The John Tortorella Appreciation Thread

[Kokoschka]

Please. More than 3/4 of the goals against him were either him being screened by his own man or shots being deflected off his own man.

I'd actually be interested if there's some kind of statistic for these goals. They seemed to happen an awful lot.

 

[mike14]

I'd actually be interested if there's some kind of statistic for these goals. They seemed to happen an awful lot.

There are. There were 88 of them for the 2012-13 reg season and 27 in the playoffs

 

[Kimota]

It seemed like last year we were tantalizingly close. One of the problems the Rangers have had in recent years is getting a good and consistent year in and year out performance from our top players--with the exception of Lundqvist who year in and year out does give us consistently good performances game in game out year in year out.

Why Gaborik can score 40 goals one year and look like absolute **** the next?--I just don't know. Tortorella's coaching certainly bears some scrutiny here but in the end the onus should come down on the player. I have the idea that Torts was bending over backwards to accommodate Richards who maybe should have benched long before.

Looking at the Bruins team that just knocked us out--it's a sum of its parts type of team. 4 solid lines--a solid defense led by an elite defenseman--a pretty good goalie. There's nothing really all that spectacular there. Everyone knows their roles. They do all the little things well--from board battles, to crashing the net, penalty killing, to clearing the crease, dropping the gloves--even their callups from the AHL fit right in and were large factors in why Boston won--watching them in the last series I got the idea that they were all on the same ****ing page. I didn't get that idea from watching the Rangers against them--confusion over roles, a dysfunctional 4th line, an inability to sustain pressure from shift to shift, shoddy penalty killing, unforced turnovers (Del Zotto), getting pinned in their own end for lengthy stretches of time.



Torts (using his own words) seemed to lose his way here and thinking that it's not a wonder why he got fired. What a difference a year can make.

Boston have similar players made and bred for a coach that has them playing one way. Rangers were sort of that way last year but there was not enough guys playing the Torto way this year.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Please. More than 3/4 of the goals against him were either him being screened by his own man or shots being deflected off his own man.

The overwhelming majority of goals league wide happen this way. It's rare to beat any NHL netminder clean.

 

[nyr2k2]

Did I read Katie Strang say that we extended Torts midseason?

 

[Dagoon44]

He was given either 2-3 year extension. This is hy I told certain people the blow out with sather was a lot worse the ny media reported but I did lol

 

[The Gloaming]

The overwhelming majority of goals league wide happen this way. It's rare to beat any NHL netminder clean.

No, the majority of goals happen by the OPPOSITION screening the goaltender, not his own defensemen.

 

[BB58]

There are. There were 88 of them for the 2012-13 reg season and 27 in the playoffs

Good heavens

 

[LORDE]

I'd just like to point out that John Tortorella, as supposedly terrible a coach as he is, got the New York Rangers to the 2nd round of the playoffs, and a top 6 finish in the East without Marc Staal, Ryane Clowe, complete no shows from Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, a 1 armed Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin, a growing pain filled season from Chris Kreider and JT Miller, and another full season without Michael Sauer.


Horrible coach...just awful.

Just to play Devil's advocate... did he do this, or did Hank?

 

[bobbop]

I don't know if I ever mentioned this but Torts' got his first coaching job in Roanoke, VA from Henry Brabham, then the owner of the Virginia Lancers. Many years earlier, Henry hired me for my second job in hockey. That connection, plus Henry's high regard for John has always made me a fan, before and in New York. My only regret is that I never have had a chance to personally meet him.

I think he did well here. Torts' gave the team an identity, coached his ass off (some nights he was just brilliant jugling lines and matchups) and brought along a class of young players. He did good work here. Sometimes (see Vancouver) the voice needs to change in the room.

As Sather said, all coaches have shelf lives. Abrasive styles tend to have a shorter life than sweethearts. John is no sweetheart. I think he leaves with pride in a job well done and I have no doubt he will resurface in the NHL in the next year or two.

 

[NHRangerfan]

I don't know if I ever mentioned this but Torts' got his first coaching job in Roanoke, VA from Henry Brabham, then the owner of the Virginia Lancers. Many years earlier, Henry hired me for my second job in hockey. That connection, plus Henry's high regard for John has always made me a fan, before and in New York. My only regret is that I never have had a chance to personally meet him.

I think he did well here. Torts' gave the team an identity, coached his ass off (some nights he was just brilliant jugling lines and matchups) and brought along a class of young players. He did good work here. Sometimes (see Vancouver) the voice needs to change in the room.

As Sather said, all coaches have shelf lives. Abrasive styles tend to have a shorter life than sweethearts. John is no sweetheart. I think he leaves with pride in a job well done and I have no doubt he will resurface in the NHL in the next year or two.

