While the 76ers have taken center stage in the last few days, the other tenant of the Wachovia Center needs some attention. The Flyers' season has gone like this: 3 wins in a row, then 0-2-1, then 2 wins, then 2 losses, then a stretch of 7 wins in 8 games, and now their current stretch of 6 losses in 7 games, including being shut out in two consecutive games.
What's worse is that they've been this inconsistent pretty much since John Stevens took over as coach, and it hasn't improved. They have injuries, but not to their most important players. This week there's been talk about the team's leadership. Tonight's game against Vancouver was looked at as almost a must-win game, but a 3-0 loss to a Canucks team that played a tough game last night while the Flyers had 4 days' rest leaves the Flyers in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended right now, besides the lost revenue from so many unplayed games, the Flyers would miss the playoffs.
Even worse are these comments by the Vancouver TV announcers during tonight's game (as posted to a Flyers' message board): "Un-Flyer-like...No puck support...The players look like they are playing in isolation, not as a team...There's no passion, no emotion, on that [Flyers'] bench...I'm surprised it took the fans this long [third period] to start booing...Under Stevens, this [Flyers] team is only consistent in being inconsistent...This [Flyers] team is too talented to play like this."
This is the type of thing that should get a coach fired. The sooner it happens, the better off the Flyers will be.
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