Photo Credit: NHL.com
“It’s the f..kin Philadelphia Flyers. The first time I went over the Walt Whitman Bridge, I’ve been stuck here in Voorhees, it’s f..kin Philly. I got so f..kin excited.” – John Tortorella
If this can’t pump up a team, I don’t know what will. The quote above reminds me of Herb Brooks talking to his American team before playing the Russian team “Tonight is your night, there night is done,” and the rest is history.. Tortorella gets it, and he’s trying to build a connection with the fanbase of Philadelphia. The Flyers hired a former Stanley Cup winning Head Coach John Tortorella to a four year deal, worth $16 million. Some forget he won a Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning back in the 2003-04 season.
Tortorella is known to be a hard-nosed coach, who commands the most from his players. He is not afraid of benching or calling out star studded players either. This was one reason why the majority of the Flyers team reported early for training camp. They knew it was going to be grueling, they know it’s going to be a very “Difficult Camp” as John Tortorella said earlier in the offseason:
“It’s going to be a very difficult camp. High volume skating. They will be told about this during the summer. We’re attacking it. We’re attacking it.” – John Tortorella
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Tortorella is not afraid to call out stars, as he had a rocky relationship with Patrik Laine when he was a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, player after player has come out defending Tortorella with saying the team is well structured.
With all of that Tortorella made his Super Bowl prediction yesterday and it came as no surprise he believes deep down that the Philadelphia Eagles will win the Super Bowl.
“I think it’s destiny for them (Eagles) just the way it’s gone and how they do present themselves.” – John Tortorella picks the Eagles to win the Super Bowl
The Flyers are bleeding green, so hopefully the City of Philadelphia will see another parade down Broad Street in the coming days. “Fly Eagles Fly, Go Birds.”
