Anger Management, Flyers Fans Deal With Trade Day Fallout

Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder

First and foremost, every hockey fan in town is bursting at the seams with frustration. Focus your energy. Try to not take it out on the players. They did not assemble this team. They’ve been fighting an uphill battle since game one. This group of guys has been doing their best with what they have to work with. They are not the problem

JVR

I say this with a gigantic amount of respect for James van Riemsdyk, His value is undeniable. I admire his skill, dedication, and the amount of hockey wisdom he carries with him as a seasoned veteran in the NHL. He has had a very positive impact on his younger teammates. Morgan Frost in particular really seemed to get a grip on his game when he started playing next to JVR. That being said, to be “sellers” at the trade deadline you are going to need to “sell” things of value. Still having JVR in Philly after the deadline is not the tragedy. JVR is not the problem. Not being able to figure out how to “sell” a quality player like JVR in a busy buyer’s market is a huge problem.

What a week

Just before the deadline we watched New York fans totally take over the Wells Fargo Center. It was an absolute embarrassment. It is something no Flyers Fan should ever have to sit through. But again the problem are not the Rangers fans, they are just a symptom of the much bigger problem.

Flyers Fans are not happy right now, and why should they be? At this moment in time the fans are way more passionate about the team than the ownership seems to be. This team is not a fleeting business opportunity to the fans who have followed the Flyers for generations. The fans are totally engaged, in fact the more loyal the fan the more angry they are right now. And that disconnect was only made worse by the moves that were made, or not made at the trade deadline.

Adding insult to injury

The organization has asked us to be patient and in return promised us a team that would better reflect the town it represents. Zack MacEwen is exactly the type of player who properly represented the grittiness and determination Philly is known for. MacEwen is not an elite superstar that is going to make or break your franchise. He is a relentless hard working player who accepts no crap. MacEwen sticks up for himself and his teammates and gives what he has to give every shift every night. He is the type of player that this town really latches onto. So on a trade deadline day when the organization knew it wasn’t going to be delivering the goods it did somehow find time to trade away a fan favorite. It was a move that seems so incredibly tone deaf. Because it was a lateral unnecessary move it feels almost vindictive.

Business is Business

Let’s break this down purely on a cold business level. The optics of this whole trade deadline week were absolutely atrocious from a business standpoint. We can live and die with our team it can mean the world to us, but in the big picture pro sorts are just part of the entertainment industry. Ice hockey is the greatest sport on Earth and there are a ton of great life lessons to be learned from it. But you can learn those lessons on your own by picking up a stick or getting involved with your local rec center.

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Most watch other people play sports to amuse ourselves so at the very least it should be amusing. Hockey clubs are putting on a show and asking us to pay to see it. It’s really that simple. Give the people what they want and they’ll keep coming back for more. The business angle of ice hockey is all about selling tickets, merchandise, and advertising space. So an incredibly important part of your business plan should be to make your product (the team) something that your customers (the fans) feel totally connected to. In that respect this week was a total business disaster and the timing could not have been worse. The disconnect between the ownership and the fans at this point is cavernous.

Overstating the obvious

Hockey fans in Philadelphia know the sport, and they know that the process is not yet completed. No further announcements need to be made on that subject. Every single person who is paying any attention whatsoever had the same response after Chuck Fletcher’s remarks this week. “Well duh” (and that’s the family friendly version). The team has not even named a Captain yet, and they still feel the need to call press conferences to tell people “We’re not there yet”? Try going out on a limb and telling us something we don’t already know.

Philly is considered one of the best hockey towns in the league, that is because of you the fans. The Philadelphia Flyers are your team don’t lose control of it. Now is not the time to give in. This is the time to stick together and make your voices heard. You deserve a front office that better reflects the town it represents.