Bob Ford's article in Philly.Com.

[The Quigster]

Ford's article offers a new take on Flyer's management mess,check it out. Hexie and Uncle Ed having problems on who is zooming who and idiots of the NHL ownership group.

[pilldoc]

here is the link:

 

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/20150414_Why_Hextall_should_surprise_everyone_and_keep_Berube.html

 

I will be extremely PO'd if Berube is allowed to be anywhere near this team next season as a coach. 

 

"If Hextall really wants to send a message to the players and the entire organization, he will stand in front of the microphones Wednesday at his season-ending news conference and give Berube a contract extension. Berube isn't the problem. The problem is believing that a little tinkering with the roster and a new coach will fix things."

 

I take severe umbragew with the par that is bolded and underlined.  Berube is NOT the only problem BUT is a major contributing force to "THE" probem..

Players need to take some responsibility on the ice.  Many on here will agree to that.  However, you need a coach who is going to guide and allow the these players to achieve what their potential is.  I don't see that from Berube.

 

We need a coach is going to play a system and not show blatant favortism.  Bumbergler ™ deserved as much as anyone to have a seat serving pop corn, but yet he continued to play.  It took till game #60 till he was a scratch.  Meanwhile MDZ who IMO really stepped up his game was a healthy scratch for alot game during the middle of the season. 

 

This team needs a coach who will not just pull names out of hat to fill out the lines.  The rotating of players all over creation has got to stop.  You want coot to become more offensive minde, then keep him on the 2nd line and not just put him back on the 3rd because he is a good defensive forward.  B. Schenn is another prime exmple. For the love of god put him on a line and let him gel with those guys.  Rotating him around and then having him play piss poor because he is not being used properly will draw the ire of fans and certainly this board. (Of cours Schenn may be a lost cause at this point).

 

Bob Ford is wrong!  Berube certainly shoulders much of the blame for this wretched season.  To believe otherwise is pure hogwash!
 

[brelic]

I read quite a few summaries of the player exit interviews yesterday, including Berube addressing the media. I've got to say, Chief sounded bitter and came off as very narrow-minded. A few players also weren't happy with their roles. 

 

I don't envy Hextall. He's got an impatient overlord above him, a number of core and non-core players who aren't happy with the coach, and a coach who is very testy and defensive. What to do?

 

In all likelihood, the team will be more of the same next year. Should be the same quality in goal, equal or slightly better up front, probably worse on the blueline. As much as want to shed guys like Grossmann and MacDud and possibly Schenn, the reality is they are NHL defensemen with experience, and that doesn't just get replaced and improved upon by slotting Manning, Ghost, and Morin in there. Those guys will have learning curves and will make a ton of mistakes - that kind that lose hockey games. Ghost alone made 2-3 egregious mistakes in the 2 games he played. Imagine that times 3 players over a full season. 

 

EDIT - I'm not saying to keep those 3 defensemen. I'm saying that moving them won't solve the problem short-term. It will get worse before it gets better.

[pilldoc]

@brelic

 

as I have said numerous brel.....this is not going to be an overnight process.  For anyone to think otherwise, they are just fooling themselves.  This team needs to be purged.  Berube should not be the one moving this team forward.

 

And ..yes...next season I expect the same as this season.  That is just the fact..this team is no where ready to compete for a stanley cump yet.

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

A guy like Gostisbehere is going to make glaring mistakes due to the game he plays. With that being said, partner him up with a strong defender who can cover his mistakes and there shouldn't be a problem there. As for the rest of the young guys, while I agree mistakes will be made, I also think they'll pleasantly surprise everyone and maybe I'm being a bit too confident, but some players just make that adjustment with no problems and I think a guy like Morin will make that adjustment with no problems. I've mentioned in the past that he'll be a Derian Hatcher type of defender, but with better mobility. The great thing about that is that the defensive side of the game will be easier for Morin to approach and I really believe that he'll excel in that part.

[murraycraven]

@brelic

 

as I have said numerous brel.....this is not going to be an overnight process.  For anyone to think otherwise, they are just fooling themselves.  This team needs to be purged.  Berube should not be the one moving this team forward.

 

And ..yes...next season I expect the same as this season.  That is just the fact..this team is no where ready to compete for a stanley cump yet.

