Hitchcock fired, Clarke resigns

munky · Post by **munky** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:12 pm

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=181589&hubname=

About time Philly's upper management woke up. Big, slow and dumb just doesn't cut it anymore.

Post by **inSTAALed** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 4:43 pm

It's about time Clarke resigned.

How old is he now... 90?

Post by **E5150_ca** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:29 pm

Perhaps the Flyers will finally be able to pick up a goalie worth his pads this draft.

Post by **inSTAALed** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:31 pm

Perhaps their GM can remember who they are going to draft in the first round this year.

munky · Post by **munky** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:34 pm

inSTAALed wrote:Perhaps their GM can remember who they are going to draft in the first round this year.

That was great.

Post by **B. Stinson** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:45 pm

I think this is a bit extreme for a way to shake a team up. I have been thinking since before the season even started that the roster isn't very strong. I mean, we lose Desjardins, and bring in Baumgartner as a replacement? We lose a franchise center and captain and replace him with Randy Robitaille? Then we beef up our offense with some guy... what's his name... oh - Brad Tapper(who hasn't even played).

Anyway, enough with my ranting about why our team needed to go before the management.

And to finish, I could dog on them both for being old or accidentally forgetting a name... but I'm not going to and instead wish them both the best with wherever they go from here.

Kekkonen · Post by **Kekkonen** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:50 pm

With the kind of start they were having, I was expecting Hitch to get fired. Didn't see Clarke going away on his own, though.

Post by **batdad** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 8:28 pm

Nope...who could see Clarke leaving/being asked to leave? Come on. He has made a huge mess of everything. As has Hitchcock. But Hitch only played the cards he was dealt, and yes I believe he had a hand in picking those cards. Therefore, see ya.

B Stinson: Where does responsibility for Baumer, Robitaille, Tapper and about 30 other moves lie? Sorry, but with Bobby. He has made several errors. Clarke dramatically misjudged the NHL's commitment to the "new rules", he brought in overpaid, old, and slow guys like Hatcher and Rathje, maybe under consult with Hitch. He thought the NHL would go back to its old ways. It has not, and Philly has nothing but Gagne, and injury prone, getting old Foppa. He should have been canned not allowed (out of respect) to resign. He has not shown respect to others, why should he get it from Snider?
Yes there is nothing he could do about Primeau's injury, and Desjardins retirement. However, he could have looked for speed. Thinking back now, the Kesler offer sheet stems from this lack of speed. Big issue, need a fast guy, so went after Ryan. Another error. Ticked off alot of GM's, owners and hockey people (maybe even his own boss) with that offer.

Bobby did not resign, he was asked to leave by Mr. Snider. One can bet on it. No matter what Snider says. I just wonder what Clarkie will do with the photos he clearly has of Ed. No way Snider would not have canned him 2 or 3 years ago if there were not photos.
Now before you go ape on me. I have followed the Flyers since I was 7 in the Broad Street Days, and Bobby was my idol as a player. I wore #16 every season of hockey I have ever played, even as an adult. Why? Because I worshipped him.
Now? Not so much. Roger Nielsen (RIP), Eric Lindros, Dave Babych, and several others have gone through hell because of his antics as GM. It is good to see him gone. Yes, Eric had some issues of his own, but it is clear several Flyer players (likely including the now retired Desjardins) were told to get their butts back in the line up before they were healthy, and info was not properly disclosed. Witness Babych's lawsuit.
Anyway...for the future. I betcha we see Pat Quinn in Philly soon. Just a thought.

Oh, and get a goalie Philly. Nittymaki is great in EHM. Not so in real life. Especially with that D and these rules.

I do feel for Hatcher, Rathje. They were two very solid d-men in the old rules. And anyone and everyone wanted a guy EXACTLY like Hatcher. He went from the penthouse to the outhouse in a matter of minutes thanks to the rules. From a relative superstar to being ridiculed, and watching people like Afinogenov make a fool of him. That cannot be easy to deal with.

Post by **B. Stinson** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:21 pm

I never said the management had nothing to do with it. Go back and read my post. All I said was that I was suspecting since we even stepped on the ice that we would be a questionable team. And since I don't have a childish hate for Clarke or Hitch like so many of you seem to have(I know it can be a devestating thing to an organization to forget a name and be old at the same time)... I just don't think a massive change in management right in the heat of battle is the best choice for shaking a team up. We have already been a good team with Hitch and Clarke where they were.

P.S. No matter how much you want to think that Clarke got his face smeared in the ground by Snider, rather than him making a respectful decision for himself... he did resign. It's something that was on his mind and in the works for about a week now.

Post by **E5150_ca** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:40 am

I don't have a childish hate, I just think he couldn't ever pick a goalie that would turn out above average in the NHL.

thecoolstuff · Post by **thecoolstuff** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:31 am

its about time. That's what you get for trying to sign other team's RFA!

Post by **Minstrel** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 5:15 am

This is obviously a bill that has come due from last seasons "sins" and the slow start was just the excuse they needed to claim the old "we need a shakeup" thing. This team was pooched more than most in misinterpreting what the post-lockout NHL would look like. They intentionally left almost eveeryone unsigned thinking there would be this glut of talent on the market and they'de be able to pick from a lineup of players begging to play for cheap; well with the rollback and the Cap they got screwed comin and going, then they took the ice big and slow while young quick and fast became all the rage. They gambled more than any team hoping to win more than any team and they got murdered for it; the injury troubles only compounded the situation so really this with Hitch and Clarke hitting to road is really just paying for the sins of the past so to speak as they at least have to put a "new face" on things to at least give the impression that they've learned from tthose mistakes and will be going in a new direction to correct them.

I think Hitch, unlike Lemaire in Minny is now officially a Dinosaur. I might bring him in as an assistant coach but I don't think he'll find his way to another HC job any time soon. A great example of this is "Let's make Petr Nedved our checking center now"

Lemaire one of the most regimented defensive minded coaches evar has rolled with the punches and redefined his style but I don't think Hitch has been able to/can do that really and when the talent stopped matching up and they could no longer rely on Primeau being out there they started lookin realllll bad.

I always say Hitch has step-dad syndrome when it comes to the bottom line with players. If step dad is having an argument with a step kid they can always play that no-response-possible "Oh yeah, well you're not even my REAL dad so what do you know?" card. It's the same with players that want to disagree with Hitch, they always have that "Oh yeah? Well you never actually PLAYED the game, now did you? So what do you know?" I really think that is an issue