Tribute The Official "Fire Tortorella" Thread

Beef Invictus

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Dec 21, 2009
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OIG.png

Hey this is my thing
 

Beef Invictus

Revolutionary Positivity
Dec 21, 2009
130,545
171,344
Armored Train
Nope. Posted an article about Torts in CBJ, I think above, and the one thing all his players said, as tough as he was on them, Torts NEVER engaged in personal attacks. Always had the players' best interests, would insist that players take as long as needed to deal with personal problems, etc.

He's old fashioned, believes in tough love, but he's not an asshole like AV or Babcock.

It's pretty amazing how defending the team leads to you always being wrong. Every single time. It's amazing that the team always throws you under the bus. You'd think they'd accidentally bail you out sometime, and they never do.

In reality, players hate Tortorella more than any other coach, including Babcock.

 

deadhead

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Feb 26, 2014
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Kesler, who last suited up for an NHL game in 2019 and is currently on the Anaheim Ducks’ long-term injured reserve list, said there are clear positives to Tortorella’s coaching style even though it isn’t ideal for everyone.


“It shows the group that you’re holding everybody accountable, not just the bottom six or the whipping boys of the team,” Kesler explained. “You’re holding your star player accountable to play right every single shift and if you look at the shift right before he got benched, I can tell you exactly why he got benched.”


Kesler described Tortorella as “very military-like” and that he respected him for it, adding the two-time Jack Adams Award winner also has an ability to give “a pre-game speech that makes you want to run through a wall.”

“He runs a tight ship and that’s how he gets the most out of his players and if you don’t like his style of play then you definitely don’t want to play there and I think that’s why Dubois asked for a trade. … I have a love-hate (relationship) with him. I hated that he was hard on me but I loved that he held me accountable,” Kesler said.

Kesler added with a laugh: “I’m a coach now. I coach my 10-year-old and I run the same tight ship that he runs with Columbus.”


As far as Dubois:


Dubois says he didn’t ask for his first trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets because of John Tortorella. They’re still in touch and the relationship is positive: Dubois says he recommended Tortorella to the Winnipeg Jets during the team’s coaching search in 2022. He also says he didn’t ask for his second trade because he couldn’t stand Winnipeg. He loved having his mom and dad close to him, became a regular at De Luca’s and appreciated getting to know the city.

It was September 2018. The Blue Jackets’ two biggest stars, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, had just informed the team that they would both pursue free agency when that season was over. Columbus’ first meeting of the year was a team-wide heart-to-heart about Panarin’s and Bobrovsky’s futures.

Even though a part of him hoped to sign a long-term extension the summer Panarin and Bobrovsky left Columbus, Dubois admits it never seemed realistic. Contract negotiations didn’t begin in earnest until 2020, before the postseason bubble. Then came Dubois’ monstrous performance against Toronto, his encore against Tampa Bay and the realistic expectation that his contract price had gone up.

There was also the matter of Columbus’ rebuild.
He says he saw the writing on the wall. The team was heading for a rebuild with or without him.

“That’s where the team was going and where they eventually went,” Dubois says. It was an idea he couldn’t get behind, so he signed a two-year contract in December 2020, getting himself to within two years of UFA status.

“Torts and I had an intense relationship. At times, he went home and hated me. At times, I went home and hated him. But we were two competitors that both wanted to win and he knew that and I knew that. And I was lucky enough to grow up with a father that was a hockey coach and he told me that you can’t take anything personally because if a coach is pushing you, it’s because he wants you to become the best player that you can be.”

And the public dressing-down Tortorella gave him after that fateful final shift?

“If you didn’t play a sport or didn’t have a teacher or maybe even a parent that was really hard on you, you wouldn’t understand how it makes sense to yell at somebody and then, 20 minutes later, shake their hand and say ‘good game.’ But that was the relationship that Torts and I had. I think some people just saw what happened in Toronto, us yelling at each other, and thought we hated each other. Our relationship was complicated but there was always respect there and I think that’s the only thing that really matters.”

 

Beef Invictus

Revolutionary Positivity
Dec 21, 2009
130,545
171,344
Armored Train
Kesler, who last suited up for an NHL game in 2019 and is currently on the Anaheim Ducks’ long-term injured reserve list, said there are clear positives to Tortorella’s coaching style even though it isn’t ideal for everyone.


“It shows the group that you’re holding everybody accountable, not just the bottom six or the whipping boys of the team,” Kesler explained. “You’re holding your star player accountable to play right every single shift and if you look at the shift right before he got benched, I can tell you exactly why he got benched.”


Kesler described Tortorella as “very military-like” and that he respected him for it, adding the two-time Jack Adams Award winner also has an ability to give “a pre-game speech that makes you want to run through a wall.”

“He runs a tight ship and that’s how he gets the most out of his players and if you don’t like his style of play then you definitely don’t want to play there and I think that’s why Dubois asked for a trade. … I have a love-hate (relationship) with him. I hated that he was hard on me but I loved that he held me accountable,” Kesler said.

Kesler added with a laugh: “I’m a coach now. I coach my 10-year-old and I run the same tight ship that he runs with Columbus.”


