Torts Fired In Vancouver After One Year

((HT: Sportsnet))

Surprising no one, really, John Tortorella was fired after one year coaching in Vancouver...

But the "Hockey Central" guys think that one night against the Flames may have done the deal...

And the HQ would agree...
It's all on Trevor Linden now...

Torts Responds To Wrong Name In Kind

((HT: Sportsnet))

This is what happens when a reporter calls John Tortorella by the wrong first name...
Bad to think of him as the GM...

Very bad...

Torts Has Choice Words For Hartley... Again...

((HT: Sportsnet))

It was the end of the regular season and Vancouver and Calgary...

And Bob Hartley and John Tortorella do not like each other...
They don't like how each operate and they don't like each other teams and how they operate...

If this Sunday was the last press conference by Torts as Canucks coach, then he went out with Tortorellian flair...

Looks Like Mike Gillis Gives Himself One More Year

((HT: Sportsnet))

The trade the HQ talked about behind the bench before the New York Rangers-Vancouver Canucks game involving Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella has now moved from the idiot stage to the stage where it looks like Torts is on a short clock.

Daniel Sedin has done the captainly thing and taken blame for the season that has gone sideways. Injuries have played a big part of it as they've made a 6-point hole for themselves in the wild card with five games to go.

It isn't looking good for GM Mike Gillis, but as GM's can do... they can blame others before they take the blame themselves. A coaching change will move things along a season at a time as a last ditch move.

But it will only buy Gillis a year with the Aquilini brothers...

Dan Murphy discusses with "Hockey Central"

For Canucks, It Takes A Village...

((HT: Sportsnet))

And by his own admission, John Tortorella is the village idiot...

The team is hemorrhaging offensively, but the penalty kill is still a top-10. Admittedly, the Canucks have lost an inordinate amount of games to injury- especially to players whose last name rhymes with "Tedin."

But the "trade" of Vigneault for Torts seems like a wash in New York City, but a mess out west...

Epic Collapse: Canucks Give Up 7 In The 3rd

((HT: Sportsnet))

There really are no words for this other than "total and utter shock"

The Canucks were up 3-0 going into the third period and lost 7-3...

Yep...highlights...
And Torts was stunned...
How have the Canucks lost 12 of their last 14...???

That's a good example of how...

Kypreos: Tort's Behavior "Disgraceful..."

((HT: Sportsnet))

Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella has no regrets over his epic nutty the other night against Calgary and head coach Bob Hartley...

Even telling Hartley, who didn't engage him in the bench discussion, that "you don't fight that way..."

Sportnet's Nick Kypreos was less than enthused over Tort's behavior...

DEVELOPING: Torts Gets 15 Days Without Pay, Hartley Fined

((HT: NHL on TSN))

For this...among other things...


From the league itself:

"Mr. Tortorella's actions in attempting to enter the Calgary Flames locker room after the first period were both dangerous and an embarrassment to the League," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "Coaches in the NHL bear the responsibility of providing leadership, even when emotions run high, and Mr. Tortorella failed in his responsibility to the game."

Mr. Tortorella's suspension is effective retroactive to January 19 and runs through Sunday, Feb. 2. He will miss six games. He is not permitted to have any interaction with his club prior to, during or after games.

And Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley got fined $25,000 for this...
Among other things...
((HT: CBC/Hockey Night In Canada))


From the league again:

The fine was issued in accordance with By-Law 17.3 (a) for conduct prejudicial to or against the welfare of the League.

In issuing the suspension, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell stated: "We are holding Mr. Hartley responsible for the actions of Flames' right wing Kevin Westgarth, who took the game's opening face-off and attempted to instigate a premeditated fight with an unwilling opponent -- the Canucks' Kevin Bieksa."

Will this fix things...???

Nope...

Fun to watch...but not solving anything...

Canucks-Flames Line Dance: The After...

((HT: TSN/NHL))

Well, conventional wisdom is that Canucks coach John Tortorella is going to get some kind of suspension for the outbursts last night...

Here's what he said about why he did what he did...
((HT: Canucks TV))


And from inside his locker room...
((HT: Canucks TV))


And from Calgary head coach Bob Hartley...
((HT: Flames TV))


There actually was a game played...
Vancouver won in a shootout, 3-2...
Now, all we need to know is how long the suspensions will be for this classic...

Let's Dance! Flames-Canucks Go With Line Brawl Off The Top... (UPDATED W/Tortorella Nutty)

((HT: CBC/NHL via Josh Rimer))

It has been a long couple of days for John Tortorella and the Vancouver Canucks...

But "Hockey Day In Canada" wrapped with a first period line dance among heavyweights...

The amount of figuring out the do-se-do gets a little long, but the desired effect was a real piece of work...


And the HQ loves how Bob 'artley didn't engage Torts at all...

132 minutes in penalties were doled out by the time they were done...
And here's a longer version...


There were 178 penalty minutes total in the first...

And, in the intermission, Torts charged the tunnel and still wanted a piece of the Flames...
((HT: Some Hockey Videos/TSN))

BREAKING: Rangers Fire Torts

Following in true James Dolan fashion, the New York Rangers have fired head coach John Tortorella after a lackluster playoff performance that led in their early dismissal from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the semi-final round.

Tortorella served five season behind the bench in Madison Square Garden and was out in five games against the Boston Bruins.

"Some of the responsibility falls on me,” he said in his last press conference as coach. “One of the big things of this series, I could not — it does, it falls on me — it’s a big part of my job is to get your top players to play consistently, and I couldn’t do that.

“We tried, so I need to take some responsibility to try and get them in those spots to help us here. I thought that hurt us.”

And when guys like Rick Nash and Brad Richards turn up empty in the playoff run, then responsibility goes somewhere- usually behind the bench and not on the high-salaried players.

“It sucks,” Ryan Callahan said after Game 5. “There’s no worse feeling than this. We had a good team this year. It’s frustrating.”

And now, they'll do it with a new coach...
The HQ will miss his sound bites...
((HT: Hockey Webcast))

Classic Torts: More Post-Game Gold

((HT: MSG/NHL/youtube))

It was a bad night for the New York area hockey teams...

PA Parenteau ended up with a nasty-looking leg injury in their game with the Winnipeg Jets, and the Rangers Derek Stepan got popped in their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins...

Which led to Rangers head coach John Tortorella giving the visitors hell.

Here's the extent of the post-game in full...
Sam Rosen was awesome...


Can't wait for the playoffs...