Rick Tocchet’s first season behind the Flyers bench has turned into a full-blown fan revolt, and now the message is literally up in lights.
A “Fire Tocchet. Save Michkov.” billboard went up in Philadelphia on Thursday after Flyers fans raised $6,605 through a GoFundMe campaign aimed at flying a banner around the city this weekend. The original goal was $4,000, and the extra money was enough to cover the billboard as well.
The plane banner is scheduled to fly from 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Sunday in Philadelphia.
The billboard comes amid a messy start to Tocchet’s tenure with the Flyers, who have stumbled to a 5-10-6 record. Even with Tocchet having guided the club to the second round of the playoffs last season, the frustration has centered on his relationship with 21-year-old star Matvei Michkov.
That tension has drawn comparisons to Elias Pettersson, whose play dropped off under Tocchet in Vancouver.
Michkov put up 63 points (26-37-63) as a 19-year-old rookie in 2024-25, the season before Tocchet arrived in Philadelphia. His numbers fell to 51 points (20-31-51) last year, and his ice time also dipped from 16:41 before Tocchet to 14:50 last season.
This season, Michkov has 15 points (10-5-15) in 21 games, but things appeared to flare up when the Flyers faced the Canucks in Vancouver on Monday. Cameras caught Michkov and teammate Nick Seeler arguing during the game.
The next day, Kevin Weekes reported that Michkov would “likely want a new start elsewhere.” Flyers management denied that report.
The fan behind the fundraiser, who goes by “Tony Escargot” on social media, said the billboard is digital and rotates through eight ads for eight seconds each. He added that the “Fire Tocchet” message will stay up until Nov. 18.
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Former Canuck Kiefer Sherwood Just Reopened A Frustrating Vancouver Debate
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For Canucks fans, the clip lands with extra sting because Sherwood did not just talk through the matchup, he helped decide it. He picked up an assist on the Sharks game-winning goal in the comeback victory, turning a former depth piece into part of a reminder Vancouver would probably rather not relive. It is the kind of sequence that can reopen debates about identity, competitiveness and whether the Canucks have enough players willing to drag a game into the kind of fight Sherwood seemed eager to create. [Read more 🡒]