Eastern conference coach demands respect from around the league; do they deserve it?
It has been several disappointing losing seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers. While it looked at one time that they had some promising young players and they made several acquisitions of veteran players, things have just not worked out in Philly. This offseason general manager Chuck Fletcher signed tough guys Nic Deslauriers and Zack MacEwen. He also brought in Tony DeAngelo. None of those moves seem like they're going to make a substantial impact on the Flyers.
Most notably, Fletcher also brought in head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella is fiery and passionate head coach. Some may say too fiery. While this is not the most talented Flyers roster, Tortorella insists that this team will be tough, hard to play against, and will earn some respect of other NHL teams. In Tortorella's view that is a step in the right direction.
This franchise desperately could use a turn in the right direction and the Flyers are hoping Tortorella's the right person to do so.
The combination of the Flyers not being competitive this year and Tortorella's intense coaching style might cause some fireworks to go off in Philadelphia. We will see if the players commit to Tortorella's approach or if they tune him out like other NHL clubs have done in the past. One thing is for sure, Tortorella will be holding players accountable and insist on their best play ever night.
| POLL | ||
Can Torts turn the flyers around | ||
| Yes | 38 | 32.2 % |
| No | 46 | 39 % |
| Not right now | 34 | 28.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
