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John Tortorella’s Skating Gauntlet Looks Awful
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
Day 1 of a John Tortorella camp is like Christmas. If Christmas consisted of waking up and finding out someone stole all of your presents, lit your house on fire, and made you run a marathon. His skating gauntlet is the stuff of legends. Scott Laughton looks like his lungs might explode and legs are going to fall off:
Scott Laughton pushing through John Tortorella’s skating gauntlet. All about battling mentally and finishing, Tortorella says. pic.twitter.com/N2mN0LlZ66
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 21, 2023
The guy finally found something tougher than the sun:
— Follow Crossing Broad (@CBroadBurner) September 21, 2023
The vibes after the skate test. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/T3dmJdLGul
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 21, 2023
From Jordan Hall at NBCSPhilly.com last year, Tort’s gauntlet looks like this:
Each of the four groups to take one of the two ice sheets at Flyers Training Center skated for 27 or so minutes.
The sessions included about 17 minutes of laps that would lengthen in distance as the assistant coaches moved the nets from the top of the circles to the goal crease. Following the laps were down and backs, skating from goal line to goal line for 10 minutes.
Where the net starts for John Tortorella’s skating gauntlet. And where it finishes. pic.twitter.com/uxPPTZ7Bbu
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 21, 2023
Absolutely brutal. Remember this hilarious photo from last year’s camp after Day 1?
via Travie Ballin on YouTube
Here’s the thing. You might see military training exercises. I see an opportunity to make money. Torts’ teams are always ready for the season. Here’s a little gift. Bet the Flyers moneyline on the first five games of the year. You’re guaranteed to come out in the green. Remember last year they started 4-1 with wins over Nashville, Tampa Bay, and the Devils – all playoff teams? That’s because as teams are practicing full bore for maybe a couple weeks the Flyers are getting their asses whooped the entire camp:
“I don’t think any other team does it like this. Try to gain an edge when you can.”
– Scott Laughton on the all-skating Day 1 of training camp pic.twitter.com/Ul3o3FwOEZ
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 21, 2023
Someone in that locker room is going to want to strangle Torts with his favorite rope by the end of camp, but they’ll be ready for the season more than other teams because of it:
John Tortorella said he has had this rope since his days in Tampa Bay, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Said whenever he was fired from a job, he asked to take his rope with him. pic.twitter.com/3h7F8v2kHV
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 21, 2023
Bad news for the Flyers is they get to do it all again tomorrow! Live look at Day 2:
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com