Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella is certainly no stranger to controversy. Whether it’s his take on the team before his first game or his decisions regarding the gameday lineup, Tortorella does whatever he thinks is best for his team. His methods generate criticism here and there, but the veteran bench boss doesn’t shy away from any of that.
That was the case on Wednesday morning. The Flyers head coach faced the media after calling his team’s effort “soft” against the New York Islanders two days ago. Tortorella defended his remarks and explained why he made those comments after a rough loss in overtime.
“Everybody gets freaked out around us sometimes when there is some truth said or honesty brought out,” Tortorella said Wednesday, via Sportsnet. “I think it’s so healthy because there is no agenda. I think that’s so important for a locker room.”
John Tortorella vents frustrations
John Tortorella has been frustrated with his team as of late. These frustrations have surfaced in a few different forms. For example, his benching of Flyers captain Sean Couturier. On Wednesday, the veteran bench boss addressed the frustrations he’s experiencing when it comes to his players.
“I haven’t done a good enough job to make them understand we have to be different now,” Tortorella said, via Sportsnet. “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, so be it.”
The Flyers have played rather well for most of the 2023-24 NHL season. However, with the regular season nearing its end, Philadelphia is in the midst of a slump. In fact, the team has lost eight of their last 10 contests including the recent overtime loss to the Islanders. This is certainly the worst time of the year for this team to stumble as they have.
Flyers are fighting for playoff lives
John Tortorella has certainly helped the Flyers overachieve this year. Many expected the team to be near the bottom of the NHL standings as they worked through a rebuild. However, Philadelphia has thrived for the most part. And they’ve occupied third place in the Metropolitan Division for most of the season.
As of late, their cushion in that spot has dwindled. The Washington Capitals have come alive as of late. And they even usurped the Flyers for third in the Metro at one point. Philadelphia has since regained that position. Still, their recent run of form has them in danger of falling out of the race completely.
Tortorella wants to see this team take that next step while they are in a position to do so. His no-nonsense coaching style certainly rubs people the wrong way. However, he isn’t about to change his methods. Even if they cause a disconnect between him and the team he leads.
“It comes down to, ‘Oh, they’re going to quit on him.’ It follows me around, and so be it,” the Flyers head coach said, via Sportsnet. “If a player is going to quit on me, or players are going to quit on me because I’m trying to make them better people or better athletes, you’ve got the wrong damn coach here, and you’ve got the wrong damn people here.”
Luckily for Philadelphia, they have a chance to turn things around. In fact, they have three games left against teams they are in direct competition with for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let’s see if John Tortorella can get the Flyers back on track before the end of the regular season.
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