Following a statement 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs late last season. Sean Couturier I’m sure was left pondering what was next in terms of playing time. Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella benched the former Selke Trophy winner hours earlier before the game started, a move that sent shockwaves through the NHL.
You don’t bench the Captain. Tortorella heard this from many fans and pundits alike. Everyone knows by now, the Flyers locker room just seemed to never recover from that said benching, and it filtered into this season at times.
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Both Couturier and Tortorella could have handled the situation better. For starters, all Couturier had to do was confirm he wasn’t playing, and give a general statement “I wish I could play, but it’s not my decision and I have to move past it with working harder,” but Couturier instead said, “I’ve been putting the work in for a while. I’ve been struggling, but I’ve been working on my game, and it’s frustrating the way I’ve been treated around here lately. But it is what it is.”
Couturier cleared the air today, publicly. Today, Couturier confirmed that he didn’t have much of a relationship with former Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella. He believed his thoughts were pushed aside the majority of the time.
“I didn’t agree with how I was getting pushed aside.” – Sean Couturier said at exit interviews
Through all this, Couturier also said the majority of the problem with John Tortorella was that Torts wanted him to be fast, and play the game faster. The problem is, and Couturier knows this as he joked–he’s never been a fast hockey player. Couturier cannot be someone he never was.
Now it’s time to move on, and let bygones be bygones. Next season the orange and black will have a new Head Coach, possibly Interim Head Coach Brad Shaw.
