This weekend, Philadelphia Flyers first-year head coach John Tortorella sent a self-written letter to Flyers season ticket holders - AKA: The Inside Edge. He spoke openly about the team's first half, its goals, struggles and hopes for the remainder of this season and the next. With a look to the future, Torts' letter has seemingly gone over well amongst the average Flyer fan - something difficult to do in sport-crazy city such a Philadelphia.
The body of Tortorella's letter is as follows:
"To our valued Inside Edge Members...
At the beginning of the season, we set out to build a foundation for the future and a standard for how we're going to play, night in and night out.
Now that we're halfway through the season, I want to share with you what I've seen from our guys. I have been very pleased with our team's effort, drive, and hunger to compete.
Perhaps more importantly, and I hope you've noticed this too, I love the way this team has consistently responded to the challenges we've faced, both as individuals and as a group. Throughout the locker room, our players are showing a full commitment to getting it right.
We also have some kids here who have impressed me. Some of them have taken on heavy minutes and big responsibilities, and they're growing into the impact players we need for them to be. This development of our young players is absolutely crucial for our future.
This season I've challenged the veterans on the team, and I've been very happy with their response. Beyond the stats, they've shown a willingness to adapt, compete, and lead our group both on and off the ice. Now, I'm not going to lie to you - and I want to be clear about this - we're not there yet. This year was the first step in building the future of the Flyers and restoring our reputation as one of the most respected teams in hockey.
We're in the thick of the season right now, and we're going to see how our group responds to the challenges that lay ahead with a gruelling schedule. It's a grind, but all of that is extremely important to see what we have and what we need to move forward.
That excites me because I can promise you this - the answers to those questions will come. You and I will find out together, and we'll be an even tougher team for having gone through it. That, because we're in the midst of establishing an identity. Not just any identity - but an identity that reflects the city of Philadelphia and the proud history of the Flyers organization.
We need you with us. We're going to get this right, we're going to make you proud, and together, we're going to remind everyone what this team is all about.
John Tortorella"

Manitoba2 years ago
John Tortorella Pens Letter to Flyers Fans: We're Not There Yet
Photo by Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

By Carter BrooksFebruary 7, 2023
Read Next

Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets
Scheifele Loses His Father, Jets Lose 2-1 in OT to Dallas in Game 6 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Jets Play Perfect Jets Hockey and Shut Out Dallas 4-0 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Game 5 Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 4 Dallas Stars 0 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Game 2 Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 4 Dallas Stars 0 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Rantanen Scores Three As Dallas Takes The Opener 3-2 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Game 1 Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 2 Dallas Stars 3 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
The Miracle on Portage Avenue: Jets Come Back to Win Game 7 in Double OT | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Game 7 Game On Recap: Winnipeg Jets 4 St. Louis Blues 3 | a month ago

Winnipeg Jets
Jets Beat Blues 5-3 in a Rock 'em, Sock 'em Affair in Game 5 | 2 months ago
Carter Brooks - Editor-in-Chief of Game On Magazine - is a news writer and sports columnist situated in Winnipeg, MB. On top of reading and writing, his favourite pastimes include camping, car-modification projects and coaching hockey. Carter can be reached at carterbrooks1994@gmail.com or on Twitter at @CBrooksie84
Loading...
Top Contributors
Loading contributors...
Trending Now
Loading articles...
Loading...
Loading
Comments