Big 5 city schools circle wagons, to continue round robin in 2027-28

The Big 5 has hit another road block and once again, those crazy clout-chasing Augustinians at Villanova University are the root of the issue.

As reported in the Inquirer and other online spaces Thursday, the current round-robin scheduling format as well as the single-day "City 6" tripleheader at the Palestra -- which has been played each year since 2023 -- will continue after 2027 without the participation of the Wildcats.

This season will represent the final iteration of Villanova, St. Joseph's, Penn, Temple, La Salle and Drexel competing all together against each other and then in the classic, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Villanova won last year's Big 5 Classic, topping Penn by a 90-63 count. 

A release posted to the St. Joseph's University website stated the following: 

"Five institutions of the Philadelphia Big 5 -- Drexel University, La Salle University, University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's University and Temple University -- announce a round-robin scheduling format for men's basketball beginning in 2027-28.

"These institutions are united in their commitment to preserving the history and enhancing the future of the Philadelphia Big 5. The round-robin format represents a renewal of the competitive spirit that has defined the city's college basketball landscape for more than 70 years, while also preserving the future of a partnership that is distinctively Philadelphia."

"The resumption of a consistent round-robin format, featuring both home and away contests, will sustain traditional rivalries while providing valuable scheduling stability in an increasingly complex Division I environment. 

"In recent years, the evolving NCAA landscape has prompted institutions to evaluate how their athletics programs align with broader institutional priorities. Following thoughtful discussions and consideration of the interests and goals of all involved, the decision was made to move forward with the Men's Philadelphia Big 5 championship format without Villanova's participation."

Fans, residents and alums will no doubt recall how similar "scheduling concerns" prompted then-Nova head coach Rollie Massimino in the early 1990s to lead the Wildcats away from the traditional, yearly Big 5 scheduling which had existed since the 1950s, in large part due to rising pressure from RPI scores which determined seeding in the NCAA Tournament. 

Throughout that decade, the five member schools only scheduled each other sporadically with occasional contests held at the Palestra. A resumption of something close to the old system emerged in the 2000s.

For its part, Villanova later issued its own rebuttal to the initial release, within which the university implied its five rivals were not able to come to satisfactory agreement on issues 'Nova raised including adjustments to the tournament's schedule.

"Villanova remains committed to supporting Philadelphia basketball," the statement read. "Ultimately we must also balance what is in the best interests of Villanova Basketball success in the modern landscape of college athletics."

This season, according to the Big 5 Classic website, the in-season matchups are as follows: 

La Salle at Villanova - Nov. 11

Penn at SJU - Nov. 14

Temple at La Salle - Nov. 15

SJU at Drexel - Nov. 20

Drexel at Penn - Nov. 24

Villanova at Temple - Dec. 1

Where's the beef? Flyers have zero edge

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Remember last Spring, when Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet came right out and said it: he hates all the after-whistle pushing and shoving, and would rather his (or any) players square off, just drop the gloves and get over it?

Well, this fall the club has the same amount of young, dynamic players who require protecting. Tocchet hasn’t changed his stance, although his roster has noticeably changed from this year to last.

No more Nic Deslauriers - given a dues-paying veteran’s exit to the Carolina Hurricanes where he won the Stanley Cup. No more Luke Glendening - left unsigned as a free agent and picked up by the Tampa Bay Lightning. No more Garnet Hathaway, either - traded during the summer to the Florida Panthers in a deal where he was the only human body. 

If you bet new acquisition, defenseman Simon Benoit, as the first player to drop the gloves, in Game 4 at Tampa, Atlantic City awaits. If you had him as the only Flyer to engage in a fight over the season’s first 10 games, do not pass go, head directly to Vegas. 

So what’s the plan? Maybe this is one of the Stanley Cup blueprints the organization *shouldn’t* have learned from the Carolina Hurricanes, having four mechanical lines grind down the opposition. Like it or lump it, physicality in its most brutal form is a Flyers trademark. When one of the beats cry "fix the 4th line, pleeeeaze" there's no amount of deck-chair re-arranging that's worth anything unless an element of mayhem is part of the plan.

“It’s gotta come naturally from this team. It’s gotta be part of your DNA,“ head coach Rick Tocchet quizzically said about baked-in toughness on this roster after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Seattle Kraken 8 days ago.

Other than that, not a single question from training camp up through last night’s 3-2 win against Colorado arose from those who closely cover the team. Since I was denied a chance to do so for the season’s first 3 weeks and also denied a pass to the postgame presser last night, I couldn’t ask Tocchet about another element present last year that's clearly missing from this lineup.

According to Hockeyfights.com, the Flyers recorded 25 bouts last season, most since they logged 36 in John Tortorella’s first season as bench boss 4 years ago. Deslauriers and Hathaway both notched 5 fights, while Glendening acted more like a (bleep) disturber and didn’t log any time with the gloves dropped. 

Nick Seeler had a couple scraps, so did Noah Cates. And of course, Garrett Wilson made good on his one chance to prove he could handle himself in The Show. 

As much as there is to criticize Tocchet, this is something he knows well about. It’s been a thing ever since Twitter exploded in 2010, but he is the Flyers’ all-time leader in Gordie Howe hat trick games with 9. 

Depending on what statistician you believe, he was the last NHL player to score 30 goals and record 300 penalty minutes in one season (1987-88). He fought 23 times alone in his 2nd NHL season of 1985-86 and dropped the gloves well over 100 times (regular season and playoffs) for the Orange and Black. Why he's not publicly crying out for more guts, may be an indictment of the man upstairs.

