Photo Credit: NHL.com
John Tortorella is known to be a hard-nosed coach, who commands the most from his players. He is not afraid of benching or calling out star studded players either. This was one reason why the majority of the Flyers team reported early for training camp. They also knew that they would have to give their all to fight to stay in the lineup.
It’s become apparent as some have excelled, and some have had difficulties learning this, but on most nights the Flyers do not have a problem with effort. The team may not be talented enough to beat stiff competition or playoff bound teams on a nightly basis, but they do fight and claw their way into games nine times out of 10, “I’m not gonna stand up here all year long and talk about moral victories,” John Tortorella said following a oss to the Carolina Hurricanes. “But I’ve got to goddamn remember where we are, as far as where we are in the organization, and the process that we are at. I’m certainly not gonna boo the team. I’m gonna try to help them.”
That was then, and this is now. There is no tanking for this young Flyers team. Let me say it again there is no tanking for this young Flyers team. Tortorella gets mail and he told us that’s the highlight of his day. He likes opening letters, especially for kids, maybe wanting an autograph, praising the team, “My mail is the highlight of the day for me. I read all my mail because I’m not going to miss a young kids letter, an autograph, or a letter back to them,” Tortorella said.
“I get mail. It’s the same thing as last year stop sending me letters about tanking because it’s not going to happen. I know people want a high draft pick next year, you’re not to win the Stanley Cup so lose games, it’s not going to happen,” Tortorella emphatically stated.
Personally, I’ve never met a coach that wants to lose. If John Tortorella doesn’t win games he’s fired. Some Flyers fans want him fired because he’s winning games. How is a team supposed to tank, when it’s the head coaches job to win games.
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In the end, people can say what they want about Tortorella, but he is genuinely a nice guy to the fans. He’s a human being that has a heart. What isn’t brought up much is how much he cares about the players. Maybe it’s not a big story, maybe it’s not the big thing, but he really does care about these players. And that is evident after he was seen patting Morgan frost on the back after a few tough shifts into his return into the lineup. Tortorella is a smart guy, he sensed that Frost was trying to do too much and getting frustrated, so he came over and calmed him down. Believe it or not from that point on Frost was a much different player in a good way following that incident.
The same thing occurred, but in a different way with Bobby Brink. Brink scores his first NHL goal, when he came back to the bench and sat down, Tortorella came over and patted him on the back and head saying “Good job”. Of course, that was a non story as he is just supposed to be a tough coach and that’s it.
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One has to love this fist pumps after a big victory, like the Flyers sustained against the Vegas Golden Knights. One has to love him high fiving players and coaches alike after a big victory. One has the love that the Flyers are in second place in Metropolitan Division at the moment.
