On the heels of officially naming former broadcaster Keith Jones team President Thursday, the Flyers rolled out their rebranded front office on Friday and left us with several quotable moments. Let’s take a look at them right here:
Dan Hilferty on Collaboration via Oliver Reiner of the Inquirer
This isn’t necessarily a surprising statement, but one that I believe fans needed to hear. Really, since the passing of longtime Chairman Ed Snider, the Flyers appeared to have had difficulty bridging the gap between the hockey operations and the business operations. It was nice to hear Hilferty address this head on, and that the team has a plan in place to communicate with one another. It hasn’t felt like that in recent seasons.
Dan Hilferty on the Flyers being for sale via Bill Meltzer of NHLdotcom
For those of us in the, “sell the team” crowd, this comes as a major disappointment. The Flyers will remain under the Comcast Spectacor banner for the foreseeable future.
John Tortorella on the ‘former Flyer’ narrative via Gina Han of the Inquirer
He’s nothing if not blunt. John Tortorella had plenty to say in this press conference, in only the colorful tone that he can provide. He’s not wrong about this. Despite the Flyers current predicament and a Stanley Cup drought that harkens back to the Gerald Ford administration, Philadelphia is still much considered a destination hockey market with desirable jobs available. Being a “former Flyer” is typically met with skepticism within the fanbase, but it shouldn’t automatically disqualify a candidate. The Flyers remain a proud franchise with a storied history, even if it has admittedly, fallen on hard times in the last handful of years. Both Danny Briere and Keith Jones deserve a clean slate to see what they can accomplish.
CEO Valerie Camillio on Danny Briere’s competitiveness via Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic
Back in his playing days, Briere was a prolific playoff performer. Flyers fans won’t soon forget Briere’s brillant 2010 playoff, in which he scored 30 playoff points in 23 games in the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals. If he has even half of that clutch factor as an executive, it’ll be a good thing for the Flyers.
New Team President Keith Jones on the Flyers returning to contender status via Jordan Hall of NBC Sports
Jones is a universally well-liked person in the sport and this introductory press conference was an opportunity to make a good first impression. I believe Jones did just that; even in a rebuild, he and the rest of the Flyers’ brass spoke a lot regarding the culture of the team and reestablishing a winning one. Jones sounded poised, experienced, and committed to winning. There’s not much we can ask for more than that.
