One of the most bizarre instances of the National Hockey League season came this past weekend when Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella of Boston, Massachusetts was ejected from the Flyers’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Tortorella was actually honoured by the Lightning prior to the game, as it was the 20th anniversary this season he coached Tampa Bay to their only Stanley Cup title. Once the game started, Tortorella argued the fact that the Flyers had 19 minutes in penalties in the first 10 minutes of the game. He was subsequently ejected by referee Wes McCauley. You could see the ejection below:
Torts didn't want to leave the bench after being ejected. 😳 pic.twitter.com/VTt70Bho49
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 10, 2024
The controversy escalated when Tortorella told McCauley he would not leave the bench. He could be seen telling McCauley, “I won’t go!” In addition to the Flyers getting into penalty trouble, they were down 4-0 to the Lightning after the 10:49 mark en route to a 7-0 blowout loss. For Tortorella’s behaviour, he was fined $50,000 and suspended two games.
Flyers win one and lose one during suspension
The Flyers won one game and lost one game while Tortorella was not behind the Flyers bench this week. The Flyers beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Tuesday and the lost 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday with Flyers associate coach Brad Shaw of Cambridge, Ontario taking over temporary coaching duties. In the Flyers win over the Sharks, Owen Tippett of Peterborough, Ontario broke a 2-2 tie at 5:09 of the third period.
In a Playoff Spot
Despite the recent turmoil and controversy in Philadelphia, the Flyers are still in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 34 wins, 25 regulation losses and eight losses in extra time for 76 points. They lead the New York Islanders by four points for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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