| "Black Sunday" has come and gone and even though | | | | the Flyers. The only one that comes to mind is Michal |
| the firing of now former head coach Ken Hitchcock | | | | Handzus for Kyle Calder and we're only 8 games into |
| wasn't terribly surprising given the Flyers history with | | | | that transaction, so in the words of Matt Damon in |
| coaching changes, oh yeah, and that horrid 1-6-1 start | | | | Dogma, "time's gonna tell on that one." |
| to the season, I'd be lying if I didn't say the sudden | | | | With all that being said, when Clarke says things like he |
| resignation of supposed general manager for life Bob | | | | had "lost the zest for the job dating back to the end of |
| Clarke didn't absolutely floor me. | | | | last season" and "I didn't want to make the decisions |
| I struggled with the news initially, thinking about it | | | | anymore that a general manager needs to make" then |
| through every painful moment of yet another Eagles | | | | yes, his decision to resign is overdue. |
| heartbreak and I just couldn't decide if changing both | | | | Hitchcock's firing, on the other hand, was, in my opinion, |
| the general manager and the coach 8 games into the | | | | an unabashed over reaction. Is it possible that Ed |
| season are decisions that were overdue or simply a | | | | Snider's embarrassment over the Buffalo game boiled |
| terrible over reaction. | | | | over to where we ended up Sunday? |
| If you think about it, the conclusion of over reaction isn't | | | | A humiliating defeat for the whole league to see |
| really a difficult one to come to. The skeptic in me | | | | coupled with the little birdie who whispered in Snider's |
| can't help but think that if the Flyers had lost to Buffalo | | | | ear that the players had begun to "tune out" Hitchcock, |
| last Tuesday by, say, 3 goals instead of 8 and/or the | | | | a claim by the way the former head coach called |
| game wasn't broadcast on national television then | | | | unfair, adds up to an emphatic yes in my book. |
| everybody in the organization's egos aren't bruised and | | | | I realize the old adage that you can't fire the players is |
| none of the events that unfolded Sunday morning | | | | just about the truest statement in sports, however, a |
| would have happened at all. | | | | coach with Hitchcock's pedigree probably deserved a |
| On the flip side of said events is the question of | | | | better fate. |
| whether or not they were, in fact, overdue. | | | | Regardless of my opinions, we have now reached the |
| It's no secret that Hitchcock's relationship with his | | | | genesis of the Paul Holmgren/John Stevens era. |
| players is strained at times, to say the least. Dating | | | | The promotion of Holmgren, Clarke's right hand man |
| back to his days in Dallas, he has been characterized | | | | and someone who has worked under the former GM |
| as a difficult and demanding coach. Of course, he | | | | for the last 10 years, cements the fact that the |
| brought a Stanley Cup to Big D and it's amazing how a | | | | stepping down of Clarke was entirely his own doing. |
| championship will allow people to overlook a coach's | | | | Unfortunately for Homer, it seems he'll have to prove |
| supposed shortcomings. Ah but as the shine dulled | | | | himself worthy of the general managers chair over the |
| from his ring, those shortcomings were brought back | | | | next 5 months in order for Mr. Snider to lift the "interim" |
| into the light and he was sent packing. The Cup, as we | | | | tag from his new title. |
| all know, didn't make it's way back to Broad Street | | | | Apparently, Stevens won't have to worry about such |
| and it seemed that Hitch was having increasing trouble | | | | things as Snider made it crystal clear that he is the |
| implementing his system amongst so many young | | | | head coach, period. Stevens, a very successful minor |
| players. | | | | league coach who led the Phantoms to a Calder Cup |
| As for Clarke, I'm fairly confident that I could find twice | | | | championship just 2 seasons ago, is only one month |
| as many people who follow this team that have called | | | | into his first coaching job at the NHL level but with 11 |
| for Clarke's head than haven't in the past decade. The | | | | players on the current Flyers roster who played under |
| general consensus has been that the game has | | | | him with the Phantoms, Snider is banking on his |
| passed Clarke by and he is out of touch with today's | | | | familiarity to outweigh his inexperience. |
| high salaried players. | | | | Time will indeed tell whether or not these were the |
| So which is it? Overreaction or overdue? | | | | right moves to make, but one thing is absolutely certain, |
| In my opinion, it's actually both. | | | | October 22, 2006 is a date that will live in Flyers |
| Clarke's resignation was overdue, but I didn't feel that | | | | infamy. That's the day that the face of the franchise |
| way until after Sunday's press conference. You see, | | | | walked off into the sunset...and another coach got |
| I'm not one of those people who feel Clarke's career | | | | pushed out the door. |
| as general manager is comparable to the character | | | | For the record, there was no truth to the rumor that Bill |
| Mush in A Bronx Tale. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to | | | | Barber was there waiting to give Hitch a ride home. |
| come up with a truly bad trade Clarke has made for | | | | |