Philadelphia Flyers name Keith Jones president of hockey operations
Keith Jones is leaving the broadcast business and will now be running hockey operations for the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers made the news official on Thursday that Jones would be the new president of hockey operations. He will hod his first press conference on Thursday.
"I consider the Philadelphia Flyers organization the gold standard of the NHL and professional sports," Jones said in a team-issued statement. "I've seen how this city and these fans can rally around their team and there is nothing that compares to that feeling."
Jones had spent the past two decades in sports media, working on a radio morning show in Philadelphia while also juggling hockey broadcast work at NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC, and TNT.
Jones played 491 NHL career games before becoming a broadcaster, he doesn't have any prior experience in hockey management.
The Flyers also announced that Daniel Brière will officially be the general manager in Philadelphia. removing the interim tag that had been there since he replaced the fired Chuck Fletcher in March.
"To say that this has been a dream of mine would be an understatement," said Briere in the same press release. "I've dedicated my life to the sport of hockey and to be given this opportunity with the confidence from Dan Hilferty and the leadership group, in a city that means so much to me, words cannot describe my excitement. I truly believe this is an exciting time for the Flyers with the steps that we've taken this past season, the way our team has responded to the standard that was set both on and off the ice, and the path that we are on. There is a lot of work to be done, but these last few months have only strengthened my resolve and made me even more eager to rebuild this team and deliver this city a Stanley Cup."
The Flyers are in the midst of a full-court press to prove they are a united front, and in the announcement put emphasis that Friday's press conference with Jones, Briere, head coach John Tortorella, and team executives Dan Hilferty and Valerie Camillo will be a presentation of a “unified Flyers leadership group.”
Of that unified leadership group Tortorella has the most experience in team leadership, giving him more power than the traditional head coach in today's NHL – especially with a GM still learning the ropes and President of Hockey Operations with zero experience.