As far as Dubois:


Dubois says he didn’t ask for his first trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets because of John Tortorella. They’re still in touch and the relationship is positive: Dubois says he recommended Tortorella to the Winnipeg Jets during the team’s coaching search in 2022. He also says he didn’t ask for his second trade because he couldn’t stand Winnipeg. He loved having his mom and dad close to him, became a regular at De Luca’s and appreciated getting to know the city.

It was September 2018. The Blue Jackets’ two biggest stars, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, had just informed the team that they would both pursue free agency when that season was over. Columbus’ first meeting of the year was a team-wide heart-to-heart about Panarin’s and Bobrovsky’s futures.

Even though a part of him hoped to sign a long-term extension the summer Panarin and Bobrovsky left Columbus, Dubois admits it never seemed realistic. Contract negotiations didn’t begin in earnest until 2020, before the postseason bubble. Then came Dubois’ monstrous performance against Toronto, his encore against Tampa Bay and the realistic expectation that his contract price had gone up.

There was also the matter of Columbus’ rebuild.
He says he saw the writing on the wall. The team was heading for a rebuild with or without him.

“That’s where the team was going and where they eventually went,” Dubois says. It was an idea he couldn’t get behind, so he signed a two-year contract in December 2020, getting himself to within two years of UFA status.

“Torts and I had an intense relationship. At times, he went home and hated me. At times, I went home and hated him. But we were two competitors that both wanted to win and he knew that and I knew that. And I was lucky enough to grow up with a father that was a hockey coach and he told me that you can’t take anything personally because if a coach is pushing you, it’s because he wants you to become the best player that you can be.”

And the public dressing-down Tortorella gave him after that fateful final shift?

“If you didn’t play a sport or didn’t have a teacher or maybe even a parent that was really hard on you, you wouldn’t understand how it makes sense to yell at somebody and then, 20 minutes later, shake their hand and say ‘good game.’ But that was the relationship that Torts and I had. I think some people just saw what happened in Toronto, us yelling at each other, and thought we hated each other. Our relationship was complicated but there was always respect there and I think that’s the only thing that really matters.”

 

freakydallas13

Registered User
Jan 30, 2007
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Vancouver
Kesler, who last suited up for an NHL game in 2019 and is currently on the Anaheim Ducks’ long-term injured reserve list, said there are clear positives to Tortorella’s coaching style even though it isn’t ideal for everyone.


“It shows the group that you’re holding everybody accountable, not just the bottom six or the whipping boys of the team,” Kesler explained. “You’re holding your star player accountable to play right every single shift and if you look at the shift right before he got benched, I can tell you exactly why he got benched.”


Kesler described Tortorella as “very military-like” and that he respected him for it, adding the two-time Jack Adams Award winner also has an ability to give “a pre-game speech that makes you want to run through a wall.”

“He runs a tight ship and that’s how he gets the most out of his players and if you don’t like his style of play then you definitely don’t want to play there and I think that’s why Dubois asked for a trade. … I have a love-hate (relationship) with him. I hated that he was hard on me but I loved that he held me accountable,” Kesler said.

Kesler added with a laugh: “I’m a coach now. I coach my 10-year-old and I run the same tight ship that he runs with Columbus.”


As far as Dubois:


Dubois says he didn’t ask for his first trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets because of John Tortorella. They’re still in touch and the relationship is positive: Dubois says he recommended Tortorella to the Winnipeg Jets during the team’s coaching search in 2022. He also says he didn’t ask for his second trade because he couldn’t stand Winnipeg. He loved having his mom and dad close to him, became a regular at De Luca’s and appreciated getting to know the city.

It was September 2018. The Blue Jackets’ two biggest stars, Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, had just informed the team that they would both pursue free agency when that season was over. Columbus’ first meeting of the year was a team-wide heart-to-heart about Panarin’s and Bobrovsky’s futures.

Even though a part of him hoped to sign a long-term extension the summer Panarin and Bobrovsky left Columbus, Dubois admits it never seemed realistic. Contract negotiations didn’t begin in earnest until 2020, before the postseason bubble. Then came Dubois’ monstrous performance against Toronto, his encore against Tampa Bay and the realistic expectation that his contract price had gone up.

There was also the matter of Columbus’ rebuild.
He says he saw the writing on the wall. The team was heading for a rebuild with or without him.

“That’s where the team was going and where they eventually went,” Dubois says. It was an idea he couldn’t get behind, so he signed a two-year contract in December 2020, getting himself to within two years of UFA status.

“Torts and I had an intense relationship. At times, he went home and hated me. At times, I went home and hated him. But we were two competitors that both wanted to win and he knew that and I knew that. And I was lucky enough to grow up with a father that was a hockey coach and he told me that you can’t take anything personally because if a coach is pushing you, it’s because he wants you to become the best player that you can be.”

And the public dressing-down Tortorella gave him after that fateful final shift?

