John Tortorella's tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers ended abruptly following a 7–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
Brad Shaw, appointed by the Flyers brass as the team's interim head coach for the remainder of the season, revealed a heartfelt final gesture from Tortorella before his exit from the organization.
Shaw, who stepped in as interim head coach following Tortorella's dismissal, revealed on Friday that Tortorella left a personal note in the Flyers' locker room and another in the coaches' room when he returned to collect his belongings.
"He left a note in our room and in the players' room when he came and got his stuff," Shaw said. "That’s the type of guy he is."
The Flyers won their first game under the guidance of Shaw on Thursday, beating the Montreal Canadiens 6-4 in Philadelphia.
The gesture underscored Tortorella’s respect and appreciation for his former players and fellow coaches within the organization, despite tensions in the final weeks leading to his dismissal.
Most notably, reports emerged on Friday revealing a locker room confrontation with Flyers defenseman Cam York, who took "full responsibility" for the incident.
“I’m not going to get into the details of it," York said. "I will say this: I take full responsibility for my actions. It’s been addressed here in the locker room. It’s something that I’m going to put behind me and move on from."
The Flyers had struggled under Tortorella this season, posting a 28–36–9 record and dropping to last place in the Metropolitan Division, leading general manager Daniel Briere to make a "very difficult decision" this close to the end of the season.
However, Shaw’s appointment immediately paid off with a 6–4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, snapping a six-game losing streak and moving the Flyers up to a 29-36-9 record.
