News Article: Broad Street Brain Rot #1: Cutter Gauthier and the New Era of Gaslighting

[bennysflyers16]

Wonderful article, too bad the authentics will never see it !!

 

[Rich Nixon]

Excellent work on this. It’s refreshing to see an objective, unemotional, evidence based approach. That is sorely lacking in the world generally.

I’ll admit I got caught up in the “Cutter is a pos” discourse and it was certainly at least subconsciously impacted by the messaging. As you discussed, it is extremely rare to see a similar hard line being taken uniformly by an entire organization against a player. So the natural inclination for most people is to think the player truly did something equally awful to warrant it.
Cutter was not blameless but the team shares most of the blame. There’s a nuance there that many people cannot discern.

It also makes you wonder how well positioned they are (spoiler: they aren’t), to treat future big egos. If their reaction to each instance is simply going to be “well, he didn’t want to be a Flyer” that will get hilariously predictable and dry out quickly and even some of the believers will start second guessing things.

I thought it was weird right off the bat. Because they were all pretending to be real hardline and decisive while simultaneously saying they had no clue why it happened. That combo rarely adds up to a whole story.

It's a tough gap to shoot, because Gauthier does legitimately seem like a slimy little me-first worm. But he is not the last prospect who will try to get his way in early conversations. And it seems pretty obvious that they just walked in either unprepared or completely tone deaf.

The fact that Friedman was out there reporting those things the very next day and no one cared was evidence of how good their PR play was.

There was a lot to cut out, but I think the goofiest little nugget is this: They "couldn't guarantee" the playing time and the kid "would have to earn it." OK, in theory, fine--but that's a baseline, when you're making it a central point you're just kind of grandstanding. Brendan Lemieux was a total trade throw-in one week prior, and he played 18 of the 20 remaining games. How had he earned it? Is being a franchise's own top 5 pick not really worth anything compared to being ineffective on 3 other NHL teams?

They just seem to work harder on their platitudes than their plans.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Well done sir, keep em coming!

 

[HeadLiceHatty]

I, like many of you, have been looking for something a little more critical than we get from the beats and the fan blogs. I've been threatening to start one for some time, and I finally went and did it. I present to you Broad Street Brain Rot.

Still have a bit of work to do on the website/design side of things, but I wanted to kick off with a bang. So here's a behemoth 2,500 word piece on the Cutter Gauthier debacle, which I believe to be the most complete and critical piece that has been written on this subject. By anyone. Anywhere.

I'm not sure every chronicle in this series is going to be a full-blown feature-style story like this, but this sure as hell isn't going to be a typical fan blog. I'm going to be doing stories, present and past, about the dynamics that lead this team to constant failure. It might be too high-brow for some of the fans who needed to hear this stuff the most, but whatever.

It exists for whoever wants to read it. And I'm pretty proud of it.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815359945757323395

Cutter Gauthier and the New Era of Gaslighting

For all the talking that the Flyers management did about the Cutter Gauthier, they really didn’t say shit.

broadstreetbrainrot.com

Share far and wide if you feel so inclined! And follow the Twitter too.

Let me know how you feel about this one and things you'd like to see documented/discussed/harped on. Past, present, or future.

Broad Street Brain Rot, I'm addicted and reading because of the title alone, also you're on of the more educated posters, you post good shit, I'll read.

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

I, like many of you, have been looking for something a little more critical than we get from the beats and the fan blogs. I've been threatening to start one for some time, and I finally went and did it. I present to you Broad Street Brain Rot.

Still have a bit of work to do on the website/design side of things, but I wanted to kick off with a bang. So here's a behemoth 2,500 word piece on the Cutter Gauthier debacle, which I believe to be the most complete and critical piece that has been written on this subject. By anyone. Anywhere.

I'm not sure every chronicle in this series is going to be a full-blown feature-style story like this, but this sure as hell isn't going to be a typical fan blog. I'm going to be doing stories, present and past, about the dynamics that lead this team to constant failure. It might be too high-brow for some of the fans who needed to hear this stuff the most, but whatever.

It exists for whoever wants to read it. And I'm pretty proud of it.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815359945757323395

Cutter Gauthier and the New Era of Gaslighting

For all the talking that the Flyers management did about the Cutter Gauthier, they really didn’t say shit.

broadstreetbrainrot.com

Share far and wide if you feel so inclined! And follow the Twitter too.

Let me know how you feel about this one and things you'd like to see documented/discussed/harped on. Past, present, or future.

Well done my man. Keep it up! I will gladly consume this content. This fanbase needs this, even if most will not except it. Even one changed mind is worth the (your) effort.

 

[prototypical4thliner]

I know we have throughly gone over it, but the overall nepotism chart would be a great write/read.

 

[nacc BLOCC]

i do not recall when i last read good writing - that happened to be about the flyers. kinda freaking me out man.

some segues off the cliff from this piece could be: the unprecedentiality of trading such a hot n fresh fifth overall, how a team so rotten as the flyers really aint the ones to be setting that precedent, and then a nice little spring board to the teams orange incestpool of management with ol bob murray gettin his man!

don’t let the brain rot, get the brain washed bruh

 

[ajgoal]

Good read - Like @Hollywood Cannon noted, I would update the location of the Leclair/Sharp visit with a note at the bottom about the revision, but well thought out and articulated.

