John Tortorella rips into Jack Johnson, Jim Rutherford

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domaug

Play Virtua Fighter, let's go Pens
Sep 28, 2017
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The back and forth between Crede777 and guys like ZeroPucksGiven, ZenArcade, and domaug would easily answer that question. Of course youd have to have been paying attention to notice
out of the whopping 7 (now 8, with this one) posts I have in this thread, I've responded to exactly 1 post by Crede777.

translation: I'm obviously losing all my sleep over fans of a sports team from Ohio.
 

Crosbyfan

Registered User
Nov 27, 2003
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Can we not all agree that JR said something that could possibly be taken as negative toward the Jackets and Torts politely and tactfully pointed that out?
 
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Double-Shift Lasse

Just post better
Dec 22, 2004
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Except, you claiming "JR ran his mouth" is along the lines of Torts childish behavior.

1. JR just stated that the healthy scratch had more to do with his play, which JJ also alluded to with his body language when he was asked.
2. We all have seen how Torts has treated players in the past and present, nothing new here.
3. Get over it, your need to name call JR is really out to lunch.

If JR did say crap without confirming it, that'd be one thing. JR is a throw-back GM, he's a guy that isn't going to say a bunch of crap if he knows it's not true. Literally everyone knew there was far more to the Jack Johnson benching than just him being "terrible and deserving of it" his usage was also suddenly changing and then he wanted out and suddenly he was benched a lot, coincidence? Not likely.

JR didn't confirm shit. Seriously, people.

And you back it up with "literally everyone knew" which is code for "I have an opinion about something."
 
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RSPens

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May 25, 2015
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It may have already been said, but I have only made it to page three of the 14 so far. The way I read JR's comment, it wasn't an attack on JT or the CBJ organization. His comment was to try to justify the contract he had just signed with JJ. He wanted the Pens fan base to understand that he didn't think JJ's bad play was because he was a bad player, it was because he had off ice distractions that led to him being the number 7. He's just trying to make us Pens fans more comfortable. Of course a lot can be read in to JT's response, if it was anyone other than JT. If it was anyone else, it would show that there was some other reasons why JJ was a healthy scratch. With it being JT and knowing that he flies off the handle on a regular basis, it may be something or it may be nothing.
 

Viqsi

"that chick from Ohio"
Oct 5, 2007
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That has more to do with the fans. If a certain segment of Jackets fans didn't have such a hard on for all things Penguins I wouldn't give a ton of thought to their team.
And if a certain segment of Pens fans didn't have to react with whiny indignation anytime anyone ever dares say anything at all other than "yes, you and yours are the greatest hockey everythings that have ever hockeyed and you guys are so totally beneath us you don't deserve to even be considered to exist", I imagine most of us wouldn't mind so much either.

There's Pens fans that are respectable and decent people that I enjoy conversations with, and then there's the idiots who fan the flames of these ****storms. It just sometimes gets hard to remember the difference when this sort of thing comes up.
 
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Zen Arcade

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And if a certain segment of Pens fans didn't have to react with whiny indignation anytime anyone ever dares say anything at all other than "yes, you and yours are the greatest hockey everythings that have ever hockeyed and you guys are so totally beneath us you don't deserve to even be considered to exist", I imagine most of us wouldn't mind so much either.

There's Pens fans that are respectable and decent people that I enjoy conversations with, and then there's the idiots who fan the flames of these ****storms. It just sometimes gets hard to remember the difference when this sort of thing comes up.

It's a vocal minority with both fanbases, but sometimes it's hard to resist throwing rocks at the hornets' nest.
 

Rodgerwilco

Entertainment boards w/ some Hockey mixed in.
Feb 6, 2014
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Rutherford and Johnson both take pot shots at the Blue Jackets, and Torts is the villain for defending his team?

What a joke. Go Torts. JJ and JR shouldn't be commenting about other organizations if they don't want a response.
Pot shots...? Is calling the team who won 2 of the last 3 cups a "winning culture" when moving from a team who has never won a playoff series really a "pot shot" ??? "Winning culture" is one of the most over-used and canned term in sports.

If a guy gets moved to a bad team he'll talk about "helping to build a winning culture", if a guy gets moved to a good team he'll talk about how excited he is to be in a "winning culture". It's such a throw-away phrase, that is why it's hilarious to see Torts get so worked up about it. lol.
 

gopens66

Hop in the Cordoba, Baby, we're goin' bowlin!
May 25, 2006
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Are there grounds for CBJ to be upset with Rutherford's answer to a question from a reporter? Sure. Even though the reporter directly questioned JR on signing a player recently benched, and JR tried to assure that reporter (& the Penguin fanbase) that the Pens were comfortable signing that player because the benching was not due to his performance, there is definitely room there for the CBJ organization to have some rustled feathers.
However, for Torts to go after JJ for what he said was completely uncalled for. Johnson could have signed with a team like the Coyotes, for example, but he didn't. He signed with a team that has won three cups in the past 10 years. He, nervously, I might add, said he was glad to be part of winning culture. The same stock answer that every player says when they sign with a good team.
 