 

 

This is definitely a trying time being a Flyers fan.  Not sure how anyone can really argue for keeping Berube around.  I dont think this is going to be a quick process either in terms of knowing if and when Berube is fired.   Hextall, if anything, appears to be a very patient man.   

 

Reading a quote from Snider yesterday it appears that he was eluding to the fact that the Flyers have overvalued some of the players and I believe that to be true.  The bigger question to me surrounds the autonomy of Hextall.  Will he be given the reigns to do as he sees fit or will there be pressure to make stupid moves.

 

Berube **should** be fired but like I have said in other posts - I think there is at least a 50/50 chance he comes back.    

[murraycraven]

A guy like Gostisbehere is going to make glaring mistakes due to the game he plays. With that being said, partner him up with a strong defender who can cover his mistakes and there shouldn't be a problem there. As for the rest of the young guys, while I agree mistakes will be made, I also think they'll pleasantly surprise everyone and maybe I'm being a bit too confident, but some players just make that adjustment with no problems and I think a guy like Morin will make that adjustment with no problems. I've mentioned in the past that he'll be a Derian Hatcher type of defender, but with better mobility. The great thing about that is that the defensive side of the game will be easier for Morin to approach and I really believe that he'll excel in that part.

 

 

Agree... but what of all the defensmen in this lineup there is not a "strong defender" to pair him with.   Sadly, we are already have 7 defensemen (?) for next year.  Hopefully, they trade some of them...

[radoran]

While I might understand the concept that "Berube isn't the problem" - I can't for the life of me see why he appears to anyone to be the solution.

 

What, exactly, has he achieved here to warrant an extension or even keeping his position next season?

 

One playoff round?

 

The fact that the Flyers have had 9 coaches over the past 20 years is a testament to the fact that they have done pretty badly picking coaches. Wayne Cashman? Can we really count interim coach Craig Ramsay? Those two guys - combined - are little more than one season's worth of games (89 games).

 

If anything, the choices of Bill Barber and John Stevens should be cautionary tales speaking against Berube.

 

Not to mention that when they have had a coach with playoff success - Murray, Hitchcock, Laviolette - they can them, too (those are the only three with a winning playoff record).

 

It also says something about the league that a team can have a "winning" season and finish 12th in the Conference. In fact, six teams had "losing" records this season. SIX.

 

Those are also the six teams that the Flyers finished in front of.

 

#winning

[Bakanekimiwa]

Ford's article offers a new take on Flyer's management mess,check it out. Hexie and Uncle Ed having problems on who is zooming who and idiots of the NHL ownership group.

 

... is total crap... /thread. 

[Bakanekimiwa]

Here is why Bob Ford is tragically WRONG.... 

 

this list is picked from a comment in /reddit/r/flyers. I couldn't have put it together better myself, so I just copied and pasted it here. 

 

- Benched MDZ for 12 games (One of these times he scratched him literally right after he said MDZ was one of our best players on the ice - WTF?)
- Rinaldo. Rinaldo. Rinaldo. Oh yeah and, Rinaldo on the THIRD LINE.
- Didn't scratch Umberger for 67 games
- Didn't scratch Nick Grossmann once, meanwhile AMac, Schenn, MDZ and Carlo were being scratched left and right
- Put Mason into that Toronto game after Zepp gave up only 2 goals, having said to Jeff Reese that Mase would "absolutely not play unless Zepp was injured"
- Keeping Matt Read in the line up for the first half of the season with his high ankle sprain - anyone notice how much quicker Read was for the last month or so?
- Mismanaging Vinny to the point of hilarity literally all season long
- Never giving Raffl any powerplay time, despite the fact that he is our most effective ES goal scorer (and consistently putting Umberger in that spot to boot)
- Giving Coots the hardest defensive minutes of any one forward in the entire league and then complaining about his lack of offense

So Berube has mismanaged the line up, players' injuries, line combinations and certain individual players. He has also been doing nothing for the past 2 weeks but placing blame on literally everything but himself.
 

 

The not scratching Umberger for 67 games and actually placing him on the 2nd PP instead of Raffl is what put me over the edge as early as last fall. This guys just does NOT know what he's doing. Bob Ford has now, quite bluntly, shown just how little he knows about anything with this fluff piece intended to simply go against the grain. 

