Philadelphia Flyers Coaching Options: John Tortorella
By John Gove
Philadelphia Flyers Coaching Options: John Tortorella
The search for the new head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers continues on, and Ron Hextall and the rest of Flyers management continue to stay hush-hush about which coaching candidates spark their interest. We all know that Mike Babcock sits on top of their wish list; but he is also desired by every other NHL franchise in the need of a bench-boss. Just incase their plan to acquire the services of Mike Babcock fails, the orange and black have to have other possible coaching options in mind.
Although some of Flyers Nation will shut the idea down immediately, Philadelphia may give a little consideration to 14-year coaching veteran John Tortorella.
Whether you agree with his coaching style or not, nobody can deny that Tortorella can produce a wining hockey team. In the 936 games he has coached, he has recorded 446 wins, 375 losses, 78 overtime losses, and 37 ties. Tortorella has led his team to postseason action eight times and has won one Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
John Tortorella’s coaching style and behavior have made him one of the least liked people in professional hockey. He has an in-your-face attitude with everybody he interacts with which can sometimes be very difficult to digest. It does not matter whether you are a player, general manager, owner, official, or media member; if John Tortorella disagrees with you or simply dislikes you, he will let you know.
This type of attitude can be effectives if it is displayed in small doses. Some players respond well to a no-nonsense type coach who only expects the best from you day in and day out. However, John Tortorella has never been able to shut off this kind of mentality and his teams have suffered because of it. As coach of the New York Rangers, Tortorella demonstrated his lack of ability in dealing with slumping players. It always appeared that his first action was always to bench a player and not assist them in improving.
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It has been made clear that Ron Hextall was very displeased with how former coach Craig Berube handled the players on his roster. Many people believe that if Vincent Lecavalier was treated better, his season numbers would not have been as terrible. If Ron Hextall was unhappy with Berube, it is likely that he will stay far away from coach Tortorella this offseason.
However unlikely the Flyers hiring John Tortorella as their head coach may be, stranger things have happened. Who knows? Maybe John Tortorella has learned from his mistakes and now brings a more desirable style of coaching to the table.
One thing can be for certain; the Philadelphia Flyers will not be hiring anybody until Mike Babcock is no longer available for hire.
Jan 18, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella yells at the Calgary Flames bench after a fight broke out in the first 2 seconds of the first period at Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks won 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports