Analyzing Criticism of Flyers For Hiring Franchise Heroes
The age-old conversation persists while the Philadelphia Flyers continue the first long-term rebuild in franchise history. The organization’s decision to hire Rick Tocchet as the new head coach reignites the…
The age-old conversation persists while the Philadelphia Flyers continue the first long-term rebuild in franchise history.
The organization’s decision to hire Rick Tocchet as the new head coach reignites the criticism that the Flyers rely too heavily on past franchise heroes and their own alumni in key positions after their playing careers.
The uniquely named New Era of Orange began with former Flyers Keith Jones and Danny Briere as the centerpieces of the new front office. Their first head coaching hire provokes strong emotion from the fan base toward the Flyers and their perceived flaws as an organization.
Do the Flyers hand jobs to former players with too much blind faith? Or is the criticism oversimplified by naysayers who aren’t thoroughly analyzing a niche sport?
The Flyers didn’t hand Rick Tocchet an NHL head coaching job simply because he’s a franchise hero. However, their decision speaks volumes in the context of the rebuild.
The Criticism Uses Flawed Logic
Briere told the Philadelphia media that the Flyers seriously considered roughly seven candidates to replace John Tortorella. The young general manager ultimately followed his previously stated preference for a teacher and a communicator.
Tocchet has built a strong reputation around the NHL because of his experience as a player and a coach. He was one of the most coveted head coaching candidates on the offseason market.
The well-spoken veteran coach has earned the respect of superstar players he’s worked with. Dynamic defenseman Quinn Hughes lauds Tocchet’s performance from their time together with the Vancouver Canucks.
Tocchet also connected well with Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and Evgeni Malkin during a tenure as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins that included two Stanley Cups.
Not many NHL coaches bring an important edge to an organization immediately, but Tocchet’s reputation will also help attract free agents to the Flyers.
“There's no doubt that Rick is going to make us more enticing for players to come here. There's no doubt about that. There's already agents calling and letting us know that. And that's kudos to him for the relationship that he's built and the reputation that he's built over the years. It's so positive in that regard that there's no doubt in my mind that, yes, it's going to make us more of an attractive team to join.”
-Danny Briere
Briere and Jones didn’t blindly hand this job to their buddy. They hired an experienced, qualified candidate, regardless of whether or not you believe he was the best candidate.
The general manager and president of hockey operations also brought legitimate qualifications beyond experience wearing the Flyers sweater when they began in the Philadelphia front office.
Also consider that a top coaching candidate chose the Flyers with other potential jobs on the table, a favorable consequence of the organization’s history with Tocchet. Comcast’s deep pockets also helped to lure him with a lucrative five-year, $26.5 million contract.
Why The Criticism Still Has Merit
The hire reflects well on the Flyers in plenty of identifiable ways, and Tocchet’s history wearing orange and black isn’t some sort of poison that will ruin his coaching tenure.
However, completely dismissing the criticism of the organization's nostalgia for heroes of the past doesn’t paint a complete picture.
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic has pushed back with solid rhetoric against the criticism of the Flyers for hiring Tocchet.
He correctly noted that the same critics wouldn’t speak out if the Flyers hypothetically landed Rod Brind’Amour for the job. However, his point doesn’t address a historic characteristic of the organization that’s fair to question.
The Flyers have heavily prioritized grit and toughness as an integral part of their franchise identity rooted in the era of the Broad Street Bullies. Their consistent emphasis has not resulted in another era of Stanley Cup glory in the past half century (whether that's coincidental or not).
Brind’Amour played with toughness and grit in parts of nine seasons in Philadelphia. He's now become a successful head coach with the Carolina Hurricanes, an organization that’s entered Stanley Cup contention with arguably the most innovative use of hockey analytics of any modern NHL franchise.
“Rod the Bod” has substantiated a culture that’s helped overturn the disadvantages of a non-traditional hockey market. The Hurricanes successfully identify players who fit their preferred profile and insert them into Brind'Amour's system.
