THE Fire Torts Thread

[Viqsi]

...Torts is coaching defensive hockey, now?

 

[GoJackets1]

The difference between us and the Blues, IMO, was pretty minimal. We are very similar teams, the primary difference between the two is that the Blues had significantly more experience in the playoffs, and they had a healthy defense. I was a big proponent of trading for O'Reilly last summer, actually. Anyways, those are easy to see- the conjecture that I'll add for myself is that while the coaches employ a similar style, Berube stuck with/went back to what was working, whereas, once the going got tough, Torts did not, and changed lines, styles, etc. Overall, the Bruins were just better than we were, especially with the defense we were icing. I still think some Torts idiosyncracies had a negative effect on the team's play, but alas.

I think next year will show whether or not Torts is the right coach for us. Him leading a team as young as we're going to be next year will be interesting.

 

[We Want Ten]

He's coming back. No way does he get canned after the end of the season rally and post season Tampa miracle.

Next season is next season. If the team falters early, then he's got a very good chance to be Jarmo's fall guy.

Love the new avatar.

 

[majormajor]

The difference between us and the Blues, IMO, was pretty minimal. We are very similar teams, the primary difference between the two is that the Blues had significantly more experience in the playoffs, and they had a healthy defense. I was a big proponent of trading for O'Reilly last summer, actually. Anyways, those are easy to see- the conjecture that I'll add for myself is that while the coaches employ a similar style, Berube stuck with/went back to what was working, whereas, once the going got tough, Torts did not, and changed lines, styles, etc. Overall, the Bruins were just better than we were, especially with the defense we were icing. I still think some Torts idiosyncracies had a negative effect on the team's play, but alas.

I think next year will show whether or not Torts is the right coach for us. Him leading a team as young as we're going to be next year will be interesting.

I generally agree, the Jackets and Blues were very similar teams.

I count two key differences between the Blues and Jackets, in both cases I think the Jackets could have done better. One I've already talked about plenty - the Blues and Bruins heavily used their fourth lines. The Jackets did in spurts this post season, but Torts reverted to his tendency to make a doghouse line. You could see the heavier legs that came from that. I regret that choice, I think the Jackets 4th line personnel were more than capable of playing regular shifts.

The second difference, and maybe the only big difference was in the way the D was used, systems-wise. We were more afraid of the Bruins rush and didn't pinch nearly as much, which made our forechecks more one and done. The Blues had better forechecks for sure. While I think the Jackets had better rush and PP chances. I think the Blues maybe gave up a little less thanks to the longer forechecks. Binnington got a little more luck and managed to concentrate his bad performances into a couple games.

Luck was definitely a big part of it. I don't think the Bruins were much better if at all. The Jackets had 5 posts in game 6 and we could have won it all with some better luck. I recognize that there are four or five teams that can also say that, and that's kind of my point. The margins between teams were very small. And stylistically and compositionally the Blues are a lot like the Blue Jackets.

 

[MoeBartoli]

@Cyclones Rock - your new avatar rocks.......(I know I should feel some empathy for Marchand expressing such emotion.....but I don't and you don't either. I like it!)

 

[thebus88]

This deserves to be in here.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/26632203/the-brutal-honesty-columbus-blue-jackets

The different (essentially completely opposite) opinions on Torts as a person and as a coach is a perfect example to highlight just how different individual humans can be and think.

I feel bad for people who don't absolutely LOVE the current coaching staff and roster.

 

[thebus88]

After last night I would like to point out the obvious that Torts style of hockey is out dated and it’s time for him to go.

Martin incorporated a similar style of hockey as Tortz, dump and chase, play for the hit, perimeter board battle, etc. PIT fired Martin around the new year and hired some guy named Sullivan. He implemented an offensive puck controlling style of hockey, today’s kind of hockey.

Just empty buzzwords.

You know nothing about what Tort's and the teams' actual strategies are. The fact is that THEY CHANGE (back and forth) OVER TIME. Its all much more complex and not simplistic/ black and white, as you seem to believe.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

@Cyclones Rock - your new avatar rocks.......(I know I should feel some empathy for Marchand expressing such emotion.....but I don't and you don't either. I like it!)

Revel in his pain.

I hope this goal is permanently etched upon his rat brain:

 

[KJ Dangler]

Welcome back my sweet friend . Pretty safe to say Torts is nearing his end of the bluejackets coach. Can we please for once, bring in a coach that excels in developing young skilled wingers. Watching saturday's game against the AVS gave me a sick feeling in my stomach, letting Bednar slip out of our organization is almost as bad as letting Karlsson go, and then seeing how badly he was underutilized by our coaching staff. It will be interesting to see who Jarmo targets. Based on how Jarmo drafts, it sure looks like Torts was probably heavily pushed by John Davidson, especially with Davidsons ties to the ranger organization. Do we give Shaw a shot ? To me that seems most likely for the remainder of this season. But what is the long play here ?

 

[ViD]

I blame management more than Torts

 

[Madifer]

Torts isnt the problem and shouldnt/wont be fired until the end of the season.

Every time when a coach gets fired it happens for very unique and specific reasons. I dont see a necessary combination of such reasons for now.

 

[majormajor]

Welcome back my sweet friend . Pretty safe to say Torts is nearing his end of the bluejackets coach.

It's not safe to say. They haven't even taken the PP away from him, I imagine that would come before he was ever close to being fired.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Fire Torts crowd needs to think logically. Torts isn't getting fired in the season, and even if he did we'd have interim HC Shaw or Larsen,and do we really want that?

