Philidelphia Flyers Shakeup - Clarke, Hitchcock gone!

[devilmaster]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-flyersshakeup&prov=ap&type=lgns


PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- General manager Bob Clarke resigned and coach Ken Hitchcock was fired in a dramatic shakeup Sunday, with the Philadelphia Flyers off to their worst start in 17 years.

Assistant John Stevens was appointed head coach and former Flyers coach Paul Holmgren was promoted from assistant general manager to interim general manager -- the latest combination in an attempt to end a 31-year Stanley Cup drought.

The Flyers are 1-6-1 and have the fewest points in the NHL.

[TKGAngel]

They fired Sgt Schultz?! :laugh:

Maybe the new GM will rebuild the team to fit the new NHL. If I were a Flyers fan, I would have been embarassed after last week's 9-1 shellacking.

[Dr. Corkski]

I am sure the other 29 GMs are sorry to see him go. :laugh:


Maybe the new GM will rebuild the team to fit the new NHL. If I were a Flyers fan, I would have been embarassed after last week's 9-1 shellacking.Most Pylons fans were embarrassed long before that. Some even went as far as jumping on the Blow Jackets bandwagon. :tony: :p

[dando]

:thumbup:
:thumbup:
:laugh:

Booby is gone, Booby is gone, high ho the dairy oh, the Booby is gone!

:D

-Kevin

[dando]

From the former clarkemustgo.com site:


Why Bob Clarke Should Go
By Mike Barr (05/13/02)
Why Clarke Must Go
When visiting this website, one might wonder why exactly it was established. This isn't about a personal vendetta or simply an expression of desperation due to the Flyers' disappointing finishes in recent years. No, there are some rock solid reasons why we believe that Bob Clarke should no longer be the General Manager of this team. While the following is by no means a definitive list, it should be enough to make a legitimate argument for the cause. Please note that these points are in no particular order.

Lack Of Professionalism: Bob Clarke does not seem to understand how a person in his position should act in the public eye. He routinely makes questionable statements which make him and the organization look bad. A prime example came when he was questioned about letting Roger Neilson go when he was ready to return while battling skin Cancer. Clarke said "it's not our fault he got Cancer and went loopy on us." Can you get much more insensitive than that? There are many ways he could have answered the question without sounding like a heartless person, but he didn't take the high road. Additionally, how many times over the last couple of years has he brought up Eric Lindros or a member of his family? Until he finally traded him in the 2001 offseason, Clarke would go out of his way to mention Lindros and how he quit on the team, spoke out against the medical staff, or some other "terrible" thing he did. He could simply have left Lindros out of his comments, and if asked about him, said that there was no new information and he had no other comment on the situation. But no, he had to take shots whenever possible. He simply handled the whole Lindros ordeal poorly, possibly decreasing the market value of his own asset in the process. And there are apparently different rules for different players. Lindros was berated for commenting about the medical staff, with Clarke saying he went against the organization. However, when several players, most notably captain Keith Primeau, bashed Bill Barber at the end of the 2001-02 season, Clarke said nothing. Quite a double standard, isn't it? Add in his relationship with the shady Alan Eagelson and signing an affidavit for a man charged with spousal abuse (he also gave the individual a temporary place to stay). These are just not things you want from a man who is a high profile representative of your organization.

Questionable Trades/Signings: Is Bob Clarke the worst GM in the league when it comes to making trades? No. But he has made far too many deals which make us scratch our heads, and doesn't seem to have an understanding of relative market value. In 2001-02 alone we can look at three obvious ones. Early in the season he sent Jan Hlavac and a third round pick to Vancouver for tough guy Donald Brashear and a sixth round pick. Granted, the Flyers went on a nice run after the deal was made, but that's not the point. Hlavac was a 25 year old coming off a strong season with the Rangers while Brashear was 29 and a third liner at best who could drop the gloves. Hlavac was worth more, Brashear less. It would appear that Clarke wanted Brashear badly for some reason and therefore overpaid. Incidentally, Andrei Nazarov, a player at least somewhat comparable to Brashear, went to Boston shortly afterwards for a mid-round draft choice. Near the trade deadline the deal which angered many fans and turned some Clarke supporters against him took place. Kent Manderville, a solid fourth line forward who killed penalties, played hard, never complained about being a frequent healthy scratch and was a class individual was sent to Pittsburgh for Billy Tibbetts. Though a few years younger, Tibbetts had a criminal record which included a recent incident in which he had been pulled over for driving 120 miles per hour. It wasn't just the statutory rape conviction when he was a teenager for those who argued he deserves a second chance. He also was a careless player who took dumb penalties, and it was reported that he called former Penguin teammates with threats prior to playing against them as a Flyer. He was simply not the type of character you want on your team, and this was confirmed when Tibbetts was waived three weeks after being acquired. There was no good reason to make this trade, as all it did was bring in new controversy and add a bad element to the locker room. Finally, on deadline day Clarke went out and acquired league assist leader Adam Oates. With Jeremy Roenick and Keith Primeau hurt at the time, that in itself was not a bad idea. However, the price was outlandish. He sent one of the league's top goaltending prospects, Maxime Ouellet, along with a first, second and third round draft pick to Washington for the 39 year old center who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Oates was supposed to help the disastrous power play, but it seemed pretty obvious that they needed better play from the point and not another forward to solve that problem. Again, it was a case of Clarke overpaying for something he wanted. The fact that the team lost in the first round only amplifies how poor a trade this was. From the 2001 offseason through the 2001-02 campaign, Clarke also dumped several middle of the road prospects for picks and minor league veterans. This left the Phantoms with an older lineup as well, and even they lost early in the playoffs. Why not leave the younger guys around for a little while and see if they're late bloomers? What is the value of acquiring a bunch of career minor leaguers who, at best, can be called up in case there are multiple injuries on the big club? It's nice if the Phantoms win, but a minor league affiliate should be used for developing homegrown talent first and foremost. Add in the John LeClair signing, which locked him up for five years at about nine million per with a no trade clause. That eats up financial resources and with his production going downhill it looks like a terrible move. We could go back in history and find plenty of other deals which raise eyebrows, but it seems that this should suffice to make the point.

