John Tortorella Pens Letter to Flyers Fans: We're Not There Yet

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"