Tortorella’s softer side revealed with Flyers coach to hit 1,500 games

Philadelphia forward Cam Atkinson had a similar up-and-down relationship with Tortorella during the six seasons they were together in Columbus from 2015-21. But when the Flyers were looking to hire a coach in 2022, he and Hartnell, now a broadcaster for the team, were among those who vouched for Tortorella.

“In my opinion, I think he’s a Hall of Fame coach,” Atkinson said. “He’s not for everyone. There are moments where he’s been very hard on me. But I think he’s helped me grow into not only the player I am today, but the person, and just how I go about my daily business in my life.”

Sullivan, who was on Tortorella’s staff with the Lightning, Rangers and Canucks, said: “There’s that perception of what he is and then there’s the reality of what he is, and what he is is a very demanding guy that cares an awful lot about his players. And he works extremely hard and pushes his players extremely hard to get the best out of them. That’s his modus operandi. And the sole purpose is because he cares about them. And he cares about winning.

“I think the guys that play for him learn that over the course of time. Their initial impression might not be that, but over the course of time, as they get to understand him and they learn who he is and what he represents, I think players gain a much greater appreciation for how he goes about his business.”

That caring side of Tortorella is one he keeps walled away from the majority of the hockey world, but it’s a guard he lets down quite easily when it comes to the charities he feels strongest about, especially animal welfare.

That includes a weekly podcast that Tortorella hosts, “Hockey and Hounds,” that combines Flyers talk with an adoptable dog from the Pennsylvania SPCA.

Gillian Kocher, PSPCA director of public relations, admitted she was nervous when Tortorella reached out about wanting to work with the organization based on his reputation. But it took almost no time for those concerns to be allayed.

“I discovered that when you get him talking about dogs in particular, but animal welfare, he doesn’t really stop talking,” she said. “Which is something very different from his media interviews when you get one- or two-word answers. And he’s really passionate about the cause. I actually have gotten the completely opposite experience than I thought we would. He’s been nothing but warm to us, nothing but wanting to help.”

Because of Tortorella’s activism, Kocher said a bridge has been built linking the PSPCA and the Flyers.

“We just are now feeling more and more intertwined with the organization,” she said. “Whenever they are doing something, they will invite us. … (Flyers forward) Scott Laughton actually came to our gala, Bark and Whine (Nov. 18). So it’s really kind of extending out beyond just John, although, of course he is the driving force.”