Philly Fans: It’s Time to Start Paying Attention to the Flyers

November has become a very busy time in Philadelphia sports.  We have our attention focused on the Eagles season, the start of the most hyped 76ers season in a long time and the hiring of Joe Girardi as the Phillies next manager and baseball free agency starting soon.  That is a lot to pay attention to and takes up a lot of our time as sports fans.

There is one team that seems to be going unnoticed and flying under the radar in the city right now, the Flyers.

I am here to tell all you of you reading this: if you’re not already, you better start paying attention to the Flyers.

To put it out in the open, I am a bit biased.  The Flyers are my second favorite team in the city, behind the Eagles.  The first professional sporting event I ever attended was a Flyers playoff game in 1997, the year they went to the Cup Finals.  So I feel like they never get enough love or their due from the fans in the city.

That should change starting right now.  This team is talented, and they are beating some of the best teams in the NHL.  Alain Vigneault has brought a sense of urgency and discipline that it sorely lacked under Dave Hakstol. It’s a breath of fresh air from years past and this new identity has made watching the Flyers exciting again.

The mix of younger and older players are starting to gel together nicely.  Claude Giroux continues to be one of the most underrated athletes in Philadelphia sports history.  He will go down as a top 3 Flyer of all time, and no body ever talks about him.  Sean Couturier continues to grow as an offensive player, and because of that has turned into one of the best two way players in the entire league.  You also cannot overlook the acquisitions of players like Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun, whos veteran presence has really helped players like Travis Sanheim, Phil Myers and especially Ivan Provorov.

The best part is they finally have a goalie.

Not just one.  They have two.

Carter Hart struggled early in the start to the year, but has really stepped up his play as of late, especially in the game in Boston against the Bruins.  He is showing why he was always thought of the solution in net to a franchise that has been searching for a permanent goalie problem since Hextall in the 80’s.

But in Carter Hart’s struggles, Brian Elliott has stepped up and come through!  He has played phenomenal so far this season, and kept the Flyers afloat when the defense and Hart were both struggling.

I know this team isn’t on the top of everyone’s minds, but there should be much more attention paid to them.  It is finally starting to come together for them and they are playing some of the best hockey as a team in years.

If you aren’t already on the bandwagon for these guys, don’t be afraid. Jump on with the rest of us. There’s more than enough room.