That is quite possibly right. Does not change the fact that he was one of the only Rangers coaches who adhered to holding players completely accountable. Whatever the methodology, it worked. Or so is my opinion.
Avery on Tortorella in New Book
- Thread starter Kane One
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- Jul 6, 2017
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Edge
Kris King's Ghost
This is still my favorite -
https://sports.theonion.com/john-tortorella-pacing-around-penn-station-screaming-at-1819575095
https://sports.theonion.com/john-tortorella-pacing-around-penn-station-screaming-at-1819575095
NickyFotiu
NYR 2024 Cup Champs!
- Sep 29, 2011
- 14,652
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I saw some more of Sean recently. The guy has such a twisted almost childish view of reality sometimes. I would like to read more of his book but I would have to do it knowing some of it is closer to his imagination than fact.
Chimpradamus
Registered User
All I know is, if I was a player, I would've hated playing for Tortorella. I want an encouraging, inspirational and motivational coach with a smart mind, someone that I can respect. I would never respect someone as Tortorella. Any goon can stand with a whip and incite fear. You already know all the pressure perfectly well as a player, you don't need a guy in a suit screaming at you for a mistake you took to heart more than he will, long before he ever mentions it.
I played with a coach that incited nothing but anger and fear. I played like crap. But with all the other coaches, I helped carry the team. I know it's personal, but the Full Metal Jacket Sergeant routine as a coach is about as modern as beating your children with a belt after supper.
And Keenan? Holy crap am I glad I never had to play for such a mental case in my athletic career.
I played with a coach that incited nothing but anger and fear. I played like crap. But with all the other coaches, I helped carry the team. I know it's personal, but the Full Metal Jacket Sergeant routine as a coach is about as modern as beating your children with a belt after supper.
And Keenan? Holy crap am I glad I never had to play for such a mental case in my athletic career.
Krams
Registered User
- Feb 13, 2012
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That was JapanWOW! This disaster is on par with when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
PlamsUnlimited
Big Church Bells
Miamipuck
Al Swearengen
The Rangers should just throw a Toga party to celebrate the upcoming anniversary of the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.
And yet he will be forever enshrined in Rangers lore as have accomplished something that has been done scant little in over 75 years.
Chimpradamus
Registered User
Yes, that's weird. But I don't incline I know if the team won because of Keenan or not. All I know is I wouldn't have liked playing for him.
eco's bones
Registered User
I've read Barry Meisel's book on the Rangers 1994 championship year at least twice. Mike Keenan comes across as an extremely manipulative human being and outright nasty to those players he doesn't like or value and he had some really whacky ideas. Brian Leetch for one grew on him very slowly. At first he tells him 'you're no Chris Chelios'. He's on Neil Smith to trade him for I forget exactly who but I think it was Stu Grimson. Leetch's sin was he wasn't physical enough. Eventually he figured out how important Leetch actually was and redirected the animosity to James Patrick who was a pretty good player too. If Meisel is to be believed crap like that went on the entire season and personally it would be hard work just imagining it all to write about--I'd guess that most if not all was pretty accurate. Mike Keenan was also very much looking to hook on with another team while he was coaching the Rangers.....and it's not that he was a bad coach but he was a guy that you could only put up with for a short space of time. He was a pain in the ass to everyone in the organization from bottom to the top. We won that year and IMO it was worth having Keenan as coach just because of that but it was pretty much Messier, Leetch, Zubov, Graves, Richter, Kovalev, Larmer etc. who deserve the lion's share of the credit.
Keenan and to some extent Torts seem like guys who can get some motivation out of players by bringing them all together in hatred of their coach, but that isn't effective for long. Torts seems to have mellowed a bit at least but he's still probably not fun to play under for a lot of players.
SingnBluesOnBroadway
Retired
And selfish. Angling to get Smith fired and looking to jump to Detroit while in the middle of the playoff run. Messier was a real buffer between Keenan and the team.
Two great stories from that book:
1) Glenn Healy gave an interview with a magazine or newspaper where he was asked about Keeenan and Al Arbour. Healy, trying to be political, said, that the two coaches were "different." Keenan, outraged by this comment dragged Healy into his offer and asks him, "So, what's the difference between me and Arbour?" Healy responded, "4 Cups?" To that Keenan yelled, "GET THE f*** OUT OF MY OFFICE!"
2) As we all know, Keenan played favorites. And two player who he hated were Mike Gartner and Mike Hartman. During one of the games Hartman and Gartner were benched for a long period of time. Finally, Keenan yells, "OK, Mike Gartman, get in there." Gartner and Hartman look at each other confused. Finally Keenan says, "Oh f*** it" and walked away. Neither player saw the ice again that game.
eco's bones
Registered User
I've noticed over the years a lot of people waxing nostalgic over Keenan--what a great coach he was and how he was undeservingly dispatched after his one and only and very successful year as the Rangers head coach. The truth is he negotiated his own way off the team--he started the process of searching for another team to coach even before the season was over and that the Rangers if I remember correctly (it's a long time ago) thought seriously about hitting the Red Wings with a tampering charge. Not sure that St. Louis was somehow involved as well. Keenan hated Neil Smith. Keenan wanted not only to be the coach but the GM too and if Keenan had succeeded he would have ripped the team apart. Again he wanted to move Brian Leetch for a 4th line goon.
All Mike Keenan ever had to do was do his own job. Nothing else. Instead he constantly went over his GM's head to the bosses above him and backstabbed him continually.
pucksakes666
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2018
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I read this book today I thought the stuff on tortorella was funny, but him calling Broduer a scum bag because he left his wife for her sister in law or whatever it was couldn't believe he would put that in there.
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