The Coaching Carousel: Is there any organization in the league which has gone through as many coaches in a short period of time? Clarke began with Terry Murray in 1994-95 and he lasted three years before being fired after taking the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals. He made a comment about the team choking (which was pretty much true) and it cost him his job. Nobody has had as long a stay as Murray since then. With Barber's departure, the 2002-03 season will see the team open the year under its fifth different coach in six seasons. Since it is Clarke's job to hire the coach (though the Barber appointment is widely regarded as a Snider decision), shouldn't he be held responsible for the constant changes in that position? Either he simply can't find the right guy, which is a problem, or he uses the coach as a scapegoat since he can't put the pieces of the puzzle together in terms of the roster. In either case, Clarke is clearly doing something wrong in this area.

No Direction: Do the Flyers have a plan under Clarke? Most of the time he seems set on building a big team which plays dump and chase, trying to physically wear down the opponent. Every once in awhile he says they need more speed and skill, but that doesn't tend to last very long before he goes back to big and physical. It simply doesn't work. Over the years, apparently unbeknownst to Bob, the league has changed quite a bit. Even playing dump and chase you need speed to get to the puck before the defense. Clarke claims that bigger guys are required to battle through the obstruction, but that's not an effective tactic. It's more likely that the speedy, shifty players can fly into the zone, at least partially avoid the interference and hawk the puck. Aside from style, it's clear that you need the right combination of defense to win. In general, half of the defensemen (perhaps more) should be very adept at moving the puck up the ice by both passing and carrying the disc. The other half should be able to clear the front of the net in the defensive zone and win battles along the boards to help get the puck out of the zone. Even the physical guys have to have reasonable puck skills. And it seems imperative that a championship team have at least one true number one defenseman, and arguably aside from Eric Desjardins' best years (now behind him), the Flyers have not had that guy. Up front two true scoring lines are required along with a strong checking unit and a fourth "energy" line. Every team obviously needs good if not great goaltending, which the Flyers seem to have in Roman Cechmanek. However, it looks like he's going to be run out of town after blowing up at his teammates in the playoffs in the middle of a game. Back to the drawing board for more random doodling.

Homegrown Talent: Did you know that the Flyers have just five regulars on their roster right now who were actually drafted by the team and/or came up through the system? They would be Brian Boucher, Simon Gagne, Justin Williams, Ruslan Fedotenko (who was actually an undrafted free agent signing) and Chris Therien. Everyone else was acquired either by way of a trade or through free agency. You can add Todd Fedoruk if you'd like, though he doesn't play every day for the big club, but that would still make just six. And other than Therien none have been around for more than a few years. Successful franchises such as Colorado and New Jersey develop players in their minor league system, and when they need to call people up they use these players instead of career minor leaguers. This allows them to get some experience, and down the road they can become valuable members of the team. The Flyers, as stated earlier, stock their minor league affiliate (the Phantoms) with minor league veterans, often not allowing the true prospects to play key roles. Right now there are only a few legitimate NHL prospects on the Phantoms and only Pavel Brendl, a real wildcard, has the potential to be a real impact player.

