Flyers Relieve John Tortorella of Duties as Head Coach

The John Tortorella era in Philadelphia is over.

In the wake of remarks stating he was “not interested in coaching in this type of season,” which Tortorella said following the team’s 7-2 loss to Toronto, the Flyers have relieved the head coach of his duties.

“Today I made the very difficult decision to move on from John as our head coach,” Flyers GM Danny Briere said in a statement. “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. 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.”

The Flyers had lost six straight games and 11 of their last 12 prior to the coaching change. Brad Shaw will take over as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, effectively immediately.

Tortorella, 66, coached for three seasons, posting a 97-107-33 record.

Shaw, 60, is also in his third season with the Flyers and served as an associate coach. This is Shaw’s first experience as a head coach in the NHL. He has been an assistant coach since the 2006-07 season.

The Flyers face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at 7 p.m.