John Tortorella fired by Flyers

[Archie Lee]

15 minutes ago, JohnC said:

What about LaFontaine? He certainly falls into the nostalgia category. And that hire turned out to be a fiasco. What’s to be learned? When searching for solutions it’s better to look forward than backward. 

And Housley. 

[Pimlach]

Nostalgic hires by TP were Pat LaFontaine, Teddy Nolan, Phil Housley, and to a much smaller extent Jason Boterill.  

Much more than one hire.  

[7+6=13]

3 hours ago, shrader said:

I think you’re forgetting Ted Nolan. 

How is Nolan nostalgic for Pegula?

[shrader]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Nostalgic hires by TP were Pat LaFontaine, Teddy Nolan, Phil Housley, and to a much smaller extent Jason Boterill.  

Much more than one hire.  

Housely was a coach on the rise, at least. He was going to get that shot somewhere very soon. Boterill is a ridiculous stretch. That would be the equivalent of being nostalgic over that one random peanut butter sandwich you had back when you were 6. 
 

I lump Nolan and LaFontaine together in my mind since it all happened together. That one at least makes sense as you’re just taking over the team and you want to try to show this connection to the fans. The rest up until last summer, I really don’t see it as them going out of their way to hire ex-Sabres. If that was the case, Perreault would have been wooed to some ambassador position or something. 

[JohnC]

46 minutes ago, shrader said:

Housely was a coach on the rise, at least. He was going to get that shot somewhere very soon. Boterill is a ridiculous stretch. That would be the equivalent of being nostalgic over that one random peanut butter sandwich you had back when you were 6. 
 

I lump Nolan and LaFontaine together in my mind since it all happened together. That one at least makes sense as you’re just taking over the team and you want to try to show this connection to the fans. The rest up until last summer, I really don’t see it as them going out of their way to hire ex-Sabres. If that was the case, Perreault would have been wooed to some ambassador position or something. 

Making a critical hire based on demonstrating a connection to the fans is not the smartest way to make a decision for such an important position. But let's put that aside and look at the owner's overall record in hiring the top hockey staff. They haven't worked out for a variety of reasons, some of it having to do with the churning of staff resulting in a start and stop and restarting again approach. Each hire at the GM and HC position brings in a different system and philosophical approach. The constant changing and instability is a hallmark of the Pegula era. 

The hiring of KA to be the GM made no sense other than he presented the owner with an appealing cheaper plan to rebuild. And I'm comfortable in saying that not only would KA not have been considered for a GM position by any other sober owner but am absolutely sure that no owner would have kept him on after five years of an excruciating rebuilding plan that resulted in the team being a bottom of the pack team. 

What's interesting about this new senior advisor addition to the staff to help the current GM is that if he would have been the replacement for the current GM, there would have been even more positive feedback. From an overview perspective, this franchise has been flailing for a generation because of a pattern of bad management/ownership decisions. What's obvious is that when you shoot yourself in the foot you can't run very well. It gets tiresome. 

[shrader]

6 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Making a critical hire based on demonstrating a connection to the fans is not the smartest way to make a decision for such an important position. 

It’s not, but with a new and inexperienced owner, it’s an understandable approach. That’s all I’m saying. 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, shrader said:

It’s not, but with a new and inexperienced owner, it’s an understandable approach. That’s all I’m saying. 

I agree with you that it was an understandable approach for a novice owner. The problem is that he hasn't learned from his mistakes. That's the maddening aspect of how he has handled his ownership. There's a stubbornness that he is going to do it his way without the benefit of enough consultation from more knowledgeable people inside and outside the organization. Hopefully, the hiring of this experienced executive is a step in the right direction. He needs to build on it. 

[shrader]

34 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I agree with you that it was an understandable approach for a novice owner. The problem is that he hasn't learned from his mistakes. That's the maddening aspect of how he has handled his ownership. There's a stubbornness that he is going to do it his way without the benefit of enough consultation from more knowledgeable people inside and outside the organization. Hopefully, the hiring of this experienced executive is a step in the right direction. He needs to build on it. 

It feels like the first time since that initial group of hirings (Craig Patrick and others) where he has actually tried to bring in outside help. 

[Kristian]

On 3/27/2025 at 2:17 PM, JohnC said:

His tough guy act has a short lifespan. Anyone who thinks that he would be the type of coach that the Sabres need is way off the mark. 

You must be referring to Mike Keaanan. Torts is quite durable, despite his somewhat dated? approach to coaching.

[JohnC]

Just now, Kristian said:

You must be referring to Mike Keaanan. Torts is quite durable, despite his somewhat dated? approach to coaching.

I wasn't referring to Keenan although his style of coaching is beyond being outdated for this era of hockey. If Torts is so durable then why is it that wherever he goes he ends up being asked to leave. In my view, his approach to the game is passe No thank you. Looking to the past for solutions is not the way to go. 

[Kristian]

12 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I wasn't referring to Keenan although his style of coaching is beyond being outdated for this era of hockey. If Torts is so durable then why is it that wherever he goes he ends up being asked to leave. In my view, his approach to the game is passe No thank you. Looking to the past for solutions is not the way to go. 

You don’t think seven years at Tampa, six years at Columbus, three years at Ohilly is durable? What is then?

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, Kristian said:

You don’t think seven years at Tampa, six years at Columbus, three years at Ohilly is durable? What is then?

Not for me. The past is the past. As a coach I would be looking for something else. If you believe that he would be a prime candidate for another team, then that's fine. I don't see him back behind the bench again.  

[LGR4GM]

Torts got fired for some altercation with York. Not interested. 

[Flashsabre]

I’m not following this thread. Do people want Torts back as associate coach or as part of the front office or something?

[JohnC]

31 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

I’m not following this thread. Do people want Torts back as associate coach or as part of the front office or something?

Hell no.

[Flashsabre]

“The Expansion Seattle PWHL team has named John Tortorella as their first head coach.”

[JohnC]

21 hours ago, Kristian said:

You don’t think seven years at Tampa, six years at Columbus, three years at Ohilly is durable? What is then?

I don't want to diminish Tort's career as a HC. His record is admirable. It's just that for the Sabres he would not be a suitable coach, in my opinion. The past is the past, now the present and future need to be addressed. His style of coaching and personality are not what this franchise needs.