 

[Monstershockey]

Torts helped them to 3 straight playoff berths. One year of adversity is hardly something you fire a coach over. Why you would want to hire a coach that excels at developing players at the NHL level is rediculous. Last time I checked, the NHL isn't a developmental league. Go ahead and keep firing coaches, just look at how well it is working out for the Browns. If you want to draw top talent here, firing coaches, or hiring developmental coaches will not do that.

 

[Viqsi]

Torts helped them to 3 straight playoff berths. One year of adversity is hardly something you fire a coach over. Why you would want to hire a coach that excels at developing players at the NHL level is rediculous. Last time I checked, the NHL isn't a developmental league. Go ahead and keep firing coaches, just look at how well it is working out for the Browns. If you want to draw top talent here, firing coaches, or hiring developmental coaches will not do that.

"But he clearly doesn't excel at developing players! Just look at <player I liked as a prospect but who has yet to fully pan out>!"

 

[BluejacketNut]

NHL isn't a developmental league

This is a different era, kids are getting pushed into lineups earlier and earlier. If you have the tag of "youngest team in the league" you need a coach who can develop players and Torts is not that guy. Torts, much like Hitchcock are veteran player coaches, he rarely trusts younger players or lets them work through their mistakes.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Torts helped them to 3 straight playoff berths. One year of adversity is hardly something you fire a coach over. Why you would want to hire a coach that excels at developing players at the NHL level is rediculous. Last time I checked, the NHL isn't a developmental league. Go ahead and keep firing coaches, just look at how well it is working out for the Browns. If you want to draw top talent here, firing coaches, or hiring developmental coaches will not do that.

Two of the three were by narrow margins. One can say that the narrow margins were a result of good coaching or bad coaching. I'll say at least average or a bit above.

Some people were estimating high 90s points for this team. That's raw homerism and crap analysis. The Jackets are icing a below average roster this year. Slightly below average forwards group, bad goaltending and a very overrated defense. Most of us saw this (about 2/3rds IIRC) and didn't pick them as a playoff team. Anyone who saw this team as a surefire playoff team missed the mark by a country mile.

The season will be over by mid December in terms of realistic playoff hopes. The division improved and the CBJ went south. Badly. Thanks, Jarmo!

It's not Torts' fault save for the PP. This team was going nowhere under anyone.

 

[Monstershockey]

Two of the three were by narrow margins. One can say that the narrow margins were a result of good coaching or bad coaching. I'll say at least average or a bit above.

People were estimating high 90s points for this team. That's raw homerism and crap analysis. The Jackets are icing a below average roster this year. Below average forward, bad goaltending and a very overrated defense.

It's not Torts' fault save for the PP.

Narrow or not, they were still playoff berths. If they pulled a run off and somehow won a cup, no one would be saying we just barely made the playoffs so this is tainted. As far as the pp goes, the blame goes to everyone. The players are just as guilty, after all, they are the ones playing.

 

[Monstershockey]

This is a different era, kids are getting pushed into lineups earlier and earlier. If you have the tag of "youngest team in the league" you need a coach who can develop players and Torts is not that guy. Torts, much like Hitchcock are veteran player coaches, he rarely trusts younger players or lets them work through their mistakes.

Fans these days don't have the patience to let players work through their mistakes. Hence the fire Torts thread. Going to as many AHL games the past 4 years as I have, seeing guys come and go, I have learned patience because that is the nature of this league, players are developing. I have seen some good AHL guys go up and get sent right back because there is no time to develop these guys in the NHL. Kenny Agostino comes to mind, he tore up the AHL a couple years ago, got sent up and down, and switched teams, because they weren't going to wait for him to develop in the NHL. Just like any other sport, it is win now. If the NHL spends too much time developing guys, they will just become the AHL.

 

[KJ Dangler]

Fire Torts crowd needs to think logically. Torts isn't getting fired in the season, and even if he did we'd have interim HC Shaw or Larsen,and do we really want that?

Absolutely.... after watching him mismanage his talent that he has. Not fix his powerplay which has sucked for 3 years. Watching players like Karlsson , and Dzingel having huge success in there new destinations, I would love to see what Shaw would bring to the table.

 

[KJ Dangler]

This is a different era, kids are getting pushed into lineups earlier and earlier. If you have the tag of "youngest team in the league" you need a coach who can develop players and Torts is not that guy. Torts, much like Hitchcock are veteran player coaches, he rarely trusts younger players or lets them work through their mistakes.

Absolutely..... Look at where Colorado is headed under Bednar.

 

[KJ Dangler]

Torts helped them to 3 straight playoff berths. One year of adversity is hardly something you fire a coach over. Why you would want to hire a coach that excels at developing players at the NHL level is rediculous. Last time I checked, the NHL isn't a developmental league. Go ahead and keep firing coaches, just look at how well it is working out for the Browns. If you want to draw top talent here, firing coaches, or hiring developmental coaches will not do that.

I would argue that drawing talent here is never going to happen under the coach voted least likely you would want to play for. Torts will be canned soon, mark it down.

 

[Viqsi]

Watching players like Karlsson

I hereby invoke Godwin's Law.

 

[Madifer]

I would argue that drawing talent here is never going to happen under the coach voted least likely you would want to play for. Torts will be canned soon, mark it down.

As my grandmother used to say: I love predicting the past but not the future.

My point is: thats a bald statement.

 

[cslebn]

Fire Torts crowd needs to think logically. Torts isn't getting fired in the season, and even if he did we'd have interim HC Shaw or Larsen,and do we really want that?

I must admit to wondering what Shaw would be like as a HC. Not as a commentary on Torts but a general question since his name is often on the list of potential HC candidates by pundits.