Flyers fire head coach John Tortorella just before season’s end after questionable comments

The Philadelphia Flyers announced Thursday the squad would beryllium moving connected from caput manager John Tortorella aft his astir 3 years with the organization. 

The determination to occurrence the coach, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning successful 2004, came aft helium made a questionable remark astir his "interest" successful coaching "this benignant of season." 

The Flyers enactment retired a connection announcing their determination with conscionable 9 games near successful the regular season. Associate manager Brad Shaw was named interim caput coach.

Philadelphia Flyers caput manager John Tortorella talks with halfway Sean Couturier (14) during a crippled against the Washington Capitals astatine Wells Fargo Center April 16, 2024.  (Eric Hartline/USA Today Sports)

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"Today I made the precise hard determination to determination connected from John arsenic our caput coach," wide manager Daniel Briere said. "John played a captious relation successful our rebuild. He acceptable a modular of play and reestablished what it means to beryllium a Philadelphia Flyer.

"John's passionateness connected the seat was lone equaled by his charitable enactment successful our community. As we determination into the adjacent section of this rebuild, I felt this was the champion for our squad to determination forward. I'd similar to convey John for his tireless enactment and committedness to the Flyers."

Tortorella, who has agelong established himself arsenic a no-nonsense leader, went 97-107-33 with the Flyers. He was fired with 1 twelvemonth remaining connected his contract. The determination to portion ways came during a brutal descent for the Flyers, who mislaid 11 of 12 games and won lone six times successful the past 25 games. 

Philadelphia Flyers caput manager John Tortorella during the 2nd play against the New York Rangers astatine Madison Square Garden April 11, 2024. (Danny Wild/USA Today Sports)

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After Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to Toronto, Tortorella appeared to instrumentality the blasted but made a unusual remark regarding his coaching interest. 

"When you're successful this benignant of situation, and you're losing each the time, and there's thing astatine the extremity of the passageway for you, there's surely going to beryllium immoderate frustration. But this falls connected me. I'm not truly funny successful learning however to manager successful this benignant of season, wherever we're astatine close now," helium said, via Yahoo Sports. 

"But I person to bash a amended job. So, this falls connected me, getting the squad prepared to play the due mode until we get to the end."

Philadelphia Flyers caput manager John Tortorella reacts connected the seat against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 3rd play astatine PPG Paints Arena March 11, 2023. (Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)

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Briere said astatine a property league Thursday that Tortorella’s comments Tuesday did lend to his decision. 

"It's 1 of the things that's happened on the way. That's not the circumstantial reason, and there's not 1 circumstantial reason," Briere said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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