If you currently think that the Philadelphia Flyers are entertaining at just how much of a disaster they are, they might end up hiring a head coach that will set ablaze any prior notion of what a shitshow is.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, the Flyers interviewed veteran head coach John Tortorella to run their bench for next season.
I can confirm John Tortorella is one of the Coaches that has interviewed with the @NHLFlyers for their HC vacancy. @espn @NHL #HockeyTwitter
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) May 24, 2022
Tortorella has been around the league for quite some time. Last season was actually the first time the 63-year-old bench boss was not a head coach in the NHL since the 1998-99 season — marking 22 consecutive years where Tortorella was in charge of at least one team. Wild. During that time he won a Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was a divisive figure for the New York Rangers in their quest for mediocrity, ran the Vancouver Canucks into the ground so hard that he lasted only one season and got bought out of his five-year contract, and then smartened up and coached a decent Columbus Blue Jackets team.
Maybe it was his old reputation getting the better of him, but Tortorella has seemed to soften in his old age and ran a fairly successful program in Ohio without the fire and brimstone attitude, and that was clearly enough for Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher to pay attention and give him a shot.
In addition to Tortorella, Philadelphia is reportedly interested in recent coach free agent Barry Trotz, among other candidates. At least they are swinging for the fences with known personalities and brains that have won the damn thing.
