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Sean Couturier (Coots) wanted to prove to his critics that the 2017-18 season was no fluke. Well, Coots did just that. He was nothing short of phenomenal for the orange and black in 2018-19. For the season, Couturier registered 22 goals, and 37 assists for 59 points. He was also a plus 21 to boot. If people thought the past three years were good for Coots think again, we haven’t seen anything yet.
Today him and Carter Hart took to a Zoom call on the first day in the bubble, and boy they had a lot of great stuff to say, “We are getting ready for the playoffs, other teams are still fighting to get in,” Couturier said, “The bigger picture is in two weeks.”
Carter Hart says, “Everyone is in the same boat. No one has played any hockey.”
The 27-year-old standout has proved to the entire league that he’s a force to be reckoned with. Coots was the heart and soul of this young Flyers team all season long. There was no doubt he was the MVP of the team. When Couturier’s name was called for the team MVP award last year, there were plenty of orange-clad fans roaring Coooooooooooots, to go along with the Let’s Go Flyers chants, unfortunately due to the Coronavirus Flyers fans were doing that from their living rooms a few weeks ago, as Couturier won the Bobby Clarke Trophy (Team’s Most Valuable Player) for the second straight year. He is pumped and ready for tomorrow, “It’s a rivalry, can’t ask for a better way to get back into the playoffs,” Couturier said when referencing playing the Penguins tomorrow.
Couturier was rock solid from the drop of the puck for the 2019-20 season, and this young player in Couturier emerged as a leader in the locker room. He was one of the last players off the ice at every practice. The difference of this sear son, as compared to other seasons, is Couturier is finally evolving into the leader this young team has craved for the past few seasons. However, Hart was too as he finished the year with a 2.42 GAA, and a .914 Save Percentage, and he is happy that Oskar Lindblom has persevered, “We had Oskar around a little bit through training camp,” Hart said, “It was nice to be around him. He was excited to be around all of us. It’s been a while since we’ve all been together. He’s come a long way since December. He’s persevered a lot. He’s put a lot of hard work in. It’s nice that he gets the chance to go home to Sweden to see his family and friends. Get some downtime there and spend some time with them. We look forward to bringing him back here real soon.”
Coots on Oskar, “It was already amazing to see him just before we left here before he went back home. It’s nice to see him happy and doing well. Obviously we’re happy to see him back in the lineup one day. We’ll see when it is, but we’re definitely looking forward to that day.”
The Flyers locker room has needed that voice for the past few seasons. Couturier is a player that younger players look up to, to include Hart, and he is a new voice of the Flyers. If Couturier has a bad game he owns it. Moreover, that is something that sits well with Head Coach Alain Vigneault. Coots holds himself to a high standard, and also holds himself accountable when need be, ” I think it’s everything he does. He’s got a lot of experience obviously and I think he kind of transmits that to us. He knows how to get us prepared. He knows how he wants this team to play. Guys have been buying in since the start of Day 1. He’s been great for us. The way he communicates with everyone, everyone’s on the same page. It makes it that much easier when it comes to game time,” Couturier said on Vigneault.
Sean Couturier prides himself on being outstanding defensively, but wants to showcase his offensive skills, as well. He has really taken his game to another level these past few years, and it has given Couturier a ton of confidence. This season was no different for the new leader in Couturier, and finally, another elite player has been born in Philadelphia and that is his daughter, “My daughter, Ella, was born July 23rd,” Couturier said, “It was an amazing feeling. A great day. Been pretty busy the last few days before coming here. It’s going to be tough. It’s already tough leaving, but it is what it is. You can’t really complain. We’re living in a different world. Some people would like to be in our situation. It is what it is, but definitely going to have a lot of FaceTimes in the next few weeks.”
Overall, Hart and Coots appear to be happy with the bubble, and appeared to be grateful to be in this situation. This is a testament to the NHL with all the hard work they put in to bring this great game back to life, in the players and coaches appear to be happy.
