John Tortorella

[Jethro Bodine]

Just wondering what everyone's take on this guy?

I must admit I'm on the fence.
He's obviously a good coach. Your team doesn't finish on top of the division and make it to the third round of the playoffs if you are not.

I'm talking more about his antics when it comes to interviews and reporters. I'll be the first guy to admit I'd likely lose it the odd time, given all of the really stupid questions I hear coaches and players get asked sometimes but he seems to have gone too far.
Sure there are things you are not going to discuss such as injuries but his interviews are basically 60 seconds of no comment or some insult towards the reporters.
Some find it entertaining and say the NHL needs more characters like him. I see it differently. For a league still trying to make inroads into American culture and find acceptance by fans in the US, to have someone so abrasive front and center doesn't do your brand any good and you would think the NHL would be a bit concerned. You could argue it has people in the US (and Canada) tuning in, who never would have before, just to see Tort's go off and that there is no such thing as bad press. I beg to differ that the NHL needs people talking about the great hockey not some asshole coach.

What do you think?

Could you imagine him and brian burke both doing a press conference together. LOL!

 

[Devils_Advocate]

Just wondering what everyone's take on this guy?

I must admit I'm on the fence.
He's obviously a good coach. Your team doesn't finish on top of the division and make it to the third round of the playoffs if you are not.

I'm talking more about his antics when it comes to interviews and reporters. I'll be the first guy to admit I'd likely lose it the odd time, given all of the really stupid questions I hear coaches and players get asked sometimes but he seems to have gone too far.
Sure there are things you are not going to discuss such as injuries but his interviews are basically 60 seconds of no comment or some insult towards the reporters.
Some find it entertaining and say the NHL needs more characters like him. I see it differently. For a league still trying to make inroads into American culture and find acceptance by fans in the US, to have someone so abrasive front and center doesn't do your brand any good and you would think the NHL would be a bit concerned. You could argue it has people in the US (and Canada) tuning in, who never would have before, just to see Tort's go off and that there is no such thing as bad press. I beg to differ that the NHL needs people talking about the great hockey not some asshole coach.

What do you think?

Could you imagine him and brian burke both doing a press conference together. LOL!

One Word... Douchebag.

GO DEVILS GO!!!

 

[Dgodus]

It's unprofessional.

He's got to remember he isn't answering the media, they're simply a middleman for the fans. The fans that buy tickets/merch/etc and pay his salary. It's one thing to lose it from time to time. But for it to be a regular event is inexcusable. I mean he refused an intermission interview when he was spanking the other team, oddly enough the other coach graciously explained why his team was getting their ass handed to them and how they had to improve.

 

[luvsdaty]

It's all an act,deflects critacism & pressure away from the players.I like that he sat Gaborik in the 3rd,hold players accountable.
The guys passionate that's for sure.

 

[badbadboy]

The media sucks, rarely an insightful question or one I want to hear an answer to. Screw the media.

hmm, if you look at this video after a Bolts loss the media were pretty easy on him even though Tortorella wasn't answering the questions (politely too).

NYC is a tough place to have a Pro Sports Team of any flavour and hockey is no exception. This is why the coach and the media are like oil and water.

 

[Jason_96]

I like John Tortorella. He's a breath of fresh air unlike the majority of NHL coaches out there. And he's usually entertaining as hell.

 

[chuckanut]

i honestly don't care what coaches have to say before or after a game unless it concerns the lineup. i'm pretty indifferent about torts.

-chuck
**retired**

 

[HugeManhood]

Im not that crazy about AV either.

 

[FoodieDelight]

Tortoerlla is simply and ASS of an excuse for a human being. There is no need to for his abrasive antics and dsirespect to people who are simply trying to do their jobs. Ownership needs to rein him in.

FD

 

[bcneil]

It doesn't matter to me much what he says in the press conferences. As yeah, a lot of the questions are silly and repetitive.
But, he is the coach in NYC. Where they have a lot more casual fans, and many that are just fans cause of this run.
He probably could do better at helping retain these casual fans.

I am not even sure why the NHL feels the need to have a press conference after each game anyways.
Get rid of the regular season, so the coaches are at least not sick to death of them already in the playoffs.
100 of them in a year would get annoying, as well as dozens of reporters surrounding the players after each and every game of the season.

 

[manni]

Just wondering what everyone's take on this guy?

I must admit I'm on the fence.
He's obviously a good coach. Your team doesn't finish on top of the division and make it to the third round of the playoffs if you are not.

I'm talking more about his antics when it comes to interviews and reporters. I'll be the first guy to admit I'd likely lose it the odd time, given all of the really stupid questions I hear coaches and players get asked sometimes but he seems to have gone too far.
Sure there are things you are not going to discuss such as injuries but his interviews are basically 60 seconds of no comment or some insult towards the reporters.
Some find it entertaining and say the NHL needs more characters like him. I see it differently. For a league still trying to make inroads into American culture and find acceptance by fans in the US, to have someone so abrasive front and center doesn't do your brand any good and you would think the NHL would be a bit concerned. You could argue it has people in the US (and Canada) tuning in, who never would have before, just to see Tort's go off and that there is no such thing as bad press. I beg to differ that the NHL needs people talking about the great hockey not some asshole coach.

