Alain Vigneault embarks his second season as Flyers Head Coach. 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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He is a good coach, but apparently he’s an even better person with giving Tyson Foerster his red carpet moment on the first day of camp, since Foerster did not have this moment at the draft due to the Covid protocols that the NHL put in place for the draft:
“I wanted to see some of our younger guys right away with some of the veteran guys. I have what I believe was my sensitive moment of the season. I talked to Chuck a couple of days ago about Tyson Foerster, who’s our first round pick this year. I said to him, the young man, first round pick to Philly, we want him to be a big part of this organization. He never got to come out on the stage with all of us, put his Flyer jersey and take a team picture with the group on the stage. I think it’d be great for him the first time he steps on the ice to practice and to scrimmage, to be with two former first-round players, Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk, two guys that were on that stage. I threw that at Chuck and he thought it was a good idea. It was a sensitive moment for me in the sense that I thought the young man obviously missed out on that day. That was sort of our way, and my way, the Flyer organization to welcome to our group and hope that he’s a big part of our future moving forward at some point.”– Alain Vigneault on the first day of camp
Vigneault commands a lot from his players, but they also respect him as he treats them like a human being, not as just one of his players. This was a lively locker room last season, and a lot of that had to do of Vigneault.
“Obviously last year I saw bits and pieces a few times with our group,” Vigneault says of Nolan Patrick, “I don’t remember or recall him ever being with the whole team at any specific time. This is really the first practice. I did see him play his first year in the league. As far as getting to know him and getting to know what type of young man he is and what type of player, this is really my first introduction. He wasn’t really around our team very much last year. I have been around him now for a couple of weeks. I really like what I see on the ice but really like what I see off the ice. His demeanor, he’s got a beautiful smile. It’s taking it a day at a time. Obviously it’s a very exciting time for him I believe and I’m confident that he’s going to do fine.”
This past year Vingeault referred to Oskar Lindblom as a ray of “Sunshine.” For good reason, anytime Lindblom was around the locker room he inspired the team and made the locker room a joyful one. Vingeault commented many times of his smile and his personality. Now he is doing the same thing with Patrick
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 nine role. Vigneault got his team to believe in themselves, and that they could conquer whatever hurdles came their way, and this season shall be no different.
