Flyers’ John Tortorella May Face Additional Discipline from NHL

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella was ejected from the Flyers’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night following an explosive, expletive-laden tirade launched at referee Wes McCauley and his crew.

Tortorella was given the boot after Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point scored a power play goal at 10:49 to give the Lightning a 4-0 lead. How Tampa Bay went on the power play to score that goal? Flyers rookie defenseman Ronnie Attard incidentally knocked skates with Tampa Bay’s Michael Eyssimont, but Attard stayed upright while Eyssimont did not.

Tampa goes to the power play, Point scores, and the Flyers allowed their fourth goal in 10 minutes. Tortorella’s night was over minutes later, and after fighting with McCauley to stay on the bench, the veteran coach made his way down the tunnel.

Though, that’s probably not the last of this incident Tortorella and the Flyers will hear.

We’ve all been laughing about this tonight…we’ll see how things evolve tomorrow, but the NHL still has to weigh in. I don’t think it found the refusal to leave the bench as humorous as social media did https://t.co/EGdoz7cY8C

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 10, 2024

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman took to X to chime in, explaining that the NHL was likely unamused with Tortorella’s antics with their own review of the situation still to come.

We’ve all been laughing about this tonight…we’ll see how things evolve tomorrow, but the NHL still has to weigh in,” Friedman wrote. “I don’t think it found the refusal to leave the bench as humorous as social media did.”

Tortorella was once fined $20k for comments made as Columbus Blue Jackets head coach in 2020, and was slapped with another $25k fine a few months after that for a similar incident. The 65-year-old was also suspended 15 days without pay in 2014 after attempting to confront Bob Hartley in the tunnel during a game between the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames.

If you had any doubt that the Flyers new culture starts at the top consider this: Just spoke to Flyers CEO Dan Hilferty about Torts getting ejected from Saturday night's game in Tampa and he said he will pay any fine levied by the NHL

— al morganti (@nufced) March 10, 2024

Tortorella has not faced any discipline from the league during his time with the Flyers, though it’s possible that clean slate ends here. Tortorella previously made headlines a few months back after going to bat for former Flyers forward Kevin Hayes in the face of unfounded rumors that caused Hayes and his family emotional distress.

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