Flyers Name Their New Leadership Group
No need to edit anymore Flyers players with the "C" on their jerseys!
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports - Flyers Name Their New Leadership GroupIn a relatively unexpected move on Wednesday, the Flyers posted a cryptic video to their social medias implying that the announcement of an official captain was imminent.
Shortly after, it was confirmed that long-serving forward Sean Couturier, 31, had officially been named the 20th captain in Flyers franchise history. He will be the first Flyers player to wear the "C" since Claude Giroux departed Philadelphia in 2022.
Flyers GM Danny Briere said of Couturier's appointment as captain: "Sean Couturier is an ideal choice to be the next leader of the Philadelphia Flyers. Sean was drafted here and has made Philadelphia his home. I have personally seen his development from a responsible forwarf to one of the best two-way centermen in the game and a playoff performer. The adversity he has had to overcome has only strengthened his proven leadership. In this New Era of Orange with Dan Hilferty, Keith Jones, and John Tortorella at the helm, we couldn't be more proud to call him captain."
The Flyers also confirmed that Scott Laughton, 29, would be retaining the "A" he has been wearing (serving as the Flyers' only letter-wearer since Tortorella took over as head coach), while Travis Konecny, 26, would also be wearing an "A" as well (in spite of the running joke that he was the Flyers' captain this season).
Couturier missed the 2022-23 season (a total of 663 days) due to a severe back injury, in which there were legitimate fears that his career could be over. In that same season, Tortorella famously said that the Flyers would not have a captain that year. There is speculation that it took so long for the team to officially name him captain because the organization was trying to get a sense of how healthy he could remain since coming back from the injury.
"It's such a great honor," Couturier said of his appointment. "It's a really prestigious organization, so this makes it even more special. This city is my home and I love it here. It's going to be business as usual for me. Nothing is really going to change from me or my game and how I approach things. I love my teammates, how we have grown as a group and I want to make sure we keep going on the right path here."
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