Tortorella: "This falls on me. I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season"

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I consider myself a Tortorella supporter. I appreciate that he doesn’t do any coddling and acts the same way with pro players as some hardass high school coach acts with adolescents far less skilled in the game.

That being said, the older Tortsgets, the more he seems to act like he’s “earned” the right to just do and say things. Remember when wearing a sweater on the bench was because he was “sick” and now it’s just how he (and his coaches) dress all the time? Or when he would make a quick appearance at Canucks practices before driving home and leaving the rest of the proceedings to his assistants (consistently)? It’s the kind of shit he’d be ranting about if he was in a different time and mood and it was being carried out by someone other than himself.

I think he’s a personality that’s always going to invite conflict. We’re all guided by our emotions and he in particular really doesn’t care to filter them. That will be really beneficial in a lot of circumstances but it will perpetually cause issues in others. That’s just the way that kind of personality goes. And please…spare me the predictable “everyone nowadays is soft” mantra. John Tortorella is going to have run-ins period…whatever his profession and placement in history.

I don’t think there’s anything nuts about the quote referenced above. But it is just kind of a stupid thing to say and an utterance that comes from a guy who is hardly worried about his job. And somewhat for good reason. He’s had one hell of a career and has done quite well for himself.
 
No issue with him talking like this at all. Not a fan of him, but like the honesty. People always complain that hockey people never give answers to questions other than normal boring answers, and then when there are guys who answer honestly, it gets shit on.
 
Look at their roster vs Toronto. Lycksell, Abols, Pelletier, Deslauriers aren't NHL level players. Then he benched York in the 1st, and Zamula, Drysdale, Seeler and Andrae are just not good enough defensively to put it mildly. And Ersson played like Ersson (SV is .882 this season).

Their coach could be Scotty Bowman in his prime and they still be destroyed by an average NHL team let alone good one.
 
He’s a polarizing figure on these boards but no one is going to have success coaching this Flyers team. It seems the writing is on the wall for a split. The best thing the Flyers can do is embrace the tank for the next 2-3 years and see where things stand. Worst thing they can do is sign free agents of top 6/top 4 ability. They just need to focus on getting talented prospects
 
I don't really understand the outrage.

He's saying he doesn't want to learn how to be a coach of a tanking team. He wants to be the coach of a winning team.

Pretty logical.
It’s Torts, some people can’t help but contrive the worst possible interpretation of anything he says - even if the quote is a nothingburger like this one. He seems (understandably) annoyed at the GM for team he has been given.
 
He can quit right? I mean if you don't want to be there then no one is forcing you. The team is what it is, either coach it the best you can in the situation you're in or don't. Complaining about how you're not interested is extremely weak.

And to be clear... no one is saying he needs to be happy to about coaching a team in the bottom of standings or anything. You shouldn't be happy. It's your job to make it better and get the most out of the roster and develop the players. If you're not going to do that then maybe the job isn't for you.
 
I don't really understand the outrage.

He's saying he doesn't want to learn how to be a coach of a tanking team. He wants to be the coach of a winning team.

Pretty logical.
But he is the coach of a rebuilding team with a lot of young players. He better learn pretty quickly or he may find himself without a job soon.
 
The kids are much better than when he started. He just has players with low ceilings to work with. The team needs more high end prospects.

These players are all better:
Zamula
Poehling
Drysdale
Tippett
Brink
Foerster
Cates
Sanheim
TK
Michkov
York

The problem is almost all should be middle six players or #3/#4 D-man.

The torts narratives are so wild on this site. The haters say all these players improved DESPITE torts, which is just nonsense. Sanheim used to be soft as charmin, constantly outmuscled, constantly falling on his ass.
I was thinking of whatever happened with Frost and Farabee with that comment. I don’t know how Michkov’s game has improved from Torts’s tutelage but he and TK are the ones that really matter on that list.

Noah Cates is a good example of Torts’ strength, he can get a player like that to buy in and reach 110% of his potential. But he’s a supporting piece.

I guess if you are happy with his coaching and the team simply needs high draft picks to deliver the high end skill the team needs then this forced rebuild is working out. But as an outside observer it just seems directionless.
 
I don't really understand the outrage.

He's saying he doesn't want to learn how to be a coach of a tanking team. He wants to be the coach of a winning team.

Pretty logical.
His job is not too coach a winning or loosing team.

His job is to take the players given to him and get the best out of this group. And he is failing badly.
 
I was thinking of whatever happened with Frost and Farabee with that comment. I don’t know how Michkov’s game has improved from Torts’s tutelage but he and TK are the ones that really matter on that list.

Noah Cates is a good example of Torts’ strength, he can get a player like that to buy in and reach 110% of his potential. But he’s a supporting piece.

I guess if you are happy with his coaching and the team simply needs high draft picks to deliver the high end skill the team needs then this forced rebuild is working out. But as an outside observer it just seems directionless.
You'll get disagreeing sentiments on Frost and Farabee. The flyers hfboard lays all blame at torts feet for them, especially Frost.

I don't think they are near as talented or have the inner drive + skill to be the players people on this board think they could have been. Frost's ceiling was a sheltered 3C. Dime a dozen, and not that valuable. He had PLENTY of top of the lineup opportunities to prove otherwise.

Any perception of being directionless needs to be directed at ownership for never allowing a proper rebuild for the last decade.
 
His job is not too coach a winning or loosing team.

His job is to take the players given to him and get the best out of this group. And he is failing badly.
He managed to take a black hole in Scott Laughton and turn him into a first round pick and a prospect.

He does lean to players that play the game the right way.. So if a team doesn't want that, it's probably not a good fit for either party.
 
He managed to take a black hole in Scott Laughton and turn him into a first round pick and a prospect.

He does lean to players that play the game the right way.. So if a team doesn't want that, it's probably not a good fit for either party.

The problem with Torts is that he wants everyone to play the same way, and that's a detriment to the player and the way he structures ice-time.
 
For a head coach to admit that they are disinterested then maybe it's time to retire. Plenty of other coaches out there. Torts is a gem and a fun personality but when it's no longer motivating then why should he be there. The guys look to the coach for direction in tough times and he basically said "I don't care anymore".
 
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