The longer they go without making a change behind the bench the harder it will be for them to justify a change in the future. If letting this team start the season with the nine worst games I have ever seen since I started watching this team in 2003 doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will.

The only start i remember being as close to this awful was 13-14 and that time we good coach after 3 games.

Charlie, as always you bring uncommon insight into what is going on with this team. With that insight, particularly Tocchet’s questionable decision making coupled with some of his answers to the questions posed by the team’s writers, such as: “What is wrong with the team” answer “I don’t know”, or how about (paraphrased) “The forwards get horny”. First I thought he might make it to Christmas if he keeps losing. Now, it looks like the losing shows no sign of letting up along with no indication of any corrective action by anybody in the organization, so now I think the new betting date should be moved up to Thanksgiving or sooner. What is really scary is that we have to assign blame right on up to Briere, Jones and Hilferty. Where in the world do we go from here?

It seems odd that we keep blaming the coaches but Tocchet appears to have lost his mojo . That being said there needs to be a change in player usage and also changes in personnel . This organization needs to be better …

I don’t know if the Flyers ever had a coach who was actually good at developing young talent. It’s a broad comment, but in recent memory, I guess we have to go back to Laviolette. Felt like he wanted the best players playing regardless of age or experience. Since then? It’s been pretty consistent–play seasoned underachievers and force younger guys to watch and just get frustrated. Ageism?

By comparison, the Canadiens brought in Martin St. Louis, who helped Caufield regain his game. It’s a young, talented team that has climbed in the ranks to be a future contender akin to the Hurricanes. Flyers philosophy is such that a guy like St. Louis would never be considered for a coaching gig here–and the results show.

I can’t comprehend what he’s even trying to do. Was he thinking that if he got through that shift he could unleash a (very) rested Cates/Michov/Martone line on their 4th line? I have to come up with these explanations because the easy explanation, that Taco is just that bad of a coach and absolutely refuses to change and admit he’s wrong, seems so impossible to me.

Maybe there will be more leaks about what players the team is disappointed in (like the cheap shot on Konecny while he’s hurt) to distract the parts of the fan base that think everything would be fine if they just hit people more or threw some cheap shots like it’s 1975.

Charlie – can you please indulge us, the psychos still following this train wreck, with an analysis of who you think would be a good replacement if Tochett was fired. I’m sure there are some good experienced coaches hanging around waiting for a job ( like Cassidy) but I’m interested in someone I don’t know.