Head coach John Tortorella fired with Flyers out of NHL playoff picture

The Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach John Tortorella on Thursday with nine games left in another losing season for a franchise that hasn't been in the playoffs since 2020.

The Flyers are last in the Metropolitan Division at 28-36-9 for 65 points under the notoriously brusque Tortorella. The Flyers suffered their sixth straight loss Tuesday, 7-2 to Toronto.

Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, said after the game he was not "really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we're at right now. But I have to do a better job. So this falls on me, getting the team prepared to play the proper way until we get to the end."

The Flyers named Brad Shaw the interim coach, starting with Thursday's game against Montreal.

"John played a vital role in our rebuild. He set a standard of play and re-established what it means to be a Philadelphia Flyer," general manager Danny Briere said. "John's passion on the bench was only equaled by his charitable work in our community. As we move into the next chapter of this rebuild, I felt this was the best for our team to move forward. I'd like to thank John for his tireless work and commitment to the Flyers."