Confirmed with Link: Tortorella Won’t Return as Head Coach

[Cyclones Rock]

1% in a Covid year or a regular year because I'm pretty sure there is a big difference in professional sports with minimal to no fans.

No doubt. But the negative value of a bad season and its implications on season ticket renewals/new accounts and sponsorship revenues dwarf a million bucks or so.

Torts saw the writing on the wall and thought his usefulness had drawn to a close and management couldn't come up with a package and move on with things. Had they paid Torts $ 1.5 million, they could have had Shaw as an interim at $1 million and there would have been no additional cost to the team.

If Torts wanted full compensation and wouldn't budge, that's a different story, but I doubt that's the case though obviously I can't prove anything.

Sell John, Sell!

 

[majormajor]

No doubt. But the negative value of a bad season and its implications on season ticket renewals/new accounts and sponsorship revenues dwarf a million bucks or so.

Torts saw the writing on the wall and thought his usefulness had drawn to a close and management couldn't come up with a package and move on with things. Had they paid Torts $ 1.5 million, they could have had Shaw as an interim at $1 million and there would have been no additional cost to the team.

If Torts wanted full compensation and wouldn't budge, that's a different story, but I doubt that's the case though obviously I can't prove anything.

Sell John, Sell!

The (big) mistake there is more that mgmt thought they were better off with Torts behind the bench. A severance would have been great but you actually have to want him gone for that to come up.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

If Torts wanted full compensation and wouldn't budge, that's a different story, but I doubt that's the case though obviously I can't prove anything.

Sell John, Sell!

Well, this bit is in the article. He clearly didn't want out bad enough to accept a lower salary.

Two issues brought Tortorella back behind the bench for the final year of his contract, however.

The Blue Jackets wouldn’t fire him, which is to say they weren’t going to pay him the $2.5 million (per his contract) if he wasn’t coaching. They’d find other work for him to do within the organization for the final year, but at a lesser rate than $2.5 million. Well, the coach is a coach; that’s what he does. The coach is also human, so the money was important.

Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno had lunch with Tortorella, during which he urged the coach to return for one last season to “finish what we started” after four straight playoff berths with the same cluster of veteran players. Tortorella may have a flammable temper, but he’s an old softy for personal appeals, and Foligno’s pitch worked.

 

[Fred Glover]

I’ll take Gallant as the next coach
He will come with a love for Columbus and fire in his belly

 

[JacketsDavid]

Makes a lot more sense why he threw PLD under the bus and why he benched Laine - he likely wanted to get fired.

 

[thebus88]

Of all the claims made in this thread and on this site, I have just as much proof that Dubois actually wanted out because Jarmo wasn’t building the team with players that would have kept Torts around longer and knew that he was leaving.

 

[stonec]

It's all fine and probably makes sense if this was a normal job and some of us had to negotiate a settlement . For Torts, it has to be said it's a bit out of character though. The image created about Torts is that he is this brutally honest guy who is 100% committed to his job. Based on this, you'd think he'd be out the minute he lost the passion for his job. Maybe there are details to the story we don't know, but all the benchings and the Dubois and Laine saga align with this story. I'm not even claiming he made those moves to get himself fired, but it's easy to see how a situation like this would have affected some decisions.

With hindsight it's now easy to say it wasn't optimal to bring in a lot of new players and meanwhile keep a coach around who knew he was gone after the season. The blame goes on Jarmo here. It now feels like this was an even more wasted year. Wasted for Torts because he wanted to move on, wasted for all the new players brought in who spent a few months learning Torts system only for him to be gone for certain once the season was over, etc.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

The whole "stayed when he didn't want to and the team wouldn't pay him" is a classic situation of "a little bit of blame/responsibility all around", it seems to me. Should the powers that be have negotiated some sort of parting settlement? Yes. But each party seems to have had a reason why they wouldn't have wanted to. We know more now than we did before but still not the whole story. I'm feeling like this is yet another thing that can be partially chalked up to the pandemic. What remains to be seen is whether and how far operating this way for a "lost" season sets the team back.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Since Foligno knew and talked him into staying, I can only assume the team knew he was a lame duck coach. In general, I'd like to think that there are many reasons why lame duck coaches are not a normal thing in any sport. For starters, long term continuity and planning.

