‘I love this opportunity’: John Tortorella eager to reshape Flyers’ identity
It was opening night for the Philadelphia Flyers, and pessimism swirled ahead of the Thursday night game against the New Jersey Devils. Forward Joel Farabee checked Twitter before arriving to the rink.
“Everyone is already saying our season is done,” Farabee said. “No one believes in us but ourselves.”
A clip of John Tortorella is making the rounds on the internet, as a reporter asked if the coach found something the Flyers are good at and can possibly build an identity around.
“No,” Tortorella said.
Then came the pregame introduction at Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia. When injured defenseman Ryan Ellis’ name was announced, the crowd erupted in boos.
Welcome to life in a city with unrelenting passion — where patience is not a luxury its sports teams enjoy. The Flyers know they can’t hide. The organization has come to terms with its reality.
The 2021-22 season was dismal. “There was a crazy amount of adversity we faced,” general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “And we didn’t handle it well, to put it mildly.”
Added veteran Cam Atkinson: “There were things that went on last year that I didn’t appreciate. … It was a bit of a country club feel.”
Initially, Fletcher said he believed his team was hamstrung by a series of unfortunate events — including roughly 500 man games lost to injury — and was an “aggressive retool” away from contending again. After a summer of soul-searching, the organization changed its tune.
Tortorella was hired for a hard reset. The veteran coach, to a fault, says exactly what he feels. His first task? “Finding out who wants to be part of this,” he said. And that means both young players the organization had been counting on and veterans who have been around for years.
A team that hires Tortorella knows what it is signing up for. Things are going to change, and the process isn’t always going to be smooth. But in the end, the team has an identity — something lacking with the Flyers the past few seasons.
“We have zero respect in this league. I’m willing to admit that,” Tortorella said. “But that’s what gets me going. I love this opportunity.”
FLYERS FANS WANTED another signing this summer: Johnny Gaudreau. The South Jersey product, one of the most skilled wingers in the league, made it known he’d love to play for his hometown team after leaving Calgary.
“We had a ton of discussions about Johnny and other top free agents and how to best spend money,” Fletcher said. “But to sign one of these $70 million, top-end players, we needed to clear cap space. That would have required us parting with first-round picks. And coming off a 61-point season, that just wasn’t palatable to us.”
As the organization received more clarity on Ellis’ prognosis — which was not looking good — defense became a priority. A major trade acquisition from Nashville in 2021, Ellis has played just four games with the Flyers, dealing with an injury that has been identified as a torn psoas muscle in his back.
According to both Fletcher and Ellis’ agent, the defenseman is not considering retirement yet. He’d desperately like to play, and is working toward that goal. This season, Ellis is living in South Jersey with his family and has been working out at the team facility. Being with the team has improved Ellis’ mental health, his agent said. But the 31-year-old is still living with pain and having some hard days. It’s highly unlikely Ellis will play this season.
Ellis was acquired to team with Ivan Provorov on Philadelphia’s top defensive pairing. So the Flyers used their cap space this summer to sign Tony DeAngelo (two years, $10 million) to play with Provorov. They also spent big on a contract extension for Travis Sanheim (eight years, $50 million).
The team wants better defensive structure to support Carter Hart. A team’s success is too often dependent on goaltending, and Tortorella said one of his No. 1 priorities is “letting the young goalie play.”
Hart has long been viewed as the solution to the organization’s decades-long goaltending carousel. Over Hart’s four-year career, he’s been solid but not spectacular: 62-61-16, a .905 save percentage and 2.97 goals-against average.
“He just turned 24 years old,” Tortorella stressed, once again reminding the fans to be patient.
And the team hasn’t played well in front of Hart, which has made the goaltender’s job harder.
Learning to defend as a team — and committing to defending — is a Tortorella hallmark.
“You don’t f—ing win if you don’t know how to play away from the puck,” he said.
TORTORELLA HAS A reputation for being hard-nosed, but it’s the worst-kept secret in the league that the coach has a huge heart.
“All people see are the YouTube clips that were from, you know, 10-plus years ago,” said Atkinson, who played for Tortorella for six years in Columbus. “And don’t get me wrong, he’s had his moments. He’s a fiery guy and wants to win just as bad as you do.
“But he’s also one of the best guys I’ve ever known and — a great communicator, checks in on you from time to time, asks how your family’s doing, your kids, how your mom and dad are doing.”
Atkinson said he advocated for Fletcher to bring Tortorella to Philadelphia. “As I get older, I only have so many years left,” the 33-year-old Atkinson said. “And I want to win.”
The work begins now. Tortorella training camps are notorious for being heavy on conditioning. All players were required to come in at 11% body fat or under. And they did.
That helps cater to Tortorella’s style, which requires commitment to structure and details.
“His teams in Columbus weren’t the highest-skilled teams, but their puck possession numbers were top 10 in the league,” Fletcher said. “We want to look like that. If we don’t have enough skill to score as much as other teams, that might be our reality.”
Fletcher revealed something else about Tortorella: “He keeps saying, ‘I’ve changed, I’ve changed.'”
While Tortorella conditioned the players hard in camp, the coach was also checking in with the sports science and newly revamped medical staff, Fletcher said. And there were no more runs, just hard skates.
Tortorella said the biggest way he’s changed is in his approach with younger players.
“I listen more. I do,” he said. “I think you have to with the athlete in today’s world. I think it’s the right way to coach, to empower them. But I can’t let it run away from me, where if I listen too much — human nature is they take advantage of that.
“I’m still going to push them. I’m still going to be hard, be disciplined. But I want them to be part of the equation with me. That’s the biggest thing I’m trying to get better at. Am I rock solid? Absolutely not. But I’m working on it.”
