems to be the no-brainer. He's 35, just back from a concussion, just a few months removed from a hand injury suffered while playing in Germany, which began his worst season since he was an underachieving kid in Phoenix.

Former Flyers coach Paul Holmgren was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol Monday night after a two-car accident in Gloucester Township in which he, his son, and the driver of another car suffered minor injuries. Holmgren, his son, Wes, 9, and Gloucester Township resident Jan Karpinski - the driver of the other vehicle - were taken to Kennedy Memorial Hospitals in Stratford, where they were treated and released, according to Gloucester Township Patrolman Charles Boyle.

The Flyers have re-signed left wing Riley Cote to a 1-year deal and left wing Boyd Kane to a 2-year deal, the team announced yesterday. Cote, 25, was scoreless with 11 penalty minutes in eight games for the Flyers last season. He had a goal and four assists in 37 games for the Phantoms. Kane, 29, had two assists and 28 penalty minutes in 15 games for the Flyers last season. In 57 games with the Phantoms, he recorded 10 goals, 22 assists and 98 penalty minutes. "Riley is in his third season with the Flyers organization and he continues to improve," general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement.

The Flyers have reached a minor league affiliation agreement for next season with the Kalamazoo Wings, of the East Coast Hockey League. The K-Wings will join the relocated Adirondack Phantoms as Flyers' minor league affiliates. The San Jose Sharks also will be an affiliate of the Wings. "We are pleased to have the Kalamazoo Wings as our ECHL affiliate and look forward to a strong working relationship with them," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement announcing the agreement.

Flyers forward Simon Gagne has a mild right groin strain, but general manager Paul Holmgren said Gagne probably will be ready when training camp begins Sept. 12. Gagne injured his groin Monday while practicing with Team Canada. He saw Flyers team doctor Peter DeLuca yesterday. "Simon will have some medicine injected into the affected area Friday morning and will be advised to rest for one week before returning to his normal fitness routine," Holmgren said in a statement issued by the team.

The Flyers agreed to terms on a one-year contract with defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen yesterday. "Ole is a defenseman with size and defends very well," said general manager Paul Holmgren, who did not release financial details. "At 25 years old, he is an ideal fit to the core of our team. " The native of Norway is 6-foot-2 and weighs 211 pounds. "I have always been a fan of the Philadelphia Flyers and what they are all about," Tollefsen said. "They play a gritty style of hockey, and that is typical of me. " Tollefsen, 25, appeared in 19 games with Columbus last season but missed 39 games and all four Stanley Cup games because of injuries.

Kirby Law and Mark Freer each recorded a goal and an assist, but it wasn't enough as the Phantoms feel to the Albany River Rats last night. 4-2. Meanwhile, the Flyers traded a couple of fading prospects yesterday for a minor league veteran. Yves Sarault, 29, a forward who has played 105 NHL games over seven seasons, was acquired from Nashville mainly to help the Phantoms, Flyers assistant general manager Paul Holmgren said, but he said Sarault can be a callup player for the Flyers as well.

The Phantoms, who won the Calder Cup last week, have extended the contracts of head coach John Stevens and assistant coaches Kjell Samuelsson and Craig Berube through the 2005-06 season, the team announced yesterday. Terms were not disclosed. "The Phantoms had a remarkable season in 2004-05, and we wanted to lock in what we feel is the best coaching staff in the American Hockey League," said Paul Holmgren, assistant general manager of the Flyers and Phantoms. The coaches "took a mix of veterans and young prospects and molded a championship-winning team," he said.