Alain Vigneault inherited a team that didn’t believe, and was a dumpster fire in 2018-19 while finishing with 82 points (37-37-8). The franchise was forced to turn to an experienced mind to right the ship that was starting to sail after Dave Hakstol struggled to navigate the stormy seas. In just one season at the helm as a Flyers Head Coach, Vigneault made this team a contender by registering a 41-21-7 record, good enough for second in the Metropolitan Division with 89 points. Vigneault is blunt as he holds his stars accountable, for instance benching JvR and Scott Laughton in the playoffs. He also wanted Kevin Hayes, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and JvR to put their “Big boy pants” on during the playoff run.
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Yesterday Flyers PR Guru Zack Hill checked in with Vigneault to see what he has been doing since the playoffs ended. Vigneault just happened to be in his office yesterday, so Hill sat down with him to have a chat:
“My mom is in a challenging time with her battle with dementia. She used to recognize me every other time, now she recognizes me every fifth time.”- Alain Vigneault said to Zack Hill on October 28, 2020
Vigneault told Zack Hill that there is no definitive date on when the hockey season will start. He says that you hear rumors of it, but nothing definitive. Vigneault hopes the players are utilizing this time wisely, and honing in on their skills if players are near facilities that are open. He trusts Brent Flahr and Chuck Fletcher. They all communicate well together. Vigneault says everyone was happy about the draft, and he hopes to possibly see some of these players in the future.
Most of all Vigneault got this team to believe. He was giddy to the press at times, and one time he went full heels on a reporter, “At the end of the day, I can only state the facts. The fact was that Gallagher got up and his mouth didn’t shut up for at least five minutes, to the referees, the linesmen and to our bench for nearly five minutes. He didn’t look like he was hurt other than obviously it looked like he had a cut. I believe that if the Montreal medical personnel felt that it was something real serious, they would have probably taken him off and brought him inside. I can only state the facts and state what I was watching. What I was watching was a guy that just kept on talking so he didn’t seem like he was hurt.”
The way Vigneault had his team overcome long-term injuries and ailments to Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom in just his first season as Flyers Head Coach it definitely SHOULD give fans hope for the future. It was not an easy task to do, as both players fill a top 9 role. Vigneault got his team to believe in themselves, and that they could conquer whatever hurdles came their way throughout the course of the season.
