A Historic Loss for the Philadelphia Flyers
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by user Christof
The Philadelphia Flyers lost 3-2 last night to the Dallas Stars. The Flyers record for this season now sits at 19-40-11. This is by far the worse record of any club in the NHL.
The Flyers, once a very proud franchise, has now become a laughing stock. Nonetheless, the franchise is still setting records. For example, the loss last night was their 40th of the season. This marks the first time any Flyers team have lost 40 or more games. Twice before, in the 1989-1990 and 1993-1994 seasons, did the Flyers lose 39 games in a single season. The Flyers, however, never lost 40 or more, that was, until now. Maybe the Flyers did this to honor their 40 th anniversary as an organization in the NHL. But with 12 games less, the Flyers have not yet lost their last game this season.
The most disturbing thing about this Flyers season has not been the losing. That honor goes to the lack of motivation to change how things are done in the organization. The Flyers fired Ken Hitchcock eight games into this season and replaced him with John Stevens. The club then extended Stevens contract and publicly stated that he would be back as coach next year. This, mind you, was done when the Flyers were losing 8, 9, 10 games in a row.
When Hitchcock was fired, the GM, Bob Clarke, admitted to burnout and resigned his post. It was revealed at that time that Clarke had been an empty suit for a while and that most decisions were being made by assistant GM Paul Holmgren. Funny, but when Clarke resigned, it was Holmgren who replaced him.
It is true that Holmgren has made a few trades that have increased the number of prospects that the Flyers now. This, however, has not stopped the losing. Yet, many expect Holmgrem to return as GM next year. The problem with the Flyers stem from two sources. First, the organization allows the players to run the club. This is similar to the inmates running the asylum. This style of management started to rear its ugly head during the late 1980’s, when the players forced the Flyers to fire then head coach Mike Keenan, because he was to demanding. It once again appeared after the Stanley Cup Finals of 1997, when again, the players forced the organization to replace the coach (that time it was Terry Murray. But never fear, a once of decade occurrence then became yearly, with either the coach or goalie being blamed for the organizational problems, and being replaced.
Second, the Flyers are stuck with the idea that hockey should be played like he was in the 1970’s. Back then, brute force won you hockey games. In today’s NHL, that is not the case. Instead of brute force, speed and agility are needed to win. Yet, the Flyers have refused to accept this, and their record shows for it.
So what has been the result? Well, a once proud franchise is now setting records for losing. Before, expectations were on the level of being a Stanley Cup contender. Now, expectations are set to being a playoff contender. This is like saying that the organization now accepts mediocrity. Anway, I have a personal decision to make. Upon graduation from law school in May, I will obtain control of my family's season ticket plan for the Flyers. In the past, I have longed for this day. Now, I am thinking of not renewing for plan. My thoughts are: why should I waste money on an organization who may want to win, but has forgotten how to win?
