There’s one big difference between this year’s version of the Flyers and the ones who skated around here over the past few years.
They not only believe in themselves as trustworthy players but they also have faith in the guys competing next to them.
Four or five games is not a significant sample size yet one already gets the impression that individuals are forming a more cohesive unit, something that seemed to be missing under outgoing coach John Tortorella.
It might have something to do with coach Rick Tocchet’s matter-of-fact approach.
Essentially he started the job, at least on the ice, just a few months ago but already there are signs he wants his players to emulate what “his” Flyers did back in the ‘80s.
That was about as tight a group of players as you’re going to see in these parts. Dave Poulin was the captain in 1984 but there were about six or seven players who could easily have filled that role.
It was a one-for-all and all-for-one situation. They stood up for one another, regardless of the circumstances.
How do you think coach Mike Keenan, barely 35 years old with no NHL head coaching experience, was able to get the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in his very first year of coaching?
You could say talent, yes, but the Flyers didn’t have anyone the likes of Wayne Gretzky or Mark Messier on those rosters. Yet, later, they took the 1987 Edmonton Oilers powerhouse team the distance and actually led Game 7 early in the match before eventually falling in a magnificent road effort.
Tocchet was an integral member of those ’85 and ’87 squads. He was one of those multi-tool players who could beat you with pucks from his stick or bare hands after sticks were dropped and the gloves came off.
In a way, it’s all about accountability. Playing in such a way that when a skater comes over to the bench after a shift, he can look teammates in the eye and know he gave an honest effort.
“Guys are buying into the process and the system,” said defenseman Nick Seeler after practice the other day at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J.
Just a couple years ago, Tocchet was successful with his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, who surprised the NHL with 53 wins and a Jack Adams coach of the year award for Tocchet. So we know the system works.
But it’s different here in Philadelphia. A lot of hockey fans understand first-hand that Tocchet knows what makes this franchise tick.
Seeler was commenting a day after the Flyers had basically shut down the Florida Panthers for a win. A few nights later, the Flyers held the quick-skating Winnipeg Jets to just 15 shots, their fewest since a game last season.
“It [a working system] is really important against high-skilled, high-shot volume teams,” Seeler said. “We just keep building on it. You can tell we’re getting better and better at it.”
There are times when Tocchet will call out his players but, unlike the previous coach, he tries to keep the tone positive. Like “he knows he can do better” and “we’re going to work on corrections.”
He might sit a Matvei Michkov for the final eight minutes of one game but when Michkov comes back and scores his first goal of the season the next game, you know the young Russian took that gesture the right way.
Tocchet was talking the other day about the Trevor Zegras-Christian Dvorak line, two new players who are willing to be moved around between center and wing without making any fuss. Once again, it’s about doing what is best for the team.
It’s a perfect example of thinking team-first rather than worrying about self-preference.
“It’s not about individuals here, it’s about the team,” Tocchet explained. “And then we go from there. You try to put the guys in the best positions to be successful.”
So far, so good. This is not going to happen overnight. But a lot of those mid-‘80s Flyers have to be watching this transformation right now and allowing themselves a little smile.
It has a little bit of a back to the future feel to it.
Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. Follow his coverage at www.flyingfishhockey.com
Source: Berkshire mont
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