Rodgerwilco

Entertainment boards w/ some Hockey mixed in.
Feb 6, 2014
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Are their grounds for CBJ to be upset with Rutherford's answer to a question from reporter? Sure. Even though the reporter directly questioned JR on signing a player recently benched, and JR tried to assure that reporter (& the Penguin fanbase) that the Pens were comfortable signing that player because the benching was not due to his performance, there is definitely room there for the CBJ organization to have some rustled feathers.
However, for Torts to go after JJ for what he said was completely uncalled for. Johnson could have signed with a team like the Coyotes, for example, but he didn't. He signed with a team that has won three cups in the past 10 years. He, nervously, I might add, said he was glad to be part of winning culture. The same stock answer that every player says when they sign with a good team.

That's my take on it as well. I mean, "winning culture" is such a canned phrase that so many players use when traded/signed to another team. Whether they're on a bad team and they're "helping to build a winning culture" or they're on a good team and they're "joining a winning culture". Such a throw-away phrase. I can't believe JJ even had to clarify his statements. lol
 
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MattySnipes

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Jan 26, 2018
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No one is right in all of this. Everyone had something to do in this playing out the way it did. Torts seemed to be more upset at what Rutherford said tbh, which i felt he shouldn't have said. He's not on the CLB team, he doesn't know what goes on in the dressing room or the things Torts says. He's pretty much implying that Johnson was scratched because of Torts/coaching staff. Even if he was that's their business, you don't involve yourself in another team's handling of a player or make it public record. Be professional, say you're proud to take on a player of Johnson's calibre and that he will be a great help to the Pens. Simple. End of story, and no drama! Gotta love Torts though, haven't seen that fire from him in so long!
 

KCbus

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Jan 3, 2010
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It may have already been said, but I have only made it to page three of the 14 so far. The way I read JR's comment, it wasn't an attack on JT or the CBJ organization. His comment was to try to justify the contract he had just signed with JJ. He wanted the Pens fan base to understand that he didn't think JJ's bad play was because he was a bad player, it was because he had off ice distractions that led to him being the number 7. He's just trying to make us Pens fans more comfortable. Of course a lot can be read in to JT's response, if it was anyone other than JT. If it was anyone else, it would show that there was some other reasons why JJ was a healthy scratch. With it being JT and knowing that he flies off the handle on a regular basis, it may be something or it may be nothing.
I think you're exactly correct.

I think he's rolling the dice, and he's trying to convince his fan base (and maybe himself) that he put his money on the pass line instead of on rolling a hard 10. I think he's doing exactly what you're saying -- he's easing minds.

Unfortunately, his choice of words included an implication that he was doing things right where Columbus was doing them wrong. And it wasn't hard to spot. People who still have an impression of Tortorella from previous coaching stints are acting like Tortorella was trying to drive a truck through the eye of a needle, when the truth is that Rutherford left a gigantic opening.

Rutherford doesn't usually speak out like that -- that's true. So why did he? Because it's just Tortorella, and it's only lowly Columbus, so it's a lot easier to assume they're screwing up. If Barry Trotz had benched him during their playoff series because he was Washington's seventh or eighth choice at defenseman, and Pittsburgh had signed him the following offseason, they would have just made it about the signing, and said they liked the player, and left it at that. He wouldn't have made such a comment about Washington, or the Leafs, or the Blackhawks, or most other clubs. But the lack of respect Columbus gets from other clubs snuck into his mind, and out came the snide comment. A coach who's won a Stanley Cup and is trying to earn that respect took offense.

Either way -- I'm over this. Hockey will be played. Someone's going to look really good, and someone's going to look really bad. We'll see.
 
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heysmilinstrange

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Nov 10, 2016
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Rutherford doesn't usually speak out like that -- that's true. So why did he? Because it's just Tortorella, and it's only lowly Columbus, so it's a lot easier to assume they're screwing up. If Barry Trotz had benched him during their playoff series because he was Washington's seventh or eighth choice at defenseman, and Pittsburgh had signed him the following offseason, they would have just made it about the signing, and said they liked the player, and left it at that. He wouldn't have made such a comment about Washington, or the Leafs, or the Blackhawks, or most other clubs. But the lack of respect Columbus gets from other clubs snuck into his mind, and out came the snide comment. A coach who's won a Stanley Cup and is trying to earn that respect took offense.

Either way -- I'm over this. Hockey will be played. Someone's going to look really good, and someone's going to look really bad. We'll see.

This is projection.
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
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Necro threads aren't always a problem but one of the reasons we don't allow these sort of victory lap bumps is people start quoting old opinions that with a year's worth of new info said posters might have already re-evaluated. Just becomes a troll fest.

In general just make a new thread if you've got something to say.
 
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