The Flyers really don’t need more guys who can hit and punch and do little else.

Remember, among the franchise greats, Dave Schultz had 3 hat tricks and 20 goals the first Cup year; Dave Brown added seasons of 10 and 12 goals, Donald Brashear an 8-goal, 25-point full season, Dan Carcillo netted 14 goals combined in 2009-10 including a playoff OT marker. Outside of Philly, Chris Simon scored 29 goals and you have to begrudgingly admit Tom Wilson became a complete player riding shotgun with Alex Ovechkin on the Caps’ top line.

Last year, Deslauriers, Hathaway and Glendening contributed all of 3 goals and 96 penalty minutes as the muscle end of the 4th line, so the bar isn’t that high. Among other issues, Briere did not prioritize finding replacements on the market at all. 

Noel Acciari came over from the Penguins. Can fight. Has fought. Never more than 3 times in a season. Acquired primarily for his defensive-zone faceoff acumen. 

Wilson tried to establish himself in the Flyers’ preseason opener at Hershey vs. the Capitals but fought to a draw. It remains to be seen if he possesses any other NHL-worthy skills. Ten days ago in Boston, he got the call again. Even though he drew a regular shift with the Flyers down 3 late in an eventual 5-1 loss, he let that golden opportunity slip away. 

Unless he learns to adapt, Wilson’s another Tyrell Goulbourne – better at damaging press box commodes than punching faces, skating or shooting.

Briere made an early shakeup move to bring in unsigned free agent Michael Bunting less than 24 hours after the loss to Tampa. He’s skated and dived and logged time on the top power-play unit but provided nothing of note. He posted 98 goals the last 5 years (with career bests of 23 in 2021-22 and 22-23 with Toronto) but maxed out at 103 PIMs in ‘23. He only has 2 NHL fights on his ledger.

Nobody did a thing in the second period of a 4-1 loss to Carolina the next night, when ‘Canes forward Jordan Martinook got in two too many punches on a prone Tyson Foerster as they , entangled at center ice. Fans howled for blood and booed the zebras, but there was zero pushback from the Orange and Black.

Pushback actually did happen on Tuesday, with Trevor Zegras getting into what amounted to two slap fights with Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer in a 3-2 shootout loss. If only literally any of the roster were as “horny” to shake things up and risk a shift in momentum as they are to make a play once they possess the puck, at least the punters would be distracted enough to miss whatever else has gone wrong.

Nothing but a couple post-whistle scrums happened in a 2-1 loss at Detroit which followed, at the same time the Dallas Stars announced David Perron would return for a 20th NHL season on a 1-year, $850k deal. Even upon breaking the streak on Saturday in a 3-1 home win vs. Ottawa, two wounded clubs couldn't muster the energy to hate quite enough. Then, only some minor scuffling and a dumb retaliation penalty on Monday night in the second period when Avs defenseman Cale Makar decked Acciari with a hard hit near the head.

If a guy with a long-standing connection to the team who's been fighting Stage 4 cancer can't get these guys all fought up, what can?

Last Thursday, Phantoms winger Noah Powell – after scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-1 triumph at

Hartford – made a pretty strong statement to which *someone* in the Flyers front office should pay attention. 

“I feel that it’s the role that I gotta play, embracing it, bringing energy and run with it,” he said when asked by club radio voice Bob Rotruck to talk about his physically-centered role. “It’s definitely not something I’m afraid of, or shying away from. I feel like I’m pretty comfortable.”

Later in the interview, he strongly hinted that he’s taking extra practice to learn how to keep balanced and throw correctly because – wait for it – adding pugilistic skill might just get him to the NHL. 

Powell, unlike Alex Bump, is an overlooked Flyers’ 5th-round draft choice who spent just 2 seasons in D1 hockey, one each with Ohio State and Arizona State. He tallied 43 goals in 61 games 3 years ago at Dubuque in American juniors and fought a little bit.

If he can chip in a goal for every couple fights or majors in Lehigh Valley, why not give him a shot later on?

It's a certainty that, unlike Bump, Powell won't be crushed in the line blender. He's 4th line all the way. What's the tipping point?

Hurts expected to be out long term with DVT diagnosis

The saga of Jalen Hurts' health took a darker, deeper turn on Monday.

In a statement made by the Eagles QB and his agent, Nicole Lynn, which is published below, Hurts was diagnosed with a much more severe form of blood clot which will keep him away from all football activities for quite some time.

Although the statement does not specify a time frame, discovery of injuries of this type including pulmonary emboli, typically are season ending -- as close monitoring is required to guard against future clots and the long course of blood thinning medication makes it near impossible to participate in vigorous exercise required to be NFL-level fit.

https://t.co/aBfyK55oxd

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 19, 2026

Palmer the ultimate underdog on Heisman journey 40 years ago

Pop quiz to anyone over the age of 45...

If you remember that quarterback Vinny Testaverde from the University of Miami won the 1986 Heisman Trophy as Division 1-A college football's best player, do you know who came in second?

Paul Palmer.

Temple University's Paul Palmer. 

It's a head scratcher, isn't it -- given there are far too many down years in the program to forget than those worth remembering.

Yet, Palmer put together one of the most stirring underdog stories in college football history up until that point for a program that was an afterthought in the minds of everyone involved with the sport, thousands of alumni, staff, teachers and administrators -- with the possible exception of university president Peter "Sugar Bowl within 5 years" Liacouras.

