Forsberg snaps in Flyers loss

Peter Forsberg was hired as Flyers captain this summer. It was said he would be a man that would lead by example. He wouldn't kick, yell or scream at his teammates. He wouldn't get in the face of the coach or fire anyone up with a passionate speech. And of course Foppa would never get thrown out of a game for arguing with the referees. Not the mild-mannered Peter Forsberg, right? Wrong. In another frustrating effort in front of the Flyer faithful, Forsberg certainly wore his heart on his sleeve to say the least. Was Forsberg's ejection justified? Probably not. Were his actions as the team's captain harmful to the team? Certainly.

Yet what Peter Forsberg showed last night was a strong dedication to his team and the fans who pay to see the greatest player in the world put on a show each night. Dedication and passion is something this team has been lacking from top to bottom since the year began.

It started with Bob Clarke, who resigned his post as general manager because he was burnt out from the arduous task of building a hockey team. It trickled down to the players, who have shown little emotion in their 3-8-1 start to the season. If this team needed a boost, it was Forsberg who gave it to them last night.

It's a shame that this Flyers team didn't have 20 Martin St. Louis-type players on the squad. It was St. Louis who scored 2 goals last night, his 8th and 9th goals of the season to put the Lightning in front early. The complaints from Forsberg began after Lightning captain Tim Taylor scored to put his team in front 3-0. Forsberg argued that the puck was not visible underneath the pads of Antero Niittymaki and the whistle should have blown the play dead. He certainly had a point, as video reviews showed that the puck was not visible from any angle and that referee Dan O'Halloran must have had x-ray vision to see it. Forsberg received an unsportsmanlike conduct minor for this and the Flyers headed into the locker room down 3-0 after two periods.

In the third period, the Flyers awoke from their slumber and put pressure on goaltender Johan Holmqvist. R.J. Umberger and Randy Jones scored just 21 seconds apart midway through the third to cut the Tampa Bay lead to 3-2. With all of the energy and emotion flowing on the Flyer side the Flyers went to the attack needing just one goal in the final 8 minutes of the game. It seemed like an unsurmountable lead just moments earlier.

With 4:10 left to play, Forsberg was battling behind the goal with Lightning defenseman Nolan Pratt for the puck. Forsberg threw an elbow Pratt's way that missed him for the most part. The arm went up, and Forsberg went to the box. It was a shame he didn't stay there. He was also assessed a game misconduct for complaining about the call, sending him to the locker room for an early shower. It wasn't just the fact that the penalty, or the lackthereof one, set him off. It was the fact that he was thrown out of two key faceoffs in the Tampa Bay zone late in the game in the third period. It was the fact that he was called for a hooking penalty along the boards that was a mystery to him and the fans. It was the fact that Tim Taylor got four chances to score a goal that shouldn't have happened. All in all, it was a frustrating night for the Flyer captain.

Vincent LeCavalier and Eric Perrin scored empty net goals to put a capper on a night that won't soon be forgotten. If this Flyers team can follow their leader and get out of the duldrums of this Atlantic Division, maybe we can forget this game. For now though, it is the harsh reality that this team is not good enough to make the playoffs. If Peter Forsberg has the last word though, that can all change.