VOORHEES, N.J. — Back in 2001-02 was John Tortorella's first full season as an NHL head coach. His Lightning team won just 27 games.
He had taken over a franchise that had a losing reputation and "country club atmosphere." By Year 3, Tampa Bay was Stanley Cup champions.
Nobody is saying Tortorella will have the Flyers hoisting the Cup in a couple of years. Different era, different circumstances. But the 64-year-old has witnessed a rebuild in which an organization was staring down trying times and was desperate for direction.
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Tortorella's first season in Philadelphia has 10 games left. The Flyers are 28-32-12 and their unknown future has come under the microscope this month with change among the front office and ownership.
For some needed perspective, Tortorella was asked if the Flyers' situation related at all to one of his own coaching experiences in the past.
He was honest about what makes it different. And maybe daunting, too.
"This one for me ... a lot of losing," the head coach said Tuesday morning. "Went through it I think my first year in Tampa; it has been so long ago. The thing that's different with this for me is there's a lot of other stuff. Not just the on-ice product, but there's a lot of the other stuff that needs to get straightened out. Just a little bit too gray for me, there's a lot of gray areas that I think need to get ironed out within the whole organization. I think that is a huge part of our process."
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The Flyers lost 57 games last season (25-46-11). Tortorella expected a challenge when he was hired last summer.
But apparently not this much overarching gray.
"I didn't realize — and I can't get specific — but there's a lot of other stuff going on around this team that I think needs to be straightened out," Tortorella said. "We're kind of bumping into one another where really, 'You should be over there and I'll be over here and a common goal is to get this right.'
"And that happens when teams struggle, that happens when you lose — everybody thinks they have the answer and they kind of tread over here. Just in a general sense, I think we need to get in our lanes — get our lanes straightened out and then we join it together.
"The hallway down in our room, I think we've worked through a lot of stuff and I think we're getting it on the right track. Still some gray. The grayness needs to leave. Everybody needs to know what they need to do to make this team work and get it to be a viable, competitive, playoff hockey team."
Getting everything aligned will continue to be a challenge, especially if the rebuilding Flyers make substantial changes in the summer.
In the locker room, Scott Laughton is the Flyers' de facto captain. As an alternate captain, he's the lone player to have a letter on his jersey. Tortorella on Tuesday said the Flyers won't have a captain next season, either.
Laughton made his NHL debut with the Flyers at 18 years old. He turns 29 in May and hopes better days are ahead in a Flyers jersey.
"I mean, I'm not getting any younger," Laughton said Tuesday. "You want to win in this league. That's what you play for, is to play meaningful hockey games when it's starting to get warm outside. It gets tiring going home every year in April and having that long summer of training; it's kind of like the dog days of just doing the same thing over.
"I want this franchise to do well, I want us to take a step. I think we've got some good pieces to do that. Obviously the rebuild word is out there and everything like that. Pretty much control what you can control, hopefully get some injured guys back next year and start fresh. I'm looking forward to that and trying to be a leader on this team that can do something here in the future."
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