John Tortorella goes off after Garnet Hathaway’s controversial hit

Less than 24 hours removed from Garnet Hathaway being tossed for a hit on Luke Hughes in the first period at Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers said that the controversial call would not impact their game moving forward.

“I am glad he’s not injured,” Hathaway said. “It seemed like he was ... but I’m glad he’s not. I try to make a clean body check, play the man, and separate the man from the puck. That was my job.”

Added Sean Couturier about changing their style: “No, not for us. I know the league, the game is changing, trying to avoid any kind of injuries possible. But it’s part of the game sometimes, and we saw it yesterday. I respect, even I think, Luke Hughes, I thought I saw him say in his postgame interview he’s got to learn how to protect himself. I think that’s maturity in the game, respecting the game.”

Hathaway will not face further discipline for the hit, and John Tortorella reiterated that he thought it was a “nothing play” — which he revealed was expressed to him by people within the league, too. But the bench boss also was adamant that the game is changing when it comes to receiving hits, and not in a good way.

“I’m glad the kid isn’t hurt,” he said. “A really good player, a young man in this league. But that’s a problem in our league right now. 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 because we’ve kind of tried to turn this league into a no-hit league. And now people aren’t ready to be hit.

“I think it’s a lost art in how you take hits. And I do think looking at the clip, I think he thinks it’s icing. A mistake was made, and we’ve got good refs and we’ve got good linesmen. A mistake was made last night, and what bothers me is we had to suffer for that mistake, losing a player. But I believe the league, it’s a no-go. There is nothing wrong with the play; it shouldn’t even have been a penalty. But it just screams to the athletes in our game, ‘Be prepared to be hit because big hits are allowed.’ Nowadays, I’m not so sure because everyone puts their arms up when there’s a big hit. It makes me sick. What goes on in the league here on big hits That’s part of the game.”

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Asked then to clarify why he thinks players aren’t prepared, Tortorella said:

“I’m not trying to run down the league. I just think we’ve taken away the policing of the game from the players. I do, with all the new rules, we’ve taken away the policing of the game. It should belong to the players.

“It’s a fast game, which is fantastic. The skill in the game is fantastic. I think some of the rule changes we’ve made have improved the game. But I just don’t think we should take the foundation of the National Hockey League out. Hits are allowed.

“Back in the day, and I’m not trying to go way back, but you have to learn how to take a hit. That’s a big play in winning games, is taking a hit to make a play and be embraced to take these hits. And 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.

“And I’m not blaming anybody. I just don’t like where that part of the game is going. That’s the foundation of the National Hockey League. It’s a man’s game, and I think we’ve got it convoluted a little bit.”

Joel Farabee’s doghouse appears to have been a short-term rental.

Farabee was back on the ice Friday at Flyers practice in Voorhees, skating alongside Cam Atkinson and Scott Laughton just hours after he rode the pine for almost an entire game. It’s a strong indication he’ll be back to a full workload in Pittsburgh on Saturday after, according to Tortorella, “he didn’t listen.”

Although Farabee declined to comment through a team spokesperson after the game and Friday, Tortorella was asked how he expected the 23-year-old forward to respond to playing just 56 seconds and being benched for the final 57 minutes of the team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils.

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“He’ll be fine,” Tortorella said before being asked if he chatted with Farabee since.

“I had a 2-second discussion as we passed ways in the hallway. That’s all that needed to be done,” he responded.

Selected 14th overall in the 2018 NHL draft, Farabee has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 23 games this season. But he hasn’t notched a point in the past four games and, before being on the ice for the first goal by the Devils, he was minus-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

“He’s going to get a chance. Yeah,” the bench boss said. “I’m by that, I’m already moved by it, and he’s going to get ready to go play with Laughton and Cam, as he started last time. He’ll get his ice time and get right back at it.”

Per Tortorella, the team has no intention of calling up an extra forward until it leaves on Tuesday for an eight-day road trip that takes it through Arizona, Colorado, and Nashville.

“We’ll certainly have to bring some depth when we head west,” he said.

The question is who? Although bringing up a guy who is succeeding in the AHL could be an easy choice, Tortorella noted they need to be smart about who they choose to not impede their development.

“When a guy plays really well in the American League, you want to keep them there and ... feeling good about it. Or do we think he’s ready for that next step?” Tortorella said. “But it’s a good question because you have to juggle. We want to develop our kids. But, also, if there’s a really good guy that may not be in the picture, maybe three or four years down the road here, there still has to be some of that too within the organization, a little bit of merit too.”

Tortorella specifically mentioned Louie Belpedio as that guy, adding that the defensemen in Lehigh Valley should be “[upset] that Louie is here and playing as many games as he did.” Belpedio has not played since Nov. 19 but has suited up for 12 games this season.

As for the forward group, the options from the Phantoms include Olle Lycksell (18 points, including 12 goals in 18 games), Tanner Laczynski (17 points in 16 games), Samu Tuomaala (17 points in 18 games) and Cooper Marody (15 points in 18 games). Lycksell is on a six-game heater with nine points (four goals, five assists) and Laczynski could be a good fit in a role similar to Noah Cates, who is out with a broken foot.

Sam Ersson wrapped up November with an honorable mention for Rookie of the Month honors. The 24-year-old goalie went 4-2-0 with a 1.70 goals-against average, .926 save percentage, and one shutout. He’s still considered a rookie as he is under the age of 26 and did not play in 25 NHL games last season nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons. ... With the calendar turned to December, Ryan Poehling and Couturier were sporting freshly shaved faces. The pair were growing mustaches during Movember. ... New Jersey’s Brendan Smith was suspended two games Friday for slashing Travis Konecny. Konecny did not get off scot-free for the incident, as he was fined $5,000, the maximum allowed for cross-checking Smith ahead of the slash. ... Egor Zamula skated with Belpedio on Friday, hinting he’ll be a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh.