Top boss Scott as excited as any hockey fan
This weirdest of NHL seasons since ... well, since there wasn’t an NHL season 14 years ago ... has been an education for Dave Scott.
Several years since replacing club chief executive Peter Luukko and poised as the organization’s chairman after the death of Ed Snider four years ago, Scott is underpublicized but hardly a newcomer. But in these most inordinate times, he has learned not only to appreciate the work of his general manager, Chuck Fletcher, but especially what kind of head coach he and Fletcher had hired last year in Alain Vigneault.
“We spent a lot of time looking at his history before he got here and I’ve gotten to know him pretty well,” Scott said Thursday of Vigneault. “We actually live in the same neighborhood down in Old City (in Philadelphia). He’s just a terrific guy. He’s confident, no nonsense. I love the way he coaches and runs his plays.
“He’s really got the respect from the whole organization, from the whole team. You look at the beginning of last season, everybody had to adjust to the new systems, process and the new coaching. He’s just done a tremendous job for us.”
This raving review of Vigneault from the top boss comes after the Flyers experienced one of their finest regular seasons in many years. Vigneault has had great success with teams such
as the Canucks and Rangers early on in his tenures with those teams.
“I would say all the situations that I’ve come in have been slightly different, but what hasn’t been different is my demand for work ethic, attention to detail, preparation and the will to win,” Vigneault said. “Make sure that players understand the team has to come first. When you stress that and you hold players accountable, a lot of times with the proper direction you can have a fair amount of success.
“This season is a long
way from being over. We’re working extremely hard right now. But I like our attitude and the atmosphere we have . ... I believe we are one of the best teams in the league and we have a legitimate chance at winning the Stanley Cup.”
Starting next week, more than four months after Vigneault’s first Philly season was brought to a halt by a raging coronavirus, the Flyers have the chance to make that regular season count. They are scheduled to leave for Toronto and the Eastern Conference’s “bubble” on Sunday.
Once locked down and tested, they will test their sharpness in an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday
evening there, then a threegame playoff play-in “tournament” against the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals beginning Aug. 2. That will determine seeding for the playoffs to follow.
“You don’t have the time of having six or seven exhibition games and filtering different guys in the lineup,” scoring leader Travis Konecny said. “We’ve got our group here that we’re going to go with and we’re pretty excited about that. Our first exhibition game is going to be huge for us, just getting our timing back and feet back. The games leading up to the playoffs are, for us, really big games.”
Only after that will the Flyers – so confident during
a nine-game winning streak from late February through nearly half of March – show if they can pick up where they left off.
“I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve done,” Scott said. “What was done at the trade deadline, the new guys coming in, Kevin (Hayes) and the others. I think we got it right. It’s a great balance ... the vets fit in really great with the whole team.
“Expectations are high. I think we’ll continue to forge ahead. We’re still early in this thing and I think we’ll know a lot more as we get into the next couple weeks and going into the playoffs. But I’m optimistic . ... We have as good a chance as anybody up there.”