It wasn't a long tenure, but it was marked with some of the organizations highest highs and included some of it's lowest lows. It began on October 22, 2006 when Stevens was called upon to replace Ken Hitchcock after the Flyers, who entered the season with high expectations, stumbled to a 1-6-1 start. That start not only cost Ken Hitchcock his job, but GM Bob Clarke as well.
New GM Paul Holmgren appointed John Stevens his head coach, and immediately set out making trades to improve the team. Despite the Flyers finishing the 2006-07 season with the worst record in the NHL, and worst record in franchise history, Holmgren made significant moves to allow John Stevens to get this team back on the right track.
Stevens did just that, as the Flyers reached the Conference Finals in 2008, the biggest turnaround in NHL history. But it wasn't all roses, even in the best of times. dispite the teams success that year, a late season winless streak put the team in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. They were able to turn it around in time and went on to make an improbable run. A run that may have started the ball on Stevens dismissal.
So, was John Stevens a victim of his own success? Maybe. After the 2008 season, expectations for the Flyers shot through the roof. Young, talented, and led by young Captain, Mike Richards, who reminded so many of the team's eternal face, Bobby Clarke, the Flyers seemed poised to do great things. But that's not how it turned out in the end.
Stumbling again at the finish line in April 0f 2009, the Flyers lost Home ice to the resurgent Pittsburgh Penguins, they're first round opponent. That turned out to be the season's penultimate moment. The end came in Game 6, with the Flyers blowing a 3-0 lead on home ice. It was a disappointing end to what was supposed to be another promising spring. The expectations started to turn into pressure.
As they do every year, the Flyers front office made sure that the team would have the best chance to meet the fans lofty expectations. They went to work quickly in the offseason. Making a low risk-high reward move signing ostracized goaltender Ray Emery and they pulled off a Draft Day blockbuster trade for Chris Pronger. This caused many prognosticators to pick the Flyers as Stanley Cup contenders again, which meant more pressure.
The 2009 season started out well. The Flyers jumped out to a 12-5-1 start. They owned the leagues number one power play. But there was trouble. Injuries, to both role players and stars, took their toll. And, the undisciplined penalties, a mainstay of the Stevens era, continued to put games in jeopardy. A west coast trip that started with a game saving performance by backup goaltender, Brian Boucher, soon dissolved into a prolonged stretch of losing, which also featured eight scoreless periods. The stretch of futility combined with the high expectations led to Stevens dismissal while the team still had a winning record (13-11-1), but out of the playoff picture. They are currently tenth in the Eastern Conference.
And so, the book is now closed. John Stevens career record in Philly is 120-109-34. Not bad considering that in his first year he inherited the worst team in the NHL. But, the expectations proved to much for the top brass who felt Stevens message was being lost on the players.
Now begins the Peter Laviolette coaching regime. An intense coach who led the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 StanleyCup. A fresh voice to get a message across to players who may have stopped listening. It hasn't started out like the Flyers wanted, an embarassing loss at home vs. Washington and a lackluster 3-1 defeat in Montreal. But, on day 5, they pounced on the New York Islanders for a 6-2 win. Led by their scoring stars, the Flyers looked better than they have in weeks.
The page has been turned. It's time to move on. There were some really good times. But, in the end, it just didn't work out.
-Mike Tursi
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