 

[DarkandStormy]

Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Gerard Gallant's redemption, John Tortorella wanted to quit a year earlier

"We want guys who want to be here" really rings hollow now, eh?

 

[Cyclones Rock]

[QUOTE="stonec, post: 178024028, member: 140411".]

With hindsight it's now easy to say it wasn't optimal to bring in a lot of new players and meanwhile keep a coach around who knew he was gone after the season. The blame goes on Jarmo here. It now feels like this was an even more wasted year. Wasted for Torts because he wanted to move on, wasted for all the new players brought in who spent a few months learning Torts system only for him to be gone for certain once the season was over, etc.[/QUOTE]

Great post.

Let's say Torts was being stubborn and still wanted 100% of his salary. Does that cost even come remotely close to the cost of essentially throwing a season down the drain? I don't think so.

The top management of this organization is beneath highly incompetent. Jarmo, Priest and the disinterested owner will never win a Stanley Cup. This thing is so bad right now that if it would be a shocker if they'd even qualify for the playoffs in the next half decade.

McConnell needs to sell this team. He's entering the Pegula range. He'll be as inept as they are in a few years. Senior management needs to go. One and all.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Great post.

Let's say Torts was being stubborn and still wanted 100% of his salary. Does that cost even come remotely close to the cost of essentially throwing a season down the drain? I don't think so.

The top management of this organization is beneath highly incompetent. Jarmo, Priest and the disinterested owner will never win a Stanley Cup. This thing is so bad right now that if it would be a shocker if they'd even qualify for the playoffs in the next half decade.

McConnell needs to sell this team. He's entering the Pegula range. He'll be as inept as they are in a few years. Senior management needs to go. One and all.

Not sure I get why McConnell gets so much ire here. He's silent and writes paychecks. Sometimes you get what you ask for and that is a guy like Dolan who is erratic and makes rash decisions. McConnell is the exact opposite of that.

McConnell is not Pegula. Pegula makes bad hires. I'm not saying that McConnell has made bad hires but maybe waits too long to make changes when needed. Pegula hires bad people and fires them as often as he changes underwear.

 

[majormajor]

The top management of this organization is beneath highly incompetent. Jarmo, Priest and the disinterested owner will never win a Stanley Cup. This thing is so bad right now that if it would be a shocker if they'd even qualify for the playoffs in the next half decade.

McConnell needs to sell this team. He's entering the Pegula range. He'll be as inept as they are in a few years. Senior management needs to go. One and all.

With your track record I definitely want in on the other side of that bet, especially with those generous odds you like to give out.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

With your track record I definitely want in on the other side of that bet, especially with those generous odds you like to give out.

My track record? Supply some details. Coming from someone who kept insisting that this year's version was a playoff team-when anybody who knew hockey could see otherwise early on-is laughable.

This team is nowhere near a playoff caliber team. Take off the rose-colored glasses. They're a bottom 10 for the foreseeable future.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Not sure I get why McConnell gets so much ire here. He's silent and writes paychecks. Sometimes you get what you ask for and that is a guy like Dolan who is erratic and makes rash decisions. McConnell is the exact opposite of that.

McConnell is not Pegula. Pegula makes bad hires. I'm not saying that McConnell has made bad hires but maybe waits too long to make changes when needed. Pegula hires bad people and fires them as often as he changes underwear.

Over-the-top on Pegula, I was

I just get the strong sense that he keeps the team out of obligation to his father and lacks any real passion for it.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Over-the-top on Pegula, I was

I just get the strong sense that he keeps the team out of obligation to his father and lacks any real passion for it.

