John Tortorella lectures the media for asking about the only thing Flyers fans actually care about right now

Another Flyers loss, another John Tortorella masterclass in media condescension. After Sunday’s game against the Devils, Torts was asked about Matvei Michkov missing a few shifts.

John Tortorella on Matvei Michkov shifts:

Twitter sucks today so nothing will embed properly into posts. Check this link for the video. The quote from Torts we’re talking about is right below.

“You are at a disadvantage because I’m not going to give you information. It’s not always the play on the ice that I’m trying to teach. Use that as a context before you start all your bulls*.”**

At this point, Michkov’s ice time has been the biggest storyline of the season. Flyers fans want to know why the franchise’s most exciting young player in years continues to be limited. Some believe Torts is coaching him up the right way, while others think he’s going to cost Michkov a legitimate shot at the Calder Trophy.

The philosophical debate is pretty straightforward: Should a young player learn through trial and error, or does he need to be reeled in with a shorter leash? Torts has clearly chosen the latter approach. Whether that’s the right call is up for debate, but what’s undeniable is that Tortorella’s handling of Michkov is a massive talking point among fans.

Now, Torts says “it’s not always the play on the ice” that dictates Michkov’s shifts and that “so many things go on.” Which, ironically, just opens the door for more media questions—the very thing he’s trying to shut down.

The most hilarious part of all this is John Tortorella’s implied expectation:

I’m pretty torn about this because I absolutely hate the media. It’s why I started The Liberty Line because 9 out of 10 times, any member of the “media” is just a stuck up asshole who puts more value on themselves than actually doing their job properly.

Because of that, the door is wide open for people like us at The Liberty Line to rack up millions of views on a monthly basis just sharing our opinion and talking shit about the teams we watch every night.

Basically, Torts doesn’t want to answer the question about Michkov. He’s set in his own ways and nothing that is written or talked about is going to change that.

“You don’t have all the information, but I’m also not going to give you any of it. Just stop asking.”

That’s John Tortorella’s actual stance and somehow he expects that to fly in Philadelphia which of course, will be met with resistance because again, the media over values their importance.

At the same time, Michkov truly is the only important part about the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s the only story-worthy player on the roster and for the Flyers, who have been stuck in irrelevancy for pretty much my entire life, maybe Torts should lighten up a bit, ya know?

It’s absolutely ridiculous to expect reporters to just stop asking about the most important storyline of the season—especially when John Tortorella himself refuses to provide clarity.

Then I flip back to the other side of the arguement because Torts claiming that he’s showing “respect” to the media by acknowledging this they don’t know is absolutely hilarious.

If Michkov’s ice time—or lack thereof—is because of something serious behind the scenes, then just say it’s an internal matter and move on.

This weird middle ground where Torts refuses to explain anything while also getting mad at people for asking is never going to work- even more so while the Eagles just won the Super Bowl, the Phillies are still in Clearwater, and Daryl Morey is laughing at Sixers fans while his team crashes and burns into the same irrelevancy the Flyers are trying to avoid.

Daryl Morey jokes about Sixers fans being angry and somehow, he’s still missing the point

Torts is free to coach Michkov however he sees fit. That’s his job. But this whole “I know something you don’t” routine isn’t going to work.

Flyers fans have watched this franchise stumble through a decade of irrelevance, and now, with an actual star prospect in the mix, they’re naturally going to have questions about how he’s being developed.

If John Tortorella doesn’t like being asked about it, too bad. That’s the job. It’s not the media’s fault but then again, the media is the worst anyways so who really cares?

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