Berube embarks on first full season as Flyers coach

BOSTON - Maybe Ed Snider's historically itchy trigger finger is to blame.

Maybe the pundits just figure the Flyers won't be a very good team this year.

Or, perhaps it's because Craig Berube was hired by Paul Holmgren, meaning he wouldn't necessarily be Ron Hextall's choice to coach the team.

Either way, Las Vegas oddsmakers installed Berube with 4-to-1 odds to be the first coach fired in the NHL this season - behind only Toronto's Randy Carlyle and the Islanders' Jack Capuano.

Nevermind that tonight at TD Garden will be his first Opening Night as an NHL head coach. Berube, 48, replaced Peter Laviolette four games into last season. It was Laviolette who had the best odds to be first fired last October.

Unlike Laviolette, who is now in Nashville, Berube isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"I don't feel any different, to be honest with you," Berube said yesterday. "It's different because you're obviously in charge of the team now. You want the team to do well. But it's just Opening Night, another game. Let's get going.

"I take stuff with a grain of salt."

Unlike Carlyle or Capuano, Berube's team actually made the playoffs last season. In fact, San Jose's Todd McLellan was the only other coach of a playoff team to be given odds.

The oddsmakers seem to have forgotten that after a 12-game adjustment period (4-7-1) under Berube, the Flyers went 38-20-9 to close out the regular season. It was the fifth-best record in the NHL over that span.

"I don't think [players resisted his changes to start]. It's just muscle memory. It's changing. It takes time to change. It doesn't just happen overnight," Berube said. "Habits can creep back in at any time. And they do. That's why you've got to stay on top of it. If you have players that can take constructive criticism, and want to learn and want to get better, then you're going in the right direction."

Believe it or not, Berube's message to the Flyers yesterday wasn't about getting off to a hot start, or avoiding the pitfalls of last October. They already know their season cannot be won in October or November, but it can certainly be lost.

"I don't really focus on telling my team to get off to a good start and stuff. They all know that," Berube said. "Everybody [in the league] wants to get off to a good start.

"I talked to them about being mentally ready. Physically, we are ready. We've had good practices. I think overall, camp has been good. We've gotten good work in. We look like a fast team out there to me. So, it just becomes a mental game."

Craig Berube named winger Wayne Simmonds and defenseman Mark Streit as the alternate captains to Claude Giroux. They will take over the "A's" left behind by Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen, who may never play again after he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots.

"They lead by example," Berube said. "That's the biggest thing for me, leading by example."

Simmonds, 26, is entering his fourth season with the team. He led the Flyers in goals last season (29) and is consistently praised by Berube for "playing the right way." He is one of the rare Flyers to show up on nights even when his teammates do not.

"You're not going to command a lot of respect in the dressing room if you're going out there lollygagging on the ice and not working hard," Simmonds said last week. "I think first and foremost, you've got to be the guy out there that's working the hardest and that's one of things that I admire most about [Giroux]."

Streit, 36, was the New York Islanders' captain from 2011-13. This is his second year with the Flyers. He is cerebral, well-spoken and always answers for the team, in good times and bad. Streit led the Flyers in preseason scoring with eight points in four games.

"I love taking responsibility," Streit said. "I feel way more comfortable than last year, it was a natural transition. I was never a guy who steps in rah-rah right away with a new team. I try to settle in quietly, and over time, take more responsibility on and off the ice."

All signs point to Wayne Simmonds (left foot contusion) being in the Opening Night lineup. He skated in a full-length practice yesterday for the second day in a row. He also took line rushes with his normal mates, Matt Read and Sean Couturier.

If Simmonds sits as a precaution, Blair Jones will make his Flyers debut. Jones, 28, was thrilled to break camp with the Flyers, but this is not his first rodeo. He has played 128 games over 8 years with Tampa Bay and Calgary.

"I've been sent down more times than I can count," Jones said with a smile. "I'm excited to be here. But I know how quickly things can change in this league. I know not to take anything for granted."

ESPN.com conducted an anonymous poll of 15 NHL front-office members to rank all 30 starting goaltenders from top to bottom. The Flyers' Steve Mason ranked 19th . . . Vinny Lecavalier will take Scott Hartnell's spot on the first unit power play, roaming the middle of the ice. For Lecavalier, Craig Berube said it will be about "being patient and opening up opportunities for other players" since many teams will respect his one-timer capability in the slot.

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