A Philadelphia cheesesteak shop banned now ex-Flyers player Cutter Gauthier on Tuesday after dubbing him a “little bitch” following the NHL team trading him under ambiguous circumstances.
Delco Steaks released a statement via Twitter that diagnosed the 19-year-old Gauthier with “little bitch syndrome” (LBS) — and then went on to ban the superstar from all of its locations. Gauthier walks away from the city after being traded to the Anaheim Ducks.
For Immediate Release: Regarding the Cutter Gauthier situation pic.twitter.com/YXTd0V1hFb
— Delco Steaks (@delco_steaks) January 9, 2024
At first Gauthier was gung-ho about playing for the Philadelphia Flyers after being drafted in 2022 as a top prospect, Flyers General Manager Danny Briere told sports reporters, ESPN reported. However, his view reportedly changed over the course of a few months.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JULY 07: Cutter Gauthier is drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers during Round One of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 07, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Briere called the trade a “long time coming,” according to ESPN.
Initially, the up-and-coming player reportedly conveyed to the front office he was “built to be a Flyer and wanted to be a Flyer,” Briere explained.
In time, Gauthier expressed a lack of interest in playing for the team, the outlet reported. (RELATED: An In-Season Tournament Could Be Coming To The NHL, Which Is Cool And All, But Will People Really Care?)
I get this argument but at least Lindros made it abundantly clear immediately he wasn’t going to be a Nordique so they were able to get a haul. Meanwhile Gauthier appeared to be happy to be a Flyer and then went ghost mode for 8 months tanking his trade value. https://t.co/okwD249ucL
— Mike Bartner (@MikeBartner) January 9, 2024
“Maybe a few months later, he told us he didn’t want to be a Flyer and didn’t want to play for the Flyers,” Briere stated. “So, in our mind at first, we have to protect him. If he changes his mind again, and it’s out there that he doesn’t want to play, it’s going to be tough for him to put the uniform on.”
Following a tough 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella addressed the elephant in the room about Gauthier seeking to make an exit from the Flyers hockey club, ESPN reported. Gauthier echoed his eagerness to part ways and in the end got what he wanted, according to the outlet.
“Then we don’t want you,” Flyers Coach Tortorella said. (RELATED: Philadelphia Eagles Locker Room Reportedly In A State Of Chaos Due To AJ Brown, Nick Sirianni Beef)
Both hockey fans and teammates of the professional athlete have been provided very little detail as to why the trade went through and why Gauthier was apparently all set with playing for the Flyers, then changed his mind, according to The Athletic.
Gauthier’s teammates and team officials were reportedly even prevented from talking to him as the trade was ironed out, the outlet reported
Delco Steaks said in their Twitter post that Gauthier is not the only athlete to suffer from LBS.
The sub shop named other pro jocks whom they saw as showing symptoms of LBS as well, including former Philadelphia 76ers stars Ben Simmons and Al Hortford who were both traded from the NBA team.
Unlike Gauthier, the aforementioned hoopers were not said to have been banned from Delco Steaks sub shops.