Tortorella doesn’t want his team to be the Broad Street Bullies. But he does think it can have the toughness to give it an identity the city will fall back in love with. It’s just going to take a hard reset to get there.
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Notre Dame‘s Marcus Freeman and Penn State‘s James Franklin are aware they are on the brink of making history in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday.
The winner will become the first Black head coach to take a team to the national championship game. Both were asked about that possibility during their respective news conferences Saturday previewing their matchup.
Franklin said it reminded him of Super Bowl XLI between Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith in 2007, the first Super Bowl featuring Black head coaches. Franklin was the offensive coordinator at Kansas State at the time, coaching for Ron Prince, another Black head coach.
“I remember thinking that, as a coach, how significant that was in the profession, and how significant that was for young coaches coming up in the profession, to see those guys in that role,” Franklin said. “I also remember, at that time, there were a lot of conversations about, ‘Will this impact the profession? Will this impact opportunities for guys?'”
At the time, there were six Black head coaches in college football, Franklin said. There are now 16 head coaches in 134 FBS programs, something Franklin described as progress.
“I know some people will say, ‘Well, that that’s not a huge increase,’ but it is an increase,” Franklin said. “At the end of the day, does this create opportunities for more guys to get in front of athletic directors? Does this create opportunities for search firms? I hope so. I think at the end of the day, you just want an opportunity, and you want to be able to earn it through your work and through your actions. I take a lot of pride in it.”
When Freeman was asked, he made sure to note that he is also half-Korean, a nod to his mother. But he also understands the significance of the moment.
“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for so many others that look like you, and I don’t take that for granted,” Freeman said. “I’m going to work tirelessly to be the best version of me, and it’s great, because even the guys in our program can understand, ‘Don’t put a ceiling on what you can be and what you can do.’
“Now, with that being said, it’s not about me. It’s about us. More than anything, I want to achieve team glory with this program.”
Freeman was also asked how he can inspire other young coaches who are watching him on this stage.
“If you want to impact the young people in this profession, you probably should do things to help them, and those are things that maybe after the season I could focus on trying to do,” Freeman said. “I want to be a representation. But that’s not enough. If you want to truly help some people, then you got to be one to make decisions and actions that truly help people.”
Franklin said he is honored to be in position to coach against Freeman in the semifinal.
“I’m honored to be able to compete against Notre Dame. Most importantly, I’m honored to represent Penn State and the young men in that locker room,” Franklin said. “For me to sit here and say that it’s not important, it’s not significant, that would not be accurate.”
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Penn State All-American defensive end Abdul Carter is working back from an apparent left arm injury, and while coach James Franklin said it’s “too early” to determine Carter’s status for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, there’s optimism about his return.
“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything stopping him from playing, but it’s going to come down to, how is he able to play?” Franklin said Saturday. “We’ll see. But his mentality is great. He’s excited about this week, but it’s too early to say at this stage.”
Carter left the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl against Boise State on Tuesday in the first quarter, not recording any statistics before exiting and not returning. No. 6 seed Penn State won 31-14 to advance to the Capital One Orange Bowl, where it will face No. 7 seed Notre Dame on Thursday night.
Carter, 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, became Penn State’s first consensus All-America selection since Saquon Barkley in 2017. He also was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists Carter as the No. 2 prospect for the 2025 NFL draft, behind Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado.
Carter posted a social media message Tuesday of Darth Vader in a bacta tank from the movie “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” indicating his recovery process from the injury.
“He’s doing great. His attitude is great. His mentality has been really good,” Franklin said. “We’ll see, but he’s taken the right approach and mentality, and it’s really going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s going to get during the week.”
Franklin does not usually provide injury updates about players who are not out for the season but understands the attention around Carter, who leads Penn State in sacks (11) and tackles for loss (21.5) and ranks second in quarterback hurries (8) and fourth in total tackles (63). A Philadelphia native, Carter moved from linebacker to defensive end this season under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. He has 22 career sacks, 37.5 tackles for loss, 5 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 13 passes defended.
Penn State players are off Saturday before returning to practice Sunday.
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman says his team has to “expedite the preparation” with fewer days than Penn State to get ready for the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday.
During a news conference Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, Freeman was asked about the challenges presented after the team’s quarterfinal game against Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl was delayed one day following a deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans.
The Irish beat the Bulldogs 23-10 on Thursday, while Penn State beat Boise State 31-14 in its quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Freeman pointed out that his team came out of the Georgia game relatively healthy and is proceeding as if this is a normal game week. Notre Dame’s only significant injury was suffered by backup tight end Cooper Flanagan, who sustained a foot injury that will keep him out of the rest of the playoffs.
“How you handle the unpredictable things in life will determine the success, and so the greatest thing about this week is it’s just a normal game week,” Freeman said. “Now what we’ve got to do is utilize the time. We have to expedite the preparation because what you miss in terms of not having those couple days is the mental preparation of knowing exactly what to do. We’ve got to make sure we utilize every hour of the day to capitalize off of the preparation. For us, this is just game week.”
Freeman has led the Irish to the semifinals after a Week 2 loss at Northern Illinois that could have derailed the season. Instead, they treated every week like a playoff game and are now on the brink of playing for a national championship.
As a result, there is far more noise surrounding the program heading into the semifinal, something Freeman acknowledged. But he also knows it is important not to deviate from what got the Irish to this moment.
“I think it’s human nature to enjoy people saying good things about you,” Franklin said. “It’s human nature. But we’ve talked all year about being misfits. That’s what we have to continue to be. You have to make the choice to either waste time listening to people tell you how good you are or you’re going to put your time into preparing for this opportunity right in front of us. That’s been my message loud and clear, and we all have to make that choice.”
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