Despite having vastly different approaches to the game, Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis and Philadelphia Flyers bench boss John Tortorella appear to be great friends.
And with the Flyers facing the Canadiens at the Bell Centre tonight, the outspoken (and often temperamental) Tortorella had plenty of positive things to say about his counterpart, predicting further success for him down the line.
“He’s going be such a good coach because he wears it. I think he has one of the most interesting minds when it comes to hockey,” Tortorella told reporters in Montreal, praising the Hall of Famer’s hockey sense. “He can’t give all his thoughts to his team ’cause he’s got a lot of stuff going on in there… He’s gonna be terrific.”
With that said, Tortorella admitted to butting heads with the 48-year-old when he coached him as a player, but says their relationship has since evolved.
“He drove me crazy as far as how many things were going on his mind when I coached him… It’s fun for me because we’re at a different plane now,” the longtime coach revealed. “To be able to talk as peers and as coaches, and talk about our teams, it’s so fun for me.”
“You’re in good hands here,” he added.
The visiting coach was also asked about St. Louis’ recent leave of absence, a result of his youngest son Mason sustaining an injury while playing hockey.
“I’m so happy, with Mason and his family, how things have calmed down a little bit,” the 65-year-old said. “I talked to Marty right on through that. I’m really happy his family’s okay.”
But while there were plenty of warm sentiments in the air for pre-game availabilities, Tortorella, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, will be all business tonight as his team continues to fight for a playoff spot.
Meanwhile, St. Louis and the Canadiens, who are coming off a character win against the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week, are also expected to put up a decent fight.
Puck drop at the Bell Centre is set for 7 pm ET.
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