Palmer's run to the record books began with the Owls' season opener at Penn State, a 45-15 drubbing where he accounted for more than 200 all-purpose yards despite the loss.

In a 2-week span starting 40 years ago last week, Palmer set an NCAA record (which has since been broken) of rushing for a combined 688 yards in victories over East Carolina (349 yards in a 45-28 road win) and 239 yards vs. Virginia Tech at Norfolk (29-13 win).

The splurge helped Bruce Arians (yes, THAT Bruce Arians who later coached in the NFL for Arizona, Tampa Bay among other clubs) team rise to 5-2 on the year heading into three touch matchups with Syracuse, Boston College and Alabama. He added 187 yards (27-24 loss to the Orangemen) and 212 yards (38-29 home loss to the Eagles), respectively, setting a new NCAA mark for rushing yardage in three AND four consecutive contests.

With the Owls finishing up the season at 6-5, Palmer completed his senior ledger by leading all of Division I football in yards on the ground (1,866), rushing touchdowns (15), plays from scrimmage (358) as well as all-purpose yards (2,633) -- breaking USC back Marcus Allen's previous record. 

How uphill of a battle was it to get a small back from a small school without any games on national television to get noticed? In addition to the requisite public relations outreach, the university even published a comic book "Temple University Football Featuring the Adventures of Paul Palmer," a 16-page work.

"Some people thought I may have been too small to play high school ball," Palmer said to the Daily News in August of 1986, ahead of his sterling senior season. "Everyone thought I was too small to play college ball. And then, when the pros come around, they're saying the same things. I like to think of it as quality, not quantity."

The rest of the country might not have known about Palmer, but the small circle of rivals who scheduled Temple football during its years in the deep waters of the D-1 independents sure did. 

Syracuse head coach Dick MacPherson compared Palmer to diminutive running back "Little" Joe Morris, who went on to win a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. West Virginia's Don Nehlen stated Palmer "may be the most dangerous running back in college football." 

Even the once-sainted Joe Paterno complimented Palmer after his season-opening breakout performance, adding "I think the best way to shut him down is to keep your own offense on the field."

In addition to being Heisman runner-up, Palmer was also 2nd in Maxwell Award voting, was a consensus First-Team All-American while earning MVP honors for both the Hula Bowl and Blue-Gray game.

Maybe even bigger than coming so close to winning the Heisman, Palmer finally reached a national audience through NBC's traditional Bob Hope Christmas Special, where every All-American was introduced and the subject of a witty barb from Bob's writers:

Of note, Palmer was 22 years old here, Hope 83.

Also of note, The Boz. And the Haircut of The Boz.

Was it a bit disrespectful to slot the nation's leading rusher as the second-to-last student-athlete honored during this part of the special? Probably. But when you've got guys from Oklahoma, Penn State, Ohio State, the U, Nebraska, Hawaii and Purdue, little ol' Acres of Diamonds was gonna be pushed to the back of the line. 

While Palmer was drafted by Kansas City and played just 41 games for the Chiefs, Cowboys and Lions over three seasons, and an infamous quote about intentionally fumbling the ball to get his coach fired came back to haunt both he and the coach in question, the biggest disappointment in his story was that Temple had all 6 wins from '86 vacated due to Palmer's discovered ineligibility.

In the summer of 1988, according to multiple sources, it was revealed Palmer signed with agent Norby Walters prior to the expiration of his collegiate eligibility. That set off a chain of events which, among other things, led to the university expunging Palmer's accomplishments from the school's record books and Liacouras asking Palmer to reimburse the university for the cost of his scholarship that senior season. 

"We are forfeiting these games to set an example," Liacouras was quoted as saying at the time. "We believe in good sportsmanship in an amateur setting at whatever cost. Even though the university did not know or have reason to know this violation, our team benefited by using a player ... who was not eligible."

Years in between softened Temple's stance, and Palmer was eventually welcomed back after a period of reflection and public remorse. The talented tailback was inducted into Temple's athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and in 2018, became the first student-athlete in school history to gain a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

At present, Palmer is the Owls' all-time leader in all-purpose yards (6,613), rushing yards (4,895), rushing attempts (935), total career points (264), 100-yard rushing performances (21) and 200-yard days (6). 

Hurts to miss Sunday's Panthers tilt with blood clot in leg

According to several reports on Thursday, chief among them Ian Rapoport of RapSheet, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will not play in this Sunday's home game against the Carolina Panthers due to a blood clot discovered previously but was not deemed detrimental to his health or performance. 

Rapoport's report included a full statement from the Eagles themselves, which was released on social media late this morning and featured in full below:

https://t.co/9SeK1XzYRL

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 15, 2026

It is assumed that the Birds' backup, Tanner McKee, will take the reins for the club which is looking to avoid their first 4-game losing streak since the 2020 season. However, no information was available on the Eagles' QB plans as of the statement.

Kelly, Gagne to be latest inductees in Flyers Hall of Fame

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Tuesday that two franchise icons -- one from its classic era and one from modern times -- will be the next enshrinees into the club's Hall of Fame. 

On Feb. 27, prior to the Orange and Black's home game vs. the San Jose Sharks, Bob "Hound" Kelly and Simon Gagne will receive their flowers from the club they called home for the majority of their respective careers as the 29th and 30th members.