The Flyers, on the other hand, allowed Carolina’s innovative GM Eric Tulsky to rise onto the scene of NHL executives as an analyst in the Philadelphia market without considering his potential for innovation in a sport notorious for its close-knit circles, recycled job candidates, and tireless cliches.
The Flyers have slipped in the NHL’s landscape instead of establishing themselves as tone-setters for the modern game.
An organization without recent success didn’t think outside the box by hiring Rick Tocchet. They waived the concern of a candidate who has reached the playoffs in only two of his nine seasons as an NHL head coach.
That candidate also happens to be the NHL’s all-time leader in Gordie Howe hat tricks (goal, assist, fight in a single game) and the franchise’s all-time leader in penalty minutes.
The decision opened the door for critics to question their priority for a candidate with a storied playing career for the Flyers and a playing reputation for a tough, gritty style that was more prevalent during his prime NHL seasons in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Flyers aren't emulating the playoff staple Hurricanes with an emphasis on hockey analytics. They're not emulating recent Stanley Cup winners like the Penguins or the Tampa Bay Lightning that stockpiled picks at the top of the NHL Draft to acquire the type of top-end talent that could bring a Cup to Philadelphia.
Their respect for Tocchet's reputation as a player in their hiring process – although it wasn't a determining factor – doesn't emulate recent champions either. The last four head coaches to win the Stanley Cup played a combined 36 career NHL games.
Effect On Flyers Rebuild
The Flyers are instead emulating past eras of their own history more similarly.
The criticism of the Flyers’ hiring practices sometimes fixates on the organization’s obsession with the Broad Street Bullies era. The rebuild is actually moving toward some of the characteristics of the Flyers of the decades following the Bullies of the 1970s when Briere, Jones, and Tocchet wore the uniform.
The two front office executives downplayed Tocchet’s history with the Flyers as a factor in their decision. They certainly didn’t hire a franchise Hall of Famer coincidentally though.
Franchise governor Dan Hilferty also credited Tocchet as the best and most qualified candidate. However, he spoke more openly about the “foundational titans” who preserve the legacy of the Flyers.
Most rebuilds attempt to set a clean slate for new management. Some of them involve bottoming out a roster with eyes on increasing NHL Draft Lottery odds.
Leadership within the Flyers organization has instead emulated their own history of more successful past eras. They've emphasized culture and identity as intangible ideas that they hope to substantiate to restore the competitive attitude they were once proud of.
The Flyers took a major risk to land Matvei Michkov as the expected foundation of the franchise. They similarly took a major risk to acquire Eric Lindros to halt the only other era of inexcusable futility in franchise history.
The Flyers of the 1990s and early 2000s spent extravagantly before the salary cap era to acquire top-end talent. They’re now looking to position themselves as major players in free agency and on the trade market as the NHL salary cap rises.
The legacy that Hilferty mentioned isn’t just the tough guy lure of the Broad Street Bullies. Franchise founder Ed Snider created a communal feeling that the Flyers would take care of all players, members of the organization, and their families for life.
The reputation of a first-class organization will be one of the only selling points the Flyers can hope for in a competitive free agent landscape. Other teams offer the appeal of no state tax on player salaries, the lure of an Original Six tradition or a high-profile Canadian market, and more recent playoff success.
Briere announced at Tocchet’s introductory press conference that his appeal to free agents is a major strength as a coach.
Their calculated strategy uses elements of sound logic that leaves the possibility of the Flyers adding top-end talent next to Michkov. It isn't entirely separate from all successful blueprints of the modern NHL either.
The Florida Panthers acquired core contributors Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Sam Bennett who helped them to the Stanley Cup in 2024. Big-name outside acquisitions like Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Alex Pietrangelo helped the Vegas Golden Knights to the holy grail the previous season.
However, the Flyers are deliberately working to create a "New Era" with a greater emphasis on recapturing the same strengths as the old ones. They can't reasonably expect to escape criticism from restless, demanding fans who view the rebuild as the organization's opportunity to set a new bar for performance that transcends the organization's history.
