You won’t like John Tortorella when he’s angry.
The Flyers head coach was thrust into the forefront on Thursday night after forward Garnet Hathaway was the victim of a blindside hit from the Penguins’ Bokondji Imama that left Hathaway shaken up on the ice before getting assistance and exiting the game.
“It’s probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while,” Tortorella told reporters postgame. “That’s a dangerous, cheap hit.”
Hathaway’s head slammed on the ice.
Tortorella’s frustration mounted when the referees reviewed the interference penalty and, after originally calling the play a major penalty and giving Imama five minutes in the penalty box, the call was reduced to a two-minute minor penalty.
Tortorella screamed at the officials as the Pittsburgh crowd got riled up while its team was in the midst of a comeback.
Tortorella spoke on his disagreement with the reasoning behind the penalty’s downgrade.
“The explanation was it was not a hit to the head on the hit, that he hit his head on the ice,” Tortorella said. “[The hit’s] why he hits his head on the ice. I believe we should be thinking about what really happened on the hit, and not get glued on a hit to head originally.”
Prior to the hit, Imama and Hathaway had been going at it throughout the game. Imama said he had even challenged Hathaway to fight numerous times.
Despite the jawing and physicality, Imama says he never meant to lay a dirty hit.
“My intention was never to be dirty or to hurt anyone,” he said “It’s a physical game. Unfortunately, things like this can happen … I had the right intention. I just wanted to bump him.”
The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported Friday that testing on Hathaway came back negative and “the worst was avoided.”
Hathaway has tallied eight goals, 10 assists and has not yet missed a game this season for Philadelphia.
