Flyers Interim Head Coach Brad Shaw Speaks On The Role, The Grind & What Comes Next

When Brad Shaw steps behind the bench these days, it’s with a slightly different posture, a different pulse. 

The suit’s the same. The stare behind the bench, laser-focused. But make no mistake—there’s a weight that comes with walking a mile in the head coach’s shoes. It’s heavier, fuller, more demanding than anything he’s carried before in his three years as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers. And Shaw, who took over on an interim basis after John Tortorella was let go by the organization in March, is feeling every bit of it.

“It’s the best job in coaching. It’s the pinnacle,” Shaw said. “So I think everybody that coaches probably aspires to it and it’s been great. You kind of forgot how all-encompassing it is compared to being an assistant coach.”

It’s a candid insight from a man who’s been around this league a long time. Shaw, 60, has seen the game from just about every angle—player, assistant coach, interim. But even for someone as experienced as him, this particular seat brings a different kind of gravity.

“There’s so many things going on in [a head coach’s] day outside of the X’s and O’s and the structure of what’s happening on the ice,” he added. “For most of the assistants, you have interactions with the coach or with other players, but certainly not to the depth or the breadth of how many people you talk to in a day as a head coach.”

He laughs when talking about the “substitute teacher” feel of stepping into the interim role—especially in the final stretch of a season where the Flyers have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

“It’s kind of the substitute teacher role, right? We all remember school… as soon as you had that substitute teacher, certain people took advantage of said substitute teacher,” he said. “I think I pretty much know which guys are going to try that here, so I’ve tried to pre-empt it with some of them… but it’s kind of where we’re at.”

Where they’re at is a complicated spot. The Flyers were in the fight for much of the season, driven by a strong defensive identity and a roster that was more competitive than many predicted. 

But an extended losing streak late in the year, combined with key injuries and offensive inconsistencies, put the brakes on the postseason hopes. The “E” beside their name in the standings—eliminated—hit hard.

“When you get that ‘E,’ it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Shaw admitted. “It’s a realization that, as a group, we didn’t get the job done. We didn’t accomplish what we set out to… and that can be a tough mental pill to swallow.”

In those moments, Shaw said, what starts to slip are the habits. The little things. The commitment to structure and consistency that Tortorella had tried to hammer home all season. And so, Shaw’s task over these final few games has been twofold: keep the group engaged, and ensure that the final stretch still means something.

“For two-and-a-half hours, five more times, let’s see how professional we can be,” he said. “Let’s see how cohesive we can play and just how much we can give ourselves the best chance for success.”

Even while dealing with the reality of the season’s end, Shaw hasn’t held back in terms of evaluating the way the team has played—even during wins.

“From that point of view, even when we were winning the first three games, I didn’t necessarily like how we were playing,” he said. “We were outscoring our mistakes, but how we were playing is hard to sustain. I think there’s a smarter game and a more team-based game that the majority of teams that are going to continue playing after mid-April do, and do it on a consistent basis.”

Whether Shaw will be given the opportunity to instill that smarter, more sustainable game beyond this interim window is the looming question. He hasn’t had formal conversations with GM Danny Brière yet about what comes next, but he doesn’t need to make a big pitch, either.

“It’s only been three years, but I’ve loved my time here,” he said. “It’s a unique city. I love the inherent pressure the fans put on [the team]—I’ve never been booed more in three years in my life, but I think it’s good. It keeps us in check. It makes sure you’re doing the little things better.”

He cracked a smile thinking about what it would be like to run the show from day one of camp.

“The one thing that does happen when you get a little taste of head coaching is, I’d really like to try it and really have the team from midsummer—do development camp, and from day one in camp, you’re implementing what you think should happen,” he said. “I’d love to try that.”

Would he make the players run Tortorella’s infamous rope test?

“I would not be doing the rope test!” Shaw said, laughing. “But it would be a tough camp. I think conditioning is important. The one thing we did here for three years is, you get reminded of how hard you have to work. And sometimes that’s a great lesson—and yes, the rope test is one of those examples.”

There’s a quiet confidence in Shaw’s voice when he speaks about the job and the potential of staying on. He’s not lobbying or grandstanding. He’s just being honest. Because for all its stress, all the behind-the-scenes demands, and all the weight it puts on a person—head coaching is still, to him, the best job in the business.

And if it turns out his time behind the bench in Philly is more than just an interim moment, it’s clear he already has a vision, a philosophy, and a whole lot of motivation to keep pushing this team in the right direction.