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Quick Hits: Vigneault, AHL and OHL Updates, TIFH |
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Quick Hits: October 29, 2020
1) Flyers senior director of communications Zack Hill caught up yesterday with head coach Alain Vigneault, sharing audio of their interview with members of the local media. Vigneault talked about what he's been doing since the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs and intro the offseason. Topics of discussion included the following:
* Vigneault said the current situation with the pandemic is similar to the spring, in that NHL teams, players and coaches aren't quite sure when they'll reconvene for training camp and games. There are target dates to play (Jan. 1 in the NHL's case) but no one is sure when the actual date will be. In terms of working out on the ice or in the gym, the available resources vary by locale and coronavirus-related restrictions. However, Vigneault and the Flyers hope that every player is making the best possible use of the offseason to report in as good of physical shape as possible when training camp eventually starts.
* Vigneault described Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness as one of his best friends, if not his best friend, in hockey. For this reason, he was rooting for the Stars in the Stanley Cup Final in the hopes that Bowness (who was AV's assistant coach in Vancouver) would win the Cup for the first time in his career. Bowness's Stars fell two wins short, losing in six games to Jon Cooper's powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning squad.
* Vigneault said that he lives in a "red zone", where Covid-19 cases are spiking and restrictions have been reimposed on restaurants and gyms, among other activities.
* Vigneault also gave an update on his parents. His mother is having a challenging time in her battle with dementia, and AV reported that his mom only recognizes him now about once every five times. His father, who is otherwise healthy, is very concerned and vigilant about taking every possible precaution to avoid bringing coronavirus into their home. As such, he remains largely quarantined at home. Earlier this year, Vigneault visited his parents and took a photo of them on the balcony; his mother was having a good day that particular day.
* Vigneault has not watched any of the Flyers' 2020 Draft picks play. However, he listened in on the final Draft prep phone calls and the team's scouts as well as Chuck Fletchemr and Brent Flahr privately told him they were quite pleased with how the selection opportunities (which twice involved trading two picks for one in order to move up) presented themselves. Vigneault said he has a lot of faith in Philadelphia's scouting department.
2) Yesterday on the Flyers official website, I wrote a roundup article updating the current statuses of the North American junior and collegiate leagues as well as European leagues in which Flyers unsigned prospects and contracted players on loan are currently located. As feared, some of the information became outdated within a day, as both the American Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League offered updates on the status of their respective 2020-21 season plans.
* The AHL has rolled back the target start date for the season to Feb. 5. League president Scott Howson said to ESPN that details of the season itself remain yet to be determined but a wide array of possibilities are on the table. Nothing is being ruled out at this point.
Among the issues to be determined: whether all 31 teams will take part this season (there appears to be a desire to do so), whether there will have to be a Canadian division created and all-domestic travel established in order to work around the border closure if it remains a factor, how many games teams will play, and how many buildings can admit fans per local regulations and indoor gathering limits.
The National Hockey League, if it does begin its 2020-21 season in the vicinity of its own Jan. 1 target date, will have to figure out how its teams can handle player assignments to their AHL farm clubs. By the time the AHL season begins, even if they hit their Feb. 5 target date, there will many players who are nearly 11 months removed from their last bonafide game action.
* The Ontario Hockey League announced on Wednesday that they have set a Feb. 4 target date to play an abbreviated (40-game) regular season and condensed playoffs that will see four teams per conference reach the postseason; thereby cutting the playoffs to three rounds. Due to Canada's quarantine requirements for international travel, American and European players on OHL teams will be expected to report by Jan. 8 in order to put in their quarantine time ahead of a schedule Jan. 23 start to training camps.
3) Today in Flyers History: October 29, 2011
With the score tied 1-1 after two periods, the Flyers explode for four unanswered goals in the third period in route to a 5-1 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes. Top line trio Jaromir Jagr (two goals), Claude Giroux (one goal, three assists) and Scott Hartnell (one goal, two assists) does most of the damage, while Max Talbot chips in a shorthanded goal.
4) October 29 Flyers Alumni birthday: Joel Otto
One of the NHL's best penalty killers and faceoff men of his era, hard-nosed shutdown center Joel Otto was born Oct. 29, 1961 in Elk River, Minnesota.
After a long and successful career with the Calgary Flames, Otto signed with the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 1995. Later, along with fellow North Star State natives Shjon Podein and Trent Klatt, Otto anchored the Flyers' "Minnesota Line" of gritty two-way forwards. Otto, a two-time Selke finalist as a member of the Flames (1992-93 and 1994-95), finished fifth in the Selke ballot as a member of the 1996-97 Flyers.
Before signing with the Flyers, Otto received a competing offer that summer from the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts, who had been swept by the Flyers in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals and had no answers for containing the Legion of Doom line, had the specific goal in mind of having a player to match up defensively against Eric Lindros. Instead, Otto joined Philadelphia and was deployed against longtime Edmonton arch-rival Mark Messier when the Flyers played the Rangers head-to-head.
Otto spent three seasons with the Flyers. When healthy, he came exactly as advertised -- the two-time Selke Trophy finalist was still an excellent third-line defensive center who could also chip in double digit goals and 40 points while also bringing tenacity and toughness. Unfortunately, Otto's body began to break down on him and his role was reduced by his third and final year.
During his time with the Flyers, Otto was twice chosen to represent Team USA internationally. Along with John LeClair, Otto was a member of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship-winning squad and was selected for the 1998 Olympics.
For his NHL career, Otto appeared in 943 regular season games (195 goals, 313 assists, 508 points, 1,934 penalty minutes) and 122 playoff tilts (27 goals, 47 assists, 74 points, 205 penalty minutes). As a Flyer, Otto posted 28 goals, 52 assists, 80 points and a plus-21 rating in 212 regular season games. He had 13 points (four goals, nine assists), 19 penalty minutes and a plus-five in 35 playoff matches.
Otto retired after the 1997-98 season. He embarked on a coaching career after his playing days. Since 2006-07, he has been an assistant coach with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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