Steve Downie

One of the Flyers' most intriguing prospects reported to rookie camp yesterday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees with a mended shoulder and a new frame of mind. Right winger Steve Downie, the Flyers' first-round draft choice in 2005, might not make the roster out of training camp, but he certainly figures in the team's future. The 20-year-old Downie, who had surgery in late April to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, said he was feeling fine physically. In the past, his physical tools were never questioned, but Downie's fiery personality has resulted in several suspensions.

It was snowing heavily at 5:30 that winter morning in Everett, Ontario, when John Downie lost control of his car while driving his son to hockey practice. Steve Downie, age 7, was sitting in the front seat of the car and walked away with nary a scratch on him. His father died at the scene. "It was an unfortunate car accident, but Steven wasn't hurt at all," recalled Ann Downie, his mother. "It said something right there. He always had that passion to play hockey. " Yesterday, the 18-year-old was watching the NHL draft on television in Queensville, Ontario, when he was stunned to hear that the Flyers had selected him at No. 29 in the first round.

The Flyers sent Steve Downie, a first-round draft pick in 2005, and Jared Ross down to the Phantoms today, according to general manager Paul Holmgren. Downie, 21, was scoreless in four games this season for the Flyers. He played 32 games for the Flyers last season and 21 games for the Phantoms, the Flyers' AHL affiliate. Ross, 26, was the only American on the Flyers' roster. He was scoreless in two games this season.  

Jared Ross scored two goals as the Phantoms beat the Lowell Devils, 3-1, last night to become the 15th franchise in the history of the American Hockey League to win 500 games. Steve Downie had two assists in the win and now has six assists in the last two games. Patrick Maroon also scored for the winners. Jean-Sebastien Aubin turned away 31 shots to earn the victory in goal. The Phantoms, who are in their 12th season, are the sixth active team to reach the 500-win plateau.

The Norfolk Admirals erupted for five goals in the first period last night on the way to a 7-3 victory over the Phantoms in the American Hockey League. Blair Jones scored twice and Kyle Wanvig, Jeff Campbell and Craig MacDonald added goals as Norfolk (6-10-0-2) surged to a 5-0 lead. The Admirals increased their advantage to 6-0 on Norm Milley's second-period goal before Philadelphia rallied. Steve Downie, Jared Ross and Alexandre Picard scored for the Phantoms (14-3-1)

The Hershey Bears jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period, then clamped down on the Phantoms to post a 2-1 victory in the AHL last night. Grant Potulny scored eight seconds into the game for the Bears. Kyle Wilson made it 2-0 at 4 minutes, 20 seconds of the first. Steve Downie scored the only goal for the Phantoms (22-10-1) at 8:11 of the first period. Daren Machesney stopped 22 shots for the Bears (19-12-0). Brian Boucher turned away 22 shots for the Phantoms, whose East Division lead over the Albany River Rats remained at three points.

Even when he was playing with the Flyers, Steve Downie was not a player you could get to say a lot. But if the look he was wearing told anything about how he likes playing in Tampa Bay, it's all good. Downie seemed happy and upbeat as he walked into the Wachovia Center for the first time since being sent to Tampa Bay with Steve Eminger in exchange for Matt Carle on Nov. 7. It didn't take Downie long, however, to show why he can be such a liability. On his first shift of the game, Downie took Kimmo Timonen's feet out from under him, drew a penalty and the immediate ire of his former teammates.

While the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks were being stonewalled, 4-1, by Los Angeles Kings rookie goalie Jonathan Bernier in London at the NHL's first-ever league opener in Europe, here in South Philly, the Flyers were closing out another long preseason. Their five-games-in-seven-nights tour de force ended with a 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers at the Wachovia Center. The Flyers open the season Thursday in Calgary. Exhibitions seldom mean anything, but John Stevens' club was 2-2 with Marty Biron in goal.

THE FIRST REVIEW the Flyers received about Steve Downie was not good. This was in the spring of 2005, prior to an Ontario Hockey League playoff game between Downie's Windsor Spitfires and former NHL coach Craig Hartsburg's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, before Hartsburg's team pushed ahead to a three games to none lead. "I'm talking to Hartsy before the game and I asked, 'What's this Downie all about?' " Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren recalled yesterday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J. "And he said, 'He's a [bleeping]

Unless you had one of the top-five picks in yesterday's NHL draft in Ottawa, the talent pool was shallow. The Flyers tried to get Anaheim's second pick so they could select Cherry Hill winger Bobby Ryan. Then they tried to get Sudbury defenseman Marc Staal, younger brother of Eric Staal, a center for the Carolina Hurricanes. Having failed to do either, Flyers general manager Bob Clarke traded down nine spots from No. 20 with Florida in the first round. At No. 29, the Flyers chose 18-year-old Canadian right wing Steve Downie.

