Flyers hit the water in bid to bond

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Will sailing together on the ocean help them avoid failing together on the ice?

That is the Flyers' hope.

Yesterday, with the temperature reaching 90 degrees, the Flyers held a team boat race as part of their five days of bonding activities in South Florida. Each boat was captained by a real sailor.

The 4.5-mile race among five 45-foot sailboats demonstrated that the team's old guys (read: coaches) are better on the water than their players.

The first-place team - coach John Stevens; assistants Jack McIlhargey, Craig Berube, and Joe Mullen; video coach Adam Patterson; and massage therapist Brad Smith - covered the course in 1 hour, 10 minutes, and 31 seconds.

"We just had a smart captain, and he gave us some good instruction," Stevens said.

The race was held on Biscayne Bay, which runs into the Atlantic Ocean.

The second-place boat consisted of Chris Pronger, Matt Carle, Ray Emery, Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, and Mika Pyorala. It finished a little more than three minutes behind the winner.

"It was fun; it was different," Gagne said.

Gagne's boat started last, jumped into the lead, then faltered toward the end.

"Our captain said our boat was the fastest one here, so we gave the other teams a chance to get the lead," Gagne said. "We had a little problem about halfway through, and we totally lost the wind and we had to start all over again, but we couldn't make up the lost ground."

The Flyers, who face the Florida Panthers on Friday, will practice this morning before a team fishing tournament.

The Flyers have nine newcomers, and the activities help them bond with the veterans.

"I think any team that knows each other better plays harder for each other," Stevens said.

"It makes it more fun to go to the rink and makes it easier to work hard," rookie James van Riemsdyk said.

Honoring Schultz. Dave "The Hammer" Schultz, the enforcer who helped the Flyers win the Stanley Cup in 1974 and '75, will become the 20th member of the organization's Hall of Fame.

Schultz will be inducted during an on-ice ceremony before the Nov. 16 game against New Jersey.

The left winger "helped define Philadelphia Flyers hockey," said Ed Snider, chairman of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the Flyers. "He played with a high level of intensity, always proudly defending the orange and black, and making it difficult for our opponents. He never backed down and he fought hard every night."

Schultz recorded 51 goals and 64 assists for 115 regular-season points, and amassed 1,386 penalty minutes, which ranks fifth in Flyers history. In the 1974-75 season, Schultz recorded 472 penalty minutes, an NHL record.

"While his temporary home was in the penalty box, we're glad he will have a permanent home in the Flyers' Hall of Fame," Snider said.

A video tribute will be played during Schultz's induction ceremony, after which he will address the crowd. All fans will receive a Schultz poster.

Schultz will discuss the honor during a news conference at 11 a.m. tomorrow. It will be held in the Wachovia Spectrum penalty box.

KISSING the Flyers. The rock band KISS recorded fire-up-the-crowd videos Monday before the group's show at the Wachovia Center. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer did the videos, which will be shown on the scoreboard during Flyers home games.