Inability To Add The "Missing Piece": Clarke has actually been a player or two away from a possible title run a couple of times in recent years. But critical decisions might have cost him. The signing of John Vanbiesbrouck over Curtis Joseph (and Mike Richter, for that matter) in 1998 was an obvious blunder. Ironically it was Joseph's Maple Leafs which eliminated the Flyers in the first round that season. The Flyers have needed defensive help on several occasions and Clarke has failed to address that need. When Ray Bourque was available, it was Colorado which made the strong move to get him and he helped them win the Cup the following season. Nobody is sure what it would have taken to get Bourque, but it was widely speculated that the Bruins wanted Ouellet (some say it was Gagne) along with a forward (perhaps Daymond Langkow) and a draft pick. He wouldn't part with that package then, but in 2001-02 he parts with a comparable package for Oates? It just doesn't make sense.

General Accountability: The Flyers have failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs in four of five seasons. After making the finals in 1997, Clarke turned things over starting with coach Murray instead of building on the team's success. In a short amount of time the roster was practically turned over and they have yet to make it back to that level. The coach has changed numerous times, players have come and gone, but one constant remains - Bob Clarke. At some point doesn't management have to be held accountable for the failure to achieve organizational goals? That's the case with other teams and most businesses in general, but apparently not with the Philadelphia Flyers.

As stated earlier, this is not a definitive list. And Clarke doesn't do absolutely everything wrong. Recent drafts have been fairly good, especially late in the first round where Boucher, Gagne, Ouellet and Williams have been picked. He also has made some good trades, such as the one which sent Mark Recchi to Montreal and brought LeClair and Desjardins to Philadelphia. It should also be understood that this has nothing to do with Bobby Clarke the player. He was a key to our two Stanley Cups and most of us will not allow his performance as General Manager to ruin our memories of him on the ice. #16 is retired, he's a member of the team and NHL Halls Of Fame, and all of that is deserved. But as a GM, he has had more than a fair opportunity to get the job done here and hasn't been able to do it. At this point it seems that the majority of the fans and media clearly see that it's time for a change while Snider is blind to the facts. As a community of fans who love our team and want what's best for the organization, we can use this site as a means by which to show our dissatisfaction. Hopefully the Flyers' brass will hear us and at the very least understand how we feel.

In order for the team to move forward and ultimately win the Stanley Cup, Clarke must go!


:thumbup:

And that was just for his boneheadedness up to '02. :eek: :shakehead

-Kevin

[ferrarigod]

It makes me so happy to know that a Buffalo shelacking is what lead to his firing. If they didn't have enough trouble with Buffalo in postseasons past. . . . .:p

[dando]

It makes me so happy to know that a Buffalo shelacking is what lead to his firing. If they didn't have enough trouble with Buffalo in postseasons past. . . . .:p

See Cup, Stanely circa 1975. :D :p

-Kevin

[Andrew Longman]

Phil Esposito was the only GM worse than Clarke. Unfortunately, its hard to fire a legend in Philly (actually he resigned)

[TKGAngel]

See Cup, Stanely circa 1975. :D :p

-Kevin

Ha Ha. :)

However, the Sabres have defeated the Flyers in the 97-98, 00-01, and 05-06 playoffs (including two blowout games).

[dando]

Unfortunately, its hard to fire a legend in Philly (actually he resigned)

Well, he was already fired once ('89). What followed were 5 seasons of nuclear winter in Philly, and Booby's return in '94. Snider and Clarke were very tight, so this was termed a resignation, but I'm sure there was some pressure put on Clarke to make a move. Unfortunately Hitch gets blamed for Booby's incompetent deals and signings. A quick check of the roster reveals that the D has been decimated by the loss of their top two Ds in DeJardins and Johnsson, and Rathje is injured. Clarke is to be blamed for not preparing the team for the new NHL. This clearly showed in the playoffs last season when Buffalo skated circles around the Phlyers. It's gonna take some major rebuilding to get the D up to snuff with the new game. The O should be OK, provided that Forsberg can stay healthy, but their is no quick fix for the D's woes. And Esche has a 6+ GAA. :saywhat:

-Kevin

[devilmaster]

My bet is Booby's next job is 'Special Assistant to the owner - New York Islanders' :D

[dando]

My bet is Booby's next job is 'Special Assistant to the owner - New York Islanders' :D

How fitting. :rofl:

-Kevin

[Dr. Corkski]

And Esche has a 6+ GAA. :saywhat:He will make a great GM. :gomer:

[trauma1]

to bad, Ken Hitchcock wan't the problem but he was a clarke hire, Ken Hitchcock sis a hell of a job at dallas, and colombus just let Dean Bliase go back to UND so we can get rid of Dave Hakstol,

[ferrarigod]

See Cup, Stanely circa 1975. :D :p

-Kevin

see every playoff season since then;) you can have '75, i'll take eternity.

[dando]

see every playoff season since then;) you can have '75, i'll take eternity.

Got Cup? Thought not. One word: Hull. :gomer: :p

:runs:

-Kevin