After the Philadelphia Flyers took their fifth consecutive loss to the Islanders on Monday night, head coach John Tortorella gave a heated postgame presser as his team is about to play themselves out of a playoff spot they’ve held onto for most of the season.
Bryan Hayes from TSN had a feature this morning where he ripped into how the coach is handling things lately:
“It was Sean Couturier, the captain’s, fault at one point, it’s been the goaltender’s fault multiple times… it’s the player’s issues, it’s the softness, it’s the second period, it’s the media… it’s never John Tortorella’s issue, it’s somebody else’s. – Bryan Hayes
The meltdown Hayes is referring to happened after the Islanders game, with the most striking quote being-
“There are certain people that they don’t have a clue how to play, or just don’t have it in them to play in these type of situations” – John Tortorella
And quite frankly, after hearing that quote after the Islanders game, I had the same thought that Hayes did: It’s literally Tortorella’s job to coach them… if they don’t have a clue how to play, it’s not the player’s fault, it’s Tortorella’s.
It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly Tortorella is. And some sections of the fanbase are at Jonestown levels of crazy when it comes to defending the guy. You either have to be 100% in or 100% out. There’s no room to admit that Torts is one of the most complex, colorful, multifaceted men to ever step behind an NHL bench and the multi-dimensional assessment that needs to go into someone like him.
In his mind there’s probably a method to his madness. And his outward insanity does tend to pay off every now and again. Like benching Couturier did indeed seem to bring the most out of the team, at least for a little while. And the ongoing theory that his antics toward the media are an attempts to take the heat off his players. Hell, in a way the existence of this article proves that point. We didn’t release a scathing piece about the Flyers’ lackluster play today, we talked about this crazy old man’s behavior instead.
But at what point does it all just go too far? At what point does the shtick overstay it’s welcome and no longer have positive outcomes? At what point do his off-ice strategies all just becomes white noise? Is he diluting everything he’s worked so hard to build?
And there’s plenty of truth to what Hayes was getting at. Tortorella has tried every trick in the book this year to keep the fire lit under the Flyers. Some strategies have worked better than others, but there have been some that are just bad decisions and have been recurring all season. Prolonged punishment of the young guys, players that were ostracized rather than given a chance, and the few that were given a second chance clearly don’t have the full faith of the coaching staff, stuff that goes directly against the “rebuild” motto the Flyers have leaned on so heavily.
It’s funny how hard they’ve relied on work ethic and “good culture” and how quickly that evaporates at the first sign of struggle. And to be fair to the players, they’ve been busting their asses since game one. It’s that 82-game playoff style Torts loves so much. Especially when the roster lacks the talent it does, the fact they’re all tired and worn out shouldn’t come as a surprise after defying expectations for the last six months.
Everyone knew what the Flyers signed up for when the brought Tortorella on. He’s going to be a hard ass that creates a media circus now and again. This is not necessarily an unexpected storm. The 30 second pressers where he just shrugs and storms off, the continued refusal to answer Anthony SanFilippo, the rantings of a sociopath when things get real bad, it’s all part of the deal.
But when the Flyers organization is attempting to paint themselves as some kind of changed utopia under the new front office regime, having one of your major figures throwing tantrums at least once a week and drawing negative press is a side effect that puts a damper on things. They need to weigh the pros and cons of having Tortorella be the face of the franchise. There’s a reason why these older coaches typically don’t have long stints with one team anymore, because their methods are archaic and have a short shelf life.
There’s been rumors for months now that Tortorella could seek a front office gig this summer, and, especially if the Flyers miss the playoffs, maybe it’s a move that could do everybody well. Hand the reins to Brad Shaw, who can achieve the same level of coaching but with a vanilla ice cream personality. Put the spotlight back on the roster and not the coach.
John Tortorella has undoubtedly done a lot of good things for the Flyers and deserves credit for carrying them further than anybody expected, but the negatives can’t just be swept under the rug either. At some point his antics aren’t going to be cute anymore. The well he keeps going back to is going to run dry eventually, and the fledgling Flyers can’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
brotherlypuck.com 