Photo Credit: Our very own Rob Windfelder
Before the NHL season began, most pundits, to include Flyers pundits, either had the Flyers on the playoff bubble, or missing the playoffs entirely. I do not recall any Flyers pundits that had them as a serious contender for the upcoming 2023-24 NHL Playoffs. This team continues to defy the odds stacked against them, and continue to unite together as a team.
This team building concept has been ongoing for the entire season. This team is a different team from your past, as they are having fun, they enjoy each other’s company, and the proof in the pudding is on the ice. They continued to sacrifice their bodies to block shots, Tyson Foerster took a blast early in the game, he limped to the bench, and went down a tunnel. Moments later he was seeing limping back to the bench as he apparently took a shot off his foot. That’s the type of sacrifice that the fines are winning hockey club, “It’s crazy to see the guys aren’t scared,” Carter Hart said after the game. “They are ones with less equipment than us, just the willingness. Nick Seeler, I’ve never seen anything like it, he’s dedicated. You’re getting it from everybody TK, Foerster, Zamula.”
In the same token, no matter how good Carter Hart plays he never takes any credit for his play. He’s always seen post-game crediting his teammates for his success, the willingness to block shots, the sacrifice and dedication that goes in to winning the game.
This team is well coached and that’s from the top down. It’s not just well coached because of John Tortorella, his associate coaches Rocky Thompson and Brad Shaw have been tremendous in the overall success of this club.
“We just keep on playing. We get some good minutes, we get some bad minutes. We just keep on playing,” John Tortorella said. “I don’t look at standings. It’s a tough road trip. Statement games, measuring games, I don’t believe in that. I just think the team comes to work and that’s what’s good about our group. They come to work each and every day and attack that day.”
The Flyers continue to prove the experts wrong. Belief is the new term being coined of the 2023-24 Flyers. It’s time to start believing in this team. This team is a good team, that’s only two points out from first place of the Metropolitan Division, “Good team win,” John Tortorella said of the Flyers successful road trip.
It all starts with the locker room. This is the tightest Flyers team in some time, and one can see that with the on-ice product. They just continue to defy the odds stacked against them, and in some cases they use it as fuel to prove their naysayers wrong, “You wouldn’t believe the mail I get,” Tortorella said back in March. “Just stop sending me mail about tanking. There’s no such thing as professional athletes tanking. They would not be able to live with themselves if they went home and did something to try to disturb an outcome of a game. It is asinine. Just don’t bring up that subject. It’s wrong.”
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“You wouldn’t believe the mail I get…Just stop sending me mail about tanking. There’s no such thing as professional athletes tanking. They would not be able to live with themselves if they went home and did something to try to disturb an outcome of a game. —- Yeah, who do those people think we are, the Pittsburgh Penguins?