“We’re Here, Face it” Flyers Fans this is what you’ve been asking for

Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder

There has been a whole lot of talk since Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella did a whole lot of talking Monday night after the overtime loss to the Islanders. The buzz around some circles is that Tortorella went too far in his criticism of the team. Some seem to think this team is not qualified to be where they are and no one expected it anyway so Tortorella should just accept that and not push it.

Tortorella responded at practice Wednesday morning. “What this comes down to, oh they’re going to quit on him, it follows me around and so be it, if a player’s going to quit on me or players are going to quit on me because I’m trying to make them better people and better athletes you got the wrong damn coach here and you got the wrong damn people here”.

This is an opinion piece so here’s my personal opinion. I feel like people are not giving this Flyers team the credit they deserve. Over the past two seasons a whole lot has been asked of this group. These guys have been going out there night after night working their tails off and proving a whole lot of people wrong. They have been asked to be part of a work in progress. There’s some quirks for sure. They play better against good teams than they do against the bad ones. They play better shorthanded than they do on the powerplay. In fact, they lead the league in shorthanded goals.

We’ve seen them battle through adversity and uncertainty, through injuries and personnel changes. You see the way they drop and block more shots than any other team in the NHL and you have to surmise this is not a delicate group. Some people think some harsh words from their coach when they are sliding backwards is going to break them. Come on, they deserve more credit than that.

This core has spent the last two seasons knowing what they’re up against but being asked to just do their best, sometimes against all odds. They don’t lay down, they don’t give up. They keep digging down and finding more inside themselves as players and as a team. On so many occasions they’ve won the uphill battles. So many times, in fact, that they are still in playoff contention with just six games left in the regular season. That is who they are, and this is where they’re at.

Tortorella popped off because he sees the team fading when they need to be stepping up to another level. He is frustrated with himself and his team because he knows who and where they are. This is a tiny window of opportunity that is quickly closing and he doesn’t want to see that slip away without a fight.

That’s not me putting words in his mouth. Wednesday morning Tortorella also had this to say, “I am so proud the team getting here, and I guess now the narrative out there is, cause I’ve heard from other people, that they’re young they’re not suppose to be here. Bull shit, we’re here, we’re here, face it”! “I haven’t done a good enough job to make them understand we have to be different now, we have to be at a different level. That’s my frustration with me and that’s my frustration with the team. And if people can’t handle it, (smacks table) so be it”. …”Let’s not fade away and say you know what, we’re not even supposed to be here, that sucks”.

All of that being said. Flyers Fans, isn’t this exactly what we had been asking for? This isn’t just about John Tortorella but he is a big part of it. This over-achieving team and the passionate hockey lifers that run it, isn’t this exactly what we were looking for? We were sick of mediocrity, we were tired of settling. We wanted passion, and grit, and higher expectations. There is a pulse on Broad Street again and that’s a good thing. It may seem messy at times but that’s real life when you actually care about things.

This team is coming together quicker than expected. They’ve worked hard to get where they are. This is a rebuild and no one is claiming that this is the finished product. Almost no one expected the Flyers to be in contention for a playoff spot this season but here they are. They still have a chance. If Tortorella didn’t say anything while the opportunity was slipping away Flyers Fans would be all over him. And they would have every right to do so. We’ve been begging for transparency, and honesty, and passion. We might not be used to it but when it finally gets here we shouldn’t be put off by it. And if this team does make the playoffs guess what? It gets harder and even more intense. That’s just how it goes.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

The Flyers have six games left to try and secure a playoff spot. Get behind them, make some noise. Put some positive energy behind them. You saw the seats slowly filling back up during the course of this season. This group gave people a reason to start paying attention again. This whole organization is giving Flyers Fans just what they had been begging for.

This team owes it to themselves to give these last six games everything they’ve got. No “should have”, “would have”, “could have”, and no regrets. This Flyers team wasn’t supposed to be this far along, too soon, too young, not ready yet. Face it, none of that matters in the here and now.