I don't know that him staying out of the spotlight means he doesn't care. I think he just needs more hockey people advising him on how to run a hockey team. That is my biggest issue with not replacing people like JD and Zito when they left. I think JD had his ear more than Jarmo does. Jarmo runs through Mike Priest and we all know Mike Priest knows dollars and cents more than x's and o's of hockey.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

I don't know that him staying out of the spotlight means he doesn't care. I think he just needs more hockey people advising him on how to run a hockey team. That is my biggest issue with not replacing people like JD and Zito when they left. I think JD had his ear more than Jarmo does. Jarmo runs through Mike Priest and we all know Mike Priest knows dollars and cents more than x's and o's of hockey.

I wouldn't say "doesn't care", I 'd say lacks passion. I could be wrong as it's all speculative.

He does need to get the hockey operations in order if he wants to right the ship. Jarmo's 8+ year track record should be enough for him to see the need for a replacement.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I wouldn't say "doesn't care", I 'd say lacks passion. I could be wrong as it's all speculative.

He does need to get the hockey operations in order if he wants to right the ship. Jarmo's 8+ year track record should be enough for him to see the need for a replacement.

I don't know I'm completely worn thin on Jarmo (yet) but I'm all for some checks and balances in the operations side to keep things in check.

 

[majormajor]

I wouldn't say "doesn't care", I 'd say lacks passion. I could be wrong as it's all speculative.

He does need to get the hockey operations in order if he wants to right the ship. Jarmo's 8+ year track record should be enough for him to see the need for a replacement.

You talk as if it's you and some vast majority of the fanbase that wants Jarmo fired, and if only our owner was paying attention he'd fix the problem for you. Jarmo is often highly thought of around the league, so it might be that the owner would like him even more if he were to get involved. Or perhaps he is actually far more involved than you think and is very passionate about hockey and just doesn't like to put himself in the media.

 

[domi28]

You talk as if it's you and some vast majority of the fanbase that wants Jarmo fired, and if only our owner was paying attention he'd fix the problem for you. Jarmo is often highly thought of around the league, so it might be that the owner would like him even more if he were to get involved. Or perhaps he is actually far more involved than you think and is very passionate about hockey and just doesn't like to put himself in the media.

Just being highly thought of doesn't put banners in the rafters.

 

[NotWendell]

Well, I think Jarmo should be fired, but I understand mine is the minority opinion right now. Still rooting for Jarmo to prove me wrong about him. I'd take no joy in being right.

 

[koteka]

I don't know that him staying out of the spotlight means he doesn't care.

Maybe he realizes that self-made men can be brash and in the spotlight and it is part of who they are, but those that inherit their wealth come off as spoiled jackasses when they do the same thing. Staying behind the scenes is the smart play for him.

 

[JacketsDavid]

So question I have - Torts ran PLD out of town for requesting a trade. Did Torts ever address the team on why he didn't want to be coaching them this season? I know guys like Foligno knew he wanted out (based on the story saying Foligno helped to talk him into staying).
I guess that just really rubs me the wrong way - he jumps all over a guy who wants out, but he couldn't be a man himself and address it as he wanted his player to.

 

[Monstershockey]

So question I have - Torts ran PLD out of town for requesting a trade. Did Torts ever address the team on why he didn't want to be coaching them this season? I know guys like Foligno knew he wanted out (based on the story saying Foligno helped to talk him into staying).
I guess that just really rubs me the wrong way - he jumps all over a guy who wants out, but he couldn't be a man himself and address it as he wanted his player to.

That's probably why Torts jumped on him. If Foligno knew, I would bet the whole team knew Torts wanted out. I'm guessing PLD wanted out for the same reason, didn't like the direction the team was heading and wanted out. That, and probably some of what that Athletic article mentioned.

 

[Toe Pick]

So question I have - Torts ran PLD out of town for requesting a trade. Did Torts ever address the team on why he didn't want to be coaching them this season? I know guys like Foligno knew he wanted out (based on the story saying Foligno helped to talk him into staying).
I guess that just really rubs me the wrong way - he jumps all over a guy who wants out, but he couldn't be a man himself and address it as he wanted his player to.

I'm a Torts guy but that is a very good point. The ole do as I say not as I do routine is not gonna cut it.

And why do people expect Jones to stick around this shit show again?