Kelly played 10 years in Philadelphia, winning two Cups (1974-75) and appearing in four Stanley Cup Finals (74-75-76-80). Taken in the 3rd round of the 1970 NHL Entry Draft, he spent all but 96 games of his entire NHL career here, posting 362 points and a then-team record 1,285 penalty minutes (since surpassed by both Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet). 

Given his nickname due to dogged pursuit of the puck and opposing players, first under Fred Shero and then for two other head coaches, Kelly cemented his legacy by scoring the game-winning goal on the opening shift of the 3rd period in Game 6 of the 1975 Finals at Buffalo, an eventual 2-0 victory. 

However, Kelly's best statistical regular season occurred in 1976-77, when he struck for 22 goals and 24 assists in 73 games, while he turned in his finest postseason performance the following year, when he contributed 8 points in 12 contests for a surprise entrant in the semifinals.

Although Kelly finished his NHL career with the Washington Capitals (1980-82), he returned to the Delaware Valley and never left -- carving out a career with the Flyers behind the scenes -- retiring last year as the longest-serving team ambassador among all alumni. 

Along with Joe "Thundermouth" Watson, if you attended a Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival in the 80s, 90s and into the 2000s and wanted one of the mystery boxes piled 25 feet high at center ice, chances are "Hound" passed it along to you, your parents or siblings. 

"It's an honor to be in everybody's wake," Kelly said about his upcoming honor during a conference call with Gagne on Oct. 15. "It's been a great time for me, I had an absolute great time with great people. The Flyers have never been disappointed when they go out and recruit people. I think the commitment to the team is huge."

Kelly further credited Ed Snider first as a member of the organization who was most responsible for his career.

Gagne was a first-round selection (No. 22) by Bob Clarke during the 1999 NHL draft out of his native Quebec, and made an immediate impact, scoring 20 goals his rookie season then adding 10 points (5G, 5A) to the Flyers' run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

Though slowed by serious injuries which cut into his 2002-03 (groin/hamstring) and 2007-08 (concussion) seasons, Gagne was a 2-time 40-goal scorer (2005-07) and hit the 30-goal mark twice more (2001-02; 2008-09) finishing his Flyers tenure with 264 goals an 271 assists across 691 regular-season games. 

Gagne also contributed 32 goals and 47 points over 90 playoff appearances in Philadelphia, none bigger than his power-play goal in the late stages of the 3rd period of Game 7 of the Eastern semis in Boston, which rallied the Flyers from a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead, which they kept to win the game and the series in a stunning reverse sweep. 

"It was 3-0 Boston in the first 10 minutes, so to come back and be able to score that game winner on the power play," Gagne admitted. "I remember seeing the crowd back in Philly that was watching the game ... if I have to pick one it would be this one, but I have so many good memories."

During his comments, Gagne also cited his score in overtime of Game 6 against the Lightning in the Eastern finals of 2004 as another memorable moment. 

Arguably just as important in the Bruins series, Gagne kept the Flyers alive with the club down 3 games to none with an overtime score in Game 4 on home ice: 

After contributing 9 goals and 12 points to that memorable, but losing effort which ended in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, salary-cap issues caused Gagne to be the odd man out. He was shipped to Tampa Bay for a draft choice, then was sent to the Kings where he won a Cup with former Flyers teammates Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. 

Gagne was brought back to Philly during the lockout-shortened 2013 season, chipping in 5 goals and 6 assists over 27 appearances. He will be the first Flyers player whose career spanned the 2000s to be welcomed as a franchise great. 

As a 19-year-old Francophone, Gagne credited Dan McGillis, Marc Bureau, Eric Desjardins, Eric Lindros, John LeClair and a host of other veterans who showed him the ropes as an NHL rookie.

Other then their impending honor, Gagne additionally mentioned during the conference call that both he and Kelly co-coached a Flyers Pee Wee team for 2 consecutive years at the annual tournament in Quebec City.

Mark Recchi was the last former player to be selected for the Flyers HOF, back in January of 2024.

Mattingly returns to Phils on 2-year deal

Thanks to Philadelphia Baseball Review

As reported by Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Don Mattingly will be the full-time manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Gelb and colleague Charlotte Varnes stated in an article released to the online outlet this morning that the Phils were about to welcome back the former Yankees first baseman, then issued an update shortly thereafter that Mattingly was inked to a 2-year contract.

A short time later, the Phillies issued a statement for final confirmation of the move.

The 65-year-old native of Evansville, Indiana joined the Phillies last offseason as a bench coach for then-manager Rob Thomson. Upon Thomson's firing as the club was mired in a 9-19 start, Mattingly was elevated to interim skipper. 

Despite criticism of his managerial style and decision making and amid speculation his demeanor was linked to the fact that his son, Preston, acts as Phillies general manager, the elder Mattingly finished the season with a 79-55 record, good enough for 2nd place in the NL East and helping the Phils gain a playoff berth for the 5th consecutive season. However, the pinstripers lost a 3-game Wild Card series to division champion Atlanta. 

Since he was asked to take the helm on Apr. 28, the Phillies' .590 winning percentage ranked 4th in all of baseball, behind just the Brewers (89-46), Rays (81-53) and the Dodgers (80-53).

Since his first MLB job with the Dodgers in 2011, Mattingly has compiled a 968-1005 overall record for LA (2011-15), Miami (2016-22) and Philly. 

In other news, Sam Fuld -- who had been team GM from 2020-24 -- will remain in his current role as president of baseball operations. Fuld had been seriously courted by the Athletics franchise for the same role, but withdrew his name from consideration. 

