97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: The John Tortorella Effect
The playoff standings have tightened on the Philadelphia Flyers. John Tortorella has turned up the heat with six games remaining in the regular season. Do the Flyers have enough gas left in the tank to earn their first playoff bid in four years?
- Saturday 3/30: Chicago Blackhawks 5, Flyers 1
- Monday 4/1: New York Islanders 4, Flyers 3 (OT)
The John Tortorella Experience
Tortorella has had an eventful two-month stretch at the top of the NHL headlines. He’s named Sean Couturier his captain and quickly sat him as a healthy scratch. He earned an ejection from a game and a suspension for not leaving the bench afterwards.
His approach to the media is unorthodox (to say the least). Then, he hooked his top goaltender for a Russian mystery who had been in North America less than a week and called out his players for being soft for playing poorly in front of him.
It’s no wonder Bob Cooney can’t stop calling the Flyers second-year head coach “intriguing,” but is the John Tortorella experience worth the chaos? Steve Levy spoke on 97.5 The Fanatic about the former Stanley Cup winner.
“He pushes buttons. You know what you get when you get Torts. Listen, he was the perfect guy for the Flyers. He’s done a great job there. Has he ruffled some feathers? Yes. Has he hurt some people’s feelings? Yes. Is everybody in the free world overly sensitive? Yes, but I do think it’s a little different in hockey. You can push people a little bit more, especially the high-end star players. I think they want to be coached hard. They want it to be tough.” –Steve Levy
The Flyers have placed more trust in John Tortorella than any other coach in modern franchise history.
Individual players like Cam York, Travis Sanheim, Morgan Frost, and Sam Ersson have responded to personalized challenges from their head coach throughout the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Owen Tippett spoke candidly with the same sentiment.
“I think coming into this year, I already kind of knew what he (Tortorella) expected of me. We can kind of move forward and focus on different things… It’s definitely been a huge part of it with coaching and communication that he brings. It’s definitely helped me in a sense of I’m never wondering what he expects of me. It eases my mind a little bit in thinking what he needs from me and what he expects.” -Owen Tippett
Tortorella has gotten more out of his team than anyone expected. People won’t always agree with such an aggressive style with no concern for outside noise. His extreme methods might not always pay off. However, he’s certainly not about to change now. Get used to his blunt mentality.
“They’re young? They’re not supposed to be here? Bullshit. We’re here. We’re here. Face it.”
— Colin Newby (@ToNewbyginnings) April 3, 2024
-John Tortorella on the narrative surrounding the Flyers
Sean Couturier
The Flyers will travel to Buffalo and Columbus without their captain. Sean Couturier will miss at least two games with an upper-body injury, Sean Couturier has a sprained shoulder, I'm told. He's day to day, as John Tortorella said yesterday. Not sure if he's practicing today but it appears that what he's dealing with isn't overly serious.
Couturier’s eventful two-month span began with the honor of wearing the “C” as Philadelphia’s first captain since the Claude Giroux trade in 2022. It took a downturn when Tortorella stunningly sat him as a healthy scratch. The injury certainly didn’t improve the situation.
However, Couturier received the team’s nomination for the Masterton Award on Friday. The Professional Hockey Writers Association makes the decision on a player who best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game.
The 31-year-old missed 53 games in 2021-22 and the entire 2022-23 season with a back injury. He overcame the frustration and mental grind to begin the 2023-24 season. Couturier has 11 goals and 25 assists in 70 games for the Flyers this season.
The Inevitable Goaltending Question
It wouldn’t be the Philadelphia Flyers without goaltending questions as a major factor surrounding the playoff standings. All of a sudden, Ivan Fedotov has a realistic chance to become a starter in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tortorella spoke about the gutsy decision to send out the Russian goaltender for two periods against the New York Islanders on Monday. How did Fedotov handle it?
“I don’t think he’s afraid of it…I think he had anticipation or adrenaline. I don’t think he was nervous. I think he’s very confident, and I don’t think he’s afraid of any situation that’s going to be thrown at him.” -John Tortorella
The controversial head coach also acknowledged how much the organization has asked of Sam Ersson to carry the load for the past three months.
Ersson and Fedotov will likely split the back-to-back this weekend. A scenario that seemed unthinkable just over a week ago is now realistic. The Flyers might choose to ride Ivan Fedotov in the crease.
Looking Ahead
The Flyers will look for help with losses from the Detroit Red Wings and the Washington Capitals. They’ll hope for reassurance that the surging New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins waited too long to join the playoff chase.
Most importantly, they’ll look to right their own wrongs and take care of inferior opponents in their upcoming matchups.
- Friday 4/5: @ Buffalo Sabres, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Saturday 4/6: @ Columbus Blue Jackets, 7pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Tuesday 4/9: @ Montreal Canadiens, 7pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Thursday 4/11: @ New York Rangers, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
Download the 97.5 The Fanatic app to hear Tim Saunders and Todd Fedoruk on the flagship radio broadcast of the Philadelphia Flyers.
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.
