Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
It’s been a season full of emotion and uncertainty for the Philadelphia Flyers, and no one has felt it more than captain Sean Couturier. After returning from two back surgeries and reclaiming his role as a leader on and off the ice, Couturier has navigated the highs of mentoring young talent and the lows of a team falling short of expectations. Now the longest-tenured Flyer and the most senior pro athlete in Philadelphia, he carries the weight of experience through a transitional period for the franchise.
In this wide-ranging Q&A with RG Media, Couturier reflects on what it means to wear the “C” in a hockey-mad city, his personal growth through adversity, and the surprise firing of John Tortorella. He also opens up about his bond with rookie sensation Matvei Michkov, what it takes to help develop a young core, and why—despite the setbacks—he believes the future in Philly is still bright.
On being the longest-tenured Flyer and Philly pro athlete:
“I just know, it’s an honor to be here for so long,” Couturier replied. “I think it shows my loyalty to the team and same for them towards me. I love the city. I really appreciate the fans and everyone around here, and I’ve spent almost half my life here now. So, it’s like home, and I just feel fortunate to be here for so long and, you know, to be here a couple more years.”
On what this season and rebuild have been like:
“It’s been tough. I’m not gonna lie, and especially this season, after everything that happened last season,” Couturier acknowledged.
“The two back surgeries, and we were in such a good position to make the playoffs and we kind of choked and let it slip. Then, with the season that we had this year, obviously, it’s been so disappointing. We thought we’d be in the mix again till the end, and we’re not. So, yeah, definitely disappointing the way these last two years have gone.”
“I think sometimes you just gotta look at the big picture and look at what’s ahead of us,” Couturier pointed out.
“I think that the future is bright. We have some young guys growing into themselves and starting to have an impact on our team, so that’s what you want to see. You want to see some positives, and we’re starting to see some.”
On how he has gotten through this:
“I’ve tried to take past experiences and learn from the older guys that I was around,” Couturier said.
“The great veterans I was fortunate to be around: Chris Pronger as a captain for a little bit and then to have a call with him after I was named captain. He just told me, ‘Be yourself and do whatever you can to be there for your teammates. You know you were named captain for a reason, and guys respect you for that. Don’t change.’
“So, I’m just trying to be myself and use what I’ve learned to help all the guys as we go through this, and I’m sure to grow from it.”
On if he saw it coming with the Torts firing:
“I wouldn’t say I felt it coming but I knew this summer, coming in after being so close to making it last year and the way it ended, we had to be better,” Couturier said.
On his relationship with Torts:
“It was just alright. I’m not gonna lie,” Couturier admitted. “I think throughout the last year and a half and what was portrayed in the media—yeah, there wasn’t much of a relationship, I would say. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, and it was hard, but I just tried to work with him and do what’s best for the team because that’s my job as the captain.”
On what his role became in the York situation:
“I’m not going to get into the details of that,” Couturier said. “Look, it was a difficult situation for everyone involved, and I just tried to be the best teammate I could be.”
On how he’s approached the season since Tortorella was fired and they were eliminated from playoff contention:
“We’re disappointed in the way the season’s gone, but we decided to just really come together as a team here and finish as strong as we can,” Couturier said. “We may not win every game but we want to make everyone know we’re fighting hard to the end.”
On Michkov and how he’s been since Torts’ firing:
“I’m not going there because only he can tell you what that did for him, but all I know is he’s been amazing, but he’s been that way all season,” Couturier said.
“He’s such a special player and now playing on a line with him, I’m seeing that even more. I’m just trying to help him as much as I can, but he gets it, and you’ve seen that a lot more.”
On helping Michkov become a better two-way player:
“I am here for him, and I give him advice, but it’s on him to learn and apply that, and he knows that,” the captain said of his rookie teammate. “You don’t want to restrict him or take away from what he is, and that’s a gifted offensive player. So, you just guide him and let him figure it out. What’s been great is he loves to learn, and he’s so eager to get better.”
On how he dealt with being in Torts’ doghouse:
“I think he’s got character, and he gets it,” Couturier said. “He was frustrated and mad, and that’s a good thing because you know he cares, but he didn’t let it drag him down, and now you see that paying off. He wants to be a difference-maker out there, and he wants to be the player his teammates can depend on. He’s doing that, and it’s only just the beginning, so I’m so excited to watch him grow as a player, a teammate, and a person.”
James Murphy
