Ed_sniderSource: DayLife.com

Ed Snider isn’t exactly avoiding the pressing questions facing the Flyers. The Chairman spoke to Sam Donnellon yesterday and talked about goaltending, Michael Richards, and… Philly Live, which will host the world’s largest sports bar.

A few highlights:

"Right there, that's going to be the world's largest sports bar," he was saying as we stood at the window this week. "Right there, where 11th meets Pattison. That's going to be the start of Philly Live!"

The multistory bar, which will absorb 50,000 square feet of the 300,000-square-foot site, will be ready to serve customers by the Phillies opener in 2012, he said. As for the rest, of which the centerpiece is to be a luxury hotel, well . . .

"We're still waiting for the economy," the CEO and president of the Flyers and Sixers said.

 

That’s like 11 months away. Count me as being skeptical.

Regarding Richie? This isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement from the usually outspoken Snider:

Snider is asked if his team has the right captain.

"I'm the last guy in the world to ask that," he said. "I don't know any more than you do. I really don't. I'm not there every day. I'm not in the locker room. You've been around hockey enough to know there's an inner sanctum there. In that locker room you don't know what's going on. It's up to the coach, who probably has a handle on it by now."

 

You would expect something a bit more concrete, like… “He’s our captain, led this team to within two games of a Stanley Cup last year, and played most of the season with an injury. He’s our guy.”

And on Leighton:

While calling Laviolette's use of Leighton in the playoffs "sentimental," Snider said, "We're lucky to have him," when asked about the coach. And he had no problem with Holmgren avoiding a trade last summer for Tim Thomas. "Let's not get into revisionist history," he said. "That decision was made after the goalies we had took us to the Stanley Cup finals. If we're going to blow up Leighton over the horrible goal, then his three shutouts didn't mean anything.

"We didn't think we needed a goalie. And particularly a $6 million goalie who couldn't play first string for the team he was on."

 

“Sentimental” doesn’t exactly have a place in professional sports championship tournaments. And the $6 million backup goalie is getting ready to play in the Eastern Conference Finals.

You can read the full article at Philly.com.

According to Ike Richman, Snider will be on CSN tonight to talk – I'm guessing – more about Richards and the goalies… and probably his renovation of Laura Sims Skatehouse.