With so much criticism coming John Tortorella’s way for saying, “I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we’re at right now.”, we’re all forgetting that John Tortorella’s not just about having a bad history with the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s more than that. He’s definitely more than that. Especially for Erin Andrews, the lead sideline reporter for the FOX Sports NFL Broadcasting team and wife to NHL player Jarret Stoll. Now, how is 66 YO John Tortorella connected to 46 YO Erin Andrews? Let’s hear about that straight from the horse’s mouth.



Erin Andrews was only 22 YO when she joined the media industry as a rink-side reporter for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. John Tortorella was 43 YO when he was the head coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Erin Andrews shared about a particular incident where John Tortorella gave the best career advice to her. Now, why ruffle through the pages of history? How’s it linked to the present moment?

On March 21, 2025, Erin Andrews was at the She Is Football Women’s Summit in Tampa. There, a fan forum had a question for her. That question was - “What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?”
“I got it from a former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, John Tortorella, who helped them win their first Stanley Cup. It was when I was sitting on the plane ride. We were either going to a game or coming home. That was my first official job out of college. I was the rink-side traveling reporter with the Lightning. And I started reading a little thing called the Message Boards.
That’s before there were all these other websites. They were talking about my nose being too big, my voice being obnoxious, and not knowing anything about hockey. And he (John Tortorella) saw me there, crying in my seat, and he said, “I got to be honest. You got to have thick skin. If you want to do this, you have to have thick skin.”



Erin Andrews went on to say, “Doesn’t matter if you’re on television, if you’re a mom, if you are leading in any other fashion, we all know we’re women, we have to have thick skin. We can cry and be upset to those that we need to, but you have to have thick skin. We’re in these positions for a reason.”

That’s how Erin Andrews entered the world of media, the world of sports. That’s how Erin Andrews has John Tortorella, for being a springboard for success. Thereby, concluding that John Tortorella isn’t only about having a bad history with the Philadelphia Flyers. John Tortorella is also about motivation. John Tortorella is also about being remembered for the longest time.
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