Giving press conferences might not be John Tortorella’s best attribute as an NHL coach, but at least they’re never boring.
The never boring part was on full display again Wednesday night, when the Philadelphia Flyers head coach used his postgame presser to lash out at a reporter over a recent trade report.
“Is the guy here that caused Kevin Hayes a problem,” Tortorella asked as he looked around the room before the reporter, Anthony SanFilippo, answered, “Yes.”
Here’s John Tortorella UNLOADING about the Kevin Hayes report. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/vecN6KvK20
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) January 11, 2024
Earlier this week, Philly traded the No. 5 overall draft pick from 2022, Cutter Gauthier to Anaheim after he informed the Flyers he had no intention of signing with the organization. On Monday, SanFilippo, who hosts Flyers podcast Snow The Goalie, claimed an unnamed source within the organization suggested Hayes may have caused the rift between Gauthier and Philly. Hayes’ “fingerprints are all over this,” SanFilippo said during the podcast.
Gauthier currently plays for Boston College which is where Hayes played a decade ago. Hayes also played for the Flyers from 2019-2023 before being dealt to the St. Louis Blues.
“Are you kidding me? You think Kevin Hayes is going to do something like that?” Tortorella ranted to SanFilippo. “It’s bullsh*t. It pisses me off that you guys throw that sh*t around and affect someone’s life. Kevin and I had a problem, we couldn’t come to an agreement on how to play. That’s a good man. That’s a good man and what you said is gonna stay with him.
“That’s what you guys don’t understand, you say something, and you’re going to sit there and say you have the right sources. I call bullsh*t.”
Hayes vehemently denied SanFilippo’s report that he caused the rift between the Flyers and Gauthier, ultimately forcing the organization to deal a top prospect away. Shortly after the trade and the now controversial podcast, Hayes blasted SanFilippo on Instagram, writing, “This guy is a f*cking clown and making sh*t up.” Hayes also spoke to The Athletic about the report.
“At first, it didn’t really seem like a big deal,” Hayes told The Athletic. “But just the s–t that’s come from the aftermath, people with death threats, people want my family dead, people happy my brother’s dead, it’s just crazy stuff coming out.”
After the press conference, SanFilippo addressed the talking to from Tortorella on Twitter. “Well, Torts just lit me up in his press conference about Kevin Hayes. Completely unprompted,” SanFilippo wrote. “That ought to be a joy for everyone for the next couple days.”
