Flyers' John Tortorella Adds to His History of Suspensions As an NHL Coach

John Tortorella is one of the longest-turned and winningest coaches in NHL history, but he oftentimes makes headlines for his colorful antics.

Tortorella, a two-time Jack Adams Award winner who won a Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is known for being a demanding coach, but he’s renowned by players. Tortorella will run through a wall for his players if they buy into what he's selling.

With that said, sometimes Tortorella’s temper gets the best of him, and we’re not even talking about his infamous quips during media scrums.

In addition to several fines, 65-year-old Tortorella has been suspended four times by the NHL since he entered the league as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabers during the 1989-90 season.

Here’s a look at the four times the NHL suspended Tortorella.

The NHL disciplined Tortorella for “unprofessional conduct directed at the officials by refusing to leave the bench area” during the Flyers’ 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Tortorella was ejected from the game midway into the first period after Brayden Point scored a power-play goal to give the Lightning a 4-0 lead. Tortorella appeared to be upset about the tripping call made on Flyers defenseman Ronnie Attard, which led to the man advantage.

After referee Wes McCauley gave Tortorella the boot, the seasoned coach was irate and went on a profanity-laced rant throughout what was a one-minute-and-a-half standoff before ultimately leaving the bench.

Before the fine was announced, Flyers CEO Dan Hilferty pledged to pay Tortorella’s penalty.

"I'm really proud of Torts for standing up for his/our team," Hilferty told Al Morganti of NBC Sports. "This new era of Orange is about having each other's backs. Last night, Torts had our collective backs. I respect any action the league might feel a need to take, but if it includes a fine, I am paying it."

Tortorella’s most infamous suspension came after starting an altercation in the hallway outside the Calgary Flames dressing room. 

Tortorella, then coaching the Vancouver Canucks, was furious at Flames coach Bob Hartley for putting his enforcer-filled fourth line on the ice to start the game. Tortorella promptly sent his tough guys over the boards, and a line brawl off the draw ensued.

CBC, which broadcasted the Hockey Night in Canada game, aired footage of the encounter. Tortorella attempted to make his way into Calgary’s dressing room, but enforcer Brian McGrattan and other Flames staffers acted as the first line of defense. Several players stood behind them and prevented Tortorella from getting anywhere close to their locker room.

Tortorella was barred from having any contact with the team throughout his suspension, which excluded him from six games.

Tortorella was suspended after a confrontation with a fan during Game 5 of the first round of the 2009 playoffs. 

Then the New York Rangers coach, Tortorella had to be restrained by assistant coach Jim Schoenfeld and other players as he tried to poke a fan seated behind the Rangers’ bench with a stick. The fan had poured a drink on Tortorella, but a subsequent investigation by the NHL uncovered that he had squirted the fan with a water bottle before that.

“While, in these circumstances, it always is easy to allege mitigating circumstances, the fact is we do not tolerate contact with our fans in this manner,” Colin Campbell, then the NHL director of hockey operations, said at the time.

The suspension was ultimately a turning point in that first-round series, as the Rangers, who had a 3-1 series lead at the time of the suspension, went on to lose the next three games and make an early playoff exit.

"It's a bad mistake by me," Tortorella said after the series. "I regret it. I put the New York Rangers organization in an embarrassing situation. I'm embarrassed by it. I am an intense person, which is a positive, but it also turns into a negative sometimes."

Tortorella’s first coaching career suspension came six years into his stint as an assistant for the Buffalo Sabres.

After the Sabres lost 6-1 to Tampa Bay on home ice, a fan heckled Sabres coach John Muckler and called him “a disgrace to the city,” according to the Buffalo News. After Muckler reportedly slapped the fan on the way to the dressing room, Tortorella grabbed the fan and attempted to pull him over the railing before security intervened.