Candid Coach John Tortorella Returns To ESPN For NHL Analysis

Longtime NHL coach John Tortorella is back in the studio.

ESPN announced Tortorella will be part of its NHL studio coverage as an analyst this season.

“Known for his candid insights and authentic commentary, Tortorella will bring his deep understanding of the game as a veteran coach with 23 NHL seasons behind the bench, including leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2003-04 season,” ESPN said in a news release on Monday.

Tortorella, 67, was part of ESPN’s NHL coverage in 2021-22 when he was between coaching jobs. He had coached for the Columbus Blue Jackets for six years before that campaign, and he joined the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of three seasons afterward.

On March 27, the Flyers fired Tortorella, replacing him with Brad Shaw for the rest of the 2024-25 season before hiring Rick Tocchet for 2025-26. Tortorella said two days before his firing that he’s not really interested in learning how to coach that type of season, where the Flyers where second-last in the Eastern Conference. But Briere said there was a series of things that happened leading up to the decision to part ways.

In September, Tortorella told NHL.com he loved coaching the Flyers, and he wasn’t quitting on the team when he made those comments.

“I think a coach has to change,” Tortorella told NHL.com. “A coach has to show the players respect, that youâ€re not backing off, but you also care about the grind that they just went through, and theyâ€re done in another few weeks. Thatâ€s what I was saying. I donâ€t want to learn how to coach that way. I donâ€t know how to coach that way, and I donâ€t want to learn. If you can keep yourself out of those spots of playing to the end, you wonâ€t be good at that.”

Tortorella said he wants to continue coaching. He’s currently sixth in NHL history for most games coached, with 1,620, and ninth all-time for wins, with 770. He’ll also be an assistant coach for USA’s men’s squad at the 2026 Olympics.

In the meantime, he’ll provide insight on hockey in the studio.

Some of Tortorella’s highlights from his last time on ESPN include questioning whether then-rookie Trevor Zegras’ over-the-net alley-oop assist to Sonny Milano was too showmanlike for the game.

“If you did that back in 2000, late â€90s, 2000s, you’d get your head taken off,” Tortorella said at the time. “It’s cool. It’s cool to watch, but I’m not so sure it’s good for the game, and I stand by that.”

Stanley Cup champion T.J. Oshie will also be a studio and game analyst on ESPN. The right winger played 1,010 regular-season NHL games between the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, recording 302 goals and 695 points. He added another 69 points in 106 playoff contests. He won the Cup with Washington in 2018.

ESPN also announced it re-signed NHL on-air personalities, such as play-by-play commentator Bob Wischusen, analysts Cassie Campbell-Pascall, P.K. Subban and Kevin Weekes and reporter Leah Hextall.

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