Photo Credit: Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Image
Winston Churchill said “Success consists of going from failure, to failure without loss of enthusiasm”. I’d love for anyone to show me one single NHL Stanley Cup winner that had a rose-colored year to victory. It does not happen. In fact, I would argue it’s a key part of the recipe for a winning. Countless top ranked regular season teams have fallen short to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. These results are not coincidence, but a is telling sign of a team who didn’t experience enough pain and suffering to learn to overcome it as a team. The playoffs are full of pain and suffering, and those with the thickest skin, win.
Even with an 11-5-3 record in the early portion of the season, it is noticeable that most fans have not adapted to the change in the wind. Regardless of the overall bigger picture, there seems to be a default to trade a player or label them as inadequate because of a recent play. While it is a common theme to play the “what have you done for me lately” card when measuring a teams success. Quite frankly, it’s a useless statement that doesn’t come close to measuring reality. All of these definitive statements of “I know what he is”, “We know what he can do”, “He’s past his prime” all get constantly disproved on an annual basis, but the results are always ignored. From JVR to Ghost, to Sean Couturier, to Brayden Schenn, we never seem to learn. Players evolve into roles slowly and naturally overtime and to set expectations outside of that and then complain about it…quite frankly… it’s boring. These are not realistic, accurate, or effective ways of evaluating a hockey player, let alone a human being. If you hear this type of talk, I recommend changing the channel.
After a mediocre performance against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Flyers fans and pundits have begun to pick the team apart for their inadequacies, forgetting that this is a process and great teams lose games regularly, sometimes ugly. It is always the response, the adjustment that matters. And this team has never failed to adjust, to bring a second wind. Sure the team could improve a bit, all teams could use something to bolster their lineup. However, the Flyers have NO serious holes regardless of what’s being stated. If they did, they wouldn’t be 11-5-3 where in the past, they would barely be .500 at this point.
On this episode of Getting Gritty Wit It, I welcome back guest Chris Maher on the show to talk about the Flyers’ current loss to the Penguins and how all of people have decided that panic-mode was the appropriate response. However, Chris and I are not panicked, not sure why we would be with a winning a record and gradual improving play. With the team finally healthy and able to practice, it’s time to stay focused and continue to improve. Expect us to be consistent and Chuck Fletcher as well.
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Who’s panicking. They’re just not very good and even worse there’s never been a less Flyer-like team in Philly, and certainly never a more boring one. The players are floaters, rarely hit and are a bunch of dullards. They’re very difficult to stomach watching more than a game before I need to take a few games off from watching. I almost love to hate them. Team needs more hungry aggressive players. Just blah.
Good for insomnia though lol
Oh yeah won’t be watching tonight or Saturdays pens game. Just too frustrating watching them barely compete.