New Philadelphia Flyers John Tortorella says when his Tampa Bay Lightening beat the Flyers in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals on the road to his only Stanley Cup Championship, Torts said the city and organization made a lasting impression on him.
"I remember telling my wife and I told [Flyers general manager] Chuck [Fletcher] this story, 'Man that is a place I would love an opportunity to be and coach," Torts said. "The passion of the people, the building, everything about the city. It was really neat for me. I remember my first meeting with Chuck when we started this, he wore a shirt with the emblem and I said, 'That's where I want to be.'
"I am not going to critique anything that has happened before. I know it has been a little bit of struggle. I think Chuck and I spoke the same language of how we get this fixed quickly and it was really intriguing to me.
"Guys, I couldn't be more excited about being a part of the Philadelphia Flyers. It may sound a little silly, but even when I was coaching other teams, I've always thought about that city, I've always thought about that team, I'd hope to have an opportunity along the way."
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Former Eagles fullback Jon Ritchie talked about the addition of Torts to the Flyers on Monday's 94WIP Midday Show.
"He wants to create structure. I believe in that," Ritchie said on Monday. "The coaches who I played for in the NFL, I mean Andy Reid, great example. There was a very clearly defined structure and as a player you knew exactly what was expected of you. He's very clear with the players what he demands from them, what he expects...He's going to coach them hard," Ritchie said. "I think the players will appreciate that."
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