The Philadelphia Flyers announced Thursday that head coach John Tortorella has been relieved of his duties, a move that general manager Daniel Briere described as “rock bottom” in the team’s ongoing rebuild.
“I really hope that this is the bottom, This is rock bottom for us today, and this is the turnaround.”
The Flyers, currently holding a 29-36-9 record, are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings—just one point ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, who they will face on Saturday. Tortorella’s tenure ended with a six-game winless streak (0-5-1), part of a larger slide in which the team dropped 11 of its last 12 contests.
Following a lopsided 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Tortorella made headlines with the following derisive quote:
“I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we’re at right now.”
Briere clarified that while Tortorella’s comments were not the sole reason for the coaching change, they were part of a broader pattern of concerns that had intensified over recent weeks:
“I felt it was time. You’re going to ask me, is there one thing that happened? It’s not one thing. It’s a series of things that have happened, and probably a little bit more in the last three weeks, that has escalated since probably around the Trade Deadline, right after that. So like I said, it’s not one thing specific. It’s an accumulation [of things] that have happened, probably more often lately.”
Briere also noted that the decision was made without direct input from players.
“This had nothing to do with the players. We didn’t get any input from the players. But at the same time, we’re very close to the room. [President of hockey operations Keith Jones] and I are always around. We know what’s going on. Maybe not everything, but pretty aware of what’s going on and how things are going.”
Following Thursday’s 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens, several players acknowledged the difficulty of the day. Forward Travis Konecny shared his appreciation for Tortorella’s influence on his development.
“It’s tough. You build relationships, and it’s someone that you’re seeing every single day. And for me, someone that gave me an opportunity and believed in me, and I got my game to a different level. Nothing but respect. Again, it’s a tough day when you go through something like this, but on the other side of it, pretty cool to see [Brad Shaw] be able to come in and get a win like that. It’s a mix of emotions. We just got to keep moving forward. It’s part of the business, like when you trade somebody, try to move on the best you can. But I’m sure at some point I’ll talk to ‘Torts’ and have a conversation.”
Assistant coach Brad Shaw has been named interim head coach and will finish out the season. This marks Shaw’s second stint as an NHL head coach; he previously went 18-18-4 in 40 games with the New York Islanders during the 2005–06 season. This left Shaw in the tough position of not throwing the man who hired him under the bus as he talked about filling his shoes:
“I’m going to thank him for laying the groundwork here. There’s been a ton of good stuff. We’re going to reap the benefits for the next nine games of everything that he laid, as far as accountability and the right way to act, not just in the room but on the ice and as a professional. We’re doing these guys a disservice if we’re not helping them be good humans, too, and I’m not sure there’s a better human being in the game. I couldn’t have more respect for him, as a human being and as a hockey guy. He’s always going to be a friend of mine, and I’m going to thank him for giving me the chance to work with him and learn and become better.”
As for finding a permanent replacement, Briere said the organization is not yet at that stage.
“We’re not there yet. This happened really quick in the last few days. It’s not like we have anything prepared. We haven’t started looking or making lists or anything like that. We have bigger things to deal with right now, making sure the mindset is in the right place, helping out Brad and his staff, addressing the team, all these things. The focus has been on the team and on the players. There’s nine games left. We’re not going to bring in a different coach. Brad is the coach to finish the season. We’ll be evaluating him and our coaches the rest of the way, that’s going to be part of it. I’m not sure exactly what we’re going to be looking for as a coach.”
“One thing I can tell you is, we have a young team, so a coach that can teach is going to be important to start with. But as far as all the traits, I think it’s a little too early to really dive deep into that.”
Tortorella finishes his Flyers tenure with a record of 97-107-33 over three seasons, none of which resulted in a playoff appearance. Last year, the team remained in postseason contention until early April, eventually falling four points short of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Despite the poor results, Briere credited Tortorella with instilling a strong culture and work ethic in a young, developing roster.
“You’ve seen this team play hard over the years, they show they have a no-quit attitude ingrained in them. ‘Torts’ is a very big reason for that, and that standard that he set back in place and over the last three seasons.”
“When I look at the team now, I feel good that those are the guys that will help us moving forward. It’s a young team, and it shows at time, that lack of experience. But the excitement of icing a young team and the prospects that are coming, makes it very exciting for me. I’m not saying that next year we’ll take a huge step forward. It’s going to be small steps. The patience part is the hardest part of a rebuild, but I feel at this time, it’s rock bottom.”
Tortorella’s coaching résumé spans 23 NHL seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Flyers. He has a career record of 770-648-165, plus 37 ties. He ranks ninth all-time in wins and is second among U.S.-born coaches behind Peter Laviolette (841). Earlier this season, on Jan. 30, he became the seventh coach—and first American—to reach 1,600 games behind the bench. His total stands at 1,620, sixth-most in NHL history.
A Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay in 2004, Tortorella also won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2017. At 66 years old, he was the league’s oldest active coach. Briere admitted that the coach known as ‘Torts’ could be hard to work with at times:
“Torts is a complicated man, he’s a complicated coach. He’s a blast to work with because he challenges you. I truly believe he made me a better GM. I loved working with him, and I think he loved working with me. He’s not a yes-man. He had opinions and he’s earned the right to share his opinion, and we listened to him. But again, myself, Keith Jones, [Flyers governor] Dan Hilferty, we felt that at this time, it was time to move in a different direction.”