“If you didn’t play a sport or didn’t have a teacher or maybe even a parent that was really hard on you, you wouldn’t understand how it makes sense to yell at somebody and then, 20 minutes later, shake their hand and say ‘good game.’ But that was the relationship that Torts and I had. I think some people just saw what happened in Toronto, us yelling at each other, and thought we hated each other. Our relationship was complicated but there was always respect there and I think that’s the only thing that really matters.”

And Booth? Burrows? What about them?
 
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Limeyjim

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Jan 4, 2017
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People who dislike John Tortorella so much always complain about every coach after awhile. I like Tort's, and I don't mind the job he's doing with the Flyers.
If you all dislike him so much, who would you prefer to be the HC?
 

deadhead

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Feb 26, 2014
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People who dislike John Tortorella so much always complain about every coach after awhile. I like Tort's, and I don't mind the job he's doing with the Flyers.
If you all dislike him so much, who would you prefer to be the HC?
They want a brilliant young college or AHL coach like Hakstol. :sarcasm:

People only remember the young coaches who succeed, and forget the 80% who disappear forever after being the flavor of the month and turning rancid once they coached a couple seasons.
 

Hollywood Cannon

I'm Away From My Desk
Jul 17, 2007
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They want a brilliant young college or AHL coach like Hakstol. :sarcasm:

People only remember the young coaches who succeed, and forget the 80% who disappear forever after being the flavor of the month and turning rancid once they coached a couple seasons.
Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it. But I would, in this case, amend my original question to this: “Would you rather have a coach that you know is shit or one that may be shit but we don’t know it yet?”
 

deadhead

Registered User
Feb 26, 2014
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Torts ain't shit. He's blunt, but he's not an asshole like AV.

He's not the most creative in terms of scheme, his strength is teaching, he'll leave a fundamentally sound team behind him when he finally leaves the bench. And it'll be a team where players hold each other accountable, which will make it easier for a new HC (I'm betting on Sullivan, Pens will implode in a couple years) to take over.
 
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Hollywood Cannon

I'm Away From My Desk
Jul 17, 2007
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South Jersey
Torts ain't shit. He's blunt, but he's not an asshole like AV.

He's not the most creative in terms of scheme, his strength is teaching, he'll leave a fundamentally sound team behind him when he finally leaves the bench. And it'll be a team where players hold each other accountable, which will make it easier for a new HC (I'm betting on Sullivan, Pens will implode in a couple years) to take over.
He’s not just shit, he’s old shit. He’s the perfect encapsulation of everything wrong with hockey culture and recycling the same has beens.
 

scumpup

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Nov 29, 2021
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I just someone who will play Frost and the LVP kids over the ironically named PhD line (who are incapable of getting a phd in anything that isnt sniffing butts)
 

Beef Invictus

Revolutionary Positivity
Dec 21, 2009
130,545
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Armored Train
People who dislike John Tortorella so much always complain about every coach after awhile. I like Tort's, and I don't mind the job he's doing with the Flyers.
If you all dislike him so much, who would you prefer to be the HC?

Always intrigued by Knoblauch.

I didn't complain about Laviolette. But that's because he was competent overall in a way we haven't seen from a Flyers coach since he was fired.
 

Beef Invictus

Revolutionary Positivity
Dec 21, 2009
130,545
171,344
Armored Train
Torts ain't shit. He's blunt, but he's not an asshole like AV.

He's not the most creative in terms of scheme, his strength is teaching, he'll leave a fundamentally sound team behind him when he finally leaves the bench. And it'll be a team where players hold each other accountable, which will make it easier for a new HC (I'm betting on Sullivan, Pens will implode in a couple years) to take over.

He doesn't teach though. And he's proud of that. He bragged about how he doesn't bother with it, and blamed players for his own laziness. Then we heard from the players that he was staying true to that word.

So, he has no strengths.

And yeah, Columbus is a real fundamental powerhouse rofl
 

Beef Invictus

Revolutionary Positivity
Dec 21, 2009
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he needed to go at the end. but he was for sure the best HC weve had in many many years

Yeah he was incompatible with the "be heavily defensive" mandate handed down from management. Straight up didn't know how to reconcile that with his preferred system.

What they basically wanted was Tortorella. Which was pointed out even way back then. And which I assured everyone would be a nightmare.
 

Flyerfan4life

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Jun 9, 2010
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Richmond BC, Canada
Yeah he was incompatible with the "be heavily defensive" mandate handed down from management. Straight up didn't know how to reconcile that with his preferred system.

What they basically wanted was Tortorella. Which was pointed out even way back then. And which I assured everyone would be a nightmare.
yah i was one of the few that wanted Torts back then..

godam has he ever turned out to be everything people said he was..

sigh😭
 

ybnvs

Registered User
Mar 20, 2014
2,256
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Who around here has every admitted to a mistake? :D

You need an example? Sheesh... Ok...

I have. AV was absolutely NOT a competent coach, which took me a little to come around to. Shiny new toy with a "winning" track record had me duped. Eventually, after enough exposure and a deeper understanding of his poor coaching and [arguably] worse personality, I was able to change my views for the better.

But those with narcissistic tendencies and a self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude would find it extremely difficult to be able to recognize other people holding themselves accountable, because they themselves, never do. It's a foreign concept to you. Almost nonexistent.
 
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