 

[Rich Nixon]

Doesn't matter in the long run but just for factual sake, Sharp and Leclair were denied access to Gauthier at BC. It wasn't in Sweden.

Briere and Jones, I believe, were unable to speak with him at the WJC.

Amended to clarify. Actually furthers the point, because it's now two attempted visits long after the cease request so that sets up that section-ending quote even better. Editing yourself over 2500 words is a bitch so I'm good for one of those gaffes now and then. Appreciate you spotting that.

 

[Kelmitchell2]

I, like many of you, have been looking for something a little more critical than we get from the beats and the fan blogs. I've been threatening to start one for some time, and I finally went and did it. I present to you Broad Street Brain Rot.

Still have a bit of work to do on the website/design side of things, but I wanted to kick off with a bang. So here's a behemoth 2,500 word piece on the Cutter Gauthier debacle, which I believe to be the most complete and critical piece that has been written on this subject. By anyone. Anywhere.

I'm not sure every chronicle in this series is going to be a full-blown feature-style story like this, but this sure as hell isn't going to be a typical fan blog. I'm going to be doing stories, present and past, about the dynamics that lead this team to constant failure. It might be too high-brow for some of the fans who needed to hear this stuff the most, but whatever.

It exists for whoever wants to read it. And I'm pretty proud of it.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815359945757323395

Cutter Gauthier and the New Era of Gaslighting

For all the talking that the Flyers management did about the Cutter Gauthier, they really didn’t say shit.

broadstreetbrainrot.com

Share far and wide if you feel so inclined! And follow the Twitter too.

Let me know how you feel about this one and things you'd like to see documented/discussed/harped on. Past, present, or future.

Absolutely love this, I was talking with the wife about a week ago about doing something just like this, glad to see you did this, definitely enjoyed the article, and if you need any help with the site or anything i.t related feel free to let me know, I do that for a living and would gladly lend a hand if needed

 

[CerpinTaxt]

I thought it was weird right off the bat. Because they were all pretending to be real hardline and decisive while simultaneously saying they had no clue why it happened. That combo rarely adds up to a whole story.

It's a tough gap to shoot, because Gauthier does legitimately seem like a slimy little me-first worm. But he is not the last prospect who will try to get his way in early conversations. And it seems pretty obvious that they just walked in either unprepared or completely tone deaf.

The fact that Friedman was out there reporting those things the very next day and no one cared was evidence of how good their PR play was.

There was a lot to cut out, but I think the goofiest little nugget is this: They "couldn't guarantee" the playing time and the kid "would have to earn it." OK, in theory, fine--but that's a baseline, when you're making it a central point you're just kind of grandstanding. Brendan Lemieux was a total trade throw-in one week prior, and he played 18 of the 20 remaining games. How had he earned it? Is being a franchise's own top 5 pick not really worth anything compared to being ineffective on 3 other NHL teams?

They just seem to work harder on their platitudes than their plans.

Cause Brendan Lemieux is a plug with no talent but hey he skates hard and will stick up for his teammates by biting opposing players. Cutter will no doubt have that status eventually but for now he's just a shooter who doesn't know the "right" way to play. You can't have that kind of bravado dictating team decisions no matter how shitty the current talent level actually is. @natethomspon would get a spot on the team before Cutter would

 

[BiggE]

Thank you for this!

If only the local beats worked half this hard to expose the rot and dysfunction of the Flyers organization. I can’t wait until the God Emperor has Michkov on a line with Poehling and Cates and Briere and Jones rush to defend it.

 

[Audible Velvet]

This is exactly what’s needed out there.
Absolutely sharing and encouraging others to check it out.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

They're far more mean than that. I've flown over @CanadianFlyer88 probably a dozen times and he's never waved once.

I'm not gonna name names but there's a myth about a mod going to a Wawa to save a hat off a trash can.

No one can really tell if it's true or not anymore though. It's been lost in the sands of time.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I'm not gonna name names but there's a myth about a mod going to a Wawa to save a hat off a trash can.

Correct. Your memory is excellent as usual.

No one can really tell if it's true or not anymore though. It's been lost in the sands of time.

The internet never forgets. The ransom picture still lives on in my heart. I blame myself for not paying in time.

 

[Rich Nixon]

Thanks for all the kind words. We're gonna have a LOT of fodder to discuss as this goes on, and this board is a super valuable resource for ideas and feedback.

Given recent events, chapter 2 has to be about Michkov—and how the franchise can't put itself ahead of its franchise player. "It's OK if Michkov Kills a Coach (or 5)" is the working concept, but I'll be plucking at it all week to find the right groove.

 

[Hollywood Cannon]

Correct. Your memory is excellent as usual.



The internet never forgets. The ransom picture still lives on in my heart. I blame myself for not paying in time.

