Howard Eskin set the tone right away, pressing Paul Holmgren and Ed Snider on why there have been so many coaching changes over the last 20 years.
Snider no like.
Slightly edited (trimmed) exchange:
Eskin: “Why have you hired more coaches in the last 20 years than any other team?”
Holmgren: “Is that an accurate stat?”
Eskin: “I just made it one.”
Ed Snider gives death stare.
Snider: “Why do you want to go back to all those coaches? There was a reason each time.”
Eskin: “You approved them (decisions)?”
Snider: “Of course I approved them. It’s as simple as that.”
This is the sort of magic that happens when you have the usual Flyers beat writers (who are generally more concerned with their own welfare and situation than asking actual questions of the team they cover) on a plane: the organization gets pressed.
The press conference was short.
Craig Berube spoke once and thanked the organization, as is tradition.
Holmgren said that he made the decision last night on the plane (presumably in an impassioned conversation with an imaginary friend that would prefer a Captain and Diet, thanks!) and told Peter Laviolette about it this morning.
Snider said that he liked Laviolette and that Lavs did some great things in Philly.
Holmgren said that he loves Berube and thinks he’s a real smart hockey mind. Berube once punched a linesman and had three times as many penalty minutes as games played in his career.
But that was about it for the pleasantries.
Enter new Inquirer columnist and La Salle and Columbia School of Journalism grad Mike Sielski, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, who escalated things.
His exchange with Snider:
Sielski: “The fact that you guys haven’t won a Cup in 38 years, why bring in somebody that is sort of steeped in that culture?”
Snider: “What’s the culture?”
Sielski: “The culture that hasn’t won a championship in four decades.”
Snider: “We haven’t won a championship, but we’ve been in the Stanley Cup Finals a lot of times and the playoffs a lot of times and the culture is to win. 30 teams are trying to win the Cup. And we’re doing our damndest to do it. That’s our culture. THAT’S OUR CULTURE!”
Sielski: “A fresh perspective…”
Snider: “No, we don’t need a fresh perspective. We have a pretty good culture and we know who we’re dealing with.”
And with that, Snider, whose team hasn’t won a Cup in 38 years despite being well-funded and having a passionate fan base and the resources of one of the largest companies in America available to them, just submitted his entry for the Infamous Philly Comment Hall of Fame: “We don’t need a fresh perspective.”
Video of Snider exchange and full press conference after the jump.
Courtesy CSN and CBS Philly
31 Responses
And there you have it folks. On full display why this team will never win a Cup in our lifetimes. As Kyle has been accurately pointing out – inbreeding within a franchise that accepts historically not winning Cups as being good…..is not a good thing. On top off the rehashing of Flyers muckers, you have a GM that is incapable of managing within salary cap constraints.
In all seriousness, hockey is more fun when you guys are actually good. I hope they figure this out before a decade of futility occurs.
If anyone is wondering who took over for Al Davis as the most ‘stuck in the past’ owner ever, you need to look no further than Ed Snider.
Apparently when Snider is frustrated, he strokes things…I’m surprised the lid from that water bottle didn’t pop off.
*feverishly jerks off water bottle*
Looking at this Sielski dude’s credentials, it’s a little confusing why he would go from The Wall Street Journal to being a beat reporter for the Inquirer.
Something tells me there’s more to that story.
Was thinking the exact same thing.
reporter to columnist, huge difference
Ahhh. That makes sense.
why don’t you ask mike yourself i’m sure he’ll explain his reasoning i think he asked a pointed question ( that obviously pissed big ed off ) and got virtually no response back who are you to question the great mr. snider . hockey has changed in the last 10 years and the flyers have not making the playoffs doesn’t cut it get with it ed
The problem wasn’t the coach. The problem is the GM is an idiot and the owner has delusions of granduer and still lives in the mid 1970’s. The Fresh Perspective will only happen if Comcast buys out Snider…or he drops dead. The fans need to turn on Snider and make him get off his old ass.
Have no fear fella. I think today we finally moved away from that 70’s flyers era. With Hexy as Asst GM and Chief as the coach we have def jumped right into the late 80’s early 90’s . Maybe by 2020 when Snider is worm food and Peter Lukka gets a clue we can be a legit franchise. Or then again Mike Knubble will be GM and and Simon Gagne will be the coach
These guys look like straight up goons.
Yawn.
The next time there’s a celebration in the streets with every one in attendance wearing Flyers gear, it will not be to celebrate a Cup, but will be when Ed Snidinosaur finally fucking dies and takes his ancient NHL ideals along with him.
Fuck you!
Looks like Ed needs a younger wife.
This press conference was physically uncomfortable to watch. Snider looks like a fucking lunatic up there. When the presser ended my immediate thought was “this season is fucked.” There is just too much of a disconnect between the people in charge and the team. They have no clue what is needed to help fix this shit.
Snider looks that way because he has built a empire from nothing and has to answer to jackasses who couldn’t build a fence much less a franchise. Lavi was the fresh perspective, and it didn’t pan out.
I get what you’re saying, but Lavy did take them to the Cup. People can say it was a fluke but the fact is he took a seventh seed someplace they had not been since the mid 90s. Homer has done nothing to help the product on the ice since then and you could argue he has made it worse. What we’ve got now is a bunch of young talent (not disputing that) that is simply not clicking. A good part of that falls on Lavy as coach obviously, but some definitely falls on Homer. I feel like this is the Phillies on Ice with regard to ownership refusing to let go of a shitty GM and move on.
Right now Ed Snider is somewhere between the Jerry Jones and Al Davis of the NHL…
Sad days are ahead my friends.
FACE
Stop giving this organization your money and see how fast things turn around…
A-fuckin’-men
Fat chance of that happening, what with the forever loyal 19,000 lemmings who fill the seats at the WFC each and every home game and are programmed like robots to believe that everything Snider does is dead on right, and that every personnel move Holmgren makes is golden. Until the lemmings finally wake up, stop throwing money at Snider and cease going to games, only then will the organization get the hint.
They are so fucking clueless…
He says they feel its time for a change, but then shouts that they don’t need a fresh perspective.
We need Berube to take on Roy when we play Colorado.
The last time i watched Berube on the ice, there was pushing and shoving and Berube looked at a guy and screamed ” I’LL FUCKIN’ KILL YOU ”
Old Time Hockey
Fuck Eddie Shore.
Am I the only one who can see Lavy going on to get hired by a team like the Islanders, then he takes them to win the cup? Or am I just too used to Holmgren giving away cup and vezina winners?
Dude..Lavy was fired by the Isle’s already. GET A CLUE
ANother coach got fired? I can’t believe it. Who approve of the firing? Eddie Who Snider? I thought Comcast were supposed to run the team but Eddie? Every time the Flyers didn’t do well, someone get axed and that’s Peter but what about Paul Homgrem who’s the General Manager who trade, hiring and call up players yet he doesn’t get fired for HIS MISTAKES. Too much with sticking with the Flyers Family and they never hire outside the Flyers Family and that’s what make it all wrong. And it’s much too long since the Flyers won the Stanley Cups back to back in 1974 and 1975 and STILL CAN’T MAKE IT TO THE FINAL AND WIN IT. I have a advice for you Eddie Who Snider. It’s tired for you to retire and let someone take charge of the situation and turn the team around but as long as you’re around to interfere, then we will never win the Cup. Go back to California and go get your tan with your younger wife.
This was way harder to read than it needed to be.
Goodness. And that Homer thought it a super-fantastic idea to fire Laviolette on a GUT FEELING. Dude. The facepalm is epic.
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