Inside Holmgren's transition

WHEN PAUL Holmgren was promoted to Flyers team president last May, he didn't pack any boxes.

Unlike his predecessor, Peter Luukko, who also served as Comcast-Spectacor chief operating officer, Holmgren didn't want or need a cushy office at Wells Fargo Center.

For one, keeping his old digs at the team's practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., allowed him to stay closer to his South Jersey home.

More importantly, with an office window that overlooks the ice, Holmgren could remain close enough to feel the heartbeat of the team he has spent almost his entire adult life employed by.

"I'm still around the hockey team enough to feel the excitement of it," Holmgren said.

That's not to say Holmgren has not eagerly delved into his new role, which focuses on the overall day-to-day operations of the franchise.

The Flyers are Ron Hextall's roster to mold now, Holmgren wanted to make that clear. It's just that he still likes being in the loop on the hockey side.

"Ron and I talk on a daily basis, just like I did with Peter Luukko," Holmgren said last week during the Phantoms' home opener in Allentown in an interview about his transition. "I think that's the communication that good organizations have."

Holmgren dove in headfirst to the business side of the sport last summer. He participated in countless meetings over the summer at Wells Fargo Center, kind of a crash-course for the upcoming season. He has been involved in meetings in just about every side of the business - from marketing, to ticket sales, to premium seating, to finance.

Acting as a sponge, Holmgren made it a point to familiarize himself with as many people and faces as possible.

"I jumped in and met with a lot of people," he said. "The first part [of the summer] was a good learning experience for me. A lot of it was stuff that I hadn't paid attention to [as general manager] because I didn't have to or I didn't want to or I didn't have the time to.

"Now, I want to, and a lot of it, I have to pay attention to. It's been good that way."

Believe it or not, Holmgren was probably more involved than most NHL general managers with the business side of the Flyers. He was actually the creator of one of the team's marketing slogans one season.

Now that he's more involved, two surprising nuances have grabbed the attention of a 58-year-old man who has never worked in an office before.

"You sit in these big business deals that are going down and that stuff is pretty interesting - just the back and forth and the negotiation that goes on there," Holmgren said.

The other is that the Flyers' business side - separated from the hockey operations side by the Delaware River and a more 9-to-5 pace - isn't all that different.

"[Chief Operating Officer] Shawn Tilger and his staff are just another team," Holmgren said. "They have fun just like the hockey team does. They give each other [crap], they bust each other's [stones]. It's sort of different, because I've always been around a hockey environment. But it's pretty cool if you think about it."

There is no goaltending controversy in Philadelphia. Steve Mason is the starting goalie.

However, Craig Berube admitted after Wednesday's win in Pittsburgh that Ray Emery (2-0-1) has given him something to think about in terms of tomorrow night's starter vs. Detroit.

"We'll look at it and talk about it, like we do everything," Berube said. "We're going to put the best possible lineup on the ice on Saturday."

Mason, 26, has allowed 18 goals on 147 shots (.878 save percentage). He has not gotten much support defensively in five starts, but refused to let that serve as an excuse after Tuesday's shellacking in Chicago.

"Guys are supportive, but at the same time, it's my job to stop the puck," Mason said. "Sometimes you've got to find ways to make saves that maybe you weren't supposed to make."

There's no reason to suggest Mason's save percentage won't rise back toward his career average of .907. Many of the NHL's elite goaltenders are off to a rough start this season: Tuukka Rask (.880), Henrik Lundqvist (.894), Mike Smith (.822), Cory Schneider (.898) and Ryan Miller (.884).

Until then, Emery (.897) may just be the Flyers' man tomorrow night. Emery started consecutive games on only four occasions last season when Mason was healthy.

Despite a roller-coaster start, the Flyers awoke yesterday just two points back of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Through seven games last season (1-6-0), the Flyers were already eight points behind the Pittsburgh . . . GM Ron Hextall said forward Vinny Lecavalier (left foot) will resume skating today by himself at the team's practice facility. Lecavalier started out the season with three points in three games. He has been out since Oct. 11, but could return next week.