Time to Move on from the Flyers

by Posted on

The Flyers season is over, thankfully, and I think I’m moving on. I’m, in the words of Anthony Gargano, a four-for-four guy who is a fan of the Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, and Flyers. Or, rather I was a four-for-four guy. I can no longer throw my support behind the eternally incompetent, corporate-run Philadelphia Flyers until something drastically changes.

The Flyers haven’t won a Stanley Cup in nearly fifty years and they have had maybe two seasons in which they were legitimate contenders in the past two decades. This year, they are statistically the third worse team in the entire NHL. It is hard to believe they aren’t the worst team if you’ve watched more than a handful of games.

They are a franchise mired in ineptitude. It’s been a carousel of coaches and GMs. Heck, the team is so out of touch with Philadelphia and society at large that they can’t even pick a decent goal song. The franchise has no identity. On all fronts, they blow.

I remember when they were must-watch TV, particularly back when Lindros played. There were even Friday nights where I planned my nights around them, such as this one back in 2012.

That feels like forever ago. Now, through no fault of my own, aside from supporting the Flyers year after year, I’m finding another team to cheer for. I can only be a sucker for so long.

In fact, it’s time we all move on until they prove themselves to have righted their sinking ship. I suggest you all join me.

BUT WHICH TEAM?

I spent a lot of time thinking about this. All the teams in the Metropolitan Division are off-limits. As are most of the Atlantic Division teams. Basically, I narrowed it down to a Western Conference team or a Canadian team. Then I thought why not both? Why not a Western Conference team and a Canadian team. That narrowed it down wot Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. The choice was easy. THE CALGARY FLAMES.

I know they’re in first place so it seems like I’m a front-runner. That’s fine. I can live with that after being a stink-runner following the Flyers. Let’s be real, though. The Flames haven’t won a Cup in over thirty years. They also have four of their better players (Mangiapane, Kylington, Tkachuk, and Gaudreau) all hitting free agency after this year so if this is for the long haul I’ll probably only be a front-runner for a year. I and we all deserve at least one year like that after the Flyers misery.

There are plenty of good reasons to make the transition to the Flames.

Flames. Flyers. Both teams start with FL. Both team names have six letters in them. The orange of the Flyers is kind of similar to the red/yellow of the Flames. The Flyers have a puck with wings on it. Calgary has a C with flames on it that resemble wings.

We all know the popular show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Guess what? Calgary is Canada’s sunniest city. Philly has a great zoo. Calgary has the 3rd best zoo in North America. Their star player Johnny Gaudreau is from Salem, NJ. Darryl Sutter, the Flames head coach, is basically like family, His brothers Rich and Ron played for the Flyers.

Goal SONGS! As the Flyers continue to fail in finding a goal song, the Flames don’t have that problem. Different songs plays after the goal horn depending on which player scores. As baseball players have their walk-up songs, the Flames players have their goal songs.

Then, there are the Flames fans. They feel akin to Eagles fans. They’re rabid and do parking lot parties for playoff viewing of away games.

I’m all-in with the Flames this year, and possibly the foreseeable future. That’s how pathetic the Flyers have become. I encourage you to join me in this journey to make hockey meaningful and enjoyable once again. GO FLAMES!

Thanks, Flyers.