I was going to title this “Some Final Thoughts on John Tortorella” then I thought better of it. I bet it’s not the last time I or anyone else will think about the Flyers recently fired head coach. John Tortorella brings a big presence with him where ever he goes and leaves quite and impression, for better or worse. To be honest before he put on the orange and black he used to drive me nuts. Then it was like, sure he might rub you the wrong way but he’s our guy now. He’s in our corner. There are a lot of things about Philly that fall into that category. It’s part of our collective psyche. You all know how the song goes “no one likes us yada yada yada”.
Tortorella really wanted to turn this franchise around and in many ways he did. He was never interested in coaching with one foot on the break. Maybe having him at this stage was putting the cart before the horse? Or maybe his determination was exactly what the Flyers needed to get through the low point. The franchise was stuck in a ditch and Torts was relentless, maybe to a fault.
” Losing with regularity became very difficult for him. He hates losing probably more than anyone we know”. -Danny Briere
The Flyers have been a source of frustration this year even unto themselves. The month of March marked a huge downturn for the team and pots started to boil over on every burner. The recipe was simple and the outcome predictable. The rebuilding Flyers spent the time leading up to the trade deadline selling off players for draft picks and cap space. So players were leaving without the team getting any immediate returns. The Flyers were battling to stick at 500 before the trade deadline and went into a tailspin after.
The organization moved everyone they could get a fair deal for. Farabee, Frost, Johnson and Laughton left town at the same time that Ristolainen and Hathaway went down due to injury. Some said, losing these guy shouldn’t make that much of a difference but a quick look at the standings tells a much different story. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have made the moves, I’m saying no one should be all that surprised by the outcome.
Farabee, Frost, and Laughton were a huge part of the locker room and the culture of the team. Flyers GM Danny Briere made note of the tradeline being where things started to unravel with Tortorella. Although the coach was “on board” with the moves it is no secret how Tortorella feels about Scott Laughton.
Torts is a pro and is all too familiar with the nature of the beast but Laughton became his glue soon after he took over behind the bench in Philly. Tortorella put the “A” on Laughton without naming a captain. In fact Scott was the only Flyer to wear a letter on his sweater for the first year and a half of Tortorella’s tenure.
Before the trade Tortorella referred to Laughton as “a guy that I truly respect and love”. The coach said to Laughton, “no matter what happens here today, if you’re still with us or you’re not, our relationship’s always going to be our relationship that’ll never go away”. Laughton was surprised when he heard about the Flyers parting ways with Tortorella. “Who knows what would have happened in the summer and everything like that. But yeah, it was a shock to me”.
The GM’s Presser
The Flyers announced that Tortorella had been fired on Thursday morning. Danny Briere addressed the press that same night before the Flyers hosted the Montreal Canadiens with Brad Shaw taking over as interim bench boss. Briere started off by reading a statement acknowledging Tortorella’s contributions and thanking him.
Asked about the timing and the coach’s comments after the loss in Toronto Briere said “It’s not one thing, it’s a series of things that escalated right after the trade deadline”. “Torts is a complicated man, he’s a complicated coach, he’s a blast to work with because he challenges you. I truly believe he made me a better GM”.
Briere on if it was because of the players, “This had nothing to do with the players. I think Torts did a great job with the young guys. I think overall he’s done a tremendous job with the young players”. “I think Torts did a tremendous job with Matvei.” Briere said many things that dispel a lot of the rumors and conjecture that always seem to be buzzing around the team.
The GM had many professional and complimentary things to say about his former coach. And it all came off very sincere. The one thing he didn’t really say with any specificity was why Tortorella was fired. “At this time we felt it was time to move in a different direction”. He expressed that this has been building up but also described it as “this happened really quick”. Which may lead you to believe that there may have been a “last straw” involved. Torts popping off in a post game is nothing strange or unusual.
Timeline
Cam York has been popping up in the story line ever since he was a healthy scratch a couple weeks ago in a game against Seattle during the homestand from hell. York felt he didn’t deserve the scratch but acknowledged that it’s the coaches decision and you move on. Nothing out of the ordinary there. And no just for the record I’m not suggesting this whole thing revolves around Cam.
York pops into the story line again during the game against the Leafs in Toronto this past Tuesday night. York was benched after a goal in the 1st period and rode the pines the rest of the night. The Leafs cleaned the Flyers clock and after the game Tortorella made his now infamous statement. “I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season where we’re at right now”.
Thursday morning the Flyers announce that they have fired John Tortorella. Thursday night Cam York was benched for the second game in a row this time for what interim coach Brad Shaw referred to as a “disciplinary issue”. York was dressed and on the bench but never once went over the boards.
Friday morning while rumors and speculation were spreading like wildfire Cam York had this to say about John Tortorella. “I have nothing bad to say. He taught me a lot of good things. He was a really good coach for me, and he taught me a lot of good things I could use down the road for my career. He’s a really good coach and I wish him the best”.
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Some of the details seem to be missing. I am not suggesting this is because of any nefarious intentions. Hockey has its own unique standards, traditions, and codes of honor. It’s a sport where you see guys hug it out and pat each other on the back immediately after they beat the living crap out of each other. A sport where you see players pull off amazing athletic feats and give the credit to their line-mates. In a sport of fierce competition humility and respect are still held in high regard.
Eventually some of the details of this eventful week will come dribbling out. Don’t fall for the sensationalism and innuendo. No matter what anyone tries to sell you remember the actual inner circle is way smaller and much tighter than many would like you to believe.
Bringing the temperature down
Here is what some of the Flyers had to say Friday morning about their former coach.
“He has done a lot for us, me especially. Had some hard times with him, made me a better player. Really thankful for the time I had with him. Wouldn’t be where I was this year, Four Nations, without his coaching and pushing to make me a better player”. -Travis Sanheim
I only have good words for Torts. We didn’t see eye to eye every time, me and him. We battled a couple times, but sometimes we have to move on. It’s on us too, we didn’t do the job. -Nicolas Deslauriers
“It’s tough. For me someone that gave me an opportunity and believed in me. Took my game to another level. Nothing but respect”. -Travis Konecny
It’s always a shock. I think we are all responsible at some point for the way this season has gone. It’s time for some guys to show what they are made of, play loose. Torts built a good foundation for the young and older guys. -Sean Couturier
Extra Credit: A seasoned veteran at 66 years of age with one year left on his contract may very well be feeling a sense of urgency that younger men are not yet able to fully understand.
