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For far too long the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization has been operating under false pretenses. They’ve trying to convince their devoted fans that the decisions they make on a daily basis are with the team’s best interests in mind, but that is false! Why? Well, I’ll give you one word: NEPOTISM. Until this season, the Flyers’ faithful have been packing into the Wells Fargo Center (and the Spectrum before that) oblivious to the real issues at hand concerning their favorite team, as they continued to fork over their hard-earned money to see their team play each year. But the fans of this great city are not only more attentive to what’s been going on for decades behind the scenes, but they have begun to show the team’s ownership that they are fed up with these actions (by way of their sudden drop in attendance this season).
As defined by Oxford: Nepotism: the practice among those in power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
Bob Clarke
Sadly, this deep-rooted practice has been going on in South Philly essentially since the franchise was established. Entirely grateful for what Bob Clarke and the rest of the Broad Street Bullies were able to accomplish, the man that gave us this team (Ed Snider) decided to reward Clarke by appointing him as the team’s general manager (GM) following Clarke’s retirement on May 15th, 1984. He would hold this position for six seasons before being let go- only to return to the team in 1992. Once back, Bob left again shortly thereafter but he returned (for what seems like for good) in 1994 to resume the role of GM yet again for another 12 years. After best being known for single-handedly causing their captain Eric Lindros to want to leave for a trade, Clarke stepped down from the role as GM to take on the job of Senior Vice President.
Paul Holmgren
Clarke’s successor as GM in 2006 was, of course, Paul Holmgren- who held that job for eight years with his reign as GM ending in 2014. But that was not the first and only job ever given to Holmgren (who was drafted by and played for the Flyers for a total of nine seasons): Upon hanging up his skates for the last time as a player, Paul immediately became an assistant coach with the Flyers under Mike Keenan. Once the hot-blooded Keenan was let go after the 1987-1988 season, Holmgren became the first of many former Flyers players to be named the team’s head coach. After four seasons behind the bench, the Flyers decided to move on from Holmgren. But (in true Flyers’ fashion) after Paul had a DUI arrest and had many other stops since his last exodus with the Flyers, Philadelphia decided to bring him back for the 1995-1996 season as their director of Pro Scouting. He then began to work his way back up the chain by becoming the director of player personnel in 1996 and then to the assistant GM in 1998 until Bob Clarke resigned from his job as GM in 2006. After those eight seasons as GM, he essentially left the Flyers in cap purgatory where, instead of being fired, he was promoted to President of the Flyers. Makes sense, right??
Ron Hextall
Another former Philadelphia player was brought into pick up where Holmgren left off in desecrating the Flyers as we know them today. That player was the team’s 1982 6th round pick- goaltender Ron Hextall. After a historic career in the NHL where he was the first of any goalie to score a goal, in 1999 this short-tempered netminder (who played two intervals for the Flyers for a total of 11 seasons) was immediately gifted the opportunity to join the Flyers’ suit-and-tie brigade as a member of scouting department. He was then later promoted to the director of player personnel a few years later. This led to an offer by the LA Kings to serve as assistant GM that led to him and the Kings winning the Stanley Cup, which then prompted the Flyers to bring him back as GM in 2014.
Coaching
Now, don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate when a team takes care of their former players, but the above-stated is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this team and their incestuous love affair with their former players. Let’s look at coaches the Flyers have had in the past to see if you recognize any of these names. We have already heard about Paul Holmgren, but the Flyers have also seen to it that the great Bill Barber, Craig Berube, Terry Murray, and John Stevens have all had their chance behind the Flyers bench as well.
And that’s just in the NHL. Let’s now take a look at the American Hockey League over the years. When it comes down to the Phantoms, former Flyers and Phantoms players like John Paddock, Kerry Huffman, Don Nachbaur, Kjell Samuelsson, John Stevens, Craig Berube, and their current coach Ian Laperrière have spent time coaching the Flyers top prospects. In fact, even after Laperrière did such a horrid job running the power play for the Flyers, they put it out there that Scott Gordon (the then-head coach of the Phantoms) and the team agreed to part ways to allow Laperrière the job. I find it hard to believe that Gordon- who isn’t coaching this season and who managed to coach a less-than-stellar group of Flyers’ prospects to a second place finish in the North Division last year- would just leave a job in which his team won nearly 70% of their games to do nothing at the ripe old age of just 59. Seems more likely that the Flyers were just unhappy with Lappy’s abilities at the NHL level but did not want to outright fire the former Flyer so they pushed out someone else who was never before affiliated with the team so that they could take care of their own. Again, this is purely speculation but seems like there may be some truth to it as we begin to lay it all out here.
Looking Deeper Still
It has now become abundantly clear that the Flyers cannot develop young talent. Seeing this, do you think the team sought out the best people for the job, or maybe they just went back to what they know once again? The team’s current developmental coaches are currently made up of former Flyers: Kjell Samuelsson, Nick Schultz, Chris Stewart, and Ron Hextall’s son Brett who played for the Phantoms.