[brelic]

Here is why Bob Ford is tragically WRONG.... 

 

this list is picked from a comment in /reddit/r/flyers. I couldn't have put it together better myself, so I just copied and pasted it here. 

 

- Benched MDZ for 12 games (One of these times he scratched him literally right after he said MDZ was one of our best players on the ice - WTF?)

- Rinaldo. Rinaldo. Rinaldo. Oh yeah and, Rinaldo on the THIRD LINE.

- Didn't scratch Umberger for 67 games

- Didn't scratch Nick Grossmann once, meanwhile AMac, Schenn, MDZ and Carlo were being scratched left and right

- Put Mason into that Toronto game after Zepp gave up only 2 goals, having said to Jeff Reese that Mase would "absolutely not play unless Zepp was injured"

- Keeping Matt Read in the line up for the first half of the season with his high ankle sprain - anyone notice how much quicker Read was for the last month or so?

- Mismanaging Vinny to the point of hilarity literally all season long

- Never giving Raffl any powerplay time, despite the fact that he is our most effective ES goal scorer (and consistently putting Umberger in that spot to boot)

- Giving Coots the hardest defensive minutes of any one forward in the entire league and then complaining about his lack of offense

So Berube has mismanaged the line up, players' injuries, line combinations and certain individual players. He has also been doing nothing for the past 2 weeks but placing blame on literally everything but himself.

 

 

The not scratching Umberger for 67 games and actually placing him on the 2nd PP instead of Raffl is what put me over the edge as early as last fall. This guys just does NOT know what he's doing. Bob Ford has now, quite bluntly, shown just how little he knows about anything with this fluff piece intended to simply go against the grain. 

 

I don't want anyone to mistake this as a defense for Berube, because it isn't. 

 

Where did Giroux and Voracek disappear to for the better part of two months, when the team was starved for goals and really needed them? They were MIA. Giroux couldn't score ES to save his life. 

 

Bergeron and Monahan rack up the points while having fewer OZ starts than Couturier. What's Couturier's excuse? "I don't want to be known as a defensive specialist." Really? Then how about changing what you're "known" as by scoring some goals? That quote sounds more like a guy worried about how he is perceived - and sounds like he is blaming others.

 

Brayden Schenn got 20% of his points in the last 6 games. Talk about showing up when it doesn't matter. The saving grace might be that he's found a new home on Couturier's right as they were quite productive together.

 

What about Streit? Great offensive production, but a -8. The only two players worse than him? Umberger and Rinaldo at -9.

 

There's plenty of "blame" to go around.

 

Oh, and just to drive the point home that I'm not defending Berube, here are a few of his gems from yesterday. When told that Mason said he wanted to take on more of a leadership role next year, Chief replied "Mason's got enough other stuff to worry about." When told that Couturier wants to be more than a defensive specialist, he said "Couturier just has to learn to accept his role." He said the same of Vinny.

 

Just. Wow. It's not so much what he says, but how he says it.

 

 

I'm just playing a little devil's advocate

[pilldoc]

@brelic

 

great points brel..great points.  Bottom line...Berube just is not a coach..PERIOD!  Those crap answers are from someone who knows he is way in over his head.  However the good ol' boys wanted to promote from within.  It may be a bit overkill, BUT I like what Shanahan did in Toronto.  He just purged everyone and is starting from scratch.  If Snider would let Hexy have total contol...then that would be the best thing here.....purge everyone! 

 

Any yes I like you playing a bit of devils advocate.....the players themselves are far from blameless.  Some of them need to take a good look in the mirror and wake the hell up.

 

end of rant!

[pilldoc]

from The Hockey Writers..... basically an article countering the crap Bob Ford wrote.... 

 

http://thehockeywriters.com/there-needs-to-be-a-new-coach-in-philadelphia-asap/

[radoran]

I'm just playing a little devil's advocate

 

And done very well, too. There is no question that the team underachieved.

 

But, isn't that on the coach? Isn't the coach supposed to put players in positions to succeed?

 

Should a coach really be telling players they shouldn't take on more of a leadership role? Mason just turned in one of the best statistical seasons in franchise history and he "has other things to worry about?"

