Graham Hughes
MONTREAL - In the wake of their embarrassing loss on Thursday to the Montreal Canadiens in the first game of the series at the Bell Centre, the Philadelphia Flyers were asked, a lot, if they found it to be an intimidating place to play.
The 21,273 fans did their bit at the game, creating waves of sound that pounded down on the players, while the Canadiens obviously used the support from their fans to play a much more aggressive brand of hockey. The result was a 5-1 win which cut the Flyers' lead in the NHL semi-final to 2-1.
However, Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton, who did not stand on his head as he has throughout the playoffs but was not the reason for the loss either, said playing in a hostile atmosphere can be a lot of fun.
"We obviously expected that," he said after the Flyers practice on Friday. "We know what this town is capable of, what these fans are capable of. For me, it's a fun building.
"It wakes you up and keeps you alert. It gives you chills sometimes when they're that loud."
What Leighton really had to watch out for, he said, was the boards at the Bell Centre. Each of the 30 rinks in the NHL has its quirks and the Bell Centre's is a set of boards that gives up some tricky rebounds.
"Different buildings have lively boards," Leighton said. "I know the boards here, they are really lively. It's just something you have to be aware of."