Additionally, the club has decided to move on from two coaches: hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson.

Long has been the subject of external criticism for the Phillies' overall lack of awareness and execution of basics such as bunting, moving runners over and other situational hitting since at least the final two games of the 2023 NLCS defeat to Arizona. Long had been with the organization since late in 2021, coming over from the Washington Nationals. 

The 59-year-old California native had served in the same capacity for no less a hot hitting team as the 2009 New York Yankees, under then-manager and future Phillies skipper Joe Girardi, a club which beat the Phils in the World Series.

We might just have to live through this

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

We’re only seven games into this regular season and already the stupids have all come out to play. If I’m being honest, I’m only shocked that normality didn’t last until the home matinee 11 days from now against the Anaheim Ducks. 

It was bad enough with the Flyers starting 0-2-2, outplayed for a majority of those 240-plus minutes and outshot by a margin of minus-82. But there were signs of life. In Ottawa on Thursday, despite a 2-1 setback, the Flyers scored a power play goal. They also controlled the first 8 minutes of action, then a majority of the second period and swarmed the Sens end in the final 95 seconds of regulation.

In Boston on Saturday afternoon, with three regulars missing, how could it be anything other than the same old thing? They lost, 5-1. Then, with the same 3 guys missing, they lost at home on Sunday to Carolina, 4-1. 

At least we could wipe Christian Dvorak’s name from the no-goal ledger. Of course, that only left regulars Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, Sean Couturer, Denver Barkey, Noah Cates, Noel Acciari, Nick Seeler, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Risolainen, Simon Benoit and Carl Grundstrom with goose eggs.

Baby steps to the blue line, baby steps to the goal, as Bob Wylie might say. 

Typical for an old-school head coach, Tocchet laid the responsibility on his charges. 

“It wasn’t great, don’t get me wrong. But it was zero-zero halfway through the game. I think we were hanging in there,” he admitted in Sunday’s postgame. “Then we don’t make a 10-foot pass. We don’t win a wall battle. And then they get the goal and we get dejected. We just didn’t have enough guys pullin’”

After a 3-2 shootout setback to Seattle (where Zegras scored his first of the year), they're losers in a franchise-record 8 straight to start the season. Three points. Just us and Los Angeles without wins. Execution lacking. Confidence tanked. Compete level wavering. By my count online since 10 pm Sunday, there’s been 57 “Fire Tocchet” posts and 34 “Fire Briere” posts. 

Flyers GM Danny Briere was in Boston. In the pregame, he lambasted the club’s lack of compete in the early going. That’s a sign. His presence this early is telling – as was the front office’s visit to Allentown on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Carolina night cap. It’s a first strike,  assessing water-testing call-ups from the Phantoms.

More importantly (and let’s not ask why), Briere has yet to even offer the slightest hint Tocchet is resting his rump on anything above room temperature – a stance backed up on Monday morning by international hockey insider Elliotte Friedman.

The Flyers have, in fact, upped their competitiveness from 0 to 10 all the way up to roughly 30 minutes a night, but have exactly zero points to show for it. Bizarre that their worse-than-professional efforts actually produced the only two points on their ledger.

Oh simple things, where have you gone? Tocchet didn’t have any insight into Keane’s 2004 musical question or one from a media member on Sunday, either.

“I don’t know if it’s a lack of focus, you’re nervous or pressured, I can’t give you that answer,” he said. “At the end of (last) year, you make a mistake, someone would cover for you. Now, they’re making duplicate mistakes. It’s evident for me. It’s a tough thing to correct, other than working every day.”

I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear. Might just have to live through whatever’s coming. Want Tocchet fired? Briere, too? Tough nuggets. It’s gonna burn and sting. There’s nothing you can do about it. Keep screaming on the internet, though. 

The necessary historical context

Twice before the franchise opened up a season without winning for 6 games. 

The first one was a shock: 1999-2000. Eric Lindros’ last season in Philadelphia. Even before all the internal drama hit, they started off 0-4-1-1. No Keith Jones for 6 weeks and no Brind’Amour for 2 months didn’t help. 

They were shut out in back-to-back home games to start the season for the only time in 60 years. Scored 1 goal in the first 3 games. Eventually the ship stopped listing, as the team reeled off 4 straight wins and went 8-1-1 in their next 10 outings. 

The other time was 2008-09. No going back for John Stevens and a small cadre of former Phantoms who won the Calder Cup in 2005 and were elevated to team leaders after a surprise trip to the conference finals. They opened up 0-3-3 including back-to-back wild losses to San Jose beyond regulation. 

That team might have been cursed when Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin dropped the puck before a season-opening home loss to the Rangers. After their initial troubles, they won 4 in a row and hit Thanksgiving on an 11-3-1 run – but hit a trough in between which required some front office action.

You think the chronically online are all over Tocchet like flies to rotting meat now? They would have had a feeding frenzy with Stevens, who unironically called his new forecheck method heading into ‘08 “Dump and Hunt” rather than a dump-and-chase which the Penguins picked clean the previous spring.

By the way, both teams rebounded to make the playoffs. 

So did the 2013-14 squad which tuned out Peter Laviolette, forced the front office to slide Craig Berube behind the bench after an 0-3 start and still couldn’t score for the season’s first 6 weeks. That club set the original dubious record of 8 total goals in the season’s opening 6 games. This year’s team beat that by one. That team also got in gear with a month-long 9-3-1 run after opening at 4-10-1. 

