Flyers fined by NHL for travel violation
The Flyers were fined an undisclosed amount of money on Sunday by the NHL for traveling on Dec. 26, a clear violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreeement's moratorium on team activities during the holiday break.
The league said they would have no further comment on the matter.
Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said the amount "was not important."
"I'm not going to get into details," Hextall said in a conference call with reporters.
Hextall said he was approached by Flyers players before the trip, asking if they could fly to Nashville on Dec. 26 on the night before the team's matchup against the Predators on Dec. 27. Normal team custom would have been to fly in the afternoon on Dec. 26, but a mandatory three-day holiday break, as bargained in the CBA, allows players three full days of rest.
Hextall said he approved the team's request.
"We were aware of the rule and we certainly accept the leagfue's decision," Hextall said. "After thought, it was tough to not allow them to do anything possible to win the game.
"Everything just made sense."
The Flyers appeared to skate free from the violation until a report from Rogers Sportsnet in Toronto tracked down their flight information. The NHL had already investigated the Ducks, Devils and Rangers for possibly organizing a practice on Dec. 26, which also would have been in violation of the rule, but all three teams were cleared.
The Flyers were not as lucky. Out of the 12 other teams to re-open the Dec. 27 schedule on the road, Sportsnet gathered tracking data from at least 10 of the teams, showing they all followed the rule and flew day-of-game. One of those teams, New Jersey, had a simple bus ride across the Hudson River. San Jose, the other, has their flight information blocked on tracking web site FlightAware.com.
Ultimately, Hextall said it was "his" call to make the decision to fly on that day. He said Flyers chairman Ed Snider wasn't happy about the fine but was ultimately supportive.
"There were some concerns on my part," Hextall said. "Guys are tired after the Christmas break. All of the sudden, you're asking guys to get out of bed at 5:30 in the morning to play a game that night. The hardest part of the situation was distance travel. It would have been an extremely tough travel day. You have to make decisions based on what makes sense."
The Flyers were one of the few road teams playing that day that required a time zone change, in addition to their 1 hour and 40 minute flight. However, the Chicago Blackhawks' flight to Denver was 40 minutes longer. They were among the 10 teams to follow the rule to the letter of the law.
The Flyers still lost in Nashville, 4-1, to Peter Laviolette's Predators.
"Is there a better way to handle it in the future?" Hextall asked. "That's for the league and the NHLPA to decide."
On Twitter: @frank_seravalli