Due to his wife and other terrible marital problems, John Tortorella sorrowfully announced his retirement unexpectedly, and all his team players broke down in tears, but…

Due to his wife and other terrible marital problems, John Tortorella sorrowfully announced his retirement unexpectedly, and all his team players broke down in tears, but…

All of John Tortorella’s squad members sobbed as he unexpectedly announced his retirement due to his wife and other horrible marital issues.

When John Tortorella takes the bench for the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, he will be sporting the same scowl and irate demeanor that have characterized the majority of the 1,499 NHL games he has coached.

“He polishes his own schtick; don’t kid yourself,” remarked Pittsburgh Penguins coach Sullivan, who worked as Tortorella’s assistant for three teams over the course of six seasons. “He’s pretty calculated with respect to that.”

On Friday night at 10 p.m. ET (ROOT-NW, NBCSP+), the Flyers will play the Seattle Kraken, and Tortorella, 65, will become the first coach born in the United States and the eighth overall to achieve 1,500 games.

Throughout his 22 seasons with Tortorella, his number is 723-590-149, and he has 37 ties with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Flyers. He is ranked second among American-born coaches, behind current Rangers coach Peter Laviolette (776), and tenth on the NHL wins list.

Twelve of Tortorella’s teams, including the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning Lightning, have advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the Blue Jackets in 2004 and again in 2017, he was named NHL coach of the year and received the Jack Adams Award.

Former Blue Jackets player Scott Hartnell, who spent two seasons under Tortorella’s tutelage from 2015 to 2017, stated: “He has a different persona at the rink and off the rink.” He is a kind man who genuinely cares about others and loves his family.”

And lastly, Lindsay Pennal characterizes Tortorella as cozy.

“Not just in this job, but in my entire life, he’s one of the kindest, most compassionate people I’ve ever met,” said Pennal, the NHL Coaches’ Association’s executive director. The media never properly portrays it. He’s renowned for playing the “torts” that appear on television.

The distinctions between the public and private spheres might be startling, but that is how Tortorella has forged his way to longevity and success in an industry where both are hard to come by.

Christine Tortorella, John’s wife, stated, “I’m not going to tell you he’s Mr. Personality around here.” “We purchased him a ‘Grumpa’ hat when he became a grandpa for the first time. He is a decent man and a decent dude. He’s far from flawless.”

During their time in Columbus, Hartnell got a close-up look at every aspect of Tortorella, including a few well-deserved scratches and one very memorable locker room talk.

“My brothers and their kids, my nephews, came to a game, and I was showing them the room in Columbus and was telling my brothers, ‘[Tortorella] has been so hard on me; he scratched me three of the last four games; I’ve been playing well,’ this and that,” Hartnell recalled. “Basically berating Torts and saying that he doesn’t see my value in this squad and all that kind of stuff. “Oh, Scott, is this your brother?” asks Torts as he passes through the dressing room. Your nephews, please? I agreed, and he sat down and spent a few minutes conversing with us. “Enjoy it, anything you guys need,” he said, gesturing to this and that, and they both turned to face me, exclaiming, “This is the nicest man ever.” ‘Usually it’s not like that,’ I thought.

However, he does have feelings for you. Though you have a preconceived notion about him and feel some fear from him, he is ultimately just a teddy bear.”

Between 2015 and 21, Tortorella and Philadelphia forward Cam Atkinson experienced comparable highs and lows in their relationship over the course of six seasons in Columbus. Yet he and Hartnell, who is currently a commentator for the team, were among those considered by the Flyers in 2022 when they were searching for a coach

who supported Tortorella.

Atkinson declared, “I believe he’s a Hall of Fame coach.” He is not suitable for all. He’s been really critical of me at times. However, I believe that he has influenced not only the athlete I am now but also the person I am and the way I live my life.”

“There’s that perception of what he is, and then there’s the reality of what he is, and what he is is a very demanding guy that cares an awful lot about his players,” stated Sullivan, who worked under Tortorella with the Lightning, Rangers, and Canucks. To get the most out of his athletes, he also puts in a great deal of work and pushes them to the limit.

That’s how he operates. And he just does it because he is concerned for them. Additionally, he wants to win.

“I believe that over time, the guys who play for him come to understand that. Players may not think that at first, but I believe that as they get to know him and learn about who he is and what he stands for, they will come to appreciate his business practices much more.”

Tortorella maintains a wall separating himself and the hockey community from his compassionate side, but he is quick to let down that wall when it comes to the causes he is most passionate about, particularly animal welfare.

This contains Tortorella’s weekly podcast runs a program called “Hockey and Hounds,” which pairs Flyers talk with a dog up for adoption from the Pennsylvania SPCA.

The director of public relations for PSPCA, Gillian Kocher, acknowledged that she was anxious when Tortorella expressed interest in collaborating with the organization because of his standing. Nevertheless, those worries were quickly dispelled.

“I discovered that when you get him talking about dogs in particular, but animal welfare, he doesn’t really stop talking,” she continued. Which is significantly different from his media appearances, in which you only receive one- or two-word responses. He also has a strong sense of passion for the subject. In actuality, our experience has been entirely different from what I had anticipated. He has only shown us warmth and a desire to be of assistance.”

“We simply are feeling more and more entwined with the company these days,” she remarked. “They always extend an invitation to us when they are doing something. (Flyers ahead.) On November 18, Scott Laughton did, in fact, attend our gala at Bark and Whine. It’s truly expanding beyond simply John, even if he is undoubtedly the main motivator.”