“Do whatever ‘Torts’ wants” – Tony DeAngelo willing to play for John Tortorella, Philadelphia Flyers after trade from Carolina Hurricanes

“Do whatever ‘Torts’ wants” – Tony DeAngelo willing to play for John Tortorella, Philadelphia Flyers after trade from Carolina Hurricanes

Tony DeAngelo

American ice hockey defenceman Tony DeAngelo moved to the Philadelphia Flyers to mark the beginning of a new chapter in his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Reacting to this recent contract, the New Jersey native DeAngelo said he will buy into what the newly-appointed coach John Tortorella wants of him. 

Tortorella was named the Flyers coach on June 17, replacing Mike Yeo, who was fired a couple of months back. Philadelphia went 25-46-11 last season, missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs berth for the sixth time in 10 seasons.

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“The only way you can win in this league is if you have guys bought in,” DeAngelo said, as quoted by NHL.com. “Whatever ‘Torts’ wants, that’s what we have to do. Within a team structure, everyone’s play comes out.

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“If you’re an offensive guy, your play has to come out. Coaches know they have to get guys doing what they do best as well. So we’ll play in the structure, and our individual skills are going to have to show too, to be a good team.”

“Am a competitive guy, a fiery person”

Tony DeAngelo
Tony DeAngelo

The 26-year-old DeAngelo, who can become a restricted free agent on July 13, had 51 points (10 goals, 41 assists) in 64 regular-season games and 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 14 playoff games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season.

“I think a lot of the things I got in trouble for in New York stemmed from, I’m going to walk the line pretty tight, the way I play I’m a competitive guy, a fiery person,” he said. “That’s because I want to win, and I think sometimes I’ve gone a little overboard. But I thought this year I matured a lot, did a better job.”