The Philadelphia Flyers reportedly hired John Tortorella to be their head coach on Thursday. And at least one of his longtime former players isn’t optimistic about the outlook.
Brandon Dubinsky played for Tortorella for much of his career, first with the New York Rangers and later with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After the move was reported, Dubinsky was on Twitter with a message for Tortorella’s new players in Philadelphia.
🙏🏻 for the @NHLFlyers players!
— Brandon Dubinsky (@BDubi17) June 17, 2022
Dubinsky shading his former coach did not go unnoticed. The opinions were divided, though. Some thought — or at least, hoped — that it was nothing more than a former NHL player rehashing an old grudge with one of his former coaches.
https://t.co/4wqhZhkSp6 pic.twitter.com/fP30Y4eb03
— DocxRock🦅🇺🇸✝️ (@billyr09) June 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/flyers_daily/status/1537596441291632648
Enjoy golfing https://t.co/YdG576sDbH
— Beach Bum (@FLKeysBeachBum) June 17, 2022
Players love Torts. Could be a good hire for the @NHLFlyers https://t.co/3By1uJaARp
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) June 17, 2022
Dubinsky has always been SAWFT https://t.co/j2wzLY1L9e pic.twitter.com/SHUYWhbsiE
— Mark (@Behavioristt) June 17, 2022
Several hockey fans, though, came down on the side of Dubinsky.
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) June 17, 2022
Good god 😬😬😬 he’s right though #NHL https://t.co/NCPudVWqHi
— x – Max Greenberg (@MaxGreenberg176) June 17, 2022
DUBIE FOR THE WIN!!! https://t.co/i6sC2WZtgm
— Jaden Daly (@jadendaly) June 17, 2022
Dubi’s Rangers legend has skyrocketed the past month https://t.co/O2Qdv0qlRf
— The Garden Faithful (@GardenFaithful) June 17, 2022
Tortorella is known for being abrasive an confrontational and often, his own players aren’t spared from that. So, it’s easy to see why Dubinsky is not his biggest supporter.
But it’s also easy to understand why the Flyers hired him. Since his Stanley Cup win in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tortorella has only reached the conference once. But in the 15 seasons he’s coached since then, his teams have reached the postseason 10 times. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has missed the playoffs six times over the last 10 seasons — including both of the last two. Tortorella’s teams have generally at least reached that plateau.
Regardless of how things go for Tortorella with the Flyers, Dubinsky’s Twitter feed might be a good one to keep an eye on.
