Flyers hire Torts to end title drought

The Philadelphia Flyers selected John Tortorella for their coaching vacancy on Friday, the latest veteran tasked with stopping the franchise's 47-year Stanley Cup title drought.

Tortorella, who turns 64 next week, coached Tampa Bay to a championship in 2004, and he also coached the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. He was fired in May 2021 after six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Tortorella “demands the best out of his players every single game.”

Tortorella is the sixth Flyers coach in the last 10 years, and he will try to revitalize a dormant franchise that has just one playoff series victory since 2012. The Flyers finished with a 25-46-11 record this season under Alain Vigneault and Mike Yeo and were last in the Metropolitan Division.

“From my very first conversation with Chuck, I knew this was the right fit for me and I believe in the direction this team is heading,” Tortorella said. “Having faced the Flyers for several years, I know first-hand how tough of a city Philly is to play in and I look forward to being on the right side of the bench on opening night in front of such a loyal and passionate crowd of Flyers fans.”

Tortorella is the second-winningest American-born coach in NHL history behind Peter Laviolette. He worked this season for ESPN as part of its studio coverage.

The Flyers last played in the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. They haven't won a championship since consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.

STATE SUPREME COURT REJECTS NASSAR APPEAL

The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday rejected a final appeal from sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic medallists.

Lawyers for Nassar said he was treated unfairly in 2018 and deserved a new hearing, based on vengeful remarks by a judge who called him a “monster” who would “wither” in prison like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz.

“I just signed your death warrant,” Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said of Nassar's 40year sentence.

The state Supreme Court said Nassar's appeal was a “close question” and that it had “concerns” over the judge's conduct. But the court also noted that Aquilina, despite her provocative comments, stuck to the sentencing agreement worked out by lawyers in the case.

More than 150 victims spoke or submitted statements during an extraordinary seven-day hearing in Aquilina's court more than four years ago.