Broad Street Pushovers: Are the Philadelphia Flyers Now a Finesse Team?

I pose this question because I have noticed that the Flyers are not a particularly tough team to play against of late. Gone are the scraps and scrums after every whistle, the melees if an opposing player gets within two feet of the goal crease, and the retribution for dirty plays.

The 2010-11 Flyers replaced gritty forwards Arron Asham and Ian Laperriere with more skilled forwards Ville Leino and Andreas Nodl. And with agitator Dan Carcillo a healthy scratch more often than not this season, this team seems to have lost some of its edge.

Even when Carcillo is in the lineup, he doesn’t seem to have the same intensity. In the Flyers' last game, Scott Gomez decided that it was okay to backhand the puck at Carcillo after the whistle. That sounds harmless enough, except Carcillo was down on the ice and facing toward Gomez, so the puck could have caused severe damage if it hit him in the face.

There was a bit of a dust-up after the play, with Carcillo charging at Gomez, who wasn’t penalized for the act, and yelling some unkind things at the former Ranger and Devil on his way to the penalty box. However, that was the extent of reprisals, even though the Flyers had at least a two-goal lead in the last two periods.

What is going on?!! Why wasn’t Gomez challenged again? Or, at the very least, shown the business end of a stick later in the game? Is that Flyers hockey?!!!  

To answer that question simply: It is now.

Since his arrival last December, head coach Peter Laviolette has tried to instill discipline into his hockey team. Although he would say that these are not the kinder, gentler Flyers, rather the more controlled and focused Flyers.

I have always thought that the Flyers are at their best when, like Carcillo, they are walking the line between controlled chaos and wreaking havoc. However, Laviolette has this team intimidating opponents with skill and skating, rather than brawn and hitting.

That’s not to say that they can’t be tough when necessary. They still have heavyweight Jody Shelley being paid to drop the gloves, plus Scott Hartnell and Sean O’Donnell will fight when needed.

They also lead the league in goaltender interference and cross-checking penalties and are second and third, respectively, in high-sticking and slashing minors, so their application for sainthood is still denied.  

However, they are middle of the pack in team hits and roughing minors. Plus, for the first time in four years, they are not in the league’s top five in fighting majors. All of which is Laviolette’s doing.

All of that said, when the game situation dictates intimidating with physicality, as it did in rough contests against the Rangers and Senators two weeks ago, the Flyers have proved they can win in that fashion too. It appears that Laviolette worships at the church of Road House. 

Laviolette: “I want you to be nice…until it's time to not be nice.”

Carcillo: “So, uh, how are we supposed to know when that is?”

Laviolette: “You won't…I'll let you know.”

And, really, can you ever go wrong asking yourself What Would Patrick Swayze Do?

This season the Flyers have been showing that they can win against just about any style, tempo or system thrown at them. And I, for one, will forgo some of the fisticuffs and big hits for the sake of winning a Stanley Cup.

That is, of course, as long as they promise to sometimes not be nice.