For the first time in years, the Philadelphia Flyers opened training camp with something unexpected: relief.
No infamous rope test, no grueling ritual designed to push lungs and legs to their absolute breaking point before anyone even touched a puck. Instead, the Flyers walked into a rink humming with pace, purpose, and something that’s been missing for too long—optimism.
Travis Konecny summed it up in simple terms: “Nice little reset for everyone here,” he said. “It’s exciting, so good first day.”
That “reset” has been the unofficial theme. The Flyers are a team trying to shed the weight of what they’ve been and embrace what they could become. For the players, it means a chance to work within systems from day one, not a week of survival tests. For the fans, it means a new era under Rick Tocchet—a coach who knows exactly what that crest on the front of the jersey means.
A Day Without the Rope
Sean Couturier, who has experienced many different camps under many different coaches, couldn’t help but acknowledge the elephant in the room.
“For day one, we’re actually getting into some systems and playing hockey, so it’s different than using a rope, that’s for sure,” he said with a grin. “I think every coach has their way of building things and you just want to get into systems right away and then get going right away, not waste any time. It’s fun to see it.”
There was still rust. There were still "sloppy moments," as Tocchet put it. But there was also a different energy—a certain weight lifted off shoulders, a sense that the team was learning together, not being broken down to nothing before being built back up again.
Tocchet’s Stamp
Rick Tocchet, facing reporters in Flyers colors again, looked more like a man coming home than a coach starting a new job.“[The first day of camp] was good,” he said. “I thought there was some good pace. It’s like every coach will say, we had some sloppy moments, but you’re gonna have some sloppy moments. But what I like is when guys stick with it. You’re going to go through certain things. We threw some new drills—they don’t know my drills, so you have to take that into effect. So overall, I was really pleased with the guys.”
One thing that management and current players alike have praised Tocchet on is the fact that he understands better than most about what it truly means to be a Flyer, and that was more evident than ever when he described what it felt like to be back in Philly colors.
“This is a special place for me," he explained. "The crest is big. Even the new guys I brought in, like, they haven’t been around, but you can tell that they know what it means to be a Flyer. We were just talking about it, we had a meeting yesterday; the new guys know how special it is.”
That word—special—isn’t tossed around lightly. Tocchet wants his team to honor the crest not just with effort, but with identity.
“I expect them to work hard. I don’t have to get it out of them, in a sense,” he said. “I need to get these guys in concepts of what we want to do. We need to hold on to pucks; we don’t want to throw pucks—we want to be a better possession team… There’s not a lot of time, so you want to make sure that guys know their system on Opening Night. It’s gonna take some time. They’re gonna have to get used to some of the stuff that we’re gonna do, but they should always be working on it. They shouldn’t have to have it demanded out of them.”
A Hunger That’s Been Building
If Tocchet is the architect, it’s up to the players to build the house. And Konecny, who has lived through the rebuild years, was blunt about what the roster feels right now: hunger.
“I think every year you come in trying to finish as high as you can in the standings,” he said. “Whether it’s named a rebuild or not, I think as players, you just naturally want to finish as high as you can. But I think this year, mentally, you look at it and we’ve kind of spent enough time down here and we’re all hungry to see where that takes us moving forward.”
That hunger is echoed by Couturier, who pointed to the message from general manager Danny Brière.
“Keep taking a step forward, push ourselves, and don’t get comfortable,” Couturier said. “We’re young; some guys are starting to get established, and even as veterans or established NHL players, you can’t get too comfortable. There’s more guys pushing for your job. I think we’re seeing right now the depth that we have, with draft picks over the years and guys in the minors coming up. There seems to be a lot of prospects on the rise. So, I think the message is just don’t get comfortable, keep getting better, keep on track, improve this team, and push ourselves.”
That pressure from below—the kids knocking on the door—isn’t a threat. It’s fuel. For the Flyers to become something more than just “promising,” the veterans and prospects alike will have to rise together.
The First Step Forward
The first day of camp doesn’t decide anything. Nobody books a playoff berth or loses a roster spot on Day One. But what it does set is tone. And on Thursday in Voorhees, the Flyers found theirs: focused, fast, refreshed, and unburdened.
The rope is gone. The reset button has been pressed. And for a franchise that has lived in limbo for too long, that might just be the first real win of the season.