Flyers a stunning one-year transformation
Newcomers Briere, Biron turn Philly from bottom-feeder to East finalist
 Jim McIsaac / Getty Images The Flyers' turnaround was keyed by signing Daniel Briere to an eight-year contract. |
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VOORHEES, N.J. - Winning the Eastern Conference finals would be icing on the cake for the Flyers.
Actually, it would mean another cake.
The Flyers savored a cake on Wednesday, the dessert becoming their tasty good luck tradition before the first game of each playoff series. Coach John Stevens cooked up the idea as a motivational tool in the minor leagues and now he uses it on the Flyers, who — sweet tooth or toothless — want to eat cake and have their Stanley Cup, too.
“It kind of symbolizes that all the ingredients by themselves aren’t appealing, but when you mix them together and apply some fire, you come up with a better product,” Stevens said.
A better product was all the Flyers wanted this year coming off a season when they were simply the worst team around.
The worst team in the NHL. The worst team in franchise history. The worst team in Philadelphia sports.
“There were times last year when it was hard to come to the ice,” forward Mike Knuble said.
And this season?
“I’m having the time of my life right now,” center Mike Richards said.
The Flyers’ turnaround from the bottom of the league to playing in the East finals against Pittsburgh is one of the more stunning one-year transformations in NHL history. The Flyers are the first team to reach the conference finals a year after posting the worst record since the Red Wings in 1987. They vaulted from 22 wins and 56 points in 2006-07 to 42 wins and 95 points by shuffling the roster.
Danny Briere bolted Buffalo to sign an eight-year contract with the Flyers. Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith were all acquired in trades. Going back to last year’s trade deadline, Martin Biron, Braydon Coburn and Scottie Upshall all came in deals that showed Philly’s stop at the bottom would be a short one.
“Who could envision this?” Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said. “That’s easy to say based on where we were last year.”
Holmgren, in his 29th season with the Flyers, was the architect of all those trades. Holmgren played for the Flyers, coached them, was an assistant coach and assistant GM under Bob Clarke so he understood better than most that last year’s dismal effort no way represented one of the more decorated teams in the NHL.
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“I looked at it like the job’s mine now, so I’m going to do the best you can right now,” he said. “If you do that, chances are, things are going to work out.”
Once named permanent GM, Holmgren really started to shuffle the roster. Now chairman Ed Snider, who once worried Holmgren’s thinking was too aligned with Clarke’s, believes he has the best executive in the league.
“I think he should be executive of the year,” Snider said. “I don’t even think there’s a close second with what this guy has done. He makes the right calls, mostly all the time. I’m thrilled with everything he’s done.”
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That includes sticking with Stevens, the mild-mannered second-year coach who was on the hot seat during a midseason 10-game losing streak. Instead of making a panic move, Holmgren showed faith in Stevens.
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