Flyers see Phillies as model to restore success, energy back into home arena

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones hopes that the future of his organization is playing out on the other side of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

The Philadelphia Phillies are the talk of the region as they prepare to host the first two games of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park.

The Flyers are 1-1-0 and hoping to earn some attention in a crowded sporting landscape that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, who at 5-1 are tied for the best record in the NFL. They held an open practice Monday and play the Vancouver Canucks in their home opener at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET; NBCSP, SNP).

"I think the Phillies are a great comparison for us, just based upon where they were going back a year and a half ago or more where they weren't packing the place and things were stagnant," Jones said Monday. "They got better fast, and they've been on a great run since then. And now you can see all the fans return. I think that's what we want to ultimately have happen here.

"It's going to take us some time, but we want to get that same type of energy back in our building and in our franchise based upon our fans being happy about where we're at and where we're headed."

They feel they're headed in the right direction since May 11, when Jones was hired and Daniel Briere named general manager after he was interim GM since March.

"I feel like there's a real level of positivity going on," Jones said. "With that comes good energy. And I think we want to continue to build on that, realizing that we're going to have some bumps but really keeping an eye on No. 1, the culture within our team, and No. 2, an eye on the future.

"It's a balancing act, but we're definitely focused on trying to get this thing right."

Things like the open practice, which began about 10:30 a.m. ET, saw about 100 fans attend and shows the improvement in how the Flyers are viewed despite missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past three seasons.

"It's a Monday morning and they're coming out to support us and it means everything for us," forward Scott Laughton said.

Being as fan friendly as possible is a crucial component of what the Flyers are calling their "New Era of Orange," which so far has included changes large and small. The uniform was tweaked to more of a burnt orange reminiscent of the Stanley Cup championship teams from 1974 and 1975, and there was a return of dual Flyers logos at center ice at Wells Fargo Center rather than the center-ice red line splitting the logo.

In addition to the open practice, fans were invited to tour a remodeled home locker room, with Jones available to talk afterwards.

"We are both extremely focused on keeping our fans informed of what we're attempting to do and what we plan on doing," Jones said. "I think that's really important. I think our fans are owed that and we want to make sure that they feel like they're a part of this and that we're doing this together, so it's a real focus for us."

The players also can feel more of the positivity. Laughton said the vibe around the community feels more like it did in his rookie season in 2012-13, when the Flyers consistently sold out Wells Fargo Center.

"You're starting to feel it come back I think," he said. "Throughout the summer and the offseason ... just more positivity around it and around us heading into the year. I think the guys feel it."

Travis Konecny is one of several Flyers players who has attended Phillies playoff games during their run. He isn't jealous of the attention the baseball team is getting but rather anticipating that same level of intensity at Wells Fargo Center in the near future.

"I have excitement and I have a lot of hope looking forward to what our team is capable of getting to and seeing where the support is," he said. "I know exactly how our rink is going to be when we're in a position like that. I can already see it."