It's well none that Brian Burke has been attempting to change the culture of losing in the Maple Leaf dressing. Following the Tomas Kaberle trade no Leaf player preceded the current Fletcher'Burke era.
No word is out that the purge in Philadelphia during the offseason was also an attempt to change the team culture - and this was a winning team. This may be pure gossip but the Philadelphia Daily News reports that the hard-partying ways of Flyers captain Mike Richards and center Jeff Carter played a major role in the organization's decision to trade both players in June. The columnist indicates the information comes from two unnamed Flyers players.
Shortly after his arrival in December 2009, coach Peter Laviolette instituted what players came to call the "Dry Island." Laviolette asked team members to commit to not drinking for a month, and each player was asked to write his number on a locker room board as a pledge. No. 17 (Carter) and No. 18 (Richards) were absent from the board on the first Dry Island, as well as the estimated five more times the policy was instituted.
There was also some suggestions that the traded players did not get along with Chris Pronger who appears destined to be the next Flyers captain.
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