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No Accountability


Guest caluso

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One of the biggest problems this organization has is ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY - from the top of the organization to the bottom.

For years, and this began with Stevens, the team has had different standards for different players. The name on your jersey dictated how many minutes of ice time you received - and not the quality of your performance. Players like Carter and Richards could do no wrong. They received top-line minutes irrespective of how they were playing. And now Giroux and Briere are shown the same preferential treatment. Meltzer blogged about the same thing earlier today and it inspired this post:

On this sequence, Flyers captain Claude Giroux failed to hustle on the back check, floating casually about 20 feet behind the play rather than going all out to catch up to Hedman. That was a flat out unacceptable effort, and was worthy of a seat on the bench for the rest of the game. Everyone needs to backcheck. There can't be any exceptions. Buy-in for team defense has to be exampled by the captain and there also needs to be accountability for every player, including the team's best player.

Is there any guarantee that if Giroux has gone all out to backcheck that Hedman wouldn't have scored anyway? Of course not. But maybe Hedman would "hear footsteps" and tick one off the post. Maybe he wouldn't have come up with the puck cleanly in the first place, and a hustling backchecker could have tied him up before he collected it. Maybe Giroux would have had to take a "good penalty" to save a goal. We'll never know.

By not making any effort to get back on the put-away goal, the captain did the equivalent of waving the surrender flag. I don't care how tired a player or team feels, that should never, ever happen.

Giroux does not typically cut corners defensively. But he did last night, on top of making a variety of low-percentage plays in the offensive zone. When you are pressing offensively -- with the Flyers struggling to score, Giroux is trying to force plays in the offensive end -- that is all the more reason to pay a little extra attention to the defensive side of the puck. That is part of the responsibility that goes along with the captaincy of a team that considers itself a contender.

Giroux absolutely should have been banished to the clubhouse for his lack of effort. I do not care that he is "the captain." Respect is earned - not handed out. And who knows, maybe guys like Couturier and Voracek would think twice about not hustling in the future.

I do not care who you are, if you are not hustling and not working hard, you shouldn't be playing. Tortorella holds every Ranger to the same standard (play by my rules or don't play at all) and it is no coincidence that they are one of the hardest working teams in the league. By contrast, how many periods do we "take off." How many times can we say that the team competed for the full 60 minutes?

Unless management starts rewarding ice time to those who deserve it, we will have an inconsistent team struggling to succeed.

Edited by caluso
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It is real tough to get up for a game when you realize 10 minutes in your goaltender is going to have a save percentage that is below 60%. Leaky brings out the "best" in a team....On the bright side, Bryz will never have to look over his shoulder at the bench..........

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It is real tough to get up for a game when you realize 10 minutes in your goaltender is going to have a save percentage that is below 60%. Leaky brings out the "best" in a team....On the bright side, Bryz will never have to look over his shoulder at the bench..........

Which goalie are you talking about? Sounds like either.

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Which goalie are you talking about? Sounds like either.

Normally I agree, but lets give credit when due - Bryz is playing better. He sure isn't perfect, especially tracking the puck or moving laterally most of the time, but he's getting the job done.

Subject to change if/when he reverts to playing like crap.

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@caluso

" They received top-line minutes irrespective of how they were playing."

Not for nothing, but Shelly had nearly eight minutes of ice time vs the Rangers last week; Sestito had over seven. With that said, I think that Lavy tends to let players get ice time when they show up to play.

Giroux had an off game, it happens. This lockout was bad for many reasons, mainly the Flyers (all teams for that matter) are play 3-4 times a week.

It also doesn't help that the Flyers have had some serious opponents so far.

*****I stand corrected, they need a boot up their asses*****

Edited by Bertmega
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It is real tough to get up for a game when you realize 10 minutes in your goaltender is going to have a save percentage that is below 60%. Leaky brings out the "best" in a team....On the bright side, Bryz will never have to look over his shoulder at the bench..........

Of course, again, hyperbole is not your friend.

That said, how many other excuses are we going to give the team for playing like crap?

"Oh, woe is me, my goaltender might not make a save, so why should I backcheck? For who? For what?"

Yeah, I've heard that crap before.

Let's not start talking about playoffs. Playoffs? PLAYOFFS!?!?!?

I just hope Lavy doesn't work the poor dears too, too hard in practice...

Practice? We talkin' 'bout practice? Not the games (where we play like crap), but practice? PRACTICE?

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Greetings:

Rad is right...accountability starts at the top, but then you would have to put Holmgren and his staff in the proverbial cross-hairs. We complain about Leighton..OK, why isn't there a good young goalie somewhere in the system who could be backup? You read about Subbhan signings...well the rumor was false but why did it start....do we draft/build good young puck carrying defenders? I'll say it for the umpteenth time--the only constant for this franchise since the first lockout is inconsistency between and within season/games. Carchidi and Seravali have said something along these lines the past two days--we have had this inconsistency through three coaches and their respective systems (Hitch, Stevens, Lavy). I would also say our deepest playoff runs have been flukey rather than predicted as top-seeds. Bottom line: I think the Flyers are "forward-centric" in how they approach player development and too impatient. So, we collect other's people's first round picks who may or may not pan out as cohesive hole. And we seem to pick up 2nd tier defenders (Grossman, Gervais) who may be competent but not stellar, and wonder why we have defensive lapses.

