Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella doubled down on his defense of Ivan Provorov’s refusal to participate in the team’s designated Pride Night.
Tortorella addressed reporters Thursday after Provorov elected to sit out during the warmup prior to Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, where the team wore Pride-themed jerseys. Provorov rejoined the team prior to puck drop. The outspoken head coach backed his defenseman, who is Russian Orthodox, when questioned by reporters after the game, saying he respected him for staying true to his beliefs.
Here is his full comment, as reported by Giana Han and Olivia Reiner of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
As I said, Provy did nothing wrong.