Sean Couturier returns to the Philadelphia Flyers lineup on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. Looking back, was John Tortorella’s decision to leave out his captain in the final two games brave or disrespectful?
“Tortorella does what he wants, when he wants,” explained former NHL goalie Pascal Leclaire on TVA Sports. This is the story, a little, of his career. It’s striking because he’s your captain, but lately it’s been a little more difficult. Only two goals in his last 30 games.
The problem is rather in the way Tortorella went about it, without providing an explanation to an important leader of his team.
“There seems to be a lack of communication between the coach and his player,” added Leclaire.
Mathieu Chouinard, another former NHL goaltender, was much more incisive towards Tortorella.
“It’s not like in the 70s where you treat everyone the same way,” he lamented. Especially not when it’s your captain! He won a Selke, Couturier. It frustrates me that you’re taking away your captain. He’s going to bring you something, in the room or on the ice, even if he doesn’t produce.
“I find it really inappropriate what he [Tortorella] did.”
See the full segment in the video above.
