Igniting the Flyer

Let’s say I challenge you to a game of skill. It doesn’t really matter what game it is, what matters are the parameters in which this hypothetical is framed. Okay, fine. Let’s say we’re standing across the street from my old house engaged in a battle of fish skipping. The goal? To skip a fish directly at a target floating in the middle of the lake before the little guy regains his senses and swims away in a dizzying fury. Now you and I, we have even chances at winning this game of skill. Past experience? We have mirrored fish skipping careers. The target? An equal distance from both you and me. The fish? Equally sized and stupid. It’s a fair fight.

But what if we alter the rules of the game?

Let’s say I have to continue skipping the fish by throwing them across the lake at the target, while you get to shoot them out of one of those cannons they use at sporting events to launch t-shirts. Suddenly, there’s a damn good chance you will be crowned Grand Master Fishskip, right? After all, I can’t compete with your Gillshark Cannon 3000. It cuts down on wind resistance and gives you much better accuracy – a clearer shot at the goal. It’s agreed then – having an advantage in a game of skill should allow you to hit the floating target many more times than my old school arm method. What are your odds?

Better than 9 for 97, right?

9 for 97, or a tremendous 9.2 per cent is the current conversion ratio for the Philadelphia Flyers when on the power play. For those unfamiliar with the term, a power play occurs when a player on the opposing team is charged with a penalty and required to leave the ice for 2 minutes. During this time, that player’s team has to play with only 5 players, while the opposing team still plays at a full-strength 6. With one more player, the opposing team’s ability to score a goal should increase dramatically above their usual chances. In essence, by committing a penalty, that player just handed the other team a fish cannon.

So why can’t the Flyers convert on the power play? They’ve got talented marksmen in Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne. Their team is more agile with players like Sami Kapanen at the point. And the crowd is always into cheering for a heightened chance to score a goal. So what is it that makes the Orange and Black go numb when the arena’s announcer cries,

“The Flyers are going on the PEC-OOOOOOO POWER PLAY!!!”

Oh, wait just one minute.

PECO, a smaller division of Exelon Energy, is Pennsylvania’s largest utility and gas distribution provider as well as the official sponsor of the Flyers’ power play. In sports these days, everything has aA sponsor attached to it – ask the folks at Citifield. The marketing connection for Peco makes sense – as a power company, sponsoring a power play will automatically link your brand in the hockey fan’s mind with their favorite team. As for the Flyers, it makes a heck of a lot more sense than going on the Pennsylvania Dutch Power Play.

Back to our fish skipping analogy, let’s say that I’ve done something wrong that allows you to use the Fish Cannon for the next two minutes – I don’t know, maybe I dropped a fish or something. Over the loudspeaker, you hear that you’re going on a Power Play sponsored by a company that distributes gas and electrical current for a living. Are you more pumped now because of it? I don’t think so. You see what’s going on here? Even though Peco is a lot of fun to say, it just doesn’t get the Flyers pumped any more. Our suggestion?“

The Flyers are going on the WaWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa POWER PLAY!!!”

Free hoagies to anyone who can light the lamp.