The Philadelphia Flyers season ended with a whimper and after holding a playoff spot for so long of the season, they find themselves on the outside looking in. During their descent down the standings, one of the major things that caused a stir among the fan base and the team overall was Flyers head coach John Tortorella putting captain Sean Couturier out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.
It lasted for just two consecutive games, but the conversation has continued for the weeks since then.
During Tortorella’s final media availability of the season on Friday, as the Flyers held a season-ending press conference with the coach and general manager Danny Briere, he really opened up about the fiasco that was caused because of his decision.
The second a reporter asked about some alleged disconnect between the player and the coach, Tortorella let it all come out.
“Let me ask you a question. Why wouldn’t I communicate with Sean if I’m taking him out of the lineup? Did you think to ask yourself that? Why wouldn’t I? I did,” Tortorella said on Friday. I’m not going to tell you what was said, but what happens in a gameday, I’ll put the lineup up at eight o’clock in the morning. I was sitting out, Staalsy, Cam, I think Nic was out, and Sean. I went to them the day before. I sat with Sean; not going to tell you what I said, but we had a discussion as to why he was coming out. I didn’t want him to come to the board in the morning and just see that he was out.
“So, why would I want to disrespect him that way? Did you ask yourself that?”
Tortorella continued; reflecting on the fact that Couturier told the media that he just has to “leave his ego aside” after thinking that he was playing all right.
“I know what Sean said to you guys after,” the coach said. “It kind of caught me off-guard a little bit, but I think it’s the first time Sean’s been through something like that. So, it really wasn’t a big deal for me. I think it turned into a big drama.
“It turned into a situation. I get that he’s the captain and the timing of it all was not great. But I’m not going to — the captaincy is not going to stop me from holding people accountable. And if I determine that other players are playing better — and it was going on for a while, Sean struggled for a while prior to that — I’m going to make that call. I’ll never ever, especially a player like Sean, and I talked to Cam the day before, I talked to Marc, because they’re veteran guys. I don’t want them coming to the board and saying ‘Shit, I’m out’. Those conversations were had the day before. I’m always going to communicate in that type of situation.
“Now whether the player agrees with it or not — and Sean didn’t. That’s what I love about it. He didn’t. He disagrees. And we just talked yesterday, and we disagreed on a lot of stuff. That’s what I love about him. He’s willing to disagree and say what’s on his mind. That’s how our relationship is going to grow. You have to understand, I’m not in the business to disrespect anybody and if I take a guy of that stature out, I’m going to communicate what it was and I felt I did. And then we’ll follow up after with video and try to work that.”
The air has been cleared. It wasn’t some sort of backstabbing, according to Tortorella, but it was just simple assessment of his play and determining that he should sit for a couple games.
The coach at least recognizes that his process isn’t always the most PR-friendly.
“Sometimes, the way I do things, I’m honest, it turns into a bit of a frenzy with all this sensitivity stuff,” Tortorella said. “If everybody is going to be happy playing under me, I’m not doing my job. I want you all to understand that, with Sean, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him but I’m going to coach players the way I think I need to coach them. It could even happen next year.”
Looking to next season, Couturier and Atkinson could certainly still be on this team. And despite not playing them for a period of games, Tortorella acknowledged that he can’t evaluate those two players for their play this season alone.
“What I will say about Sean and Cam. I don’t think I can make a judgement on them this year. With their injuries; I think Cam fell off, I think Sean fell off. I can’t make a full judgement on them. Thrilled the way they played early on, but next year we’ll see where it goes.”
Both Couturier and Atkinson missed the entirety of last season, and in the former’s case, almost two entire calendar years of stepping on the ice.
Tortorella then ended the conversation about his approach to scratching the captain and all that with an emphatic statement of just how he goes about things and what he wants from a player who might disagree or have an issue with him.
“I pride myself on trying to give them all the information I can,” he said. “The thing that I want you guys to understand, and that the players do understand — because I have to coach 23 other guys too — if it isn’t enough, then come in my goddamn office, put your fist down and say ‘You know what, what are you talking about?’ Instead of doing it there, with you. I’m not talking about Sean, but if a player has a problem, and this is the way I operate, I want that conversation. Because I have other things to worry about too, with other players. … I want players to come to me if they have a bitch, and don’t have enough information because I am right there for them.”
Simple as, we guess.
We do know that there were rumblings of a reported conversation between Morgan Frost and Tortorella, where the young center came into his office and had a conversation about being down and out of the lineup at times. And since then, Frost has played like a respectable, top-six center. Communication does work, sometimes.
