YAY! I'm sure he still has a lot to offer the team. Good for Desjardins!

full time defensive coach, anyone?

Top idea. One of the best D-men we've ever had, and we could do with it, to be fair.

Are you saying Terry Murray should be fired?

Well, he's no Rico...

thats awesome i wish him all the luck in the world

Great to see Rico coming back. Would be awesome if we could sign him to a long-term position.

Awesome news ! he can help train, and teach our younger defence and make them more NHL ready.

Awesome news. Desjardins was one great d-man. I hope his talents are as good as a defensive coach. It's gonna be cool to have him back working with the team.

Yes he should! I've kept saying that I don't like Murray as the defensive coach. It's great to see Rico back with the Orange and Black. My all time favorite Flyers Player. I still have an authentic jersey off his with the Captains C on it.

Let's not be hasty. I'm thrilled Rico is coming back to the orgnization. I'm not surprised at all. But great player does not = great coach. So I'm not going to replace a longtime, established coach with someone whom we don't know how he will turn out.

Look at the personel he was given last year.

I thought that Murray did a great job with his defense scheme against Ovechkin in the playoffs

I've disliked Murray for a long time going back to when he was the head coach.

ditto

I have to dissagree with you here, Murray was a good head coach and wrongfully fired when he was. All he did was say that his team choked, which they did. Sure some of the blame had to fall on him, but the players got away scott free. A bunch of BS if you ask me.

Camden Courier-Post:


Maybe we should have had him scouting the Pens and Rags series too.

Welcome back Rico! I am so happy that he will help young players

he was my favorite player i'm so glad to see him back... now all they need to do is get primeau back

Ha. Homer couldn't sign the game breaking defenseman he wanted, so he hired a retired one!

It's just a part time role so far, but I think it's safe to say that everyone here thinks highly of Desjardins and is glad he's back with the team in some capacity.

Welcome back Eric!!

I completely agree. He was wrongly fired because he spoke his mind. I do think the team choked (because they could have at least played better) but they were also completely over matched. They didn't choke in the sense that they were the clear favorite and blew it, they choked in the sense that they didn't even show up.

That wasn't Murray's fault.

You can dislike him all you want. There's plenty of guys I am not a big fan of, Hitchcock for one. But I can't deny the man's talents.

Thanks!

http://flyers.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=3...mp;service=page


Glad he's back in some capacity.

In response to those who say a great player does not = great coach, I agree most of the time. When said great player was also a great leader on the ice and in the locker room and thinks the game the way Rico does, I believe he has the tools, mind, and leadership ability to be a great coach in the NHL.

WOO WELCOME BACK ERIC!

THIS!!!^^^^^^^

To be is not the same as he is. He needs some experience as well before we start throwing him jobs. Let him work himself up there. It sure sounds promising though

I agree as well. He's the best Flyers coach since Mike Keenan.

That said, just because some of us are glad rico is back, is doesn't mean we hate Murray and automatically think Rico is some savior.

I like Murray AND I am glad Rico is back. Why should I be forced to choose from extremes?

I'm not making you choose. I'm talking to the "Let's fire Murray and replace him with Rico" crowd. They already did choose from one of those extremes, which is what I objected to.

I think Murray isn't that great of a coach as people make him out to be. In 97 when he was caoch he had the Liegon of Doom line that rampaged over everyone in the East. But in the Cup Finals he couldn't figure out Bowmans system and never made a adjustments. Then blamed his players and never took any of the blame himself.

Regarding Desjardins. Holmgren himself has said that he has a eye for the game and was a huge asset in thier win over Montreal in the playoffs because of his scouting reports. It's not that I'm saying he should be a head coach but I think he could coach the defense. He tutored many young defensemen when he played. So why coulnd't he be an Asst. Coach and coach the defense?

Please, please, please tell me you didn't just blame Murray and absolve the players (who happened to lay down and die)? You are not really saying that are you?

