John Tortorella and his Philadelphia Flyers are defying all expectations in 2023-24, transforming from a team that was expected to continue rebuilding into a legitimate postseason contender.

Philly is 19-11-4 through 34 games, second place in the Metropolitan Division, and fresh off of beating one of the league's top clubs in the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.

And a huge reason for that has been the head coach. Tortorella has his club playing great defensive hockey, battling for every puck and forechecking relentlessly. It's a recipe for success that's led to a resurgence in the City of Brotherly Love.

Flyers' Tortorella one of league's winningest coaches

Philadelphia Flyers, John Tortorella

It also has vaulted Torts into the top-10 of the most winningest coaches in the National Hockey League. With his 723nd regular-season victory, the 65-year-old passed Alain Vigneault to stand alone in the No. 10 spot.

The longtime NHL coach will also be behind the bench for his 1,500th contest when the Flyers visit the Seattle Kraken on Friday night. And as has been the case for most of his career, he provided another great one-liner when asked about the milestone.

“I don’t give a s**t about the number,” Tortorella explained to reporters in Vancouver on Wednesday. “I just like coaching. I like being around the players, and I really appreciate and am humbled by the opportunities I’ve been given … I don’t even think about that stuff. I’m thankful that people have entrusted me, to let me work with athletes, it’s been my life. I appreciate people having a little faith in allowing me to work with them.”

When asked what he liked about coaching, the Stanley Cup-winning coach had another thoughtful answer.

“Teaching. The controversy, the conflicts. The good stuff. The winning, the losing, how to [figure it out]. Everything else about the game I can’t stand … I like being in there, in the locker room. Can’t stand being out here with you guys. I’d rather be in there right now. So can we end this?”

It's good to see that John Tortorella hasn't lost any of his personality on the way to 723 wins and soon to be 1,500 games.