Atkinson Envisions a Winning Culture

In each of the last two seasons, the Flyers got off to a good start in terms of their early won-loss record. However, the team was not playing to a level of period-to-period or game-to-game consistency that would typically be conducive to sustained winning.

In the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, the Flyers held an 11-4-3 record entering the month of March. The team went 14-19-5 the rest of the way with March being one of the worst months of hockey in franchise history from a goals against average perspective. A torrid offensive start -- the Flyers ranked 4th in goals per game after 18 games -- simultaneously gave way to scoring struggles for much of remainder of the campaign. In 2021-22, the Flyers started out 6-2-2 through 10 games. That soon gave way to a 19-44-9 record the rest of the season.
Right winger Cam Atkinson was still with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020-21. Last season, however, he agonized through what he deemed on Exit Day to be an embarrassing season for everyone associated with the club.
As someone who played for John Tortorella for six years in Columbus and developed a strong relationship with the hard-pushing coach -- going so far as to publicly voice support for the Flyers bringing "Torts" more than a month before the actual hire was made -- Atkinson believed that Tortorella's strengths as a head coach were well-matched to what the player viewed as the team's biggest needs. Specifically, the player felt that greater structure, teamwide accountability and unity were a must.
During a press conference on Tuesday at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, Atkinson discussed his expectations for training camp and beyond.

"At Torts' camps, there's no surprises. One thing I appreciated is that we're all doing it together. It's a grind, but it's a way for us to build a camaraderie and build that brotherhood, knowing that it sucks not only for you, but every guy around you. There's a rhyme, a reason. It's meant to be hard. It's meant so when you start the regular season, you have your legs in the third period when other teams don't," Atkinson said.
The player said that many fans have the wrong idea about what it's like playing for Tortorella. He is very demanding but he's not someone who relies only on screaming at players and ruling by fear. That would not work in today's NHL.
"People see the YouTube clips with Torts," Atkinson said. "But that's not [the day-to-day], and [a lot of the video clips are from years ago. He's a fiery guy. He pushes you, but in a different way. The league has gotten younger."
One thing that has not changed about Tortorella, Atkinson said, is that he does not play favorites in the locker room. He'll push everyone as he sees fit, and players are expected to meet the standards the coach sets. He has no compunction about benching even star players and no one is above being critiqued at times.
"It doesn't matter who you are, how much you've made or where you've played. We're going to play the right way," Atkinson promised.
In terms of what "team culture standards" need to be changed in a locker room that Tortorella described as "splintered" last season based on conversations with management and players, Atkinson said that's partially a mental shift and ultimately something that is driven by results.
"Winning, which I know is going to happen. Expecting to win, not hoping to win. Coming to play, every night. Everyone knows you're coming to play. It may not always be pretty. That's what changing the culture and accountability are about. The fans will recognize it," he said.
"Playing when you're tired. That's one of his big philosophies - playing when you're tired. That's huge. And just the amount of skating is another huge component. … It's taxing on your legs. It's not fun while you're doing it, but it's great when you kind of get over that hump and you start feeling great, especially in the third period of a close game."
Atkinson reiterated that he was personally embarrassed by the team's trajectory last season. The level of game-to-game and period-to-period inconsistency was unacceptable and there were times when the club was insufficiently competitive in games. Atkinson pointed to some overachieving teams he played for in Columbus under Tortorella as having a club-wide mentality the Flyers need to adopt.
"This will be a different year," Atkinson vowed.
The veteran forward was asked about the widespread predictions that the Flyers will finish near the bottom of the NHL standing. Atkinson said that he filters out the "outside noise" and focuses on what the players themselves can do.
Atkinson's name is one that comes up -- along with the likes of Sean Couturier and Scott Laughton -- as a potential choice when a captain is eventually named. Tortorella told Sirius XM this week that he's in no hurry to name a captain to succeed departed franchise icon Claude Giroux.
On Tuesday, Atkinson said that, regardless of whether he has a letter on his sweater, he'll do his best to lead by example. Being the captain or an alternate captain would not change his approach.