Something had to change as the Flyers lost their twelfth straight last night. As fans and media alike wait for Chuck Fletcher’s state of the Flyers Press conference tomorrow, Fletcher announced that John Torchetti will be added as an assistant coach and that Mike Yeo will remain the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Nick Schultz and Darryl Williams will also remain as assistants.
Who Is John Torchetti?
Torchetti is a Boston native who played professionally in the AAHL as well as the ECHL and AHL. The 57-year-old former left-winger started his coaching career in 1991. He spent time in a number of leagues from the QMJHL to the NHL as a coach and was a three-time interim head coach in the NHL.
He helped guide the Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, and the Minnesota Wild as the part-time bench boss. Torchetti has also served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detriot Redwings, and was an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010. He also coached at HC CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Torchetti was a head coach in the NHL for 66 games and has a record of 30-30-4-2. He made the playoffs once with the Wild, losing in the first round to the Dallas Stars. What is interesting here is that he replaced Mike Yeo in Minnesota after Yeo was fired. Torchetti was then replaced by Bruce Boudreau.
Torchetti’s name had been in the news this season for all the right reasons. When Kyle Beech came forward with allegations against the Chicago Staff for covering up the alleged sexual assault, Beech stated that Torchetti was one of the coaches who stood by him during the incident.
As for what we can expect from Torchetti? I can’t say, but it appears the Flyers got a guy with a ton of coaching experience at every level. Here is to hoping he can help develop the younger players. The Flyers take on the Islanders tonight on Long Island. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30PM.
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