The Philadelphia Flyers, who haven't made a real postseason since 2018, are currently in the nadir of a rebuild. Their most notable moment last season might've been when a player refused to wear a Pride Night warmup jersey. That guy was traded in June, but it was because he could get them draft picks and prospects. In any case, it's prudent of them to allow people to focus on the losing rather than unforced errors.
Their most notable move this summer so far has been the signing of winger Garnet Hathaway for two years and $4.75 million. The reason this is notable has nothing to do with what he can bring to Philadelphia. In Hathaway's introductory presser, held over a video call, members of the Flyers' social media staff forgot to use the mute button and talked shit about a reporter.
The question that prompted the rude whining was asked by Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Hey Garnet, I was just wondering: As a veteran with a relatively successful NHL career, what makes the Flyers during a rebuild state a destination that was desirable?" It's a pretty basic question to ask a newly signed player: What appeals to you about your new team? If anything, it gives Hathaway the opportunity to say something complimentary about the Flyers, a rarity these days.
Someone else on the call reacted a different way: "How many times is she gonna ask this fucking question?" A second person chimed in with a sarcastic rephrasing: "The Flyers suck; why do you want to be here?"
Because the Flyers streamed the presser live, everyone had a chance to get the unfiltered opinions of these team employees. A social media staffer who wants to complain about a reporter would be wise to not do it in a situation where they also show that they're bad at social media.
President of hockey operations Keith Jones issued an apology Tuesday night through the Flyers' Twitter account for the "disrespectful remarks by members of our social media staff," and said the team would talk to Han and the Inquirer personally. I wonder who handled posting that tweet.