Murray was a great coach, but I think any coach's stock as a leader drops sharply when he doesn't take all of the blame on his shoulders with the media. I don't really care what the situation was with the players.

Desjardins should be a great, fresh addition. Especially considering the direction that we're trying to take our defensive core.

pretty mind blowing when someone disagrees with you, isnt it?

No, the mind blowing part is that someone can actually come to the defense of that team and blame the coach for telling the truth. They folded like a cheap suit. I don't think they could have won that series, but they completely caved when the going got tough.

He ll I couldn't stand Hitchcock, but I wouldn't blame him and hime alone for that debacle two years ago. They quit on him. Just like the team that quir on Barber and the one that quit on Murray.

I think you're oversimplifying the situation. I don't know how many players you could honestly say would "fold" when they finally get to the Stanley Cup finals due to lack of effort or drive. It's the pinnacle of any player's career and what they strive for their whole lives. That makes your statement a little exaggerated based on your assumptions and outside observations.

Of course you do.

What am I thinking? No team ever quit on a coach. Thanks for setting me on the traight path. I;m a better person for having been graced by your depth of knowledge. I will never doubt any of our players again and always root for them no matter how good or bad they are.

I'm glad you've finally come around.

I'm sorry, I thought I could have an intelligent conversation with you, I guess I'll never learn. Yes, any player would quit on their coach when they're inches away from kissing the Cup just to spite the coach. That sounds logical. What was I thinking?

why would you ever think that?

Fair enough




The 'choking' comment was harsh, but I think it was said in the heat of the moment and I'm sure he would take it back. He should have apologized but it was an overreaction to fire him.

I understand the heat of the moment thing, and I gave that excuse to him right after it happened. But a coach needs to have the ability to control himself "in the heat of the moment" in my opinion. I think that's one of the expectations when you get to a leadership position of that magnitude.

Yes , he`s baaaaaaaaack .

Great news to have an experienced player with the rookie defenceman.

He sure will have their respect and will instill his philosophy of hard work and consistency on ice . It takes a lot to be a great defenceman . They are not in the spotlight as the scorers but they are as imortant.

Still a Desjardins fan...

Re-bievenue chez les Flyers Eric ,

Go Rico Go !! Faut battre les canadiens cette année aussi !!!!

Go Flyers Go.

Up

I Remember Eric had a penalty against Washington in Washinton. I forget who fed him the puck, but as he stepped out of the box, he got a sweet pass, went in on the break-a-way and scored!

He'll be a improvment to the team this season.

The comment came after game 3 in which is team lost 6-1. His team was outscored 14-5 at that point in the series as well. His goalies could stop a beach ball and the rest of the team couldn't do anything right.

Harsh or not, saying they were choking was totally accurate and valid. That team laid down they vey second things got slightly hard and Murray took the fall for all of it.

Where did you see me defeanding the players? Why is it that you pick out things that aren't there? The players were to blame as well, but Murray never took any of the blame himself. He lobbed it all on the players. Any good coach will take one for his players even if he knows they didn't play thier best. Murray never did. He threw his team under the bus. Then people want to know why he got fired? Well you don't do what he did and expect the team to be coached by the guy who just bashed them in the media and never once claimed that he might have been at fault himself.

I couldn't be happier to hear Rico's going to be a coach with the team. Next step: find a position for Hexy and convince him to come back.

Asst. GM?

It is tough to see him rotting in L.A.

I didn't pick. I asked. Two times as a matter of fact. I thought that was pretty clear. Question marks imply a question.

What did you want Murray to do? Pull an Andy Reid? He does exactly what you are describing week after week and a lot of people hate that abotu him. he constantly touts "company line" BS and blames himself and never his players.

I know why he got fired. He was honest. He certainly didn't do a bad job coaching the team for the several years before. It was all based on that one comment. Harsh/throwing them under the bus, call it what you want, but it was true at that point in the series. See my post to the O&B for more explanation.