Flyers New Locker Room Has Practical and Symbolic Meaning

At Monday morning's open practice at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers unveiled their fully renovated new dressing room not only to members of the media but to the team's players. To a man, the Flyers players were impressed by their new digs. 
 
"It's an awesome room," said Scott Laughton, who has been in the Flyers' organization for 11 years. "It looks great. We talk about a 'New Era' and the Flyers identity and I think this is a part of it."
 
Added Noah Cates, in very similar fashion, "With the new room, and the 'New Era of Orange' and all that, it's pretty cool to have a new room and have the fans [at the practice] behind us."
 
Before walking into the new dressing room for the first time, the words of Flyers Vice President of Community Development and Flyers Alumni Association President Brad Marsh came to mind. Marsh, a veteran of 1,086 NHL regular season games and 97 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs suited up for five teams during his NHL career: the Atlanta/Calgary Flames, the Flyers (for seven seasons), the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames. In each and every club, Marsh served either as team captain or an alternate captain. 
 
As such, he is uniquely qualified to knowledgeably discuss what makes for a good locker room.
 
"First of all, look at the size of the room. Most modern-day dressing rooms are way too big. There are too many places for players to hide," Marsh said. 
 
"The number one key to the success of any team is accountability: accountability to yourself, your teammates and to the organization. I wanted to be able to look each player in the eye while we were getting ready, at intermission and especially after the game."
 
The Flyers new locker room at Wells Fargo Center is spacious but not TOO spacious. Every player in the room can see all of his teammates without it feeling claustrophobic.
 
Additionally, Marsh stressed that a dressing room should instantly reflect a team's history, culture and identity. That's something the Flyers have done well since the days of the Spectrum and the old Coliseum training facility in Voorhees. 
 
"The dressing room is an extension of the organization, the team and the individuals on the team," Marsh said. 
 
"The dressing room makes players into a team. That team carries itself forward with pride, respect and dignity, knowing that as individuals, they will do anything for each other in order for the team to succeed. When someone disrespects that atmosphere and makes it a hostile place for his own teammates, that person needs to be called out and removed from the environment."
 
One of the overriding themes of the new dressing room is that the familiar elements of Flyers history are present as players head to the room -- a space in the player entry corridor honoring the players who've had their numbers retired, for example, and reminders in entry way from the event level hallway of club culture and glories. However, these features are not present once players step within the dressing room space proper. The space where the whole team congregates and spends the most time is for current (and future) Flyers players to define the meaning of and make into their own. It will be their responsibility moving forward to shape what it means to be part of the Flyers dressing room.
 
There are many high-tech elements incorporated into the new dressing room, which has become the standard in today's NHL, as well as fully equipped workout facilities. "We supply everything but guts" is an age-old hockey saying, but it's true that the amenities available to the Flyers players, coaches and within the event level's family-friendly spaces are extensive. 
 
As with the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, there's a giant center-mounted Flyers logo in the dressing and it's visible overheard. Not only does it prevent anyone from stepping on the logo accidentally -- an age-old taboo in most team sports but especially in hockey --but it's also symbolic. The team crest is always over and above every individual in the room.