John Tortorella & The Pearl Clutching Philadelphia Media
If you have listened to me for years, you know that I don’t like the “let me quote my resume” strategy to justify an opinion. Callers will claim to understand something, and hosts will reinforce that they aren’t privy to the same type of “insider” information that they are.
In some cases that is entirely true. However, it’s usually a flex that doesn’t necessarily validate an opinion. My frustration level with the Philadelphia media coverage of John Tortorella benching Sean Couturier and his coaching tactics are making me violate my own rule. I’ll do it just this once. I promise. Maybe.
Working for Mike Keenan, Flyers
I started working in the NHL when I was 20 years old. I assisted in game day video and statistical work for the Flyers staff under Mike Keenan, Paul Holmgren, and E.J. Maguire.
I was honored to experience up close and personal how a team coached and prepared. More importantly, I began to understand the locker room dynamics and how the coach and player relationship evolves.
It led to me later becoming an NHL broadcast team member on radio and television in Atlanta with the Thrashers franchise. I served a variety of roles from pregame and postgame host on radio to a television rink side reporter and two games as an emergency color analyst.
Most of all, I spent endless hours reporting on, traveling with and learning under coaches like Curt Fraser, Bob Hartley and current Carolina Hurricanes President and GM Don Waddell.
Tortorella Burns Out Teams?
The Philadelphia media coverage of John Tortorella moves somewhere between credible and the absurd. To begin, it’s important to understand that the average NHL coaching tenure since 2000 is just 232 games.
Tortorella has already exceeded that total by a large margin with three different franchises. He coached 535 games for the Lightning, 447 games for the Blue Jackets, and 319 with the Rangers. Yet, I am constantly hearing media members worrying because of his history of burning out teams.
Fact is, that is not true and he actually is a good standard of stability in a league without much of it. Why can’t we expect our coverage to be more informed?
Benching Sean Couturier Might “Lose The Team”
It’s arguable that the Flyers have played some of their best playoff-type hockey in the Maple Leafs, Hurricanes, and Bruins games this past week. While many in the Philadelphia media stressed out the populace, the players actually responded positively to John Tortorella with a focused and improved effort. Later, we may see that this week has gotten them into the playoffs.
My Take
Media members (at times I have fallen into this trap) are hypersensitive to push back and critique despite the way we dish it out daily. John Tortorella should already be tired with some of the tactics and “analysis” he hears about on a daily basis. I know that I am.
John Tortorella spoke about how Travis Konecny can balance his role as an agitator and avoid hurting the team pic.twitter.com/8Y5eCrLOAx
— Colin Newby (@ToNewbyginnings) March 23, 2024
Watch Kincade & Salciunas on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page for discussion about the latest breaking sports news in Philadelphia.
History of Philadelphia Flyers Captains
Bobby Clarke (1972-79, 1982-84)
It’s hard to find any player in NHL history who embodies the identity of a franchise better than Bobby Clarke represents the Philadelphia Flyers. He helped usher in the era of the fiercest, most intimidating team that bullied their way to consecutive Stanley Cup in 1973-74 and 1974-75.
Clarke still holds franchise records in goals, assists, games played, and plus/minus. He had two stints as the captain in Philadelphia.
Dave Poulin (1984-90)
Dave Poulin wasn’t the best player in franchise history, but he played an invaluable role for the Flyers teams at the top of the NHL during the 1980s. He received votes for the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward eight times, and he won the award for the 1986-87 season.
The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers in 1985 and 1987 during Poulin’s captaincy. He entered the franchise Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ron Sutter (1989-91)
The Sutter family remarkably sent six brothers to the NHL. Ron Sutter played 19 seasons in the league. Nine of them came with the Flyers. He played 555 games and recorded 360 points in orange and black.
Rick Tocchet (1991-92)
Rick Tocchet earned the respect of the entire hockey world as a heart and soul player in the deep playoff runs of the 1980s. The Flyers awarded the captaincy to the “Rocket” for the 1991-92 season after their success in the 1980s had waned.
They dealt him away to the Pittsburgh Penguins before the end of the season, but he returned for a second stint in 2000. His impact on multiple eras of Flyers hockey landed him in the franchise Hall of Fame.
Kevin Dineen (1993-94)
The Hartford Whalers sent Kevin Dineen to the Flyers in 1991. He became the captain for the 1992-93 season as a respected veteran during a forgettable era in Philadelphia.
