Rick Tocchet's 'too horny' Flyers line, and what he meant

The quote went viral within hours. The reporter who asked the question then explained what the coach actually meant, and it's less dirty and more depressing.

Jackie Spiegel

@jackiespiegel93

I asked the question about scooter skating. If I have it correct, what he’s saying is that they’re overly excited and not giving space. For example, hitting a trailer, like Zegras on his goal, is more deceptive but it almost didn’t work because Sanheim was by the net.

jj ³⁹ ₇₇ 🦎@babymeeech

i thought tocchet saying our dmen are too horny was just clickbait i didn’t realize he deadass said that 😭 can anyone tell me wtf he means by that

Here's the setup. Trevor Zegras used the phrase "scooter skating" after Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Seattle. At Wednesday's practice, Tocchet was asked what it means. Scooter skating is the 4th man on the rush, usually a defenseman, slowing down to time his entry so he arrives as a trailer instead of piling in early. Tocchet paused and said he wasn't sure he could say it. Then he said it anyway: "I can say it, they're too horny, right?" His point was that his D get up in the play too fast and need to slow their skating down. That's real hockey coaching, said in the funniest way possible.

Of course, the internet doesn't care about trailer timing. The clip got passed around with no context at all, and the reporter who asked the question was not happy about it.

Jackie Spiegel

@jackiespiegel93

Literally not at all what this was about. A player used the term scooter skating after the game and I asked for clarity what that term meant from the coach. To see multiple accounts spinning it this way is very frustrating.

Barstool Sports@barstoolsports

The Flyers are winless through the first 8 games of the season and coach Rick Tocchet blames it on their defensemen for…being too horny t.co/xBe7fJaoeE

That's fair. Without the question attached, it sounds like Tocchet melting down. With the question attached, he's explaining a teammate's term in plain English. Still, nobody should be surprised a coach saying "horny" at the podium took off. Andrew Knoll took his own shot at the quote, aiming at the Flyers' actual problem: they can't score.

Andrew Knoll

@AndrewKnollNHL

Tocchet said the Flyers' defensemen were "too horny." The Flyers are the lowest scoring team in the league. Did anyone ask him why his forwards aren't more promiscuous?

The joke works because the numbers are ugly. Philly lost 4-1 to Carolina on October 11 to go winless in 7, which broke the franchise record of 6 shared by the 1999-00 and 2008-09 teams. They were outscored 28-8 over those 7 games, and the building was chanting "Fire Tocchet" in the 3rd period. The shootout loss in Seattle made it 0-5-3. Knoll was also quick to back Spiegel up, calling the context-free accounts opportunists.

Andrew Knoll

@AndrewKnollNHL

@jackiespiegel93 Very frustrating for you and the others who do the real work to report accurately in proper context. These opportunists and aggregators are like an ant colony setting up shop in all our offices.

The national guys are lining up to explain the slide too, and nobody has a fix yet.

Daily Faceoff

@DailyFaceoff

Things are getting UGLY in Philadelphia. "It's not clicking." - David Pagnotta Episode➡️t.co/8yarUGx5Zf Presented by: Coca Cola @tyleryaremchuk | @CarterHutton4 | @TheFourthPeriod

For now, at least one NHL insider says Tocchet's job isn't in trouble and a coaching change isn't imminent. But a team that can't score, while its coach goes viral for the wrong reason, is a team that needs a win fast. If slowing the defensemen down produces some goals, the "too horny" line becomes a fun footnote. If it doesn't, it's the quote people remember from the worst start in Flyers history.