Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella has been suspended for two games and fined $50,000 for unprofessional conduct toward officials, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell announced on March 10.
The announcement came after Tortorella refused to leave the bench area after being assessed a game misconduct at 10:49 of the first period of the Flyers’ 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 9.
Tortorella Refuses to Leave Bench After Ejection
The incident occurred during a Saturday night matchup at Amalie Arena, where the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning Lightning team that Tortorella coached was being honored.
Philadelphia had already fallen behind 3-0 halfway through the first period when Lightning center Brayden Point scored a power-play goal to extend Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-0 following a tripping call against Philadelphia defenseman Ronnie Attard.
That, combined with the 10-minute misconduct assessed to Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway for contact with Lightning center Anthony Cirelli during a timeout, caused Tortorella to lose his temper.
An incensed Tortorella expressed his displeasure to referees Wes McCauley and Brandon Schrader, who assessed him a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and a game misconduct resulting in his ejection from the contest.
Tortorella initially refused to leave the bench area in a timely fashion, but after a couple of minutes of arguing with the officials, he ultimately conceded and headed to the dressing room. He was replaced behind the Flyers bench by assistant coaches Brad Shaw and Rocky Thompson.
“I think he was just trying to make a point that we felt like we might not have been getting our fair shake,” Shaw told reporters after the game.
“It’s an emotional game at times, and we all get elevated blood pressure. I’m not going to speculate on whether or not it was the right call. It’s an emotional game, you know, and Wes decided that was the right thing to do. That’s his decision in the moment.”
NHL Hands Down Punishment to Tortorella
The Flyers’ coach might face additional consequences for his actions, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman posted on X after the game.
“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,” he wrote.
Tortorella has been fined 13 times and suspended on four separate occasions during an NHL coaching career that spans more than two decades, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel. The funds collected from Tortorella’s $50,000 fine – the largest fine the league has ever given him – will go directly to the NHL Foundation.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Al Morganti reported before the league’s ruling that Flyers CEO Dan Hilferty had expressed his support for Tortorella, offering to pay any fine that the NHL assessed his head coach.
“I’m really proud of Torts for standing up for his/our team.,” he said “This new era of Orange is about having each other’s backs. Last night, Torts had our collective backs.. I respect any action the league might feel a neeed to take but if it includes a fine, I am paying it.”
Tortorella will miss the Flyers’ next two games, on March 12 against the San Jose Sharks and March 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will be eligible to return for the Flyers’ game at the Boston Bruins on March 16.
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Flyers Coach John Tortorella Suspended, Fined by NHL After Bench Incident