The Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella in March after eleven losses in twelve games. Tortorella, known for his fiery temperament, has been a prominent figure in the NHL since the late 1990s. But despite his reputation as a hothead, he’s also known for building strong relationships with his players — Matvei Michkov of the Flyers being one of them. Now, the 20-year-old forward reveals what he texted Tortorella after the coach was let go.
John Tortorella has enjoyed a long and successful career in the NHL since becoming head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning in January 2000. He led the Lightning to a Stanley Cup victory in 2004 and went on to coach the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently, the Philadelphia Flyers — a position he held until March, when he was replaced by assistant coach Brad Shaw.
Matvei Michkov texted Tortorella
After Tortorella was fired, he received an outpouring of support via text messages from players and people around the league. But one message in particular, from Flyers forward Matvei Michkov, really stood out to him.
“I wanted to score a lacrosse goal in front of Tortorella. When he left, I texted him: ‘John, thank you so much. You are my first coach — I will never forget you. You were always honest with me. Thank you for that,’” Michkov told reporters.
“He was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t expect to get a message from you. It’s really nice. I’ve received millions of messages, but the one from you is the nicest.’”
Made Tortorella laugh
Matvei Michkov continued to reflect on their conversation.
“I said, ‘Man, sorry you got fired. I never scored a lacrosse goal in front of you.’ He laughed and said, ‘It’s all ahead — it’ll happen,’” Michkov said.
This exchange goes to show that no matter how tough a coach may seem, great coaching often comes from strong relationships with players. You can watch the full interview below.