So maybe it’s short-tempered reactionaries treating a 6-month grind in hockey like a 17-week sprint in football and crashing out in a public forum, rather than a horrible start caused by complacency of mid-level talent compounded by chronic front-office systemic rot.

You think Tocchet's really fazed? Other than the pride of not screwing up the team which gave him a career, this is a guy who went through an 0-10-1 stretch with the Coyotes to start the 2017-18 season, dusted himself off and won 39 games the following year.

And if you want to blow out a GM -- it better be on the level of Bob Clarke totally checked out for a year-plus before any Bloody Sundays happen.

Still, there’s a nagging thought already that this season may be a teensy bit different. 

Why we can trust reverse 20/20 vision

The slender thread which held together the Flyers’ success in April and May seems more like an aberration.

After going up 3 games to none on the Penguins in the Eastern quarterfinals, they’ve lost 13 of their last 14 games. The one they *did* win was a fluke long-range overtime prayer which kept them from the record books.

If the Flyers didn’t take Game 6 at home and remove that anvil they placed on their own shoulders by not winning Games 4 and 5, the Pens had 100% of the momentum and tell me they wouldn’t have won Game 7 in Pittsburgh. So, right now, we’d be extra miserable ruminating over the unwashable stain of a reverse sweep as an appetizer to a pair of franchise records for season-opening malaise. 

I was there on Black Friday of 1991 when an angry sellout crowd roared “PAUL MUST GO” with the Flyers losing to the Penguins 9-3 in Game 23 of Paul Holmgren’s 4th season as head coach.  I was there in 2015 when, game after game after the All-Star break, chants of “FIRE CHIEF” rained down loud enough to be heard up in the press box, at home through your TVs and certainly could be read via Steve Mason’s intense 500-yard stare in the locker room.

Firings don’t work the way the screaming mimis want them to. Holmgren was on the leash for 5 ½ more days and 2 more games because the front office couldn’t track down Bill Dineen. Berube wasn’t shown the door until the 14-15 season was over. 

This is new territory. “FIRE TOCCHET” in the waning moments of Game 7 of a regular season, 89 games into his coaching tenure and 89 games into a 5-year contract. In this moment, the paying customers are loud – but wrong. Briere hasn’t yet said a peep about Tocchet. In Sunday’s postgame, Zegras even gave Tocchet a public vote of confidence. 

“He’s an amazing person. He’s an amazing coach,” Zegras said, catching onto a bit more of the media training which struck Porter Martone and Travis Sanheim when asked what the team needs to do to start looking like professionals. 

Martone even used the Lavy-ism “jam” in his comments on Saturday then talked about “dog mentality” on Sunday. There goes the next chief of police. 

Think you can’t fire the players? Wrong. You can’t do it now. Not 13 days into a season. But 3-to-4 weeks? Yeah. 

By Halloween, there are a certain number of NHL GMs whose cell phone bills are going to spike. And Briere’s better be one of them – provided there’s any trade value left in a roster that’s heading for a crash faster than Wile E. Coyote after deploying a defective Acme product.

The earliest significant body-for-body in-season trade in team history which led to immediate improvement was Paul Holmgren shipping grinders Steve Downie and Steve Eminger to Tampa Bay for young, offensive-oriented blueliner Matt Carle on Nov. 7, 2008 – exactly 28 days after Palin-gate. That’s your bar for Briere. 

The only way out is through

Captain Couturier said (to the floor) there’s “no quit” on his club and that a turnaround is a matter of simplifying the game. 

“We’re playing slow, we’re not making the right reads, we’re not winning races,” he said Sunday night. “We’re out of sync. There’s not really any excuses right now.”

Well, if the head coach publicly calls out the team’s inability to make 10-foot passes or win board battles – how “simple” is a recalibration going to be? What’s kindergarten-level practice sets for million-dollar pros? A visit with Hockey Central and a bunch of 10-year-olds?

If Tocchet’s message isn’t getting through, in one-and-one-tenth seasons as coach, the responsibility to compete and execute is squarely on the players. Gun to my head, responsibility shifts onto his shoulders at the end of this season. There’s still 77 games to salvage … something.

The only potential damning public comments so far on his end came before Saturday’s loss. When asked about what was different between last year and this year, Tocchet let the facade slip a bit: 

“We’re not gonna out chance (other teams) most nights … we have to play who we are. Playing good defense, being good in the neutral zone, I think we got a little away with it. That’s why the disparity in shots. Finally, we took the attitude to get pucks to the net. That helped us.” 

He’s basically admitting “low-event hockey” is not just playing hawkish hockey in the neutral or limiting chances in the d-zone. It’s about playing so buttoned-up in the other two-thirds of the ice, that the offense has to constantly make the most of limited o-zone activity. 

Keep an ear out for little slips like this as we go along…

Jurgens latest lineman to fly coop, lands with other birds in Baltimore

The fallout on the offensive line continues for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Less than 24 hours after the shocking, sudden retirement announcement by OL Lane Johnson for undisclosed reasons, the Birds dealt struggling center Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a 5th-round pick in 2027 and a second-rounder in 2028.

Also heading down 95 South is a 7th-round choice in '27.

The mouthpiece and leader for this and the next generation of Eagles linemen, Jordan Mailata again shared his thoughts as another loyal comrade leaves the corps: "We shared a moment, Cam and I, where we cried," he admitted to an assembled media throng in South Philly on Wednesday. "You think about all the memories. Won a lot of games here. Won a championship here. Lost a lot of games here."

