John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault: The ones that got away?

John Tortorella

John Tortorella is one of the most volatile, outspoken coaches in the NHL.  He is prone to outbursts when dealing with the press and doesn’t hold back when criticizing his players.  And that’s the kinder, gentler John Tortorella.

Torts coached the Bolts for seven seasons. Like Vigneault, he brought stability to the bench as he was the fifth coach in four seasons when he was hired in 2001. It took him a few years, but the Lightning won the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in 2004.

It took three years for Tortorella to wear out his welcome in Tampa and he was fired after the 2008 season.  He was hired by the Rangers mid-season in 2008-09.

Torts coached the Rangers for four full seasons and his fiery personality was what the team needed after the low key management by Tom Renney.   Under the media microscope in New York City, Tortorella was famous for his verbal battles with Larry Brooks of the New York Post and for his uncensored view of his players.

That personality was on display in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs when he was suspended for one game after he threw a water bottle at a fan who was heckling him. There’s no doubt that the team enjoyed success under Tortorella, but some felt he was too dependent on Henrik Lundqvist and his shotblocking defense.  He was also behind the departure of Marian Gaborik, a loss that came back to haunt the Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.

When the Blueshirts fired him after the 2012-13 season, the thinking was that he had “lost’ the team.

Tortorella’s reputation for a shot blocking defense is legitimate but not unique.  In 2009-10 the Blueshirts average 14.18 blocked shots per game, 11th most in the NHL.  In his last two seasons the Rangers finished fourth overall, blocking 16.06 shots per game in 2011-12 and 15.84 shots per game in 2012-13.   To compare, that season the Maple Leafs led the NHL with 17.02 blocked shots per game.

Has he changed?   This season the Columbus Blue Jackets blocked 1,060 shots, an average of 14.92 per game.  That was fifth most in the NHL.  The 2019-20 Rangers averaged 14.91 blocked shots per game.

Tortorella had a disastrous tenure as coach of the Vancouver Canucks.  He lasted only one season and the highlight was when he tried to enter the Calgary dressing room and fight Flames coach Bob Hartley, for which he was suspended 15 days.

If anything, Tortorella has become a little less volatile, but witness this rant for which he was fined $20,000  by the NHL in December.

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John Tortorella is winningest United State born coach in NHL history. He was won two Jack Adams Awards and has been a finalist four times and he’s won a Stanley Cup.    There’s an argument that the current versions of John Tortorella could be successful in New York considering his work with a very young Columbus team.

So, did the Rangers let him “get away?”  Not in 2013, but there is an excellent argument that they did back in 2000.  Tortorella was the Rangers’ interim coach for four games after the team fired Head Coach John Mucker.  He was winless, going 0-3-1, and wasn’t considered to be the next head coach with the job going to Ron Low, an unmitigated disaster.  Tortorella was ultimately hired by Tampa and the rest is history.

The Jack Adams Award

The New York Rangers have never had a coach with the Award.   They have had a number of men behind the bench who won the award before they were hired in New York, including Fred Shero, Mike Keenan, Glen Sather, Tortorella, Vigneault and even Assistant Coach Lindy Ruff.  Keenan got them to the Holy Grail while Shero and Vigneault came close.

It’s too late for this season, but David Quinn has to hope that he can break that streak of Ranger futility before he wears out his welcome in New York.