Last night the Philadelphia Flyers faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With both teams looking to make a final push for the playoffs, tempers were high. It took less than 12 minutes for Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella to be ejected from the game.
This ejection was unique because after being told to leave the bench Torts refused. Eventually, after an extended discussion cooler tempers finally prevailed and Tortorella went to the locker room. At the time the Flyers were already down four to zero and Torts was particularly unhappy with a call from everyone's least favored official. Wes McCauley.
It has become commonplace for NHL coaches to immediately receive a fine after being ejected. This will likely not be any different, however, it appears that Torts may not have to pay that by himself. Today, the Flyers CEO spoke on his coach's ejection today.
Comments like this bode well for the Flyers long-term, as fans have clamored for accountability for years. Now, it appears the team may finally be getting it. This display shows a top-down leadership mentality that shows everyone in the organization, that doing the right thing will be more important than money.
