New York Rangers Fire Coach Tortorella

[RGM81]

Just came up on the TSN App on my iPhone.

Can't say as I'm all that surprised at the move. He seemed to have lost the room after throwing his players under the bus. The Hagelin comments...those shouldn't have been made in public. Can't do that sort of thing.

He'll be missed for all those soundbites though. Wonder if he'll get interviewed with Dallas?

[ajcorleone]

Saw this in blueshirt.com not happy I liked Tort

The Rangers announced on Wednesday afternoon that John Tortorella has been relieved of his duties as the team's head coach, four days after the Blueshirts were eliminated in five games by the Boston Bruins in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Named the 34th head coach in franchise history on February 23, 2009 when he replaced Tom Renney, Tortorella coached 319 regular season games with the Blueshirts, posting an all-time record of 171-118-1-29. That mark also included an 0-3-1 stint as Rangers head coach when he closed out the 1999-2000 season behind the bench following the dismissal of John Muckler.
Tortorella, the fourth winningest coach in franchise history, was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award after leading the Rangers to a 51 win, 109-point regular season in 2011-12.
This past season the Rangers were 26-18-4 in the lockout-abbreviated year, finishing in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. It was the fourth time in five years under Tortorella that the Rangers earned a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tortorella, who guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup, coached 44 playoff games with the Rangers, with his team posting a 19-25 record in the post-season. Last season the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1997.
Including his tenure in Tampa Bay, Tortorella has earned 410 victories as a head coach in the National Hockey League, more than any other U.S. born head coach in league history. He currently stands at 410-340-37-67 in 854 career games.

[Leafsman]

Good riddance! He should clean toilets in the minor leagues.

He may have been behind the bench for a lot of wins (and even a Stanley Cup) but it wasn't his coaching wisdom that got him all these things; the players did.

This man's demeanor and the way he treats players makes him nothing more than an idiot.

No people skills + no patience + no respect = no job.

Gotta respect players, Torts...

[dmaksymyshyn]

Of everything I have heard about the non-sense this guy would pull with players, on top of his comments, I would never want to play for a guy like that. If a 'who coaches the Rangers next' pool starts up, I will take Lindy Ruff...

[ajcorleone]

Lindy Ruff would be a great choice.He did alot with little in Buffalo

[centrehice]

Good riddance! He should clean toilets in the minor leagues.

He may have been behind the bench for a lot of wins (and even a Stanley Cup) but it wasn't his coaching wisdom that got him all these things; the players did.

This man's demeanor and the way he treats players makes him nothing more than an idiot.

No people skills + no patience + no respect = no job.

Gotta respect players, Torts...

He's twice the man Mike Keenan is.

[spuds1961]

Hated the move,soundbites aside I think he did a good enough job.When I'm dead and gone other franchises will be chanting 1994 derisively in the year 2050 as it's already going on twenty years since their last Stanley cup.I think firing him did nothing but show the players who gave up on him that a coach will go long before they will,way to stay the course Blueshirts,believe me nothing good will come out of this move.

[Leafsman]

He's twice the man Mike Keenan is.

I don't regard either of these people as 'men'...they're both rats

[centrehice]

The players respect Torts though. Nobody respected Keenan.


That Man Show that used to be on ESPNBA or TNT, I forget which one ..... Brett Hull was a guest one night with John Salley and John Kruk, and even though he didn't fight, he was asked the question "Who would you punch, if you had a free punch to anybody's face?" He immediately said "Mike Keenan"

He even reiterated; "If I am ever anywhere Keenan is over the rest of my life and I see the guy, he's getting punched in the face."

[Leafsman]

The players respect Torts though. Nobody respected Keenan.


That Man Show that used to be on ESPNBA ..... Brett Hull was a guest one night and even though he didn't fight, he was asked the question "Who would you punch, if you had a free punch to anybody's face?" He immediately said "Mike Keenan"

He even reiterated; "If I am ever anywhere Keenan is over the rest of my life and I see the guy, he's getting punched in the face."

Ask Carl Hagelin if he respects Tortorella...

If memory serves me correctly, Brett Hull also criticized Tortorella for scratching Richards, and the words were not soft and sweet...