John Tortorella

[Jagr6810]

hey guys its a ranger fan here i just wanna know how it was like when torts was your coach and if they played any similar to the way the rangers are playing now ( which isnt pretty)

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[BoltSTH]

hey guys its a ranger fan here i just wanna know how it was like when torts was your coach and if they played any similar to the way the rangers are playing now ( which isnt pretty)

Pre lock out it was 'Safe is Death'. Attack and risk giving up odd man rushes, and hope you could obstruct, grab or be bailed out by the goalie. Post lock out, with rule changes and Khabi gone it just did not work, but he refused to change his system to match the watered down talent we had. Eventually he lost the locker room.

Seemed to always playing mind games with the players, sometimes backfiring. Before an SC elimination game he told Khabibulin he was being sat for the game, expecting a 'Hell No I am playing", instead he got no reaction, and we lost. Afterwards Khabibulin said "I am Russian, coach says sit, I sit";

He had a very large dog house, and once in it was difficult to get out. Remember the Prospal quote after a good game: "He was pleased to shove it up someones (Torts) butt!"
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightning/content/rangers-john-tortorella-says-vinny-prospal-ticked-about-lightning-buyout

 

[Vieille Barbe]

BoltSTH pretty much summed it up. A couple of observations I might add (and in the interest of full disclosure, I was very openly saying both Torts and Feaster needed to go about a year before they were cut loose-I was not and am not a big supporter of either of them):

Because Torts was so big on trusting and not trusting guys, he would play the legs off of the guys he trusted. One example, which you will no doubt find ironic now, was Brad Richards. Played on the PP, PK and basically all the time. Wore his ass out. Close to the same with Marty and Vinny. There were times those guys were just out of gas by the middle of the 3rd, getting double shifted when games were on the line.

I think I'm seeing the same in the current playoff series, and it's no accident (to me at least) that Boston is just swarming all over the Rangers late in the games, and those guys are wearing down under the assault. If your goalie isn't perfect every night, that will end in tears.

Re: mind games with the players, that isn't the same as motivating them - at all. It might work in some situations, and for a short time, but in the long run it can't possibly work out for the best. The guy is a real two-edged sword, and he can get results, but his schtick gets old and - because it's the only one he's got - it's hard to see him have a long tenure with any team.

 

[NHLeitner]

Can you almost taste the restraint in this interview?

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hock...orella-was-very-tough-on-young-players/616883

 

[Coopers Gum]

John threw "Safe is Death" out the window a while ago.

 

[NHLeitner]

This isn't a real lively thread, but it seems like the appropriate place to bring up this probably unfounded speculation:

During the darker days of Lecavalier's decline, people were remarking how he lost all power in his stride and his skating had left him, which was a major contributor to his overall drop in production. Now, people are saying the exact same thing about Brad Richards.

So, in searching for a common thread, do you think Torts might at least be a connecting thread in this coincidence? I mean, given the demands he places on players-especially young players-and that he tends to overuse guys he likes to the point of being detrimental to those very players, does it seem at all possible that these guys are just burnt out from their 6 years or so playing under Torts?

 

[MattM92]

This isn't a real lively thread, but it seems like the appropriate place to bring up this probably unfounded speculation:

During the darker days of Lecavalier's decline, people were remarking how he lost all power in his stride and his skating had left him, which was a major contributor to his overall drop in production. Now, people are saying the exact same thing about Brad Richards.

So, in searching for a common thread, do you think Torts might at least be a connecting thread in this coincidence? I mean, given the demands he places on players-especially young players-and that he tends to overuse guys he likes to the point of being detrimental to those very players, does it seem at all possible that these guys are just burnt out from their 6 years or so playing under Torts?

Well, I do think Torts rides his top guys way too hard, but I honestly think that this year is an outlier for Richards and he will be back to top 6 form soon enough. I think Vinny's decline was due to the injuries though, not from fatigue.

 

[lost puck]

Well, I do think Torts rides his top guys way too hard, but I honestly think that this year is an outlier for Richards and he will be back to top 6 form soon enough. I think Vinny's decline was due to the injuries though, not from fatigue.

Richards to me is that sketchy player bouncing between good and bad seasons. The last two seasons he was in Tampa I couldn't stand seeing him on the ice. Maybe I just expected too much, but he really just seemed to not care. When he got to Dallas I saw a few games and he looked like the Richie from the Cup run so I figured the change of scenery did him well. But same thing, the following year his production was down, and the few times I saw him it just looked like he was gong thru the motions. Just my opinion.

As for Torts, I never really liked the guy, hated the stick check defense. Definitely hard on his players and knows how to hold a grudge.

 

[Steazy Doo]

Richards to me is that sketchy player bouncing between good and bad seasons. The last two seasons he was in Tampa I couldn't stand seeing him on the ice. Maybe I just expected too much, but he really just seemed to not care. When he got to Dallas I saw a few games and he looked like the Richie from the Cup run so I figured the change of scenery did him well. But same thing, the following year his production was down, and the few times I saw him it just looked like he was gong thru the motions. Just my opinion.

He tends to become complacent. Agree with everything here.

As for Torts, I never really liked the guy, hated the stick check defense. Definitely hard on his players and knows how to hold a grudge.

That was his biggest downfall, and I'll always hate him for it.

 

[NHLeitner]

That was his biggest downfall, and I'll always hate him for it.

You're the best.