Tortorella Says the Art of Taking a Hit has Been Lost on the NHL

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TJ Tucker
December 2, 2023 (5:54 PM)

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He's calling it a lost art. John Tortorella of the Philadelphia Flyers say NHL players have to take more responsibility for being hit and learning how to take one.

His comments stem from a hit by Garnet Hathaway on Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils. Hathaway was ejected from the game, something Torts was not pleased with at the time.

Tortorella said following the game that he hopes Hughes is ok, but he need to be more aware on the ice.

"Our players in this league do not put enough emphasis on making sure you're protecting yourself from hits like that. Making sure you absorb
hits like that. We've kind of tried to turn this league into a no-hit league. Now people aren't ready to be hit .I think it's a lost art in how you take hits."

"I'm not trying to run down the league. I just think we've taken away the policing of the game from the playersBack in the day, and I'm not trying to go way back, but you've got to learn how to take a hitAnd if you do have a big hit, you shouldn't have to fight someone two seconds later because it's a big hit. That's what I don't get. Not blaming anybody; I just don't like where that part of the game is going."

I doubt he's alone in feeling that way. Many have said that what seems to have become the obligatory fight after a big hit needs to stop. Big hits are fine as long as they are clean. Dirty hits require hands to be thrown, not just big ones.

As for players ensuring they take hits properly, that probably requires some back and forth. It will be hard to open up the game offensively if everyone is constantly looking over their shoulders. That said, I don't think anyone wants to see hitting removed from the game entirely.