Photo Credit: Our very own Rob Windfelder
The Flyers made a big move today, and it shocked most in Flyerland. Especially, given the timing of firing firmer Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella.
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Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere spoke in depth about this move earlier this evening as to why it had to be done now, as opposed to after the season. Here are the key notes to his presser with the media.
- Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere thanks John Tortorella for his service to the team, as he opens the presser
- Danny Briere said that over the course of the last two to three weeks it became evident they needed to move on from John Tortorella
- Danny Briere: “Torts is a complicated man, a complicated coach. He was a blast to work with. I truly believe he made me a better General Manager.”
- Danny Briere said Torts was on board with the trades, and the next phase of the rebuild.
- Danny Briere on why Torts was fired: “It’s not one thing, it’s a series of things that escalated right after the trade deadline.” Clearly, Torts and management were not on the same page, and these past three weeks are evident of that
- Danny Briere said the Flyers haven’t started discussing about a new coach yet. He says they want a coach that teaches, and that’s important
- Danny Briere on Matvei Michkov: “I think Torts did a tremendous job with Matvei.”
- Danny Briere says he’s hoping some of the older guys step up and are more vocal now, since Torts has been dismissed
- It’s become quite clear that Danny Briere ultimately did not want to fire Torts, but It’s something he had to do. Things seemed to spiral out of control the past two to three weeks, so they had to move on from Torts
- Danny Briere noted that the post-game presser was part of the firing, but only one part of it. There were other multitude of things that led to firing John Tortorella, “Losing with regularity became very difficult for him,” Briere said of Tortorella
