PHILADELPHIA — There are two types of hockey players … Those who do not like John Tortorella and those who do not like him.
Unlike fan favorite Sean Couturier, the Flyers coach can become angry very quickly. Tortorella deserved a three-game suspension for not leaving the bench area after being ejected earlier this month. What kind of example is that behavior?
Tortorella has had outbursts at news conferences that have made reporters uncomfortable. Tired of questions about his captain Couturier, whom he benched in consecutive games, Tortorella sent assistant coaches to his press availabilities this week.
With Couturier back in the lineup Saturday and the Flyers playing a big third period to secure a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins, who had beaten them in seven straight games and were leading the league in points, Tortorella spoke for himself. He said “Coots played well,” but let’s be honest, the veteran barely played 13 minutes.
“The thing I take out of the game is it’s two games in a row now that our third period has been our strongest period,” Tortorella said. “I thought we took over the game in Carolina (Thursday). We gave up a couple goals in this third period, but I thought it was a really good period by the whole group.”
For Flyers fans, tolerating Tortorella can be difficult because they must consider the results against his methods. How could he bench Couturier, who he made captain, under the pretense that it gives the Flyers a better chance to win?
Saturday, Couturier was quiet in the first period, doing little to appear on the stat sheet in five shifts covering 4:17 of ice time. He registered 13:09 on ice, a shot on goal, two hits and was 4-4 on faceoffs.
“I don’t want to discuss it,” Couturier said of the benching. “I just want to help the team in any way I can. This (win) is huge. It’s big for our confidence. I think we can start believing in ourselves, that we’re one of those teams.”
To be honest, it’s early but Couturier may not fit the way this new age Flyers team plays. The core of Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Travis Konecny, Morgan Frost, and Ryan Poehling handled most of the offense Saturday. They represent the future. When one takes a big hit or cheap shot, the others retaliate. It’s an interesting moment in Flyers history dating back to the era when Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, and Jimmy Watson won a couple of Stanley Cups.
Couturier had not played hockey in almost two years before this season due to injuries, but he provided minutes for the Flyers while the core got to know each other this season. Honestly, he looks far from the $7.75 million earner he is.
You would have to go back to the late Buddy Ryan, the respected yet irreverent head coach of the Eagles who enjoyed criticizing underperforming football players, to find a Philly coach with an ego like Tortorella.
Veteran forward Kevin Hayes got the message last year, the Flyers paying a portion of his guaranteed salary to trade him to St. Louis. He was not injured, but his ego was. We will not bore you with Tortorella’s list of targets over the years except to say it included then up-and-coming Tampa Bay star Vincent Lecavalier. During the 2005-06 season, Tortorella reportedly criticized him in front of the team at a film session for exchanging pleasantries with an opponent who had scored on the Lightning.
Tortorella may be 5-foot-8 while Lecavalier was 6-4, 215. Lecavalier didn’t like the criticism but he ended up leading the league and the Lightning with 52 goals the next season.
Despite Couturier's absence, the Flyers have a 4-1-1 record this season, including wins against Carolina, which had 44 wins entering Saturday, the 39-victory Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis, which has 38 wins.
Without Couturier, the Flyers played faster against Carolina and Toronto. Also, for the most part, against Boston. Their third period on Saturday was impressive because they outran some significant mistakes.
The game was scoreless until Konecny scored a goal past Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, who was playing exceptionally well. The Flyers made a mistake in the third period that allowed Boston’s Justin Brazeau to tie the game. Konecny tied the game at two with his 30th goal of the season with 4:44 left, but Danton Heinen scored to tie the game less than a minute later.
With 1:29 left, a powerful shot by rookie Foerster, his 18th goal of the season, gave the Flyers the win. The Wells Fargo Center was energized like the Spectrum as the fans counted down the seconds to victory in the Stanley Cup days.
Before the game, Flyers general manager Danny Biere discussed the Couturier situation on Snow the Goalie, a team podcast. Biere praised Couturier’s impressive effort this season and expressed his belief that the veteran would likely remain a Flyer forever.
Briere stated, 'He’s done a lot of good things. And he’s going to do more good things for us.'
For Couturier, this means being there for a group of younger players who have found their rhythm, and for Tortorella.
Tortorella’s strategy is effective. Only a complete collapse could prevent the Flyers from reaching the playoffs for the first time in four years.
To reach Bob Grotz, email [email protected]
