Hockey is a Team Sport, The Flyers are Becoming a Team, Better Yet, A Good Team

Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob WIndfelder

Flyers head coach John Tortorella said last season that he would not be naming a team captain. He said it “probably” would not be happening this season either. He was basically saying that he didn’t plan on answering that question anytime in the foreseeable future.

The Flyers have made great strides as a team over the past season and a half. Everyone was told to sit tight and wait out a prolonged rebuild process. Nothing about what John Tortorella has been doing with the team has been about sitting tight or waiting anything out.

Tortorella putting some well deserved letters on jerseys in naming a captain and associates is much more than a visual confirmation of who has been the leadership on this team. It is a milestone.

This is an Opinion Piece. I am not going to pretend that I have access to the meetings of the top brass in the organization. I can only go by what I have witnessed with my own eyes. And based on my what I have seen so far of the New Era of Orange John Tortorella has been the catalyst and has facilitated many of the changes that are bringing this team back to life. You can argue with me if you like, but first allow me to state my case.

Almost every aspect of the Flyers organization has changed since John Tortorella accepted the position as head coach. Virtually everything has changed around him since he started. You can’t give him all the credit but you also can’t deny his influence throughout the entirety of the organization. It’s been like night and day since the moment he got here.

When Tortz came to town he didn’t show up wearing a paper trainee hat, shadowing those with seniority, and learning how to tow the line. He showed up with a list of grievances. In so many words the message was clear. Your locker room is splintered. Your fanbase deserves more. He pointed out that the team was no longer properly reflecting the city it was supposed to represent.

He almost had to shame the organization into embracing the beautiful history and tradition that his predecessors had built. Where was the passion? Where is the pure love of the sport? What had happened to the drive to fight for the respect you deserve? ..Absolutely everything about his assessment was spot on.

He saw the Flyers tradition and passionate fanbase as assets. Tradition and history are two different things. History is to be acknowledged and celebrated, tradition is a living thing and it takes effort and hard work to keep it alive. It was becoming more and more convenient for the old guard to allow the disconnect to continue to grow. Mediocrity is a little easier for the masses to accept if you have nothing to compare it to. So forget your glorious past and try to enjoy your middle of the road mediocrity.

Before the Flyers hired Tortorella Dave Scott did something great for the hockey loving community in Philly. He chose to use an outside agency to interview the candidates and suggest the best fit for the coaching job. Tortz did not come here at the behest of Chuck Fletcher, in fact he came here despite Fletcher’s vision of the team. This is how things started to change. When Tortorella was given a four year contract it became apparent that Fletcher’s days were numbered. When the organization seemed not yet ready to make that move the passionate fanbase that Tortorella had helped to reinvigorate made their voices heard.

Not only were moves made to bring in Danny Briere as the new GM, but Keith Jones became the President of Hockey Operations, and Dan Hilferty was bought in as Governor. There was even a much needed overhaul of the medical staff. The “outside agency” that was put in place to hire the new coach picked out someone who did not fit in at all with the old guard. The organization reached out with the question of how to save the Philadelphia Flyers and basically the answer they were given was hire Tortorella and fire yourselves.

In just his second season Tortorella has made already made an incredible contribution to the Flyers. He has been on a mission since he got here. He blows right past any criticism he receives on the daily ins and outs of building a respectable hockey club. He doesn’t care to belabor questions on the nightly line-up or who is scratched for a few games. He has his eye on a much bigger picture. He often treats the press like a speed bump, but his interactions are always amusing to say the least.

On the ice where it counts Tortorella is building a team. People can criticize his treatment of certain players. Why isn’t he playing “this one” or “that one” on any given night? It should have become evident to everyone paying attention at this point that what he is doing is building a team. If anyone on that team can achieve personal achievements or milestones while playing for the team that is fantastic. Everyone has been made aware their duties and responsibilities and is expected to do their very best to fulfil them. Under Tortorella if they are not doing what is expected of them as part of the team they sit. No matter who they are as individuals.

Last October both Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes were both benched for the entire 3rd period in a game where JVR had already left injured with a broken hand. The following practice Hayes looked even more distant and detached. On the other hand Konecny was the polar opposite. He looked more determined than ever. He followed through the rest of that season with an intense dedication that has carried over to this year.

Tonight Konecny will take the ice as the team’s highest scorer, having just represented the Flyers in the NHL All Star game, and wearing the “A” on his sweater for the first time.

No matter what anyone else was hoping for this season it is no secret that John Tortorella is hell-bent on winning every hockey game his team suits up for. Teams that win hockey games make the playoffs. The Flyers are currently one point out of 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division and have a pretty good possibility of seeing post season action. A team headed to the playoffs should have it’s leadership firmly in place and clearly marked.

Congratulations to Flyers new captain Sean Couturier. And to the alternate captains Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny. These are three players who have certainly earned that level of honor and responsibility. They are all great examples of what a Flyer should aspire to be. Dedicated, loyal, and hard-working.

Tortorella choosing this time to make those choices is an acknowledgement not just to those individuals but to the team as a whole. This is a milestone.