Former NHLer talks about a time he was ready to fight his coach in front of his team
During a recent podcast interview with the guys from Spittin' Chiclets, Ryan Kesler talked about his NHL career in depth. The former centerman spoke about his time with the Vancouver Canucks, where he was drafted 23rd overall in 2003 and played until being traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2014.
In 2013-2014, Kesler's last season with the Canucks, also happened to be the single-season John Tortorella coached the team, which ended up being the first time the Canucks would go on to miss the playoffs since 2008. During Tort's tenure in Vancouver, however, tensions were high with fans when he decided to start goalie Eddie Läck over Roberto Luongo in the 2014 Heritage Classic, but also between him and some of the players, especially Kesler.
Hearing Kesler explain how guys respect but tend to be afraid of Torts isn't all that surprising, given the stories of how he's been one of the most intense coaches to work in the NHL. It's not often fans hear about players sticking up to a guy like Torts, but even the man himself seemed to have a bit of respect for Kesler for doing it.
Now embarking on his newest coaching journey with the Philidelphia Flyers, maybe we'll see some of the guys in Philly take a page out of Kesler's book and stand up to Torts if need be.
