Philadelphia Flyers chairman Dave Scott to retire in April

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced Comcast-Spectacor chairman Dave Scott is set to retire as of April 17. Recently hired CEO Dan Hilferty will succeed Scott in the chairman position.

The longtime Flyers governor will retire after 30 years with the organization. ”Working for both Comcast and Comcast Spectacor have been the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m very proud of all that we’ve accomplished over the last 30 years,” Scott said via release.

Former Independence Blue Cross CEO Dan Hilferty will take over as chairman of the Flyers’ parent company on April 17 and will become governor of the team July 1. He recently led a bid to make Philadelphia one of 16 host cities for the 2026 men’s World Cup.

Hilferty was born in Ocean City, New Jersey and calls himself a “tenacious” Flyers fan. ”I’ve enjoyed partnering with Dave since I joined Comcast Spectacor last month and I’m energized about the opportunity to further advance the company.” Hilferty said via release.

Comcast Spectacor initially purchased the Flyers from Ed Snider in 1996. The company has owned a controlling interest in the team ever since. For most of those years, Dave Scott was the CEO of the company and governor of the team.

Newly hired CEO Dan Hilferty is happy with the current leadership of the team but added that they will likely hire a president of hockey operations in the near future. “Our number one goal for the Flyers will be to consistently compete for the Stanley Cup. It is going to be a process that will take time to get on that path, but I’m confident we are headed in the right direction with Danny Briere as interim GM, Coach Tortorella, and our hiring of a President of Hockey Operations soon.”

Since the 1996-97 season, the Flyers have made the Stanley Cup Final twice and have made the playoffs 18 times in 25 years. They have also been near the top of the NHL attendance list for the vast majority of seasons in the past quarter century.