The Flyers withstood another injury to Danny Briere, a game-misconduct penalty to Scottie Upshall in the first period and a thrown glove by Scott Hartnell that led to a penalty shot in the closing seconds of regulation. The result? A wild 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night at the Wachovia Center. Oh, they also withstood goals by three former Flyers: Mark Recchi, Vinny Prospal and Steve Downie. They survived because Marty Biron stopped Ryan Malone on a breakaway and a penalty shot with the score tied at 3 and 16.3 seconds left in regulation.

Even when he was playing with the Flyers, Steve Downie was not a player you could get to say a lot. But if the look he was wearing told anything about how he likes playing in Tampa Bay, it's all good. Downie seemed happy and upbeat as he walked into the Wachovia Center for the first time since being sent to Tampa Bay with Steve Eminger in exchange for Matt Carle on Nov. 7. It didn't take Downie long, however, to show why he can be such a liability. On his first shift of the game, Downie took Kimmo Timonen's feet out from under him, drew a penalty and the immediate ire of his former teammates.

Winger Steve Downie conceded he was surprised by the trade that sent him and defenseman Steve Eminger from the Flyers to the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Matt Carle on Nov. 7. Surprised, but not disappointed. "I could sit here and could talk, but that's in my past. I'm not going to talk about it," he said when asked if he felt the Flyers had given up on him. "I've forgotten about it. It was a place I played. I'm looking forward, not in the past. " The Flyers' first-round pick (29th overall)

Jared Ross scored two goals as the Phantoms beat the Lowell Devils, 3-1, last night to become the 15th franchise in the history of the American Hockey League to win 500 games. Steve Downie had two assists in the win and now has six assists in the last two games. Patrick Maroon also scored for the winners. Jean-Sebastien Aubin turned away 31 shots to earn the victory in goal. The Phantoms, who are in their 12th season, are the sixth active team to reach the 500-win plateau.

The Flyers sent Steve Downie, a first-round draft pick in 2005, and Jared Ross down to the Phantoms today, according to general manager Paul Holmgren. Downie, 21, was scoreless in four games this season for the Flyers. He played 32 games for the Flyers last season and 21 games for the Phantoms, the Flyers' AHL affiliate. Ross, 26, was the only American on the Flyers' roster. He was scoreless in two games this season.  

Hotshot rookie winger Claude Giroux was assigned to the AHL Phantoms, and an MRI showed that Steve Downie's injured left knee is not severely damaged. Those were the headlines coming from the Flyers' training camp yesterday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Downie, 21, who is being counted upon as the club's fourth-line center, suffered what general manager Paul Holmgren called a mild medial collateral ligament strain. Downie was injured when he fell to the ice during a fight with Washington's Jay Beagle on Wednesday.

To put it mildly, the Flyers and forward Steve Downie have made major strides in the last season. A year ago, the Flyers were coming off the worst season in their history, and Downie was given a 20-game suspension for a preseason hit on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond. Today, the Flyers are one of the Eastern Conference's most highly regarded teams. And Downie? The winger-turned-center appears to have earned a spot as a fourth-line center, even though he suffered what the club hoped was only a minor setback last night.

One day after Flyers coach John Stevens tried to pump some confidence into rookie winger Steve Downie, he tore it down with a flourish. For the second straight game in the NHL Eastern Conference finals, Downie committed a glaring turnover that led to a pivotal third-period goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last night, Downie's pass landed right on the stick of Penguins center Evgeni Malkin to start a rush that led to a goal by Ryan Malone. Instead of having a chance to tie the game, the Flyers were two goals down and eventually lost, 4-1, to fall into a three-games-to-none hole in the series.

After the Flyers' sloppy play and lack of edge against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Eastern Conference finals opener, it was safe to predict changes for Game 2. For one, coach John Stevens likely will unleash right winger Steve Downie tonight at Mellon Arena. "He's a good hockey player. He gives us a boost offensively, gives us a little bit of a physical edge," fellow right winger Joffrey Lupul said. Many in the NHL have this image of Downie as some sort of five-headed hydra.

The Flyers juggernaut rolls on. Against an Ottawa Senators team that leads the NHL's Northeast Division and might even have been looking for a little payback against Steve Downie for a preseason hit, the Flyers owned the ice last night at the Wachovia Center. The Flyers won, 6-1, improving their hot streak to 10-1-1 in their last dozen games, and they are looking more confident and more cohesive with each victory. "Hockey is so much more fun when you're playing like this," winger Sami Kapanen said.