If I sound like a broken record it's because we seem to have witnessed one since '06-07. I really wonder if this team will earn another Cup in my lifetime.

Best,

Howie

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@caluso I agree with the post, although I do believe Claude coasting is a rare sight, everybody has to be accountable. There should be no favourites, no passes....you glide, you ride...the bench. The only way the team concept is sold is everyone is in the same boat, working towards the same goal. If they were worried about Claude sulking over the benching, they should not have made him captain....again though, it's rare to see Claude not hustle all out, so it really is the least of our problems. The other thing is, we don't know the exact circumstances, did he have a nagging injury we don't know about, was he just not concentratiang and the play got away from him....that happened to the all time greats once and a while....nobody is perfect.

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Normally I agree, but lets give credit when due - Bryz is playing better. He sure isn't perfect, especially tracking the puck or moving laterally most of the time, but he's getting the job done.

Subject to change if/when he reverts to playing like crap.

I can't understand the few (thank goodness the minority) that are STILL blaming Bryz? Guy is 9th in the league in SV%, 8th in GAA, not spectacular but he has been solid and is also 4th in the league in shots against. The Flyers collectively have 14 GF and 20 GA for a -6 difference. This offense hasn't shown a lot of promise other than the beat down on a not so good Florida team.

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One of the biggest problems this organization has is ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY - from the top of the organization to the bottom.

For years, and this began with Stevens, the team has had different standards for different players. The name on your jersey dictated how many minutes of ice time you received - and not the quality of your performance. Players like Carter and Richards could do no wrong. They received top-line minutes irrespective of how they were playing. And now Giroux and Briere are shown the same preferential treatment. Meltzer blogged about the same thing earlier today and it inspired this post:

On this sequence, Flyers captain Claude Giroux failed to hustle on the back check, floating casually about 20 feet behind the play rather than going all out to catch up to Hedman. That was a flat out unacceptable effort, and was worthy of a seat on the bench for the rest of the game. Everyone needs to backcheck. There can't be any exceptions. Buy-in for team defense has to be exampled by the captain and there also needs to be accountability for every player, including the team's best player.

Is there any guarantee that if Giroux has gone all out to backcheck that Hedman wouldn't have scored anyway? Of course not. But maybe Hedman would "hear footsteps" and tick one off the post. Maybe he wouldn't have come up with the puck cleanly in the first place, and a hustling backchecker could have tied him up before he collected it. Maybe Giroux would have had to take a "good penalty" to save a goal. We'll never know.

By not making any effort to get back on the put-away goal, the captain did the equivalent of waving the surrender flag. I don't care how tired a player or team feels, that should never, ever happen.

Giroux does not typically cut corners defensively. But he did last night, on top of making a variety of low-percentage plays in the offensive zone. When you are pressing offensively -- with the Flyers struggling to score, Giroux is trying to force plays in the offensive end -- that is all the more reason to pay a little extra attention to the defensive side of the puck. That is part of the responsibility that goes along with the captaincy of a team that considers itself a contender.

Giroux absolutely should have been banished to the clubhouse for his lack of effort. I do not care that he is "the captain." Respect is earned - not handed out. And who knows, maybe guys like Couturier and Voracek would think twice about not hustling in the future.

I do not care who you are, if you are not hustling and not working hard, you shouldn't be playing. Tortorella holds every Ranger to the same standard (play by my rules or don't play at all) and it is no coincidence that they are one of the hardest working teams in the league. By contrast, how many periods do we "take off." How many times can we say that the team competed for the full 60 minutes?

Unless management starts rewarding ice time to those who deserve it, we will have an inconsistent team struggling to succeed.

In Lavy We Trust. Time to start sitting people. Captain Ro all the way down. I don't care if there are injuries or not. This is big boy NHL hockey. Stop with the excuses. Ya hear me Holmgren?

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In Lavy We Trust. Time to start sitting people. Captain Ro all the way down. I don't care if there are injuries or not. This is big boy NHL hockey. Stop with the excuses. Ya hear me Holmgren?

Well said. What would be an absolute embarrassment is if the Islanders actually finish the season higher in rankings than the Flyers, or worse yet, make the playoffs and the Flyers will be left outside looking in. That will be beyond pathetic, but right now it looks like a very realisitic possibility. And why not? At least the Islanders are playing like a team, while the Fyers look like a poorly coached collection of players who just look totally lost out there.

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Well said. What would be an absolute embarrassment is if the Islanders actually finish the season higher in rankings than the Flyers, or worse yet, make the playoffs and the Flyers will be left outside looking in. That will be beyond pathetic, but right now it looks like a very realisitic possibility. And why not? At least the Islanders are playing like a team, while the Fyers look like a poorly coached collection of players who just look totally lost out there.

MD:

Why am I looking forward to this team play Washinton tonite. I have no clue. Am I looking for validation? Am I looking for some hope/ Am I looking for someone, anyone, to show why they wear the Flyers logo on their sweater?

How about we start with the PP. Shake it up until there are 5 guys that can work as a unit..

BOI

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