Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
Bag Skate: noun “In hockey, a bag skate is a practice where players skate without pucks until they are exhausted. Usually as a punishment”. That is according to AI, According to Flyers head coach John Tortorella it is just another opening day of Philadelphia Flyers Training Camp.
Bright and early Thursday morning John Tortorella ran the opening day of camp to kick off what will be his 3rd season as head coach of the team. Once again he started right out of the gate with what many in the hockey world refer to as a “bag skate”. It is not a shock to the players at this point. They are well aware what they’ll be in for on day one. Knowing it’s coming and living through it are two completely different things.
Old Time Hockey
There will always be naysayers, many who fit into this category have been critical of Tortorella’s “old school” approach to this opening day ritual. In the past there have been players who just did not seem to be ready for what was waiting for them. This year was different. You can say what you want about the tactic but the Flyers have gotten the message loud and clear. This group of players shows up to camp in top conditioning ready to go. It’s very easy to say from our side of the glass but this group as a whole did not look at all destroyed by the grueling challenge.
John Tortorella
Tortorella seems to have come to town with a plan in mind. A plan that is not based on days or months. He always seems to be operating on a plan that he knew coming in would be years in the making. Much of his communication on this is unspoken. He says a lot with the questions he turns aside. For example, last year when it came to his the line-up changes which would sometimes leave some of his younger players relegated to the press box. He wasn’t interested in breaking down the daily details. He seems much more concerned with the big picture. Individual milestones and accolades pale in comparison to the player’s development and the overall cohesiveness of the team going into the future.
At the end of last season the coach was very vocal about his responsibility in his team not being ready for the playoff chase they found themselves involved in. To his credit, things were running ahead of schedule. There was not an “expert” to be found at the beginning of last season that picked the Flyers to be in the running for a playoff spot. Up until the last ten games of the season a playoff birth seemed almost certain. They could not take it to the next level and Tortorella took responsibility for that.
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Between the time the regular season ended and the Stanley Cup was awarded months of grueling hockey on a unrelenting NHL playoff schedule had been played. The championship game took place months after the Flyers season had grinded to a halt. This team has a long road to travel. Today was a great start. The Flyers showed up today looking totally prepared for the challenge at hand.
Pucks
Whenever the puck bucket stays in the closet players know what they are in for. After a skate like today your legs would probably love a day or two to bounce back. That will not be the case for these guys. Tomorrow morning they will be right back at the rink. They will be expected to take it in stride and get right back to work.
This group of players know on day one you show up to camp ready to go. You gotta show up to day two the same way. Conditioning, attitude, dedication, all of these things are not just expected they are your ticket in.
During the skate today every player was pushed to their own limits. It doesn’t matter if you are ahead of the next guy the goal is to push yourself to the best of your ability. Skate to your full potential. Just being faster than someone else is not going to get you off the hook. Tortz is right there with his whistle and his booming instructions, “this is a sprint”.
Piece of cake
The “Fresh as a Daisy” award goes to Owen Tippett who left the ice looking like he had just arrived and missed the whole thing. Players usually find the shortest route to the locker room at the end of this session and waste no time getting there. Tippett took the long way so he could stop and talk with some fans who were trying to get his attention.
Honorable Mention: Goes to Amateur Tryout Josh Zakreski who found the energy to do the same thing at the end of his session. For Flyers Fans looking to interact with the team opening day of camp, at least during the Tortorella era, is probably not the ideal time to do so.
