Monday's Late Hot Coals: Is it OK for teams to limit player access?

It's no secret that Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has been struggling this season; he certainly hasn't been shy about it, talking at length with reporters about his poor play after Philly's loss to the Jets on Thursday. 

Now, the Flyers have limited the media's access to the outgoing Russian 'tender, seemingly with the belief that excessive attention from the press is a distraction to the man between the pipes. 

As Travis Hughes says in his excellent article on the topic over at Broadstreet Hockey, this assertion is ridiculous. Professional athletes are used to speaking to reporters, regardless of whether the city they played in previously was a "hockey market" or not. 

Bryzgalov had a bad game and he owned up to it in the media; he admitted that he was lacking confidence; these are things you don't often hear coming out of a pro athlete's mouth, at least publicly. Maybe the Flyers feel that Bryzgalov admitting his weaknesses to the press makes him an easy target for the opposition, I don't know, but there's still no justification for the team's decision to limit credentialed media members' access to players. It could get especially messy when you consider that the Flyers are the subject of an upcoming HBO series in the same mould as the popular 24/7 documentary featuring the Penguins and Capitals leading up to the 2011 Winter Classic. 

Maybe pressure from one of the US' biggest cable networks will change the minds of the Flyers' brass. 

Links after the jump. 

Thoughts on the Flames through one month of play [FlamesNation]

After almost two years away from the game, Abbotsford Heat forward and Calgary native Krys Kolanos has been named forward of the week [Abbotsford Heat Hub]

Vancouver police have finally begun charging participants in the June Stanley Cup riots [Puck Daddy]

Raffi Torres' taste in Halloween costumes has been called into question, and rightfully so [The National Post] 

And finally, Defending Big D blogger Brandon Worley gets a mention in this weeks edition of 30 Thoughts [CBC Sports]

Have a great week everyone and happy Halloween!