I think this is the area that needs to be addressed first.
Its not Holmgren, its not Steven’s.

You can see it on the ice that most of the guys don’t seem to have any heart. Your captain needs to solve that problem.

This speaks volumes about what’s been going on behind the scenes.

Leadership needs a good ol’ sitdown and discussion.

Lead topic – What the frack is going on here?

you know what, good for pronger. i went back and read through the richards/PR post comments from October 28 and there are a few ‘you can’t just call people out or tell it like you see it’. when things aren’t working, you have to react in a way that will work. pronger is an experienced captain (former) and perhaps that’s what he thinks this team needs and maybe even what richards needs.

I sense the parties from last year have carried over to this year.

The construction of this team is fundamentally flawed. Pronger and Lappy are strong leaders, but are new to the team, so regardless of how much experience they have, it’s not yet “their” team, so the direction has to come from the guys with the letters on their chests. I don’t think Homer’s the worst GM, although he has hamstrung himself a bit with his terrible mismanagement of the salary cap. Stevens is not a bad coach. The problem therein lies with the players. If they don’t improve their play soon, the coach could be the sacrificial scapegoat. If Stevens doesn’t want that to happen, he and the GM may have to do something drastic. Lockerroom shakeup, perhaps? Trade? I’m for anything at this point.

Things aren’t getting better from last season as there appears to be too much carry over of all those bad habits.

God I miss Keith Primeau!

I brought this up on the Steven’s firing post the other day, but I think its more relevant for this post now. My biggest problem with this team is our star players, Richards and Carter. Two years ago, They were both promising young players who played with emotion and hustle, now I look at the games and can’t even tell if those two are trying anymore. I don’t know what the problem is, maybe they got everything too early in there careers(Richie’s huge contract), or that they set standers that they themselves never should have set(Carter’s “fluky” 46 goals last year), or maybe Ownership/Coaching is too afraid to get down in the dirt with them.

Ever since Richie got the “C”, he has been a shadow of the player he was. I remember a time when he played hard and had some emotion in his game, when he took on Ovie early in his career was one of the best moments of recent Flyers history. Now, i just don’t know what to say of him, its painful.

Another thing about the attitude problem is that its contagious. when i look at the players who hustle anymore, I see Powe, Carcillo, Lappy, JVR, Asham, and Danny. Why don’t I see Carter, or Giroux, or Hartnell, Coburn, Kimmo, or Gagne playing with intensity? These are the players who I should notice, but they are ghost on the ice this season.

When we first got Pronger, i was against the idea of giving him the “C”, just because I though it would upset Richards and he’d cause a “scene” over it. But now, i give up, strip the asshole of the “C”, let Pronger take over, Im sick of watching my favorite team play like shit ever night. And if Richie wants it back, he better damn well play like his did two years ago, because his shits gotta stop now.

I don’t like commenting on locker-room stuff and who should be captain or who shouldn’t be Richards has worn the C at every level of competition he plays the way every player on this team should. Us fans are not in the locker room anyone who says this guys shouldn’t be an alternate or should be captain is just speculating basing their opinion on 2 minute clips and sound bites. Pronger has a much more dynamic personality that Richards, he is new in town and future Hall of Famer and is a great interview. The writers love him and they should but they also love to stir up trouble and controversy. Flat out nobody asked Richards these questions and therefore we have no idea what he would say. Also Richards did diss the press early this year in response to all the party party questions they kept asking. You know what happens when you hurt the feelings of a beat writer well now you are in for and in the crosshairs.

Notice how all we were talking about yesterday is “Fire Stevens!”

Now all we’re talking about is what the players need to do to get their house in order.

Shame on us for losing perspective like that. We’ve all been Philly fans for too long and, like it or not, have succumbed to the usual media treatment of our coaches, regardless of whether or not we as individuals support Stevens or call for his head.

Here we are now, discussing what the players need to do in order to set things right, and which players are best suited for the tasks at hand. And really this is what we should have been doing all along.

Talk about a wily veteran move by Pronger. Bravo, #20.

Maybe we need to do what San Jose did when they flopped last year in the playoffs. They took the C from Patrick Marleau and now he’s tearing it up. I know Richie is doing well right now but if you want to shake things up and not fire Stevens, then giving Pronger the C and Richie and A is probably the best thing. That or make a trade. Don’t get me wrong i hope Richie steps it up and leads the team. The Flyers are in a ‘funk’ right now and they are a better team

This team has FOUR alternating A’s behind a captain with the personality of a wet blanket. I think that says it all.

Pronger + Lappy + whoever the players like among the remaining Captains.

Mike Richards = Bobby Clarke mold. I laughed when they said it then, and I wish I was still laughing about it now. Kick Richards down to an A, or take it away all together. He’s at the center of a team that has been wildly inconsistent for going on three seasons now.

I don’t care who’s toes get stepped on.

Another Panaccio piece:

One player said Richards was going through "a rough time." This is just the second year of captaincy for the 24-year-old centerman from Kenora, Ont. "He’s still learning on the job," the player said. Holmgren said the same thing, admitting Richards needs to mature in some areas on how he handles the team in the dressing room. "He is not the most vocal guy," Holmgren said. "He leads our team very well by example. When he puts his leg over the boards, we pretty much know what we will get every night – good effort. It’s the little things away from the rink he needs to get better at, maybe in the locker room he has to get better. That’s part of the learning curve. We all expected that and knew that going into this when we named him captain. He’s continuing to get better on a daily basis."

Not exactly ringing endorsements there from a teammate and your GM.

How much difference does a letter on your jersey make?
Can no one else say anything in the locker room if they don’t have a C or A?
Does Pronger or Lappy need a flipping special little patch on their sweater to tell people how much this team needs to do something about winning?