Scott Hartnell does the post-game, Keith Jones and Brain Boucher take turns as the TV broadcast color commentator, former Flyer Steve Coates does color commentating for the radio broadcast, and Bob Kelly is the Director of Community Development. Perhaps the only job a former Flyer should continue to hold within the franchise after the kind of season the Flyers have had this year is the Director of Community Development, although this doesn’t look promising. Not only have the Flyers been grooming former Flyer Danny Briere since his retirement to be front office staff (with them recently making up the title of special assistant to the GM to give him), but the Flyers are now rumored to be looking to hire Rick Tocchet (former Flyer) to be their next head coach as well despite his career coaching win percentage of just .475%.
Even now, this long-stemmed brand of Philadelphia nepotism has somehow managed to ensnare the team’s current GM. Inexplicably, Chuck Fletcher has brought in some of his former players, coaches, and management staff who helped him get fired from his former job in Minnesota: Chris Stewart, Kurtis Gabriel, Gerry Mayhew, and Nick Seeler. Somehow, former Wild coaches Mike Yeo and John Torchetti have ended up behind the bench along with former Wild Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr joining the ranks with good old Chuck.
When will the Flyers learn that just because a player did amazing things throughout their playing career, they are not entitled to a job after retirement? Furthermore, considering the Flyers’ lack of achievement over the years, why would management feel like choosing coaching/development/recruitment staff, etc. from their own cesspool of underperforming mediocrity would benefit the current roster? Call me crazy, but shouldn’t jobs go to the best-qualified candidate?
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Nepotism can be ok sometimes. In some cases that may lead to the best hire available. But when you have not won anything in close to half a century, you do not hire from within. I thought it may change without sneider but comcast and fo cronies do not know any other way. It a lazy comfort that the all look for.
But who are we kidding if the players are terrible, no matter who leads them finds bad results.
Good Points. Thanks for the read
This article is exactly point on.Bob Clarke,Paul Holmgren and the rest of the ex Flyers who were handed jobs after retirement just hasent worked out.Case in point Clarke and Holmgren are both still living out their lives in the 70’s.Bringing back players after they’ve been with other teams for years,and overpaying them.The Bryzgaliv deal Holmgren signed set the Flyers back years.Flyers need new blood in the decision making department,when Mr Snyder died so went the Flyers.If Philadelphia is ever going to right a sinking ship,it’s got to start at the top and work down.Flyers fans deserve better,and they’re starting to show their displeasure with management,as seen by the dwindling attendance.U for one have had enough of this crap the Flyers continue to put on the ice year after year,failure after failure.Lets do it right this time.Lets go Flyers.
I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
Every team does the same thing
Agreed, but not to the extend that the Flyers do. It’s so bad with the Flyers that I wouldn’t be surprised if the popcorn guy a relative of somebody from the cup years.
The worst example is Comcast CEO Brian Roberts hiring his friend Dave Scott to run the Flyers. Zero hockey experience and totally ineffective in his job. We need a hockey person in the top job. Scott must go now.
Good point.
Interesting to me that Hextall, Berube, Recchi, and Brindamour all had success outside of the organization. Only organization that you get let go of and some how get a higher leveled job let alone a say in the future of the organization after being let go. Hakstol may have failed but at least it was something different and he made the playoffs two out of 3 1/2 or 4 seasons. We talk about Jeff Lurie meddling but seems like Flyers have their own problem. Doesn’t hurt to have Crosby and Malkin but Hextall still has the Penns in a pretty good position. Our players love the family atmosphere and we spend the money to have the best of everything but maybe they get too much loyalty.
agreed
Hextall was the assistant GM on a team that won 2 Stanley Cups, people with that resume usually get promoted to GM quickly. But since he went to the Flyers, that means his only qualification was that he played for us?
I’m not going to say he did a great job, but his failures were from being a first time GM, and not because he was unqualified and hired only because of nepotism.
Briere might be our next GM, but ask yourself, how bad would he have to be to be worse that Fletcher?
Ask yourself how Briere got to this point?
https://flyersnittygritty.com/with-chuck-fletcher-helping-to-create-the-problem-why-should-he-be-part-of-the-solution/
They groomed him to be this since he retired from playing. Nepotism at it’s finest.
Worked in the construction trades my whole life n I’ve seen Nepotism at its worse. Fathers handing down businesses to sons who didn’t know the job from the bottom up. U don’t gain experience to run any organization if u just jump into a position of authority without knowing the ins n outs of it. Just because u played the sport doesn’t make u an expert on the inner workings. The FLYERS need to STOP this practice of rewarding players with jobs(that some of them can’t handle or have NO PRIOR BACKGROUND in the coaching field). I’ve seen many businesses go under once their sons took control.
I hear you my dad was a master carpenter and went through the same things.
Well written article. This team has no identity because it has been bastardized by the echo chamber over all these years. I think the fans need to keep voting with their dollars until some real changes are made. Clean house, not just the players, but the front office. Need to change the culture. Why do players leave the Flyers and see instant success? If that’s not culture and coaching then I don’t know what is. Going on 50 years without a Stanley Cup. Same old story, different day: We’ve gotta do better.