John Tortorella has never shied away from his opinion about how the NHL is changing.
The Philadelphia Flyers coach was the perfect person to ask about where he feels the younger athlete is at after Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig fired a slapshot into an empty net to finish off a 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“It’s a dumb league,” Tortorella said. “I guess the thing with the young athletes is sometimes you have to wait your turn, as far as gaining respect and not wanting everything right now. Not expecting everything right now as far as ice time, as far as your contract or whatever it may be. Sometimes it’s good to wait your turn and earn it. I think that’s where the athletes have changed.
“They have entourages around them that I think direct them the wrong way and the hierarchy of a room, the hierarchy of what it is to be a pro. The process you have to go through as a pro. I think it’s lost with the athlete now. It’s something I miss terribly in being in the league for so long and seeing to where it’s gone to now.