Coach Quenneville rumors are flying like Gritty in the rafters

The only positive attention the Philadelphia Flyers have been receiving this season has been focused on their mascot manifestation of Philadelphia’s “No one likes us, we don’t care” mantra, Gritty. However, Monday’s announcement of the firing of Head Coach Dave Hakstol has sparked speculation of Joel Quenneville fulfilling his duties in the future.

In his fourth and final season as Flyers coach, leaving with a record of 134-101-42, Hakstol’s release was made public in a statement by Flyers’ GM Chuck Fletcher:

“After meeting this morning with Dave Hakstol and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to relieve him of his duties as head coach,” he explained. “As I continue to assess the team, I feel that this is the best course of action for our group moving forward. I’d like to thank Dave for his service to the team and the organization. Scott Gordon will serve as head coach on an interim basis.”

As Hakstol continuously emitted frustration onto the Flyers’ fan base the past few years, the rumors of the availability of Blackhawks’ former head coach making headway to Philly are causing an eruption of fan excitement. With an impressive resume of three Stanley Cup wins within the last six years, Philadelphia fans are suggesting that Coach Q may lead the Flyers to the winning identity and large media presence that they have been aggressively patient for these past few seasons.

The second-winningest coach in NHL history, who has denied already accepting an offer in Philadelphia, still remains under contract with the Blackhawks and is due to collect a $6 million salary for the remainder of this season and the next. This implied that the Flyers would need to negotiate with Chicago for any chance of Coach Q heading to Philly.

Chuck Fletcher says he expects Scott Gordon will be #Flyers coach for the remainder of the year. He says he hasn't asked for permission from Chicago to speak to Quenneville and hasn't spoken to him in two years.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 17, 2018

The Flyers are currently sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan division with a 12-15-4 record, which makes hearsay option of Quenneville becoming head coach more desirable to be true. But for now, the only valid attributes of the Flyers is the next game against the Detroit Red Wings at home on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET) and Gritty’s continued-headlining antics.