Flyers’ HC John Tortorella Says NHL Is “No Hit League”

Head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, John Tortorella, voiced his displeasure with the NHL’s present situation in an interview, citing concerns about player safety and hit handling in particular. Tortorella’s remarks were prompted by a recent incident involving Luke Hughes, a young player with promise who was fortunate to avoid harm following a dubious contact.

Flyers’ HC John Tortorella Says NHL Is “No Hit League”

For the most part throughout the game, Tortorella was furious with the officials. When Garnet Hathaway was given a game misconduct and five-minute major penalty for boarding Luke Hughes, he did not appreciate it. He thus condemned the league’s striking strategy and emphasized the necessity for players to improve their self-defense.

After the team’s practice on Friday, Tortorella answered questions on an incident that transpired during the team’s 4-3 overtime defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

The play saw Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway outpacing Devils defenseman Luke Hughes for a puck that seemed to be icing. But the linesman was quite late in blowing the whistle. So late, in fact, that Hathaway had already given Hughes a check, almost pushing the youngster into the Wells Fargo Center’s third row.

Tortorella stated the following while speaking with Flyers reporter Jordan Hall:

“I’m glad the kid (Luke Hughes) isn’t hurt. A really good player, young man in this league. But that’s a problem in our league right now. Our players in this league do not put enough emphasis on making sure you’re protecting yourself from hits like that. Making sure you absorb hits like that.”

“We’ve kind of tried to turn this league into a no-hit league. Now people aren’t ready to be hit. I think it’s a lost art in how you take hits. I do think looking at the clip, I think (Hughes) thinks it’s icing. A mistake was made. We’ve got good refs, we’ve got good linesmen. A mistake was made last night and  what bothers me is we had to suffer for that mistake, losing a player.”

Has John Tortorella won a Stanley Cup?

He is the National Hockey League’s (NHL) head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Previously, Tortorella led the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and Columbus Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay won the 2004 Stanley Cup under his leadership.

Who has Tortorella coached?

With 20 years as head coach of the New York Rangers (1999–00, 2008–13), the Tampa Bay Lightning (2000–08), the Vancouver Canucks (2013–14), and the Columbus Blue Jackets (2015–21), he brings over 25 years of NHL coaching experience to the Flyers (1989–2021). It is 673-551-170 in Tortorella.

 

 

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