He wanted to see the team win a Cup before he died. He understood (after years of 'going for it' under Clarke and Homer) that Hexy's way would lead to the widest possible window, given the cap.
- Tomahawk

To this point I dont see much of a deviation from that Hexy plan with the exception of Hart possibly being up sooner than was expected.

Enjoy your retirement Paul, you’ve earned. Say whatever you want about the guy as a GM, but as a player Holmgren was a (frank)ing warrior and bled orange and black.

Enjoy your retirement Paul, you’ve earned. Say whatever you want about the guy as a GM, but as a player Holmgren was a (frank)ing warrior and bled orange and black.
- BiggE

What up BiggE

Agreed

I’ll add, Paul did good things as GM, not just occasionally but every year Snider was going for it. Paul also got hit with the cap, a team that had spent decades spending to the limit to win was most likely going to have cap issues. Mistakes for sure but he did well for the Flyers

It has been explained both by Jay Greenberg and by me why Hexy was fired. It boiled down to this: If you are winning, you can get away with tightening the circle around you and not knowing the nuances of managing up or realizing that some unpopular internal decisions can cause collateral damage: strains in relationships, a snowballing whisper-down-the-lane effect, etc. If you aren't winning but you know how to manage up and outwardly to other channels within the organization, you can buy yourself more time.

If you aren't winning AND your managing style has undesired effects -- even accidentally, as was the case with Hexy -- your job is in severe jeopardy. That is why he was fired. The farm system rebuild part and cap space management were his biggest strengths as well as his main focus.

Next time around as a GM -- and I think Ron deserves another shot somewhere -- I think he will do better at the managing up/around aspects.
- bmeltzer

So he didn't kiss enough ass in the executive suite? Unfortunately, that's part of the job unless your Dad owns the company.

The bean counters are now in full control. The Philadelphia Flyers we have known our whole lives are now gone

RIP
- corduroy

Exactly. Many people disliked the Flyers Good Ol Boys club. Well, we will see what happens now.

Nobody should be surprised by this move. The writing was on the wall.

As evidence by what so far or is this just preparatory doom and gloom.
- opeth_pa

ticket prices?

So he didn't kiss enough ass in the executive suite? Unfortunately, that's part of the job unless your Dad owns the company.
- Flyers_01

You read Bill's explanation and that's what you got out of it?

I love Homer. Wish him all the best.

ticket prices?
- FlyerFan16

Go figure, a business raised the prices for the product they deliver.

What up BiggE

Agreed

I’ll add, Paul did good things as GM, not just occasionally but every year Snider was going for it. Paul also got hit with the cap, a team that had spent decades spending to the limit to win was most likely going to have cap issues. Mistakes for sure but he did well for the Flyers
- wcorvette

The Flyers never did strike a balance while Snider was alive of planning for the future while trying to make the playoffs.

Hextall was hired because the Flyers were maxed out on bad contracts and had sold their farm system to buy those bad contracts in order to go for it every year.

Holmgren has largely escaped the scrutiny of the consequences of his decisions by handing over the reins to Hextall when he did. Hextall's the guy who does the thankless ground work for the next guy to reap the benefits. Holmgren favored the big splash and huge contracts. The salary cap really did him no favors as the Flyers couldn't just buy their way out of trouble as they could in the pre salary cap era.

You can't be mortgaging the future for aging UFAs who need to be bought out 2 years after you sign them. It felt like if he had a 2nd round draft pick he always had to unload it.

He did have some hits but his misses were pretty egregious as well. The last quality young goaltender the Flyers drafted got run out of town by Laviolette and Holmgren for the big splashy UFA signing. Let's hope the Flyers learned their lesson.

To this point I dont see much of a deviation from that Hexy plan with the exception of Hart possibly being up sooner than was expected.
- opeth_pa

I think he overpaid in some of his deals but I am quite surprised (and happy) how much he has stayed on the same course, and actually that may be a reason he overpaid.

A number of things make me believe Hart would have been up at the same time if Hextall was not fired.

You read Bill's explanation and that's what you got out of it?
- shekkie

My understanding is that he rubbed some people the wrong way in the upper levels and he didn't make enough of an effort to smooth things over. Also, that if he was winning none of that would matter. Is that not correct?

Go figure, a business raised the prices for the product they deliver.
- opeth_pa

So a normal business would raise prices as high as 89% for a product that is under performing?

So a normal business would raise prices as high as 89% for a product that is under performing?
- FlyerFan16

Sorry I dont see them raising ticket prices as anything other than what business do.

See every business out there that is big enough that it's not truly dependent on winning the grand prize in there vertical to sustain its customer base.

Also what was the average % of the increase or the biggest bulk of it.

So he didn't kiss enough ass in the executive suite? Unfortunately, that's part of the job unless your Dad owns the company.
- Flyers_01

He lost top management support and didn't realize what an advocate he had in Homer as team president the first few years. He circled ranks very tight on the hockey ops side. He alienated the Alumni. He had other org departments complaining about the GM being uncooperative with them (and those complaints went to the team president). Hexy didn't realize he was doing it -- the snowballing and whisper down the lane effect that turns into fear, exaggeration of the scope of being micromanaged, etc -- until it was too late.

That said, if the team had been a Cup contender by that point, he might still have not been fired.

Paul Holmgren.

Thank you for the 2008 Eastern Conference Final. Thank you for the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. Thank you for Peter Laviolette, Chris Pronger, Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds, Jake Voracek, Sean Couturier and Jaromir Jagr.

