Sharks To Face Head Coachless Flyers On Tuesday
The San Jose Sharks will embark on a five-game road trip starting Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, whose head coach, John Tortorella, was just suspended two games.
Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports - Sharks To Face Head Coachless Flyers On TuesdayThe San Jose Sharks will embark on a five-game road trip starting Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, whose head coach, John Tortorella, was just suspended two games.
During their game last night, Tortorella sent waves around hockey social media as he refused to leave the bench during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With his team down 4-0 at 10:49 of the first, Wes McCauley threw Torts out of the game.
NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell announced the suspension today.
"Unprofessional conduct directed at the officials by refusing to leave the bench area after being assessed a game misconduct," the press release stated as the reason for the suspension.
Tortorella is also being fined $50,000 for his actions. This morning, Flyers CEO Dan Hilferty said he would pay a fine if the league came down on his team's head coach.
How does this affect the Sharks? San Jose is coming off an emotional win against the Ottawa Senators and will now face a desperate Flyers team. Tortorella is arguably the main reason the Flyers sit in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
His coaching style has generated a strong defensive game and hard-nosed but earned motivation for his players. Their 7-0 loss to the Lightning last night could cost them a chance at the postseason.
With San Jose coming in with nothing to lose, the last thing the Flyers will want is to lose, especially in regulation. San Jose will face a desperate team without its head coach, which shouldn't be taken lightly.
Another angle is although it was long ago, the Sharks' first win of the season came against the Flyers. San Jose lost its first 11 games of the season but beat the Flyers to end the streak.
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