<p>John Tortorella has seen a lot in his two-plus decades behind the bench, but the hit that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/line-combinations">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> forward Boko Imama dished out Thursday against Garnet Hathaway of the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/philadelphia-flyers/line-combinations">Philadelphia Flyers</a> left a lasting impression, for all the wrong reasons.</p>



<p>Midway through the second period of the latest showdown between the Metropolitan Division foes, Imama caught Hathaway with a blindside hit away from the puck. The result saw Hathaway hit his head on the ice before he ultimately <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/flyers-garnet-hathaway-injured-by-late-hit-exits-contest-vs-penguins">exited the game due to injury</a>.</p>



<p>While Imama was initially assessed a five-minute major as a result of the play, upon review the call was reduced to a two-minute penalty, a decision that did not sit well with the Flyers bench boss.</p>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flyers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flyers</a> coach John Tortorella did not have an update on Garnet Hathaway. He called the hit by Penguins forward Boko Imama "one of the dirtiest hits I've seen in quite a while."</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="153"></div>
<p>Tortorella's full comments on the hit, including why it was reduced from a 5-minute major to a minor: <a href="https://t.co/TXkEGTdYDY">https://t.co/TXkEGTdYDY</a> <a href="https://t.co/rHZxR0wYFf">pic.twitter.com/rHZxR0wYFf</a></p>
<p>— Jackie Spiegel (@jackiespiegel93) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackiespiegel93/status/1895336308438114635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>



<p>“The explanation was it was not a hit to the head on the hit, [but] that he hit his head on the ice, and that’s why there’s a two-minute penalty,” Tortorella said postgame per <a href="https://x.com/jackiespiegel93/status/1895336308438114635">Jackie Spiegel of The Philadelphia Inquirer</a>. “It’s probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while. That’s why he hits his head on the ice.</p>



<p>“I believe we should be thinking about what really happened on the hit, not get glued on a hit to the head originally. That’s a dangerous, cheap hit. [Referee Frederick L’Ecuyer] gave me an explanation, and I understand the explanation, but I don’t understand how you end up with two minutes on probably one of the dirtiest hits I’ve seen in quite a while.”</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="155"></div>



<p>Tortorella later added that he did not believe the Penguins forward intended to injury Hathaway. The longtime coach also did not have an update on Hathaway’s status following his club’s 5-4 overtime loss.</p>



<p>On the season, the Flyers stand 26-26-8 and six points back of the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/columbus-blue-jackets/line-combinations">Columbus Blue Jackets</a> for the final wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference.</p>