Thank for keeping us Competitive.
- SuperSchennBros

Sorry I dont see them raising ticket prices as anything other than what business do.

See every business out there that is big enough that it's not truly dependent on winning the grand prize in there vertical to sustain its customer base.

Also what was the average % of the increase or the biggest bulk of it.
- opeth_pa

You asked what was the evidence Scott was trying to maximizing shareholder value. Raising ticket prices was my response. They can do what they want because they can do what they want and people are still going to come. We can disagree on whether or not profit is more important than winning to Comcast. If they win, it won't matter.

Enjoy your retirement Paul, you’ve earned. Say whatever you want about the guy as a GM, but as a player Holmgren was a (frank)ing warrior and bled orange and black.
- BiggE

He lost top management support and didn't realize what an advocate he had in Homer as team president the first few years. He circled ranks very tight on the hockey ops side. He alienated the Alumni. He had other org departments complaining about the GM being uncooperative with them (and those complaints went to the team president). Hexy didn't realize he was doing it -- the snowballing and whisper down the lane effect that turns into fear, exaggeration of the scope of being micromanaged, etc -- until it was too late.

That said, if the team had been a Cup contender by that point, he might still have not been fired.
- bmeltzer

If that is truly the case then the advocate he had in Homer failed him. That stuff doesn't happen overnight. Now if Homer tried to coach/advise him and he didn't listen, then that's on him.

What I hated about the whole situation is the anonymous quotes about the awful things Hextall was doing that came out afterwards. That kind of stuff may impact him getting a chance down the road.

He lost top management support and didn't realize what an advocate he had in Homer as team president the first few years. He circled ranks very tight on the hockey ops side. He alienated the Alumni. He had other org departments complaining about the GM being uncooperative with them (and those complaints went to the team president). Hexy didn't realize he was doing it -- the snowballing and whisper down the lane effect that turns into fear, exaggeration of the scope of being micromanaged, etc -- until it was too late.

That said, if the team had been a Cup contender by that point, he might still have not been fired.
- bmeltzer

This part surprises me the most.

This part surprises me the most.
- MBFlyerfan

At the 50th Anniversary game-- in which Clarke, Barber, Leach, Lindros, LeClair, Gagne, Briere, Kerr, Poulin, Propp, Howe, Desjardins, the Watson brothers were all playing and most of the still-living members of the inaugural 1967-68 team were on hand along with other older Alumni who can't play anymore-- the current Flyers team was out of town. Nonetheless, Hexy instructed that the main locker room remain closed to the very people whose.photos adorn the room. The Alumni got dressed in a side room.

That created bad feelings and those snowballed with other policies limiting their access in both Voorhees and Wells Fargo Center.

I know for 100% fact that Hexy never intended to make the Alumni feel shoved aside and disregarded by one of their own. But it had that effect.

It has been explained both by Jay Greenberg and by me why Hexy was fired. It boiled down to this: If you are winning, you can get away with tightening the circle around you and not knowing the nuances of managing up or realizing that some unpopular internal decisions can cause collateral damage: strains in relationships, a snowballing whisper-down-the-lane effect, etc. If you aren't winning but you know how to manage up and outwardly to other channels within the organization, you can buy yourself more time.

If you aren't winning AND your managing style has undesired effects -- even accidentally, as was the case with Hexy -- your job is in severe jeopardy. That is why he was fired. The farm system rebuild part and cap space management were his biggest strengths as well as his main focus.

Next time around as a GM -- and I think Ron deserves another shot somewhere -- I think he will do better at the managing up/around aspects.
- bmeltzer

All the wrong reasons for firing him. That translates to me that Hextall wasn't following the process that Holmgrena and Scott wanted. Which is ridiculous because a big part of why Hextall was hired was to take the team in a different direction. I'm a big fan of Holmgren and I admire him for all that he did for the Flyers. However, the final big move he made leaves a black mark on his record. It is one of the biggest management blunders in recent Flyers history. I will give him a chance but now Fletcher has even more power? I can't say I'm enthused about that.

This part surprises me the most.
- MBFlyerfan

That’s a very anti-Flyer action and from Hextall’s post firing press conference, I got the feel that it was an unintentional action and caused some regret about not clarifying and being deliberately inclusive. Regardless, Hextall can no doubt learn from his experiences. He’ll get another chance somewhere. Look at his draft history in a few years, it’s going to be something to behold. Someone will need him.

He lost top management support and didn't realize what an advocate he had in Homer as team president the first few years. He circled ranks very tight on the hockey ops side. He alienated the Alumni. He had other org departments complaining about the GM being uncooperative with them (and those complaints went to the team president). Hexy didn't realize he was doing it -- the snowballing and whisper down the lane effect that turns into fear, exaggeration of the scope of being micromanaged, etc -- until it was too late.

That said, if the team had been a Cup contender by that point, he might still have not been fired.
- bmeltzer

IMO, seemed like Scott wanted Hexy gone because he wouldn't deviate from his singular vision for the team's future:

[Hexy] was so committed. At one point I said, listen to yourself. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. Because there is.’’
- "Dave Scott"

The politics, interpersonal stuff and missing the PO's just provided the capital that he needed to make the change.

So he didn't kiss enough ass in the executive suite? Unfortunately, that's part of the job unless your Dad owns the company.
- Flyers_01

More than that dude, he was a Richard.