What do you think?

Could you imagine him and brian burke both doing a press conference together. LOL!

well, how about coach Bobby Knight's antics? Jim Mora? et al.

if anything, people are more likely to tune in with baited anticipation and you know that gets ratings up–
isn't that what entertainment is all about? sadly, pro sports and entertainment have become strange bedmates
and I think guys like JT know how to work the system in their favour. like him or hate him, what does he care?

but I doubt JT is really like this in real life, his stint as a TSN panelist showed otherwise.
good on JT for his 60 sec schtick (he should patent that), the NHL needs more character if it wants to compete with the likes of NFL and NBA.

 

[chuckanut]

say what u will about him in front of the media, but if u watched him on 24/7 u know he's a great coach. that my opinion of course.

-chuck
**retired**

 

[satinguy]

I think at times he is completely unprofessional but other times he is a breath of fresh air. I guess i like him but think he needs to understand that dealing with the media is and always will be part of his job.

We all have parts of our job we don't enjoy but have to tolerate and i doubt we could get away with the antics Torts pulls during his pressers. At times the media asks stupid questions but other times the questions are legitimate and he just doesn't want to answer.

Funny thing with Torts, Ron Wilson, and other Coaches who treat the media with disdain. Once they lose their jobs and they always do Where do you think these guys will end up working? Thats right in the Media commenting on the same stuff they complain about now.

 

[harrington]

No question, Tortorella is a great coach. However, to be a coach in the NHL, you have to deal with the media and in this regard, he is very unprofessional. I do enjoy his comments when he does make them because I agree that it is refreshing to hear someone's honest opinion. However, when he does his short one word answer antics, it is a bit classless. Come on, you are in the NHL in a major original 6 market in the biggest market and you're pulling that crap off?

Seriously, when he gets fired (and it eventually happens to all NHL coaches), the reporters and press will have the last laugh... no one will support him and he'll get kicked in the teeth on the way down.. that's the way it always happens.

 

[chuckanut]

Funny thing with Torts, Ron Wilson, and other Coaches who treat the media with disdain. Once they lose their jobs and they always do Where do you think these guys will end up working? Thats right in the Media commenting on the same stuff they complain about now.

a few weeks back, heard someone from tsn on 1040 talking about when torts was part of the analyst panel during the 08-09 season before he got hired by the rangers. forgot who it was on the interview, but remember they said tsn really regretted having him there and would never do it again. he was brought on as an analyst that wouldn't analyze. lol.

-chuck
**retired**

 

[satinguy]

they said tsn really regretted having him there and would never do it again. he was brought on as an analyst that wouldn't analyze. lol.

-chuck
**retired**

I believe it,

I remember when he was on TSN, not very good really. I was expecting the loud, obnoxious guy who would make interesting comments but he wasn't nearly as confrontational as he is now. TSN has a great panel and don't really need him, i guess they were expecting fire works when they hired him that never quite materialized.

Rangers look to be in some trouble, so maybe he should focus on the games and notr his pressers. And yes, once he is fired the Media in New York will kick the living crap out of this guy in the headlines for weeks.

 

[grusse]

after Game 4&5 his post-game interviews have been MUCH better.He answered questions politely&patiently.

a big departure from the the one-word "No" replies.

I dunno if Rangers' brass/NHL brass had a word with him to let him know it's part of the job to deal with media

tv can be invasive....NBA has the eye-candy fluff asking inane questions of coaches who only want
to spend the brief half-time with their teams

tv invades baseball dugouts mid-game but that helps keep everyone awake.

 

[Big Dog Striker]

Tortorella should learn from Ozzie Guillen, the Manager of the Miami Marlins. His mouth alone can sell tickets. He tried too much when he talked about Fidel Castro though. :nod:

 

[grusse]

Tortorella should learn from Ozzie Guillen, the Manager of the Miami Marlins. His mouth alone can sell tickets. He tried too much when he talked about Fidel Castro though. :nod:

Ozzie Guillen is one of a kind,sometimes his own worst enemy,but never dull.

The Chicago press/media were sad to see him go.Give him a mic&presto,you've got a column.

 

[satinguy]

after Game 4&5 his post-game interviews have been MUCH better.He answered questions politely&patiently.

a big departure from the the one-word "No" replies.

I dunno if Rangers' brass/NHL brass had a word with him to let him know it's part of the job to deal with media

Agreed, his pressers are a little more informative these days. He actually seemed to smile a couple of times during his Thursday presser and had an exchange with old foe Larry Brooks without anything being censored.

I think you are on to something regarding the Rangers or NHL having a word with him. My guess is it came from The Count Gary Bettman or Bill Daley. A rangers/kings final is exactly what the NHL dreams about from a tv and marketing perspective. The Count won't want his dream match up and alll the positive attention from the media ruined by some Coach who has a beef with the media.

Maybe the last we hear from him for a while if he doesn't get a better performanace from his team tonight. I'll be watching ther Coaches handshake carefully in this one. My understanding is these two despise each other and it has gotten personal.