Great post...I don't think anyone can dispute the above.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

http://davelozo.tumblr.com/post/51833408147/one-mans-perspective-on-dealing-with-john-tortorella
Eventually, Tortorella stops being scary. For me anyway, it went from asking a scary coach a question to asking your crazy uncle a question to I’m going to avoid the crazy homeless man altogether and walk on the other side of the street."

I appreciate his dog charity LOL

 

[stan the caddy]

Just to play Devil's advocate... did he do this, or did Hank?

He helped Hank improve his numbers and ultimately win a Vezina. It's a goalie friendly system.

I see people write stuff about his system hindering Hank. Meanwhile, Hank's numbers peaked playing for him.

 

[haveandare]

He helped Hank improve his numbers and ultimately win a Vezina. It's a goalie friendly system.

I see people write stuff about his system hindering Hank. Meanwhile, Hank's numbers peaked playing for him.

Yup. Just like he held poor, 2 40 goal season Gaborik back with his evil system.

 

[stan the caddy]

Yup. Just like he held poor, 2 40 goal season Gaborik back with his evil system.

I've brough that up several times on other boards and with my friends. If Gaborik can't play in this system, why'd he have two of his three career 40 goal season? But even after they hear that they still parrott the same bs myth.

Tortorella actually manned up after the series was over. Said he had to get more out of his best players. Meanwhile Nash tells the media he played well when he clearly didn't.

The team is mentally weak and not nearly as talented as people think.

 

[Drewbackatu*]

I've brough that up several times on other boards and with my friends. If Gaborik can't play in this system, why'd he have two of his three career 40 goal season? But even after they hear that they still parrott the same bs myth.

Tortorella actually manned up after the series was over. Said he had to get more out of his best players. Meanwhile Nash tells the media he played well when he clearly didn't.

The team is mentally weak and not nearly as talented as people think.

I believe we have a winner!

 

[Florida Ranger]

I'd just like to point out that John Tortorella, as supposedly terrible a coach as he is, got the New York Rangers to the 2nd round of the playoffs, and a top 6 finish in the East without Marc Staal, Ryane Clowe, complete no shows from Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, a 1 armed Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin, a growing pain filled season from Chris Kreider and JT Miller, and another full season without Michael Sauer.


Horrible coach...just awful.

And a half assed training camp and season when there was a significant turnover in the roster.

 

[TheRightWay]

http://davelozo.tumblr.com/post/51833408147/one-mans-perspective-on-dealing-with-john-tortorella
Eventually, Tortorella stops being scary. For me anyway, it went from asking a scary coach a question to asking your crazy uncle a question to I’m going to avoid the crazy homeless man altogether and walk on the other side of the street."

I appreciate his dog charity LOL

And here's the rebuttal from Jesse Spector. Sort of.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

And here's the rebuttal from Jesse Spector. Sort of.

Love both articles. And....both of them are right.

Torts has an extreme personality (if there's such a thing a bi-polar lite, that would be him), and he is tough and demanding to deal with. He wears his heart on his sleeve and after a loss it's very easy to provoke him into saying/doing something stupid. And, in all honesty, I think some reporters were doing just that on purpose. He also knows, in this day and age, any information regarding injuries or roster changes just gives fuel to the opponent, and makes it harder to win. Why do that to your team?

At the same time, I think the first blog is also right on the money when they say Torts is afraid. And he did make a mistake by trying to have a big bark instead of trying to work with the media. He tries a little too hard to create the image of a tough guy...but after awhile, it just doesn't work.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Yup. Just like he held poor, 2 40 goal season Gaborik back with his evil system.

While I generally have good things say about Tortorella, one thing that bothered me this year was he tried to force Gaborik to play LW--something he had never done before and clearly did not look comfortable doing. There's also the fact that Gabby was coming off shoulder surgery.

In the end though, it appears that the Rangers got a good return--hopefully Bassard and Moore (for me the jury is still out on Dorrsett) will play the full season as they did during the playoffs.

 

[NikC]

Tortorella did a good job establishing some identity. He developed consistentcy and we were tough to play against due to how tight we played the system.

As far as I'm concerned the lack of developing a power play is reason enough to fire him. We lost games/series due to his total detachment in this area. His personality is beyond overbearing and I believe it caused players to play tight due to fear of retribution. I believe in consequences I don't like that he would humiliate players that only alienates them

His line management was bafffling, his in game strategy was archaic. His stubborn pigheaded ways smothered creativity. He set about to win one way, his way and it led to scripted, uninspired hockey.
We sat on leads and held back to kill the clock. He set out to win games in the most difficult of ways

You hit a wall with people like him.