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Bryzgalov: “What I lived through this season I wouldn’t wish to an enemy”

Ilya Bryzgalov, Patrik Elias

NEWARK, NJ - MAY 03: Ilya Bryzgalov #30 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks on after Patrik Elias #26 of the New Jersey Devils scored a goal against him in the first period in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Prudential Center on May 3, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Philadelphia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov didn’t want to answer reporters’ questions during the Flyers’ postseason media day on Thursday, but he was willing to give a very open and honest interview to Natalia Bragilevskaya of SovSport.

“What I lived through this season I wouldn’t wish to an enemy,” Bryzgalov said. ". . . I need to keep working. I understand the fans. They paid their money and want the show. But many forget that we are not robots, but living people. We have feelings, worries.”

Bryzgalov was very inconsistent during the regular season. He was a bit more reliable in the playoffs, but not in a good way. With the exception of Game 6 against Pittsburgh, Bryzgalov allowed at least three goals in every postseason contest.

“I got very tired this season, to be honest,” he said. ". . . Now I know what it’s like to be a goaltender in Philadelphia. Maybe from the outside it looks like there’s nothing to it. You only realize it on your own.”

It sounds like the media scrunity he experienced in Philadelphia might have come as a revelation, especially considering he jumped straight from the Phoenix Coyotes to the Flyers.

“People are so concentrated on the negative that they only see the bad in me,” Bryzgalov said. “But I think you need to be kinder to each other.”

Still, Bryzgalov does feel that he’s gained “invaluable experience” this season and he’s not prepared to give up despite the difficulties.

“I have eight more years to work under my contract with Philadelphia,” Bryzgalov said. “If I am criticized, then I will endure it. You can’t tie up people’s tongues. It is their right to let the emotions go.”

Being criticized is just something that’s going to happen if you’re playing for a big city in a key role. That’s not unique to hockey and certainly not unique to Bryzgalov. He wasn’t all bad this season, not even close, but the Flyers need more from him going forward.