All together now
Flyers’ room pivotal to early season success
Successful hockey might be played on the ice but the process starts in the locker room.
This is where relationships and friendships are formed. It’s the “office,” so to speak. Plans are made, strategies are discussed and a bond is created.
Last year’s Flyers locker room came up a little short. There were some players who weren’t exactly all in and coach John Tortorella needed a season to weed out who wanted to be here and who didn’t.
This season it’s much better.
All you have to do is stand in the hallway outside the locker room after a win and hear the loud laughter and cheering to confirm that.
Bringing on veterans such as Marc Staal and Garnet Hathaway has helped. And an infusion of youthful enthusiasm with the arrivals of rookies Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster and Samuel Ersson has heightened the good vibe.
Tortorella confirmed the presence of Staal, a 36-year-old defenseman who came over from last year’s Stanley Cup runnerup Florida Panthers, and Hathaway, a veteran forward with playing time in Washington and Boston, have contributed mightily to the cause. Those guys know how to win.
“It was such a good summer for us, moving people (Ivan Provorov, Kevin Hayes, Tony DeAngelo) out, bringing people in; I think it’s given our locker room a whole different look,” Tortorella said before Thursday night’s come-from-behind win over the Capitals.
“They (Staal, Hathaway) are certainly a big part of it.”
Scott Laughton, the closest thing the Flyers have to a captain (he wears the alternate captain “A”), has been around for the better part of a decade and knows a good locker room when he’s in one.
He doesn’t want to be too harsh on last year’s room but acknowledges this one has some real good emotion about it.
“I think some of the young guys we brought in make a difference,” he said. “Guys that are not fighting for a spot but have a different energy coming in. I think they make a huge difference.
“Having a guy like Staal is important, especially when you lose a guy like JVR (James van Riemsdyk, who signed a freeagent contract with Boston. Those guys are leaders, who the young guys rely on.”
Turning over personnel is nothing extraordinary. Even winning teams see players come and go. It’s just a matter of finding the right mix each season.
“It just happens in the game,” Laughton said. “You lose some friends through it. I think when you’re winning, it (locker room
harmony) goes a long way. Everything’s not magnified as much as it’s been the last couple of years. It’s been tough. But it’s been good so far with these new guys.”
The Flyers entered weekend action with a surprising 16-10-3 mark, a record which has caught a number of people by surprise.
“I thought our room last year was pretty cohesive but it wasn’t translating into wins enough,” Laughton said. “When you’re losing more games than you’re winning, it’s definitely magnified. Things keep coming up.
“The guys who left, there’s nothing against them. They were great for our young kids. Hayes took care of a lot of those young guys. It’s a different energy, a different kind of vibe (this season).”
If the Flyers go on to fool all the experts and qualify for the playoffs, much of the credit should go to a better atmosphere behind closed doors.
On their recent 2-0-1 road trip, no doubt there was plenty of time for players to hang out together. Then, when they stormed back to dispatch Washington, there was no post-trip letdown.
That’s a sign everyone truly is on the same page.