The 5-foot-11, 204-pound forward has never been shy about throwing his weight around or engaging with an opponent. Acciari, who met with the local media by video conference on Tuesday, will now look to bring those same elements to his new team after being on the other side of the rivalry.
“I want to help out the team in any way possible,” he explained. “Whether it’s blocking a shot, throwing a big hit. All the little things that helped me throughout my career. I’d love to bring that to Philly," he said.“I think it meshes really well. I've gotten a lot of texts, calls from friends, family. People saying you fit the Flyer mold. Whether it’s a check, blocking shots, you don’t want guys (to relish} to play against you.
With the departures of Garnet Hathaway and Luke Glendening from the Flyers, Acciari wil step into a similar role as a veteran role player on a fairly young team. As with Hathway, Acciari adds physicality and penalty killing prowess. Meanwhile, as with Glendening, the Rhode Island native can play wing or center with equal degrees of comfort.
He's also been a valuable part of winning teams in his career. Most notably, as a member of the Boston Bruins in 2018-19, he appeared in 19 playoff games for a team that reached the Stanley Cup Final.
“I’ve had some really good experiences with some really good leaders. Back in Boston I played with Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and in Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby. Guys who know what it takes to win. What needs to be done day-in, day-out," Acciari said.
“If I can speak up when things are down, making sure we don’t get too down on ourselves. In a long season, there were going to be ups and downs. You have to kind of weather the storm. We have to make sure we can weather that.”
Although Acciari was on the other side of the Flyers-Penguins rivalry the last three seasons, he appreciated how the games between the two teams took on renewed intensity. He also gained respect for Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet's systems and how the team executes them.
“They made it difficult for us in Pittsburgh to get anything going. They didn’t give us much. That’s a testament to them, just being stingy. The amount of blocked shots, you couldn’t get many shots to the net. When we did get to the net, it wasn’t a great look. You could tell how much fun they were having, the excitement. Now being a part of it, I’m excited to build off of that. I think we can go even further," Acciari said.
Hockey is a small world. When a player has been in the game for as long as Acciari (585 NHL regular season games and counting), it's almost inevitable that he reunites with a few former teammates when he changes teams. In Acciari's case, the veteran forward played previously with goaltender Dan Vladar (Boston farm system) and Owen Tippett (Florida).
Meanwhile, this past season with Pittsburgh, Acciari memorably tangled with Philly's Trevor Zegras. In the ensuing scrum, Zegras ripped Acciari's helmet off his head.
"It's all water under the bridge," Acciari grinned.
“I have not talked to Trevor yet. That will come soon enough. We’ll have a good laugh at it now. He does what he needs to do on the ice to get under guys’ skin. He does a good job, he’s effective at it."
Acciari's comments on Tuesday were reminiscent of those once made by another former Penguin turned Flyer. During the late 2000s to early 2010s, Maxime Talbot and the Flyers were mutual thorns in each other's sides. They went through two playoff series and various regular season battles. During the 2011 offseason, Talbot switched teams, signing with Philadelphia as a free agent.
"The guys you hate on the other side are some of the best teammates to play with," Talbot said.
Fifteen years later, Noel Acciari and the Flyers expect the same to hold true.
