Wanna get into playoff hockey? Try the ex-Flyers game

You are sad. There is hockey this spring but no Flyers. You don't know what to do with yourself.

I am here to help.

Below is a list of playoff players with ties to the Flyers. Once they wore the orange and black, played for your farm team, were drafted by the club or, in the case of Bryan Bickell and John Carlson, were a draft pick owned by the club. Find a buddy, or two buddies, and conduct yourself a quick draft, give yourself something to root for. You can devise any scoring system you like, but I've found the simpler, the better.

Here's mine. Either add or subtract a player's plus-minus to his points. Whoever has the most points when a Cup winner is crowned wins the first-ever Sammy Cup.

You don't even have to share it with teammates. And you can do anything you like with it, even the kind of stuff not suitable for recounting in newspapers.

The hockey writers who cover the Olympics do this (although with an even simpler formula) and it's a blast. You simply put a list of players down, pass it around from one participant to another until the list is exhausted. If you need to even it out, add Matt Carle or Sergei Bobrovsky or any other ex-Flyers competing in the World Championships to your list. Could even make your afternoons more interesting.

Frank Seravalli and I conducted our own draft this afternoon and he chose first. While his roster certainly has more firepower, there are some icky plus-minuses there that could sabotage his team. I've got me a squad full of muckers and grinders, but not a whole lot of pop.

Let the games begin. Or rather, resume with added interest.

Frank Seravalli                                                                     Sam Donnellon

Jeff Carter, Kings                                                                  Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks

Mike Richards, Kings                                                            Justin Williams, Kings

Jaromir Jagr, Bruins                                                             Michal Handzus, Blackhawks

Bryan Bickell, Blackhawks                                                   Arron Asham, Rangers

Joffrey Lupul, Leafs                                                              Dennis Seidenberg, Bruins

Mark Eaton, Penguins                                                          Darroll Powe, Rangers

Colin Fraser, Kings                                                               Dan Carcillo, Blackhawks

James van Riemsdyk , Leafs                                              Tom Sestito, Canucks

Luca Sbisa, Ducks                                                              John Carlson, Capitals