Flyers Fire John Stevens, Hire Peter Laviolette

[Brandon]

jI guess the Flyers management has been feeling your paid, as Paul Holmgren, the general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, decided to make a change in the head coaching position. Friday he fired the soft spoken John Stevens and hired Peter Laviolette to replace him.

Stevens was hired three years ago, and at the time I said he would not win a thing and would be gone in two years. My apologies, it took three years. But ultimately, I was right. the Philadelphia Flyers hire coaches in order to fire them. Not to win a Championship. John served three-plus seasons in Philadelphia with a record of 120-109-34.

[Insider]

Well, this is a big game tonight. If they win tonight against a very good Washington team and one of the best players in the league, then all bets are off. I'm thinking, "run at Sir Stanley!"

My how things change in just a few weeks. I know this is a Flyer's fan forum, and we're supposed to be all positive and such, but I just want to breing a little dose of reality in.

The fact is, the Flyers organization is clueless when it comes to building a team that can win the stanley cup. It is not by chance that this team hasn't won a Stanley cup in the last 30 years. Nor even gone to the finals but once. It's because they don't have to. They have two things going for them. #1. The "Stepford" Flyers fans that have blind allegiance to this team, and #2. There is always a scapegoat in the head coach when fans start to murmur. they just change the coach, and that will silence the Stepforss for another couple years. And when that 2-3 years are up, they just fire that coach and the fans are OK again. Because, "Heaven forbid" it could be their beloved Flyers players are out clubbing and not worried about sound hockey, are lazy on defense, are vindictive, are not too bright and don't take kindly to instruction. You know, the real problems that the Sports writers never tell you about. You ever hear about the uncoachable Flyers? No, because that would shatter the myth about hockey players. The Stepfords even had a petition to get rid of the Coach:

Petition Link:  Philadelphia Flyers Fans for the Removal of Head Coach John Stevens

Because ...that's what they do. Blame either the coach or the referees. Never the players. In a word, MORONS! And what is the result of the firing of the head coach?  The sleep walking Flyers tonight lose to the Washington captials 8-2. And it wasn't even that close. And the fans, well, they Cheered loudly when the referee was hit in the face by a puck, seriously injured and taken off the ice. In a word, Morons!

 The Flyers organization isn't the only franchise that acts like they are morons, but they are the only one with a fan base that blindly accepts mediocrity.. Their answer to each and every problem that crops up is to fire the coach. In this way, they placate the Philadelphia fans who pay, and who are as clueless as they are when it comes to solid hockey players.

Look at the coaches from 1988 and note carefully, none but  Ken Hitchcock stayed more than 3 years.

7 Paul Holmgren 1988–1991
8 Bill Dineen 1991–1993
9 Terry Simpson 1993–1994
10 Terry Murray 1994–1997
11 Wayne Cashman 1997–1998
12 Roger Neilson 1998–2000
13 Craig Ramsay 2000
14 Bill Barber 2000–2002
15 Ken Hitchcock 2002–2006
16 John Stevens 2006–2009
17 Peter Laviolette

And you can bet in 2-3 years, the fans will be calling for Laviolette's head, and the organization will go through the whole process again. rather than fix the problem, which is the players.

And why do the fans let them get away with this and sellout the arena year after year? ..you don't really want to know!

[Mary Jane]

Stevens deserved to be fired, Flyers fans have been calling for his head ever since last year. Now maybe this team will start to win.

[Scorpion Rider]

No more than any of the other myriad of coaches fired. And what was the result? The Flyers are now the second worst team in the N.H.L.

Proving once again that it's the players who win games. And this Flyers team has a bunch of gutless, lazy, overpaid non skilled journeymen. Blame the General Manager and scouts who constantly bring in these muckers and grinders with little skill.

Like the insider said, Flyers fans are generally morons when it comes to that team. Ok, charitably we'll call then fanatics 

And in another year or two, Peter Laviolette will be fired and it will all start all over again. And who cares. The 16 thousand Flyers fanatics will pack the building anyway.

[Frank Giovanni]

The Flyers management stinks, the Flyers fans are morons and the flyers players don't really give a damn as long as they are getting women and getting paid. So it will always be ground hog day until the people begin to recognize those three things.

 

[Moe]

Why do the Philadelphia fans cut the Flyers so much slack when this team hasn't won a damn thing for years, and it looks like yet another mediocre season? They are no more near a Stanley cup than they were 10 years ago.  What do these guys have, a spell on this city, where we can rip all other three teams, but the Flyers are immune? What gives? They stink against any team that is not flat out bad.

[Tommy]

I couldn'rt agree more. The Flyers organization are idiots when it comes to putting together a winning team. One of their problems is that they keep signing their players to no-trade contracts. Why they keep doing this, only they know. But my guess, they are idiots! That locks them in where they can't really do anything substantive to make their team better when things don't pan out, except fire the head coach.  And that's exactly what they do (see Flyer4life's post) because they know the fans will still show up.

[Frank Giovanni]

Why do the Philadelphia fans cut the Flyers so much slack when this team hasn't won a damn thing for years, and it looks like yet another mediocre season? They are no more near a Stanley cup than they were 10 years ago.

I have to agree with you there. To tell you the truth, I don't think that the Philadelphia fans know a damn thing about good hockey. They continue to blame the Coach, blame the referee, blame the Goalie, when the real blame is on the type of players this organization brings in.

Tonite, the Flyers were playing for a playoff birth, and playing for their lives, and playing the worst road team in the National Hockey League (The Minnesota Wild), and these bums sat back and let the game slip away 4-3. Again! And I turn on the radio and who are the fans blaming? The Goalie, the coach and the refs. Yeah, it's groundhog day all over again.

What do these guys have, a spell on this city, where we can rip all other three teams, but the Flyers are immune? What gives? They stink against any team that is not flat out bad.

Well, the Flyers are not immune from criticism here. That's why I like this forum, there are a lot of intelligent fans here. But on most Philly sports sites and talk radio, you say something bad about the Flyers and they'll skin you alive.
 

[Donjuan]

 Ditto! he Flyers motto should be, "We play with a Puck because we have no balls." It's just a disgrace the way these boys play. Every march they wilt like last week's lettuce. And you guys are right. It is never the players fault with these brain dead Flyers fans. It's always the refs or the coach. I'm sick of it. The coach isn't the one who hasn't scored a goal in three weeks. The Refs aren't the ones who are giving the puck away on an unforced error. I hate to say it because I grew up loving the Fly boys, but these players aren't your father's Flyers players. They don't give a damn, and it shows in their play.

I'm not rubber stamping this team anymore. They stink!

[Scorpion Rider]

Five losses in a row? Are they deliberately trying not to make the playoffs? What clown picked this team at the start of the season to win the stanley Cup?

The Sixers stink, the Flyers stink, the eagles smell a little bad. Let's go Phillies!