BREAKING: NHL suspends and fines John Tortorella for actions against referees

Yesterday in a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning, Flyers coach John Tortorella when on a vintage style trade that's landed him in serious trouble with the NHL. According to Elliotte Friedman moments ago, John Tortorella has been suspended 2 games and fined $50,000.

After falling behind 4-0 to the Lightning, Tortorella was already livid when the referees caught his attention, and he absolutely laid into the referees brutally. The referees tried to eject Tortorella, who actually refused to leave the bench for several moments, denying the referees authority entirely.




It's an incredibly steep punishment that's almost never seen in the NHL. Recently, a few coaches were fined for comments towards officials, but it was for an amount much less than $50K and came without a suspension.


Maybe the NHL and Gary Bettman is sending a message to Tortorella here, warning him that his antics that can pop up sometimes are a thing of the past, and there's no place for that anger in the NHL anymore. Still, the President of the Flyers is all for Tortorella's tirades and changing the culture to winning in Philadelphia, so much so that he's going to pay the $50K fine.