Flyers Head Coach Alain Vigneault’s Tireless Vigilance

Gone are the days in Philly that guys like Chris VandeVelde hold onto an NHL roster spot just because he played well for the coach back in college. Gone are the days when a guy like Matt Read holds onto a spot because he scored 22 goals in a season four years ago.

When General Manger Chuck Fletcher brought in Alain Vigneault to be the next Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, it did not take long to realize that a new reign was about to begin. Most Flyers fans got their first taste of what was to come via the NHL Networks “Behind the Glass” special that featured the Flyers allowing fans to see what things were now like at Flyers Training Camp and practices. In addition, this also allowed the fans to hear what was being discussed during games, post-game press conferences, and closed-door meetings that were held to decide who was going to make the opening night roster.

Vigneault started to change the culture around the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ, almost instantaneously. He started going over drills with the players in the locker room before the team hit the ice for practice, and in doing so they knew that the would be no breaks until practice ended. This included barely allowing players to get a drink before the next drill would start. Needless to say, this was vastly different than the practices run by Vigneault’s predecessor Dave Hakstol.

All of this led to noticeable changes once the pre-season games began. The Flyers, under Vigneault, were now able to skate at an elevated level, as compared to their opponents. With Vigneault now having his men in mid-season form before coming out of camp. The Flyers quickly showed they could now last the full 60 minutes of play, instead of only being able to play two decent periods of hockey, only to run out of gas for the last 20 minutes (like previous years).

Under Vigneault’s watchful eye, the Flyers are now winning more puck battles along the boards, and they are getting to pucks first after a dump-and-chase. These changes have allowed the team to produce more shots on net, thus creating more scoring chances, than previous years.

With the dawn of a new era, and Vigneault at the helm. Gone are the days that a coach will stand in front of reporters after a loss, and say, “I’ve got to do a better job,” or, “it’s all my fault we lost tonight.” Instead, Coach V demands the most out of his men on a nightly basis, and he is not afraid to call out star players after a game if they are not performing to his expectations (A la Jakub Voracek).

Some may say that Vigneault is too hard on his players, but people shall remember: These guys are paid professionals who make millions of dollars to play a sport they love. Some individuals on this team have been coddled for to long! Coach V is here to change that.

https://images.app.goo.gl/czULpRfXWNwXGmTNA

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Flyers fans have not seen a coach like this since the likes of Mike Keenan (the coach for the Flyers from 1984-1988), who some may say had a very similar coaching style. With that being said, Keenan only ended up taking his team to the 1987 Stanley Cup finals, where they lost in game 7 against an Edmonton Oilers team, that had some greats like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Esa Tikkanen, and Grant Fuhr. These players made up one of the best teams ever put on ice.

As the season has progressed, Vigneault has shown that he is not at all timid when it comes to deciding whether or not to shake up the lines. Coach V tirelessly puts in constant thought after a game to find out who plays best with whom, and thus moves players up and down the line up accordingly. Midgame he will evaluate the team, to include increasing a player’s minutes when they are on fire, and decreasing a player’s minutes if they simply aren’t producing.

At times this year, star players like Jakub Voracek and James van Riemsdyk have found themselves on the third or fourth lines. Vigneault even takes it a step further at times, as he benched defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere yesterday by making him a healthy scratch. This lets players know that he will not tolerate poor play for long.

With Vigneault’s mind set of, “If you are not producing, I will find someone who will!” this has allowed for a bit of a youth infusion of late, by virtue of guys like Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost being called up from the teams’ AHL affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In doing so, Vigneault has displayed an earlier look than expected at possibly the not-so-distant future.

Most coaches may treat a call-up to a spot on the end of the bench, filtering them into a fourth line role. Vigneault took a different approach by inserting these two young guns into a more prominent role playing along the side of the team’s star players, players such as Claude Giroux and Kevin Hayes, which gave the youth a sense of confidence and reassurance of trust. This line restructuring also gave the veterans an added spark to their line that was previously lacking.

Although, the team may be having trouble lately winning a game in regulation, or finishing games, rest assured that Vigneault’s constant vigilance and determination will not only make this team better than they were the day before, but in fact turn them into Stanley Cup playoff contenders this year.

Thank you for the read, and always remember to “BE A FUCKING FLYER”-Alain Vigneault

Photo Credit: Zack Hill