Conflict Between John Tortorella and Cam York Leads to Coach’s Dismissal
An incident this week involving Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York and head coach John Tortorella has significantly strained their relationship, ultimately resulting in Tortorella’s firing on Thursday morning, according to a team source. The source revealed that following Tortorella’s decision to bench York for the last 50 minutes of the Flyers’ game against Toronto on Tuesday, a confrontation occurred between the two. While the altercation did not escalate to physical violence, it was described as a moment where “they probably both crossed the line.”
As a consequence of this conflict, York was effectively scratched from the lineup during Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Though he remained on the bench throughout the match due to the absence of healthy extra players, interim coach Brad Shaw labeled it a “disciplinary issue.” The decision to bench York was reportedly made by general manager Daniel Briere, who believed it was necessary to send a message to York, who is expected to rejoin the lineup by Saturday.
However, York will not be playing under Tortorella, who has not responded to multiple interview requests from The Athletic since his dismissal. The disagreement with York, along with Tortorella’s postgame comments, contributed to the coach’s firing on Thursday morning. Yet, these incidents were not isolated; a noticeable shift had begun to occur around the trade deadline on March 7, according to the team source.
Prior to the trade deadline, Tortorella appeared to support the decisions made by Briere, including the trades of respected leaders Scott Laughton and Erik Johnson, which further depleted a roster that had already lost top-nine forwards Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee about a month earlier. However, in the aftermath, a heaviness began to permeate the team, stemming from some of Tortorella’s reactions in the weeks that followed.
A growing disconnect formed between Tortorella, the team, and Flyers management, culminating in the events of Tuesday in Toronto. The coach’s postgame remarks did little to improve his standing, according to the source. Colleague Pierre LeBrun reported on Friday that Tortorella’s dismissal came as a surprise. Earlier in the week, indications from the Flyers suggested that they planned to meet with the 66-year-old coach after the season to discuss his mental and physical state, especially considering he had another year left on his contract.
Shaw mentioned on Friday that Tortorella “left a note in our (coaches) room and in the players’ room when he came and got his stuff. That’s the type of guy he is.” Tension had been building between Tortorella and York for several weeks. York was made a healthy scratch for a game on March 8, and later expressed disappointment over the lack of communication from the coach.
- “We haven’t talked much, so I’m not sure,” he told reporters when asked about the reasons behind his scratching.
- York added: “I mean, I’m not playing to prove him anything. I’m playing for the guys in this locker room and the logo on my chest. I’m not playing for him, necessarily, if that makes sense.”
On Friday, York spoke for the first time since being benched and remarked, “I’m not going to get into the details of it. I will say this, I take full responsibility for my actions. It’s been addressed here in the locker room. It’s something that I’m going to put behind me and move on from. We’ve got eight games left here and that’s my focus right now. We’ll leave it at that.”
However, he did voice his frustration about watching his team suffer a heavy 7-2 defeat to the Maple Leafs, particularly given that they were down to just five defensemen for much of the game after a long 10-day road trip. “Obviously, sitting on the bench there in that type of game is never fun,” he stated. “Five (defensemen) is a tough thing to do and you never want to put your teammates in that type of situation.”
When asked if he would consider benching a player for 50 minutes, as Tortorella had done, Shaw responded cautiously. “I’m not going to get into that,” he said. “I don’t want to answer a question that can be used against Torts. I don’t think it’s anybody’s best interests, so I’d rather not answer that.”
In his 58 games this season, York has accumulated four goals and 11 assists for a total of 15 points. As a pending restricted free agent, there were earlier discussions about a contract extension, but little progress was made. York reiterated his desire to remain with the Flyers, saying, “This is where I want to be. I’ve stated that. I love what’s going on here and I love what we’re building. It hasn’t been our (best) year, but it’s here. This is where I want to be, and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Regarding Tortorella, York expressed, “I have nothing bad to say. He taught me a lot of really good things and was a really good coach for me. I’m going to use a lot of the things that he taught me down the road in my career. He’s a really good coach, and I wish him the best of luck down the road.”
(Photo: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)
