(Philadelphia) The Philadelphia Flyers have hired John Tortorella as head coach with hopes he can lead the team to their first Stanley Cup title since 1975.
Posted at 6:47 p.m.
The hiring was confirmed Thursday by a person familiar with the decision, but who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official announcement should take place on Friday.
Tortorella, who will celebrate his 64e birthday next week, led the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup title in 2004. He also coached the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets. He was fired in May 2021 after six seasons at the helm of the Blue Jackets.
Tortorella becomes the Flyers’ sixth head coach in 10 years and will look to revitalize an organization that has won just one series since 2012. The Flyers finished last season with a 25-46-11 record, the worst of the Metropolitan section.
The Blue Jackets went 227-166-54 under Tortorella, including a 50-24-8 record in 2016-17. The team, however, had a very difficult season in 2020-21 (18-26-12).
Tortorella is the second most successful American head coach in NHL history. He is known for his temperament and demanding style. Over the years, he’s had his run-ins with his share of players.
Tortorella boasts a record of 673-541-37-132 in nearly 20 seasons as head coach. He emerged from a slew of candidates, including former head coach Barry Trotz.
Tortorella spent the last campaign as a studio analyst at ESPN.