Photo Credit: NHL.com
John Tortorella has been honest and faithful to the proud faithful of Philadelphia. He wants to restore confidence and trust back into the Flyers organization, and he realizes it will take time. He is on record stating one way to build trust in a reputable reputation is by winning and being honest with the fans of Philadelphia.
His honesty continued yesterday, as he penned a written a letter to Flyers season ticket holders/Edge members, “Now, I’m not gonna lie to you, we’re not there yet. This year was the first step in building the future of the Flyers and restoring our reputation as one of the most respected teams in hockey.” – John Tortorella
Here is the full letter below:
As he has stated previously this “Rebuild” will take time, however, he is the only one in the Flyers organization that is using the term “Rebuild”. Although, this letter makes sense it was sent by Tortorella, to me it still shows the disconnect between Torts, the fans, and the front office. The front office of the Flyers has not once coined the term “Rebuild”, so it’s hard for the fans to believe this letter fully. Let me reiterate this, they believe Torts and appreciate this letter, but people remain skeptical moving forward because the Flyers front office remains untouched. To the fans, the same front office is calling the shots, so nothing will change.
Most Flyers fans like Tortorella and everything he has been able to accomplish with this club, however, it remains to be seen how much leeway he has been given, or pull for that matter. It will be interesting to see moving forward to see if he’s able to hand select his team, or have some integral measures with choosing to dismiss or add players, even after the evaluation process has been complete.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
Tortorella has also been on record saying this year is an evaluation year. It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes after the season is complete. The question that many Flyers fans have is who will be calling the shots. Will it be Chuck Fletcher, another General Manager, Tortorella, or all of the above? That is where the skepticism lies moving forward with the disconnection between the Flyers front office and their proud faithful. This letter should not have come from a Head Coach, rather it should have been from the Flyers front office, but this is the bed that they have made. Flyers fans have been patient enough. This was a CHANCE to earn some trust back, and they failed. Instead, John Tortorella remains the face of the franchise, and really that shouldn’t be.
Many fans believe Tortorella is the most honest person in the organization, so it would only make sense that this letter was sent by him. Rome wasn’t built in a day, this thing will take time Flyers fans, but at least there is a bit of honesty within the organization somewhere, even if it continues to be from the Head Coach.
I read Torts’ letter, and truly, I don’t see the disconnect between him and fans. Let’s face it…he’s been coaching a team full of amateurs, and I think he’s been doing the best with what he has. Remember, he has to let the Season Tix holders believe that someone cares…because as you implied/stated, no one in the Front office does. He holds his players accountable…a foreign concept to the Front Office..
Let’s address the ‘elephant in the room’: no one in the Front office (especially Bob Clarke) is going anywhere. As long as those ex-Flyer Drones are never held accountable for their ineptitude and incompetence in areas such as Drafts, Player Development, and Salary-cap maintenance, nothing with this team is changing.
And don’t be fooled: when Briere becomes GM, he’ll quickly learn that he doesn’t have the free-reign to make GM decisions (as long as the likes of Bob Clarke and Paul Holmgren are making their presence known (behind the scenes, or course).