It'll be a happy homecoming

There is no doubt that the Flyers were one of, if not the most, improved teams in the NHL coming into this season. But what that exactly meant on the ice was something that wouldn't be answered until the first puck drop. Well, the exit polls are in: In their first three games, on a rare West Coast trip to start the season, the Flyers are back. And on Saturday, the fans throughout the Philadelphia area will get to see their real hockey team, and not that impostor they painfully watched last season.

The Flyers return home with a 2-1 record, most recently of which a 8-2 drubbing of the Vancouver Canucks; widely considered one of the top teams in the West. The Flyers bare zero resemblance to last year's squad. That is bound to happen when you dress nine guys who were on different teams one year ago. But they also have a different attitude, and a different style of play. Last year's squad seemed agonizingly slow; in all zones. This year, the Flyers are flying. Whatever they have done so far this season, they have done it at full throttle. As a result, they are scoring more, but they are also keeping the puck out of their net more than last year by putting pressure on whoever has the puck on the opposition; whether that is on the forecheck or behind their own net.

Danny Briere, the Flyers' most prized offseason acquistion, has been as advertised to say the least. He has seven points in his first three games. Other newcomers Lupol and Hartnell are playing well, and Jason Smith and Kimmo Timonen have provided so much stability on the blue line. But it is not just the newcomers. The guys that remain from last year have new life and new energy playing with these new guys. Gagne, Richards, Carter, and Umberger are just a few who are playing like they have rockets up the asses. But most importantly, their is a winning attitude that is settling over this team.

With a 2-1 start, coming home to face a division rival in the Islanders, who also have gotten off to a good start, the Flyers have a chance to truly cement themselves as "back." And they can make their fans really excited about hockey again, seeing as how they started their season during Phillies' playoff baseball on the West Coast; home of those annoying 10:00pm start times. Yes, it is a long season, but we have seen, in the post lockout NHL, how a fast and aggressive team, that believes it can win, can turn a good start into a good season. One thing that is for sure is that they will certainly have the home crowd of a winner.