 

"Accept his role"? This from the guy who apparently thinks any forward can play any forward position at any time for any reason?

 

It's ridiculous.

[idahophilly]

These gems from Berube are why he has to be gone fast! The more he speaks the past few days the more troubling it gets.

 

Ref VLC:

He doesn't accept his role. I'm not saying that's an easy thing for him," Berube said, " . . . but at some point, he's going to have to accept his role."

After 2 years, Lecavalier cannot accept it. After 2 years, Berube will not be swayed: "My reasons will stay in the locker room. I don't need to express them to you guys."

 

That makes no sense - his job in meeting with the press is exactly that, to explain why he does what he does - but maybe Berube doesn't know himself.

 

Coupled with all his other comments I just want him gone at this point. As far a VLC, anyone who says get rid of him also via buyout I agree with but just be sure you want to eat roughly 2 million a year for 6 years in dead cap space. If my numbers are wrong just let me know. I'd be happily wrong if it's less.

[Adamflyers]

A guy like Gostisbehere is going to make glaring mistakes due to the game he plays. With that being said, partner him up with a strong defender who can cover his mistakes and there shouldn't be a problem there. As for the rest of the young guys, while I agree mistakes will be made, I also think they'll pleasantly surprise everyone and maybe I'm being a bit too confident, but some players just make that adjustment with no problems and I think a guy like Morin will make that adjustment with no problems. I've mentioned in the past that he'll be a Derian Hatcher type of defender, but with better mobility. The great thing about that is that the defensive side of the game will be easier for Morin to approach and I really believe that he'll excel in that part.

 

Hopefully Morin will play similar to the player he modeled his game after...Pronger.  If that comes even close to happening, a pairing of Morin/Ghost could produce similarly to the Pronger/Carle pairing.  Also, a Del Zotto/Morin pairing could be productive if Del Zotto is still here by the time Morin is a full time NHLer.

 

Of course, all of this is subject to whether these young defensemen pan out and meet expectations.  Very much looking forward to Sanheim's NHL arrival as well, though will have to wait a little longer for that.

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Agree... but what of all the defensmen in this lineup there is not a "strong defender" to pair him with.   Sadly, we are already have 7 defensemen (?) for next year.  Hopefully, they trade some of them...

 

Personally, I'd partner Gostisbehere with Schultz. I know that people don't like Schultz, but he keeps the game simple and he's mobile enough to cover for Gostisbehere. I'd also consider using an all "kid" pairing of Gost and Hagg. Call me crazy, but I really think the structure of the NHL benefits guys like Hagg and makes him the perfect compliment to Gost.

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Hopefully Morin will play similar to the player he modeled his game after...Pronger.  If that comes even close to happening, a pairing of Morin/Ghost could produce similarly to the Pronger/Carle pairing.  Also, a Del Zotto/Morin pairing could be productive if Del Zotto is still here by the time Morin is a full time NHLer.

 

Of course, all of this is subject to whether these young defensemen pan out and meet expectations.  Very much looking forward to Sanheim's NHL arrival as well, though will have to wait a little longer for that.

 

I really believe Sanheim isn't that far away at all. If he can add an extra 15 to 20 pounds to his frame, he should be in consideration to make the club. If he can get to the 210 pound mark by training camp 2016, he'll make the roster.

[Bakanekimiwa]

I'm just playing a little devil's advocate

 

I hear ya brel...and some devil's advocate is healthy around here. It's just that, to me, all of your counterpoints are actually more indictment of the coach. I feel like a lot of the players have basically been confused as to what their roles are.

 

Coots is the perfect example. Score more goals coots... but I'm gonna start you in the D zone more than anyone else in the league. He's put out there to be a shut down center to counter the other team's hottest offensive players. Isn't that mixed messaging? How would anyone be able to develop and succeed when they're being given mixed messages like this? Exactly how is Cooter supposed to become more of a scoring center when his primary responsibility is to prevent the other team's players from scoring? I don't think he's making excuses as much as explaining the reality of what's being asked of him. You can't have it both ways, but Berube seems to think you can. If he's going to compare Cooter to Bergeron... don't you think that's a little unfair? Bergeron is the best 2-way player in the league. 