Dineen played 19 seasons in the NHL and retired with 760 career points and 2,229 career penalty minutes. He has continued his life around the game as an NHL and AHL coach for over two decades.
Eric Lindros (1994-2000)
The Eric Lindros era didn’t end the way that Ed Snider and Bobby Clarke hoped it would. However, the organization has buried a bad memory of stripping his captaincy in favor of honoring the good times.
The most talented hockey player ever to wear the Flyers jersey won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP in 1995 and led the Flyers to the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. His point per game average ranks among the best in NHL history.
Eric Desjardins (1999-2001)
The Flyers handed the “C” to Eric Desjardins in response to the Lindros saga. He had previously spent time as an alternate captain with Rod Brind’Amour.
The puck-moving defenseman was the rock of the Philadelphia blue line during the memorable era of contention in the 1990s and early 2000s. He ranks toward the top of the franchise record books in most statistical categories among defensemen.
Keith Primeau (2001-06)
It took a great hockey player to make the Flyers forget about trading Rod Brind’Amour, but Keith Primeau quickly made an impression in Philadelphia. He proved himself as the team leader in the early 2000s after Lindros left a void as the top-line center.
Primeau’s goal in Game 4 of the 2000 series against the Penguins still stands as one of the best memories in Flyers history. He scored a comparably memorable goal four years later in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Derian Hatcher (2005-06)
The Flyers unsurprisingly made a splash after the 2004-05 lockout. Derian Hatcher spent his best years with the Dallas Stars, but he occupied the captaincy as a stopgap during his time with the Flyers. He played his final three seasons in the NHL in Philadelphia.
Hatcher hung around long enough to play in the Eastern Conference Final in 2008.
Peter Forsberg (2006-07)
The decision to trade Peter Forsberg as part of the Lindros deal is questionable with the benefit of hindsight. The crafty Swede did return to the organization in his 30s after his prime years. Forsberg struggled with injuries in Philadelphia, but he was stunningly skilled with the puck in the 100 games he played for the Flyers.
Paul Holmgren dealt Forsberg to the Predators to begin a series of moves that ultimately brought Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell to Philadelphia.
Jason Smith (2007-08)
The Flyers came back with a vengeance in 2007-08 after their worst season in franchise history. Holmgren flipped his roster upside down, and his retool included acquiring veteran Jason Smith to wear the “C” for a team that reached the Eastern Conference Final.
Smith wasn’t a star player. However, he served his purpose well enough in one season with the Flyers to earn a position in the organization after his retirement.
Mike Richards (2008-11)
An organization that stripped the “C” off one of the most publicized players in NHL history experienced another controversy just over a decade later. Mike Richards was a hard-nosed hockey player who took over the captaincy at age 23.
The Flyers hoped they found the next Bobby Clarke, and Richards played with incredible intensity as a two-way forward and a penalty killer. The Sea Isle City regular flamed out quickly in Philadelphia, however, and Holmgren dealt him and Jeff Carter away on the same day in a summer stunner in 2011.
Chris Pronger (2011-13)
Chris Pronger was one of the most intimidating players in NHL history. The 6-foot-6 defenseman captured the hearts of Flyers fans as the general of the 2010 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final. He was the obvious choice as the captain after the Richards trade.
He only played 13 more games in the NHL. An unfortunate injury ended his career too soon, and the Flyers have not truly replaced him since. Look for Pronger’s name on any list of the best defensemen in NHL history.
Claude Giroux (2012-22)
The Flyers hoped for a new era of Stanley Cup glory with Claude Giroux as the centerpiece. After they named him the captain in 2013 following the latest NHL lockout, they fell off the face of the Earth. Giroux became one of the most consistent point scorers in the NHL for a decade as the captain, and the depth behind him never gave him a chance to lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers traded Giroux in 2022 in the deal that brought Owen Tippett to Philadelphia.
Sean Couturier (2024)
The John Tortorella era began without a captain while the Flyers attempted to establish a new standard for performance on and off the ice. They named Sean Couturier their captain in 2024 during his 12th season in Philadelphia.
Couturier broke into the NHL at age 18 in 2011-12. He steadily ascended into the role of a top-line center. The peak of his career came in 2019-20 when he won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive (but really two-way) forward.
