The Toronto Maple Leafs 7-2 blowout win over the Philadelphia Flyers was the final game ofJohn Tortorella’s coaching career in Philly. The Flyers announced Tortorella’s firing on Thursday morning ahead of their game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Now, am I saying that the Toronto Maple Leafs were responsible for Tortorella’s firing? Hardly. Tortorella pretty much fired himself, but it was the blowout loss to the Leafs that ultimately doomed him.
In particular, William Nylander’s goal in the second period of Tuesday night’s contest triggered an interesting reaction from Tortorella - maybe it's why he said what he did after the game.
Nylander scored his 40th of the season to make the game 5-1. But during the TSN broadcast, the scene cut away from Nylander’s celebration on the ice to Tortorella smirking as he looked up at the replay.
You can see his reaction at the 0:17 mark in the video I linked to. At the time, I thought Tortorella’s smile was one of indignation. Something like, “Oh boy, here we go.” But now that his firing has been announced, Nylander’s goal was the point where Tortorella knew he was done. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back and he knew it.
Of course, Tortorella’s demise was not the result of Nylander’s goal or the 7-2 loss to the Leafs. It probably has something to do with what he said post-game: "I'm not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we're at right now. But I have to do a better job. This falls on me, getting the team prepared to play the proper way until we get to the end." (from yahoo.com).
Unfortunately, for the Flyers, their lost season had to end this way. As for Tortorella, he’ll find a job soon. He’s a good coach and with a couple of vacancies opening up this summer, he could be in demand. I’m thinking that Boston or Chicago will be the first to call.
Tortorella’s demise a cautionary tale for Toronto Maple Leafs Craig Berube
John Tortorella and Craig Berube are very similar coaches. They preach a hard-nosed, old-school type of hockey. They like strong, checking teams that play defense-first styles. However, such playing styles can be taxing on players.
For some players, it means spending a lot more time on the shelf due to injuries. For others, it means seeing their offense suffer due to the increased focus on playing defense-first. Granted, Tortorella didn’t have nearly as talented a team in Philly as Berube does in Toronto.
But for Tortorella, the expectations riding on his back were high. He was supposed to be the coach who would usher the Flyers from the retool/rebuild into a competitive hockey club. Sadly, that was not the case. It was evident that Flyers management had a very short leash on the highly decorated coach.
In my estimation, that’s the situation Berube faces. He’s an old-school coach who was tasked with bringing about a significant turnaround to a talented, yet underachieving team. If Berube cannot finally bring the Toronto Maple Leafs around to a serious playoff run, he’ll be on the hot seat next season.
I would be very surprised if there was anything Berube could do this season to end up getting fired, but there is a chance that new managers will want their own coach. If the Leafs do not do well in the playoffs, there is a good chance that Shanahan and Treliving are gone, and after that, who knows?