5 Takeaways: New Flyers Management Group Press Conference

The Philadelphia Flyers held a press conference at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday to introduce the organization's new hockey operations "triumvirate" as well as the executive side. The press conference panel was as follows:

Danny Briere, general manager
Keith Jones, president of hockey operations
John Tortorella, head coach
Dan Hilferty, Comcast Spectacor Chairman & CEO and Governor of the Flyers
Valerie Camillo. President & CEO, Spectacor Sports and Entertainment, Alternate Governor

On Thursday, the Flyers removed the "interim" tag from Briere's general manager title and named longtime broadcaster Jones as the president of hockey operations. Last month, Hilferty succeeded the retiring Dave Scott in the Comcast Spectacor and Flyers hierarchy. Friday's press conference was Hilferty's first in his new capacity.

Earlier this year, when Hilferty came aboard prior to taking over atop Comcast Spectacor and the Flyers, Camillo was promoted to the top of the Spectacor entertainment division while retaining alternate governorship of the Flyers. Tortorella, of course, was hired as head coach last summer and completed his first season at the helm in 2022-23.

Here are five key takeaways from the messaging of Friday's press conference.

1. The words of the day: collaboration and teamwork.

Hilferty referred to the envisioned functioning of Briere, Jones, and Tortorella as one steeped in collaboration -- as a three-person group where hockey-only matters are concerned and with a five person group with Hilferty and Camillo where the overall organizational direction is discussed. The other press conference attendees, one by one, echoed similar visions.

This is something of a non-traditional power structure in the National Hockey League. For that reason, Hilferty said that he was looking more at the mix of personalities -- the level of hockey knowledge, as well as familiarity, trust and rapport -- that the President of Hockey Operations would have with the general manager and head coach, and vice versa. This ultimately superseded previous NHL managerial experience in the hiring decision.

"We all come into any endeavor with certain gifts and talents," Hilferty said. pledging not to meddle in hockey-specific decisions. "Hockey is hockey. It's about both sides (hockey ops and the business side) understanding each other."

Hilferty says that Flyers senior management initially cast a wide net for the President of Hockey Operations candidate search. The Flyers hired Billy King's Modern Executive Solutions as well as Neil Glasberg's group. There was an "exhaustive" initial pool of candidates, which was whittled down to a smaller group and then to three finalists, from which Jones got the position.

2. POHO will be big-picture focused

Hilferty said that, as President of Hockey Operations, Jones will have hiring and firing power within the department. Jones and Tortorella will both have input in roster evaluation and team-building matters, but the power to make final decisions on trades, waiver moves, player signings, and drafting will entirely be Briere's.

Tortorella's main focus as head coach will be all the traditional duties (determining systems, managing lineups and playing time, making strategic decisions, delegating duties to the assistant coaches) but he will also continue to be empowered to make recommendations and offer opinions to the others.

Jones, according to Hilferty, will primarily look at the big-picture direction of the team rather than the day-to-day details. He'll be available to offer observations and ideas to Briere and Tortorella but, Jones said, he plans to otherwise just let the others do their jobs. In similar fashion, he will collaborate with the business side.

"We will get it right together," Jones said. "This is not 'my' team. It's our team."

Jones said that in his longtime capacity as a broadcaster both on the local and national levels, he's gotten the benefit not only of seeing every team play and having day-to-day access to coaches but also to pick the brains of general managers and other high-level executives; some of the most successful of whom are his longtime friends.

Tortorella, who has never been shy about expressing his opinions, said that Briere and Jones bring their own candor, as well as knowledge.

"We'll have arguments along the way, but that's a good thing [in the bigger picture]," Tortorella said. "Sometimes it will be all five of us in the room. Sometimes, we will tell Dan and Val to leave the room, and we'll work it out."

Added Briere, "I don't want 'yes' men or women. I want people with their own opinions and ideas."

3. Briere was the lone GM candidate

While there was a multitude of candidates considered from the President of Hockey Operations role before Jones was hired, Hilferty said there were no general manager candidates considered other than Briere despite the "interim" tag he held from the time Chuck Fletcher was dismissed from the combined title of GM and President of Hockey Operations.

"Watching Danny as a leader, interim title or not, we had our general manager," Hilferty said.

Briere said that, even during his playing days, he had post-career ambitions on the executive side of the game rather than coaching. He didn't know at the time it'd be at the NHL level, but he's always been drawn to studying and analyzing how successful teams are put together.

Even before his retirement from playing, for example, Briere said that he tried to look at the managerial decisions by Darcy Regier, Paul Holmgren, Marc Bervegin, and Joe Sakic, among others from a roster-building standpoint as well as working within the parameters of budget and salary cap considerations. Before ascending to the interim GM role, Briere apprenticed in the Flyers organization, preparing in stages to someday manage the business, roster-relation and day-to-day details of a general manager. He also took business classes at Wharton.

"I think I've learned a lot. I've seen what areas we need to improve on and focus on," Briere said.

4. Jones:"This is the only team I would have done this for"

According to Jones, he greatly enjoyed his broadcasting gig and never gave much consideration to seeking a role in hockey management. However, when the Flyers' PoHO role became available, he decided to put his candidacy up for consideration after talking it over with his family.

"It was not an easy decision," Jones said. "This is the only team I would have done this for. ....I'm thrilled to give back to the city what they've given to me."

Jones recalled the instant sense of pride and responsibility to properly represent the Flyers crest that he felt the day of his arrival in Philadelphia after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade for fan favorite Shjon Podein. He said that he shares a vision with Briere and Tortorella to restore that identity to the team and sense of pride among the players and the fanbase alike.

"We are going to get back to that," Jones pledged.

Jones agreed with Briere's assessment that the Flyers took positive -- albeit modest in the big picture -- preliminary steps in the right direction in 2022-23. The team, at least, was more competitive in most games than it was in 2020-21 or 2021-22. However, a lot of work remains to be done.

5. It won't happen overnight.

The panelists said that the changes in hockey operations management will not miraculously turbo-charge the painstaking rebuild that began last season. However, they believe the right group is in place to see the process through successfully.

"It's going to be a multi-year process," Hilfterty said, adding that his barometer for success will be on moving the big picture objectives further.

From a hockey standpoint, it will involve continuing to establish -- and then reinforce or, if needed, adjust-- a team nucleus group on a year-by-year basis. From a big picture side, it will entail supporting community initiatives and making fans feel invested in the club as was the case for generations.

Hilferty said that he can't manage the organization identically to the late Ed Snider. He can only be himself. But the organization can use its traditions as a guide and inspiration for building its future.

Added Jones, "We will work hard to honor Mr. Snider's legacy."