John Tortorella, Flyers coach, doesn’t hide his hatred for the NHL All-Star Game

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella did not hold back when asked about forward Travis Konecny’s omission from the NHL All-Star Game. Tortorella made it very clear he and the All-Star event don’t mix.

“Oh, I don’t worry about that sh—” Tortorella said. “The whole game, the whole weekend, I don’t even watch it. I think it’s turned into a… I’ll leave it at that. I really don’t care.”

Carter Hart, goaltender Konecny, and goaltender Carter Hart were both strong All-Star contenders. However forward Kevin Hayes was a single Flyer who got the nod when rosters were made. unveiled Thursday.

An emotional Hayes, who’s put up 10 goals and 25 assists in 38 games so far this season, said the All-Star selection is an achievement his late brother Jimmy always wanted for him.

“It’s a cool situation for me because — not to get emotional — but it’s probably the only thing my brother said to me when I started playing hockey and that he wanted me to accomplish,” he said after collecting three points in the Flyers’ 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. “I never honestly thought it would happen, but it did and it’s cool. I know my family is really excited.”

He said Jimmy’s young son, Beau, “will be with me the whole time, so it’ll be an extra-special experience.”

Hayes, who was made a healthy scratch by Tortorella earlier this season, was named over Konecny, the team’s leading scorer. Hayes will be making his first All-Star appearance, and Konecny was thrilled.

“It’s awesome. Kevin’s been great in this league for a long time, and done a lot of good things,” said Konecny, who was an All-Star in 2020. “I mean, he deserves to be there. He’s been carrying a lot of the offense for most of this year. Everyone’s happy for him.”

When pressed if Konecny was deserving, Tortorella said, “I really don’t care about All-Star stuff” and left the press conference. Konecny still has the chance of making it, as the Metropolitan Division will add two more skaters and a goalie through fan voting.

Tortorella was appointed to the Metropolitan Division as the coach in 2017. This was back in 2017, when the Columbus Blue Jackets ranked number one in the league. Due to a family emergency, he withdrew from the festivities days before.

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