Jurgens had been a Pro Bowl level center for the last two seasons, but was pressed into duty this year at left guard thanks to an injury to usual starter Landon Dickerson. In April of '25, two months after helping the Eagles win their second Super Bowl and fifth championship in franchise history, he was rewarded with a 4-year contract extension.

Per a recent column by Jeff McLane of The Inquirer focusing on Johnson's experience, Jurgens had lost confidence in himself to ably perform at a high level.

However, like Johnson. And Jason Kelce. And Fletcher Cox. And Dickerson -- it appears years of battle caused Jurgens' body to fail him first, before his mind.

Timing of the move is certainly interesting, given Jurgens self-reported concussion symptoms on Monday morning, one day after the Eagles' 24-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He was in concussion protocol, according to several sources, but no other details were available ahead of the trade announcement.

It appears that Willie Lampkin will be shuttled into the open spot beginning Sunday.

Jurgens, a 27-year-old native of Nebraska who played college ball for the Cornhuskers, was taken in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft and subsequently appeared in 62 games (45 starts) over the last 5 seasons. He leaves a club sputtering at 2-2 heading into a London date with the Jacksonville Jaguars, to a Ravens team sitting at 3-1 heading into a Sunday night tussle in Atlanta.

"In a moment of embrace you kind of forget about everything and you just savor the last moment you have," Mailata added of his final meeting with Jurgens. It wasn't all emotional availability, though. Room for humor always. 

"I started calling 'dibs' on a couple things in his locker," Mailata said. "Did the same for Lane as well."

Flyers ink free agent F Bunting

Staring down the barrel of an 0-2-2 start with no end in sight and their young core failing to recapture the magic which defined last year's stretch run to a playoff berth, Flyers GM Danny Briere made a move on Tuesday.

Unsigned free agent forward Michael Bunting was brought into the fold on a 1-year, $1.2 million contract. 

Bunting, who like Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet is a product of Scarborough, Ontario, spent last season split between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, collecting 14 goals and 19 assists over 74 games but carrying a minus-24 rating.

The former 4th round draft pick of the Arizona Coyotes has compiled 109 goals and 143 assists across 418 regular season games for the 'Yotes, Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, Penguins, Preds and Stars. Bunting's high water marks in offense came with Toronto in 2021-22 and 2022-23 (23 goals each season) while his career high 103 penalty minutes was also achieved with the Leafs. 

Bunting's arrival hints at several issues that need buttoning up in the early going: one, that a veteran forward with some sandpaper is desperately on order after Briere let go of three veterans who populated the 4th line and two, that a proven veteran presence who has played under Tocchet could relay his message to the young core while also providing necessary competition for players who may be too comfortable.

The signing also removes the possibility of dipping into the prospect pool at Allentown, with the Phantoms' season just underway last weekend. 

Eagles OL Lane Johnson abruptly announces retirement

Less than 48 hours after being a late scratch for the Eagles' 24-20 home loss to the Los Angeles Rams, veteran offensive lineman Lane Johnson announced his retirement in a statement issued on his personal X page. 

If this abrupt ending holds, the 36-year-old native of Texas -- who the Birds selected fourth overall in the 2013 draft out of little-known Kilgore College in Oklahoma -- rides off into the sunset having participated in 171 games over parts of 14 NFL seasons having won 2 Super Bowls. He also earned 1st Team All-Pro honors twice and was selected to the Pro Bowl on 6 occasions. 

Earlier this season, Johnson stated this would be his final pro campaign. In addition, he mentioned his parents' health and the attendant toll it took on his mental preparation as a contributing factor to absences from the team. There is no official word from either the team or Johnson himself whether this played a factor in his decision.

On WIP shortly after the announcement, fellow veteran OL Jordan Mailata said Johnson "was everything you could ask for." when offering advice and guidance for the Australian to acclimatize to the NFL. 

"I've never seen anybody work as hard as he worked, even in meetings," Mailata added. "He was researching things all the time (about recovery modes). He never gatekept success, always shared it with the other guys."

It is kind of sad to think Lane was the last of the old guard," he admitted. He was part of the original Core Four. One of the greatest groups of all time to come through a locker room."

Thank you. 🦅 https://t.co/up2kH1K40p

— Lane Johnson (@LaneJohnson65) October 6, 2026

A short time later, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie also took to social media to express his fond farewell:

https://t.co/T39yp5Phnd

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 6, 2026

Dear Porter Martone

Courtesy of Steph Ricci

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

PORTER!! HELLO!!

It wasn’t even Day One of the new NHL season and I see you’re already aiming to move from the back of the room with all the cool kids to Head of the Class in the Bryce Harper School of Pandering to a Long Suffering Fanbase.

Yeah, I read that whole thing. Cause I’m a crusty old dude who can concentrate for 7 minutes at a clip, rather than zoning out for a 30-minute podcast with pretty pictures.

I love these pieces because it’s as unfiltered a voice from the players themselves as anyone’s gonna get. Just a little polish to smooth out the rough edges. Sticks it to all the award-baiters out there who fancy themselves “story tellers,” because it comes straight from the hearts and minds of the men and women in the arena.

You hit all the major points: hockey mad kid in Ontario. Dad who was a former draftee and never made it. Flyers fan in a region of the province that’s mostly Maple Leafs supporters. Backyard rink. Gassing up the big dogs who came before and carried your hopes and dreams for the Cup. Cute pics with your heroes. Dream fulfillment to wear the sweater for real. First experience with the bloodlust that comes with battling the Penguins.

