Monday, April 17, 2006
By RICH CHERE
Newhouse News Service
EAST RUTHERFORD -- Were the Flyers self-destructing yesterday afternoon at the Meadowlands? General manager Bob Clarke could not have been very pleased as he watched Robert Esche and teammate Donald Brashear get into aa heated exchange after the goalie was pulled less than three minutes into the second period.
As Esche (three goals allowed on 12 shots) came to the bench, he yelled at his teammates and Brashear took it personally.
"He was very (ticked) off to get pulled," Brashear said later. "We weren't playing good, and he was trying to fire up the bench. Obviously it didn't work too much.
"It wasn't directed at me. He told us to get our heads out of our rear ends. I said, `Yeah, you're right.' He was looking at me and I thought it was personal. Then I sat next to him on the bench, and he said it wasn't personal."