NHL.com is going streaking

 We are in the final throes of the regular season, and teams are clinching their spot in the playoffs and the NHL is celebrating their accomplishments. The Maple Leafs, despite all the consternation over their lack of success when they get there, have reached the postseason an impressive 8 seasons in a row.

A more successful team recently, the Lightning, somehow only marked their 7th post season in a row. It could surely be some balm for those Leaf fans troubled by success after the regular season, that they were so consistent, even more so than the steady Lightning.

And then there was a third team that is in a differetnt kind of streak. we don't need to talk about that. 

The Flyers fading light

Philadelphia, as we have all heard, is a gritty, tough town, with no patience for losers, and a passion for underdogs that has spawned an entire genre of movies. There is an edge to all of the teams, and now some success to match the expectations of the fans. The Eagles are in the Super Bowl with some regularity. The Phillies are in the World Series at the same pace. The 76ers haven't reached the mountaintop, but they have one of the best players in the game, and aren't afraid of confrontation. Neither are the Eagles or Phillies, for that matter. 

The original embodiment of the Philadelphia mindset were obviously the Broad Street Bullies. The scrappy Flyers of 60s and 70s brought a new style of hockey to the world, and it was successful. Basically, the strategy was to beat the shit out of their opponents. And it worked!

They were the Bullies through the early 80s at least, and the Flyers were easily identified with Philadelphia and Philadelphian success through the next twenty years or so. The 76ers had their heyday in the years before and after the Flyers' heyday, and haven't won since 1983, while the Phillies couldn't ever seem to get over the hump. The Eagles were just never good. There is a reason why you see them in so many sad sack stories from the 80s through the early 2000s. 

Now, though, it seems like the Flyers are taking a back seat in Philly culture. Is it because ever since Eric Lindros' career was disrupted people started caring about head injuries, and the physical style of yore didn't fit anymore? Or more likely, is it just because the Flyers haven't been as relevant for quite a while now. 

There was a period when Jeff Carter was around that the Flyers seemed poised to take the city over again, but that wasn't to be, and it was lost in Phillies and Eagles stories. The Flyers aren't threatening for the postseason again this year, and they are getting drowned out by other Philly teams making Championship games or series. 

Are the Flyers going to have to start knocking some teeth in again to get a little attention? Maybe they should just win some more games, and catch up to the rest of the league. At least the mascot is still Gritty

Tweet of the Moment

 

Tonight's starting lineup will feature...

11-14-71
8-6
33#CBJvsPHI | @SNICKERS pic.twitter.com/Pg7By3rvHU

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 19, 2023

I'm glad we get to see this information, the players that will be on the ice for maybe a minute and a half at the start of the game. It lets you know know what jersey to wear. This lineup is something special, though. Cam, Sam, two Travises, Sean and Tyson. I think that is the group that rushed Sigma Nu in 2006

Won't anyone think of Chuck Fletcher?

 For many NHL roles, the best way to get a new job is to have held that job in the past. Look at the front office executives and head coaches that are recycled after previous stints with other teams ended in disaster. 

There seems to be a little bit of new blood every once in a while, and when it happens, it's noteworthy. When general manager Chuck Fletcher was let go by the Flyers, he was replaced by Danny Briere. I remember Briere as a player, which means he is young, or I am getting old. I assume the former. 

Don't worry about Chuck, though. He's through his second NHL GM gig, after some stops as an assistant along the way. He's practically guaranteed himself another opportunity, perhaps with the next role that opens up this summer. Chuck Fletcher will be fine.

One of the jobs that opened up was in Pittsburgh, where Fletcher served as an assistant GM before he moved on to Minnesota. Kyle Dubas, president of the Penguins decided to take on the mantle of General Manager as well. He did that n Toronto, so even though it wasn't a traditional path, at least Chuck Fletcher, and his FletchFans (tm) can rest easy knowing that the job was kept in the "former GM" family. 

That left Edmonton, who is always good for a retread. No matter the situation, the Oilers are going to hire someone who had middling success somewhere else. It's hard to get people to move to Edmonton in the winter, so one might generously think that getting Ken Holland to town, now as the team president, was a coup. Former Wild and Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher seemed right in the Oilers' hiring wheelhouse.

Well, the Oilers hired Jeff Jackson, former agent for Connor McDavid to be their new GM. We're living in a new era, readers. You can't just assume that you will hop to another job when you are dismissed from your previous upper management role. You might just have to take on the role as part of expanded responsibilities, or *gasp* you might just be new blood. 

Sorry, Chuck. The world is changing. It can't last, though. Enjoy running the local arena in New Jersey this winter and come back ready for 2024. The Sabres are probably going to need you before too much longer. 

Tweet of the Moment

Get the 4️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ on the Flyers Farm. 🌾🚜

Learn more about our 25-year-old and younger prospects as we enter the 2023 offseason. https://t.co/YTiOPInVUx

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 22, 2023

The Eastern Conference Finals have featured two of the best games in at least the last decade. The Hurricanes and Panthers have gone to over time in each game, including 4 overtimes for Game 1. Incredibly, the Panthers' big offseason acquisition, Mathew Tkachuk, has scored the game winner in both games. An aggressive postseason move seems be paying off for Florida. Tkachuk was signed to a long term extension after acquiring him. Tkachuck played 6 years in Calgary, and will spend 8 more in Florida. It seems like a pretty solid deal, and if the Panthers make it to the Finals, which for now seems likely, even though they gave up a ton and are paying him a lot of money, this will land as a very good deal. Matthew Tkachuk is 25 years old. I bring all this up because it's a pretty dark time in your team history if you are referring to 25 year olds as "prospects".