I get it. You’re a first round draft pick. Big freshman season with Sparty that stopped well short of a natty party. Took the town by storm with a strong stretch run. The hope of nations.

You’re young, dumb and full of … a desire to live up to expectations: your own along with the Flyers’ fans and organization.

The franchise is placing a tremendous amount of faith in ya, bud. First-line winger. First power play unit. 

Remember why you’re here with all the distractions that will eventually find your doorstep with that unblemished face. Do I even want to cite that line where Mickey doesn’t consider Rocky a true fighter until he gets his nose busted?

Just steer clear of any deodorant commercials. And cross-checking dudes square in the back when all four pairs of zebra eyes are fixed on a net-mouth scramble. Also, no interviews with cartoon rabbits, ducks, pigs or Martian conquerors. Eyes on the prize.

This city and its starved hockey fans don’t need someone who gives the team's admin star eyes with the fresh drip every home date. Don’t need an aw-shucks type of dude trying to gain crossover appeal in the Phillies broadcast booth with the National Treasure and his Mets-fan side kick. 

You wanna be in the driver’s seat? Be more like Max Verstappen than Toonces. Harder than it looks, isn't it. Had your first goal of the season wiped out and the team hasn't won a game yet.

We don’t wanna hide our faces anymore. Done with discussions over whether Kate Smith should be out, loud and proud or stuck in a wooden crate guarded by top men. Just win, baby. We need ya to internalize that mindset with every stride of every skate blade on every fresh slice of ice from this day forward.

Harper’s done more to integrate the Phillie Phanatic into high-end off-the-field couture than he’s done to bring us a championship on it. Seriously, son, don’t start.  

Don’t be wearing Gritty socks and Gritty Hawaiian shirts and shooting hoops with the Sixers in Camden or shagging flies across the street with a Gritty headband. No Gritty-themed skates for children’s cancer research. 

It’s been done to death.  

You know your head coach, “Tocc?” He wasn’t expected to be a savior and that’s not what we want, either. His development into a folk hero was a rare and beautiful thing. 

Went from a wild-eyed kid from another borough (Scarborough) who’d do anything to get ice time and do anything to keep it, to a bona-fide threat with his hands on every shift. No Insta posts of the second his fist met some poor unlucky bastard’s face.

You know what this city and its starved hockey fans need more than a wide-eyed kid ready to tell the world how great Philadelphia is? A 30-goal scorer. 

Haven’t had one since Travis Konecny scored 33 a whopping 3 whole years ago. Better yet, they need a 40-goal scorer. Haven’t had one of those since Jeff Carter in 2009 and the only guy who’s been close since, was Scott Hartnell (37 in 2011-12). Only Simon Gagne has done it more than once this century, back-to-back seasons (46 in 2005-06, 41 in 2006-07).

Better still, a 50-goal scorer. Rarest of the rare. It’s a Six-Timers Club: Rick MacLeish. Reggie Leach. Bill Barber. Tim Kerr. Mark Recchi. John LeClair. Last time was 1998. 

The Flyers haven’t drafted and developed a true sniper … EVER. Only traded and signed for their red-light rockers and in two rare cases, sent them right to the NHL after a brief, scorching period in the minors.

We also need a player who executes his role on the power play immaculately. Last season, Trevor Zegras was the first Flyer to hit double digits in PP goals (10) since James van Riemsdyk (10) in the COVID shortened 2021 season. 

So why not shoot for let’s say, 15 goals on the advantage. That hasn’t happened in an uninterrupted season since Brayden Schenn (17) AND Wayne Simmonds (16) did the dirty work 10 years ago. 

Although ticket prices in the 21st century suggest a base who’s been successful enough in life to build backyard rinks for their kids in cul-de-sacs that dot the ‘burbs, the spirit of our suffering is more fundamental. 

City living. Heavy trouble. The small kids and the smart kids needing to look over their shoulder. Abbotts milk crate for a net. Mylec plastic for a stick. Cars parked on one side of a small street for boards. Scatter when the big kids take over the rink or try to roll with ‘em?

Or if you lived in a neighborhood that believed in public outlets for youth with a lot of energy, a rink with 8-foot-high cyclone fencing, two painted blue lines, one red line and 4 empty 20-gallon drums as goalposts. 

Wanna know where you should go?

Scanlon Ice Rink. I and Venango. Recently refurbished in the middle of a once working-class Catholic neighborhood that could use a boost. 

Rizzo Rink. Front and Washington. Check out what’s pretty much the last generation of guys and gals who take it upon themselves to play whenever and wherever there’s an open spot. Fishtown Rec. Girard and Montgomery. Burke Playground. 2nd and Jackson. Same deal. 

Tocchet talked about "connections" on the power play. This is your shot to connect for real. Not Insta real. Real real. With the kids who look up to you and the adults who need you to produce so they don't submit to public embarrassment when they lose their fantasy league in April.

McDevitt Rec Center. Scotts Lane. Little Falls. I would also have said Houston Playground in Andorra, but,

oops … 3 years too late. 

Of course, it’s also gonna be *strongly suggested* you stop by the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. 

You’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be the kind of player who’ll never need to pay a bar tab or pick up a check for the rest of your life. Time to walk the walk. We’ll be in your corner. Until we’re not. 

See ya out there. But we wanna see you here, too.

Sincerely,

Us