 

Seems like the perfect recipe to stunt a young player's growth curve if you ask me. I think the stats would bare that out as well... but I'm certainly waaay too lazy to make any real analysis of any real data.

[Adamflyers]

I really believe Sanheim isn't that far away at all. If he can add an extra 15 to 20 pounds to his frame, he should be in consideration to make the club. If he can get to the 210 pound mark by training camp 2016, he'll make the roster.

Of course anything is possible, but I'm personally not expecting to see Sanheim up for more than a cup of coffee for at least one more season.  Would love to be wrong on that

[brelic]

But, isn't that on the coach? Isn't the coach supposed to put players in positions to succeed?

 

Absolutely. On that front, I think Chief failed VLC, Couturier, and Schenn. There may be others, I don't know. MDZ was benched for a while, and ultimately came back and finished off a strong season. Did the benching help at all? Would MDZ have basically done the same without being scratched?

 

Should a coach really be telling players they shouldn't take on more of a leadership role? Mason just turned in one of the best statistical seasons in franchise history and he "has other things to worry about?"

 

I find this one very strange. There's a leadership void acknowledged by your scoring leader - Voracek. He mentioned Timo's absence on several occasions. And then a player like Mason steps up and says he wants to grow and mature as a player and take on a leadership role - only to be poo-poo'ed by his coach? Combined with his comments on VLC and Couturier, Berube doesn't strike me as a guy who can help players grow - in fact, quite the opposite. His attitude is one of a dictator who stunts growth and development.

[radoran]

His attitude is one of a dictator who stunts growth and development.

 

I don't think he has any idea how to make players better.

[King Knut]

Berube isn't the only problem, but the fact that they were hamstrung by bad contracts and the fact that Umberger and VLC and MacDonald are all under performing all year made easy scapegoats of all of those factors which consistently masked to the casual fan and a lot of the press just how much of a mess Berube's made of the team's play on the ice.

 

Jake and Giroux and Mason, most people agree are bright spots, but if you look at the way Jake and G play they have no idea what they're doing.  They're skating up and down the ice.  The puck goes in their own end, they go chase it and break up a play, then they skate back to the other end and try to score... it's only because they're so extremely talented that it works as well as it does, but in case some of you don't realize, that is POND hockey.  It's a terrible way to utilize players as talented as the two of them and it's a God awful way to try to have a successful team. 

 

Now as far as mason goes I think we all know what we think abut trying to force him into playing after his knee surgery this year and how incredibly inappropriate and dangerous that was for the player, his future and the future of this team.  It sill is dangerous.  It could lead to major problems for the guy down the road.  and it will have been Hextall and more so Berube's fault.  -I put more on berube because technically if a doctor clears a player, the team has certain requirements with his status and while Hexy could and should have worked harder to give Mase more rehab time, Berube should have just friggin played Emery or Stolarz or Zepp (who I know was also hurt for a stretch there) for another two weeks.  What difference would it have made in the long run?

 

The team has no system.  Period.  Maybe the D men are so bad that no system can work.  I don't care.  They need to be playing a system and losing with it so that when better D men come along, they can be folded into the system and do it better.  Right now the way this team approaches the game of hockey is atrocious and it's completely amateurish and short sighted of anyone, especially a supposed Hockey reporter to suggest that the inferiority of the players is to blame.

 

To be honest, a good coach has a system that he tweaks to work with the players he's got.  Often a good coach, a real NHL coach, one worth having run your team will make crappy players look much much better than they are.

 

Berube succeeded in making everyone on this team look worse than I think they really are with the exeption of Mason who looked mostly good until one night when he didn't (which happens) and what did Berube do?  He threw the sucker under the bus. 

 

The Berube era has to be over or I see utterly no point in paying attention.  I swear to God, if they put Morin or Ghost or Sanheim on this team under Chief they will be hurting their development and setting them back by a year or two. 

 

It's time for an NHL coach in Philly and for their current coach to go back and coach at a level more appropriate to his abilities. 

 

Berube is NOT the only problem BUT is a major contributing force to "THE" probem..

[OccamsRazor]

What's Couturier's excuse?

Uh having both his wingers hurt pretty much all season....for one.

[briere48]

i swear if hextall keeps this a hole, players will want off this team. i cant blame them and ticket sales will drain worse than the sixers.