This week, the incident between John Tortorella and the defender Philadelphia Flyers Cam York contributed to the deteriorating relationship between the coach and the team that led to Tortorella on Thursday morning, the team source said.
The source said that after Tortorella on Tuesday, Toronto ended up in Toronto for the last 50 minutes of Flyers’ play, there was a confrontation between two, which did not get rid of physical, but “probably both crossed the line.”
As a result, York was functionally scratched on Thursday’s victory over Montreal Canadiens, although he was sitting on the bench throughout the game because Flyers had no healthy other players. The interim coach Brad Shaw called this “disciplinary problem” and the team source said the decision to sit York was made by CEO Daniel Briere, who felt the team needed to return with York on Saturday.
But will not play under Tortorella who did not respond to several requests for interview Athletic since his fire.
The disagreement with York and the subsequent comments that Tortorella made after the game contributed to the coach of the coach on Thursday morning. But these two events were not isolated. According to the team source, something began to move around the business date of 7 March.
Until then, Tortorella seemed to be on board with the movements that Briere did because Flyers traded with respected leaders Scott Laughton and Erik Johnson, which further reduced the schedule that lost the most important attackers Morgan Frost and Joel Fabee about a month earlier. But there was a difficulty around the team that arose from some Tortorell reactions on the days and weeks that followed.
Between Tortorella, Team and Flyers Management, the disconnection began to grow, which culminated on Tuesday in Toronto, where according to the team source did not help the coach’s comments after the game.
As colleague Pierre Lebrun informed on Friday morning, the timing of Tortorella’s release “It was surprising. At the beginning of this week, Flyers had a hint that they wanted to sit down with a 66 -year -old coach who had another year to find out where he was, mentally and physically.”
Shaw said on Friday that Tortorella “left a note in our (coach) room and in the players’ room when he came and got his stuff. That’s the type of guy he is.”
Over the past few weeks, tension has been bubbling between Tortorella and York. York was March 8. He healthy scratching for the game and later raised lack of communication from the coach.
“We didn’t talk much, so I’m not sure,” he told reporters two days later when he asked why he thought he was scratched.
He also added, “I think I’m not playing to do anything to him. I play for the boys in this dressing room and logo on my chest. I don’t play for him, necessarily if it makes sense.”
On Friday, when I first spoke since it was ending since it was finished and then punished, York said, “I will not get into the details of it. I will say it, I will exceed full responsibility for my actions. It was addressed here in the dressing room.
Yet he admitted frustration from the team’s watching, as Maple Leafs got 7-2, because at the end of a 10-day trip played only five defenders.
“It is obvious that sitting on a bench in this type of game is never fun,” he said. “Five (defender) is a difficult thing and you never want to put your teammates in this type of situation.”
Shaw was asked to do something like a bench player for 50 minutes, as well as Tortorella on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to get into it,” he said. “I don’t want to answer a question that can be used against offenses. I don’t think it’s the best interests of someone, so I’d rather not answer it.”
In 58 games this season, York has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. A 24 -year -old man is a waiting agent with a limited free. Previously, there was a discussion on the extension of the contract during the season, but there was not much progress.
York repeated his desire to be part of the future of Flyers on Friday.
“I want to be here,” York said. “I said it. I love what’s going on here, and I love what we’re building. It wasn’t our (best) year, but it’s here. I want to be here and I’m looking forward to the future.”
As far as Tortorella is concerned, York said, “I have nothing wrong. He taught me a lot of really good things and was a really good coach for me. I will use a lot of things he taught me in my career. He’s a really good coach and wish him the best happiness on the road.”
(Photo: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)
