Stanley Cup

The last time the Flyers won the Stanley Cup, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was a box-office sensation, sentences were handed out for the Watergate cover-up, and gas was about 57 cents a gallon. Yeah, it's been a while. Thirty-eight years, to be exact. No one is more frustrated than Ed Snider, the Flyers' founder and chairman of Comcast-Spectacor, the team's parent company. The frustration grew this season. First there was the senseless lockout. Then the Flyers' head-scratching, inconsistent play caused them to miss the playoffs for just the second time in the last 18 years.

IT WAS A SEASON to forget, one of just nine in 45 seasons in which the Flyers have not qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Rather than look back on the season, here's an inventory of what the Flyers have moving forward. (Players are listed alphabetically by position. Contracts are what's remaining.)   FORWARDS DANNY BRIERE Stats: 34 GP, 6 G, 10 A. Grade: C- Age: 35 Contract: 2 years, $13 million Outlook: Steep production drop, accounting for his worst career season.

ALEX STEEN stole the puck from goalie Jonathan Quick behind the net and scored a shorthanded goal to give the Blues a 2-1 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night in St. Louis in the opening game of their Western Conference playoff series. Steen scored unassisted on a backhander at 13:26 of overtime less than a minute after Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was whistled for double-minor high sticking when he cut Dustin Penner. Steen also scored on a power play in the first period for the Blues, who ended an eight-game losing streak against the team that swept them in the second round last spring.

Penguins star Sidney Crosby practiced Monday but his status remains uncertain for Wednesday's playoff opener against the New York Islanders. Crosby hasn't played since suffering a broken jaw a month ago. He said he'll see doctors again Tuesday and will not play until he is given clearance.   Another chance The St. Louis Blues are getting yet another shot at the Los Angeles Kings, starting Tuesday. Los Angeles beat the Blues during its run to the Stanley Cup championship last season and swept St. Louis this season.

Bryan Bickell scored in overtime on a two-on-one rush, and the Chicago Blackhawks started the playoffs on a winning note after dominating the regular season, beating the visiting Minnesota Wild, 2-1, on Tuesday night. Corey Crawford settled down after allowing a weak goal in the opening minutes. Marian Hossa also scored, and the Blackhawks took the early lead in this first-round series. Game 2 is Friday at the United Center. Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom was a late scratch because of a leg injury.

With about 400 fans cheering loudly, the Flyers unveiled a statue of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent hoisting the Stanley Cup during a ceremony Saturday morning outside Xfinity Live. The seven-foot bronze statue commemorates the Flyers' championship teams in 1974 and 1975, and it sits outside the pub Broad Street Bullies, the nickname of those teams. Clarke, Parent, and club officials spoke at the ceremony, which was attended by former Flyers Reggie Leach, Bill Barber, Joe Watson, Don Saleski, Orest Kindrachuk, and Bob Kelly.

Even though they managed a gritty 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, the Flyers are having a head-scratching season, with a 14-17-3 record that has them near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Now look at the same juncture last season and swallow hard: a 21-9-4 record for 46 points - 15 more than this year's team. No wonder winger Scott Hartnell said that when he met with club chairman Ed Snider the other day, "you could see the hurt in his eyes by obviously the way we're playing.

PITTSBURGH - Sidney Crosby knows the Pittsburgh Penguins will be considered Stanley Cup contenders so long as his familiar No. 87 hangs in the dressing room. "We're always in the conversation as far as favorites," Crosby said. At the moment, a case could be made the Penguins are the only ones in it. Already riding a 13-game winning streak behind the typically sublime Crosby and a suddenly responsible defense, Pittsburgh's quest for the franchise's fourth Cup received a rocket-fueled boost late Wednesday night when general manager Ray Shero acquired six-time All-Star forward Jarome Iginla from Calgary.

BOSTON - The Flyers are in crisis mode. They have lost three straight, haven't scored in the five periods since taking an early 4-1 lead before collapsing against Pittsburgh on Thursday, and are in danger of missing the playoffs for just the second time in the last 18 seasons. After a listless 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, coach Peter Laviolette, whose job isn't as safe as it looked a month ago, held a closed-door meeting with his players that lasted 20 minutes. Twenty minutes to coax the Flyers into playing 60 minutes each game.