Philadelphia Flyers Big Picture Going Into the Holiday Break

Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder

It’s officially Holiday Break for the NHL. This year the Philadelphia Flyers big picture has changed quite a bit from the previous season. With a record of 18-11-4 the team is currently sitting one point out of 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division. The mood around the locker room, in the stands, and on the street is pretty upbeat as of late. Cautiously upbeat. People are talking about the Flyers again and often with a smile on their face.

What a difference a year can make. Last season the Flyers came out hot and ran right into the wall. It was John Tortorella’s first year behind the bench. The team was racked by injuries all throughout the Fall. There was much talk of tension in the locker room. Some players were clearly not happy with their situation. Yet despite all those factors something was coming to light. There was clearly an overall attitude change even as the team was struggling night after night.

Tortorella’s Philadelphia Flyers would not lay down. They did not give up. They left nothing on the ice. The losses were piling up but they were not blow outs. The team fought for every possible point. Night after night they were going into the third period down by a goal but they would not quit. At the time Tortorella said that in the early stages the “subtractions” would be more important that the “additions”. Many players for a number of different reasons did not return to the team this Fall.

Before the front office was rebuilt with a new team of officers it was unclear just how committed the organization might be to backing up their new coach and his vision for the team. The Fanbase had become all too familiar with being asked to accept a new flavor of mediocrity year after year so the mood around town was suspicious at best. Throughout Tortorella’s first year the front office was transforming from a disconnected corporate entity into a who’s who of hockey’s tried and true. Keith Jones, Danny Briere, John LeClair, Patrick Sharp, it became clear that this team was going to be run by people who love ice hockey. People who are passionate and knowledgeable about the sport, not by bean counters and pencil pushers.

The rebuild is in the very early stages but we are already seeing the results. This Flyers team is hard working, resilient, and really fun to watch. Unfortunately that success also makes some Flyers Fans a little nervous about the long term. People worry that an over-achieving team at this early stage may not be a good thing in the big picture.

We all know the mood in this town can often be summed up as cautiously pessimistic. It’s not our fault. We have been conditioned to expect the worst. Something always arises to break Philly’s heart. I hear Flyers Fans around town who are worried that the organization is going to become satisfied with flashes of success and pull back on the intensity and duration of the rebuild. I am going to go out on a limb here and say not a chance, not as long as John Tortorella is your head coach.

When you see the way this group of players bounced back from that 5-1 first period deficit the other night you start to realize we are witnessing something different here. This is not a team based on any one player. This is not a team of supporting characters built around a superstar. In fact over the next few years we are going to see many faces come and go. It is not about the individuals, it is about the team. It is the systems, and the attitude, the understanding of what is expected as a group. As a team.

John Tortorella is creating a monster. Give him the time and space to complete the task. He has said this will be his last coaching job and I truly believe he has a long term plan of how he wants to go out. He chose Philly for his attempt at a grand finale. He is not going to dramatically change his nature and his objective and suddenly decide to be satisficed with landing somewhere in the middle of the pack and maybe winning a playoff round someday. That is not the goal or the plan. This group of Flyers officers has enough combined hockey experience to know exactly what they are looking at. Don’t sell them short. This is a work in progress.

Tis the season my friends be happy. Let yourself enjoy the little things in life. Don’t let the hard fought successes of your favorite ice hockey team stress you out. Things are going well in Flyers-land right now. It is the holiday break and for the next few days at least nothing is going to change.

Extra Credit: I would like to just take a moment to thank all of you on behalf of everyone here at the Nitty Gritty for your support all throughout the year. We hope you have an awesome Holiday Season and a Fan-tastic New Year. We’re always proud and honored to be part of the hockey community here in Philly, one of the greatest hockey towns on the planet. To you and yours be well, Merry Christmas, and LETS GO FLYERS!