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In revealing presser, John Tortorella explains why he is pushing Flyers so hard in playoff race: "I don't want regrets"

April 3, 2024

Apr 1, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella on the bench as players bench react after a game-tying goal with nine seconds left against the New York Islanders during the third period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

When an NHL head coach goes up in front of the media after a loss in the midst of a playoff race and the first word out of his mouth is "soft," that's about as attention-grabbing as it gets in hockey.
He knows just how harsh he's being, tagging his group with what is just one step below a slur within the hockey world, the worst possible adjective that can be slapped on a player or team.
So perhaps it shouldn't have been a major surprise that Tortorella used Wednesday -- his first media availability since that incendiary session after the Flyers' 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders -- to not necessarily pull back on his comments from two days earlier, but clarify them.
The result was ...

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