John Tortorella 'Lost the Battle' With Matvei Michkov After He Broke One of His Most Controversial Rules
John Tortorella's handling of Matvei Michkov was always going to be interesting, and now he admits he's lost the battle against the rookie with the Michigan.
Matvei Michkov arrived in Philadelphia this off-season, and while there was so much excitement in the city around him, there were also worries about how he would be handled by the old-school coach behind the bench.
From the outset, John Tortorella has tried to instil his values onto Michkov, and while he's clearly improving on the defensive end, there's some things that you simply can't teach 19-year olds.
Apparently, one of those things you can't teach them is how to stop attempting the Michigan, a lacrosse style goal from behind the net, with Tortorella officially admitting that he's lost the battle against the rookie on this one.
What am I going to do, say don't do it? What I did say was I said was that you need to understand there are other plays to be made there too, because a number of the times he tried it, all's there were was turnovers. So yeah, I think I've lost the damn battle with that, I'm not going to try fight it.
I don't think it should be in our game, but it is what it is.
We've seen Michkov try the Michigan already, almost pulling it off in the team's latest game, and while only a handful of players have successfully done it, it's safe to say that the rookie is going to keep trying it.
Whether or not the old-school people like it, it's a major part of hockey culture for young players now, and with 27 points in 28 games, it's safe to say that Tortorella doesn't have a whole lot to complain about when it comes to Michkov.
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| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 13 | 189 ANSWERS John Tortorella 'Lost the Battle' With Matvei Michkov After He Broke One of His Most Controversial Rules Will Matvei Michkov win the Calder Trophy this season? | ||
| Yes | 101 | 53.4 % |
| No | 88 | 46.6 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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OCTOBER 25, 2025
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Trevor Zegras | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Mason Lohrei | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Logan Cooley | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Marshall Warren | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Viktor Arvidsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Anthony Duclair | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Eyssimont | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Morgan Geekie | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Simon Holmstrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matias Maccelli | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nicholas Robertson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Maxim Tsyplakov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bobby Brink | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Canadiens | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 12 | |
| Red Wings | 8 | 5 | 3 | - | 10 | |
| Sabres | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | 8 | |
| Panthers | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | 8 | |
| Maple Leafs | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| Senators | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| Bruins | 9 | 3 | 6 | - | 6 | |
| Lightning | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Devils | 8 | 7 | 1 | - | 14 | |
| Hurricanes | 7 | 6 | 1 | - | 12 | |
| Penguins | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Capitals | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Islanders | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | 8 | |
| Rangers | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| Flyers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Blue Jackets | 7 | 3 | 4 | - | 6 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 8 | 5 | - | 3 | 13 | |
| Jets | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Mammoth | 8 | 6 | 2 | - | 12 | |
| Blackhawks | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| Predators | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
| Blues | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Stars | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Wild | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 7 | 5 | - | 2 | 12 | |
| Kraken | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| Ducks | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |
| Oilers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |
| Canucks | 8 | 4 | 4 | - | 8 | |
| Kings | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
| Sharks | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
| Flames | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||