With the New York Rangers facing off against the Columbus Blue Jackets and John Tortorella on Tuesday, we review some of hot-head’s greatest moments.
With the NHL All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles now over, the New York Rangers are poised to play great hockey down the stretch and with Marc Staal, Jesper Fast and Antti Raanta back at practice on Monday, things are looking up. They are likely to join the team shortly.With 63 points, the Blueshirts are sitting pretty in the highly coveted first wild card slot, likely to play an opponent from the Atlantic Division in opening round of the playoffs.
The Rangers will be welcomed back to play Tuesday at Madison Square Garden when they face the second place Columbus Blue Jackets … and John Tortorella.
Is there ever a bad time to think back to John Tortorella and some of his greatest moments on and off the ice? I think not.
Need a good laugh? Take a moment to watch the video below and recount the sourness of Torts.
After the Rangers swapped Tortorella for Alain Vigneault, Torts had a dismal stint with the Vancouver Canucks. Could you imagine Tortorella getting fired up and yelling at the Sedin twins?
Yeah, I didn’t think that was going to work out either.
After reuniting with his good buddy Brandon Dubinsky, Tortorella has been able to resurrect the Columbus Blue Jackets into a Stanley Cup contending team. This season makes him the front-runner for the Jack Adams award, an award given to a coach who has “contributed most to his team’s success” in a season. Whether or not his grind it out, block every shot mentality will provide him playoff success, has yet to be revealed.
We talk about Torts with his short temper, stubbornness, strong opinions and fiery attitude, yet, much less often do we talk about his passion, not only for the game of hockey but for man’s best friend. The Tortorella family foundation has a mission to help “those who protect children, animals and our environment from harm.”
Take a minute and help support the foundation by checking out The Tortorella Foundation.
In recent news, Torts was unable to attend the NHL All-Star Game as the Metropolitan Division coach for personal reasons. It was later revealed that John went home to aid his son’s 10-year-old ailing dog.
Hate him or love him, John Tortorella has accomplished great things as an NHL coach and in his charitable work. We at ESNY and Real Talk Rangers wish him the best of luck in the future (unless he plays the NYR in the playoffs). We also thank John’s son for his service in the Army and pray for a safe return home.
This article was approved by Larry Brooks, Tortorella’s No. 1 fan.
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