Pool Workout Or Party? Did A Saturday “With The Boys” Re-energize The Flyers?

After the Philadelphia Flyers lost 5-0 in Game2 to the Montreal Canadiens, the morale was low. It was the first time that the Flyers had been punched in the mouth since their return.

However, a short-term memory is something that is needed this time of year. After a 1-0 win against the Canadiens last night, the Flyers seem to have it.

In Game 3, the Flyers were a completely different team. They were strong against the boards, forechecking hard, & absolutely suffocating Montreal over 60-mins.

So, how did their Game2 memory fade & go away so quickly? The answer may shock you. But, remember everyone still has a kid in them no matter what their age is.

Head coach Alain Vigneault gave the team off on Saturday. Instead of practicing & punishing them for a bad effort, Vigneault let them relax & motivate themselves. But, don’t think Vigneault thought this was the way they were going to do it.

After shutting out the Canadiens in Game3, Carter Hart was asked about what the team did to re-energize themselves after the 5-0 defeat in Game2.

“We had a nice little pool workout. It ended up being a competition for who can hold their breath under the water the longest and who could swim the farthest (laugh). That was pretty fun. Just had some fun with the boys and got away from the game a little bit. I think it’s important when you have a day there to get away from the game and just have fun with the boys.” – Carter Hart

 

Yes, the Flyers relaxed & re-energized with a pool party. Every kid has played “who can hold their breath the longest” and you have to love the Flyers team playing that during a Stanley Cup run.

Now, teams in the past have used off days to re-boot mentally. But, can say, never heard any stories of a team doing it over a pool party. While it may seem odd, a day with “the boys”, as Carter Hart phrased it, was what was needed.

However, this wasn’t the first interesting mental reset that the leadership in the locker-room has went through.

In 2017, the Flyers had just lost their 10-straight game. With morale at an all-time low, the Flyers left for a 3-game western Canada road-trip. It was on this road-trip that the Flyers would start their historic comeback to a playoff berth.

Claude Giroux after the Flyers returned from their 3-0-0 western road-trip gave an answer that is very similar to the Flyers pool party mentality.

“We just had one or two beers and talked about it to see what kind of team we wanna be.”- Claude Giroux

 

Taking a step away from the game is needed sometimes. Whether it be a 10-game losing or getting dismantled 5-0, a mental reset is needed. A mental reset that this locker-room seems to know how to do very well. No matter how odd the reset may seem.

Photo by Mark Blinch via Getty Images