Now you've gone and made me miss my old car.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

Very well done. I hope you keep it up. Maybe authentics will eventually pay attention

 

[Kelmitchell2]

Very well done. I hope you keep it up. Maybe authentics will eventually pay attention

They're far too stupid to understand how anyone can dislike the things this organization does

 

[Beef Invictus]

I, like many of you, have been looking for something a little more critical than we get from the beats and the fan blogs. I've been threatening to start one for some time, and I finally went and did it. I present to you Broad Street Brain Rot.

Still have a bit of work to do on the website/design side of things, but I wanted to kick off with a bang. So here's a behemoth 2,500 word piece on the Cutter Gauthier debacle, which I believe to be the most complete and critical piece that has been written on this subject. By anyone. Anywhere.

I'm not sure every chronicle in this series is going to be a full-blown feature-style story like this, but this sure as hell isn't going to be a typical fan blog. I'm going to be doing stories, present and past, about the dynamics that lead this team to constant failure. It might be too high-brow for some of the fans who needed to hear this stuff the most, but whatever.

It exists for whoever wants to read it. And I'm pretty proud of it.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815359945757323395

Cutter Gauthier and the New Era of Gaslighting

For all the talking that the Flyers management did about the Cutter Gauthier, they really didn’t say shit.

broadstreetbrainrot.com

Share far and wide if you feel so inclined! And follow the Twitter too.

Let me know how you feel about this one and things you'd like to see documented/discussed/harped on. Past, present, or future.

I will mail you a bottle of Sobieski if you want it.

 

[Beef Invictus]

I thought it was weird right off the bat. Because they were all pretending to be real hardline and decisive while simultaneously saying they had no clue why it happened. That combo rarely adds up to a whole story.

It's a tough gap to shoot, because Gauthier does legitimately seem like a slimy little me-first worm. But he is not the last prospect who will try to get his way in early conversations. And it seems pretty obvious that they just walked in either unprepared or completely tone deaf.

The fact that Friedman was out there reporting those things the very next day and no one cared was evidence of how good their PR play was.

There was a lot to cut out, but I think the goofiest little nugget is this: They "couldn't guarantee" the playing time and the kid "would have to earn it." OK, in theory, fine--but that's a baseline, when you're making it a central point you're just kind of grandstanding. Brendan Lemieux was a total trade throw-in one week prior, and he played 18 of the 20 remaining games. How had he earned it? Is being a franchise's own top 5 pick not really worth anything compared to being ineffective on 3 other NHL teams?

They just seem to work harder on their platitudes than their plans.

There are nuggets of future things to chase in here; the fact that the Flyers vaunted "family" approach is a complete lie, and their lust for punishing talented young players with artificial adversity that they seized on when Hextall introduced it. And Hextall said he was doing it, basically, because he remembered being furious that he had to play in the AHL, but that he came through it, so therefore EVERYONE must have to go through something infuriating.

This approach has been a total disaster that has yielded a wide range of negative results and not one single success that can be attributed to it.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Thanks for all the kind words. We're gonna have a LOT of fodder to discuss as this goes on, and this board is a super valuable resource for ideas and feedback.

Given recent events, chapter 2 has to be about Michkov—and how the franchise can't put itself ahead of its franchise player. "It's OK if Michkov Kills a Coach (or 5)" is the working concept, but I'll be plucking at it all week to find the right groove.

I wanted to say that pointing out the "New Era" is made entirely of people from the prior era is another good one, but at this rate it isn't going to be long before that gets noticed on its own by the people currently pretending everything is different now.

 

[renberg]

Good article; nice work. However I don't want to rehash the Gauthier situation. I doubt that any side of this mess, and there are several, will learn from the debacle.
These breakdowns occur when there are too many people get involved in what should be easy sensible decision making. They attempt to defend their turf and it collapses all around them. There will be no winners here, only losers all around.

 

[Starat327]

I, like many of you, have been looking for something a little more critical than we get from the beats and the fan blogs. I've been threatening to start one for some time, and I finally went and did it. I present to you Broad Street Brain Rot.

Still have a bit of work to do on the website/design side of things, but I wanted to kick off with a bang. So here's a behemoth 2,500 word piece on the Cutter Gauthier debacle, which I believe to be the most complete and critical piece that has been written on this subject. By anyone. Anywhere.

I'm not sure every chronicle in this series is going to be a full-blown feature-style story like this, but this sure as hell isn't going to be a typical fan blog. I'm going to be doing stories, present and past, about the dynamics that lead this team to constant failure. It might be too high-brow for some of the fans who needed to hear this stuff the most, but whatever.

It exists for whoever wants to read it. And I'm pretty proud of it.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1815359945757323395

Cutter Gauthier and the New Era of Gaslighting

For all the talking that the Flyers management did about the Cutter Gauthier, they really didn’t say shit.

broadstreetbrainrot.com

Share far and wide if you feel so inclined! And follow the Twitter too.

Let me know how you feel about this one and things you'd like to see documented/discussed/harped on. Past, present, or future.

Excellent work good sir

 

[BernieParent]

One tidbit in this whole sordid affair I want to point out: the Flyers FO and talking heads saw Gauthier's attitude early and were thrilled with his "he's got that dawg in him!" swagger. This was the package they were pleased to have as a future Flyer. Funny how when it was turned around on them, they were taken by surprise and now call him out for it.