Flyers speak about open practice, roster, schedule and more

The following is a selection of quotes from various Flyers players upon the completion of Thursday evening's open practice at the Wells Fargo Center.

A robust crowd reported to be 15,202 showed up for the session, after which Claude Giroux was officially presented with the "C" attached to his jersey.

Flyers center prospect Scott Laughton

What was it like playing in front of the fans at practice tonight?

“It was kind of like a game-like atmosphere and it was nice to get out there. It was my first time being at the Wells Fargo Center so it was nice to get in the room with all the guys and it was nice to get on the ice.”

Everybody’s been talking about 3:00 Saturday, have you been thinking about 3:00 Friday when rosters set… has that been on your mind all week?

“I just try to control what I can do. I mean, I can’t control what they decide and I just want to continue playing my game and hopefully it takes care of itself.”

Flyers LW Scott Hartnell

You filled up Boardwalk Hall a little awhile ago now you come out to see almost a full crowd at the Wells Fargo Center. What’s that say about your fans?

"Well, it’s a pretty nice welcoming that’s for sure. I think everyone was concerned about how the fans would react coming back from this lockout but if there were any doubts before I think they’re gone now with how loud they were cheering just for practice."

It’s been since May 8 since you played that last game and the day after tomorrow at 3 p.m. Pittsburgh is going to be here. Is it hard to believe it’s now?

"It’s going to be probably just like Game 3 of the playoffs last year. It’s going to be intense. It’s going to be jammed. It’s going to be the middle of the afternoon. Everyone is going to be fired up and ready to go. Fans are going to be rowdy. I can’t wait to get out there but I’m sure we’ll have some rusty shifts in there but you just got to calm their storm and just go after."

Flyers center Claude Giroux

Is it a good moment though, when the fans, they love you and this is their first chance, for a lot of them to cheer you on, since you became captain, was it kind of emotional for you that that was all for you?

"Well with the lockout and everything that happened you know, it’s good to see the fans came out and they’re pretty jacked up for the season. I mean I wouldn’t think anything less from a Flyers fan, they’re great fans, they’re behind us one hundred percent. You just saw it’s a practice and it’s basically sold out so it’s always some motivation to kind of do well."

Is it distracting to have 15,000 fans out there and you’re trying to get your work in?

"It’s a little weird, they’re kind of there and you’re waiting for an answer from a teammate or something and you’ve got to do breakouts so it was kind of weird but hopefully they enjoyed it."

You’re saying a lot that you’re not surprised at how the Flyers’ fans reacted, from the way it’s been this week, to have a day at the training camp which is probably the biggest turn on ever and to have this night, does it surpass your expectations of them?

"To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t know but it’s impressive to see all of the fans that came out and they’re excited for the season to start and when you see that...it just gets you even more pumped up. It sounds like we need more motivation  to get ready for the new season but it definitely helps."