"Less than 7 minutes into his first NHL exhibition game, Marc-Andre Bourdon snapped off a hard shot toward Maple Leafs goaltender Jonas Gustavsson - but missed the target. Bourdon's shot caromed off the boards behind the net and back toward it, with Flyers forward Jeff Carter hovering nearby. Gustavsson kicked it into his own net and Carter raised his stick nonchalantly. Bourdon didn't know he scored his first NHL goal until the PA announcer at the John Labatt Centre informed the 8,765 in attendance. "I thought [Carter] scored the goal," the defenseman said. "I know I'm not going to score too many goals without getting the puck on net. It was lucky, but I'll take it. It was a good feeling." Not bad for a Quebec resident who just turned the legal drinking age in the United States last Friday. "I thought he played well," coach Peter Laviolette said of Bourdon after the Flyers' 3-2 shootout loss to Toronto last night. "There's a lot of things he can do. He's a good passer. He's a big guy, he's physical, he can hit, he can fight. He can shoot the puck, he's got a heavy shot. "A lot of it is the speed of the game. The game happens quick. The more games that he plays, the more comfortable he'll feel." With the puck comfortably resting on his stick this training camp - instead of like a grenade ready to implode - Bourdon has been a pleasant surprise on the blue line for the Flyers. His calmness with the puck is noticeable. "I've always been pretty poised with the puck, but the difference is, I am faster this year so I have more time with the puck," Bourdon explained. "I've still got to be faster, but I get to the puck and I have more time to look now. Last year I came out of juniors and it was a big step for me to play in the pros." At every level, Bourdon has been a leader. In last week's rookie scrimmage with the Capitals, Bourdon wore the "C" as the Flyers' rookie captain, even though he was the only player with pro experience among the group. Bourdon also captained his team in Rouyn-Noranda for two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior league." http://www.philly.com/dailynews/spo..._for_Flyers_in_preseason_loss_to_Toronto.html
