The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired head coach Todd Richards, replacing him with former Vancouver Canucks bench boss John Tortorella.
Blue Jackets replace head coach Todd Richards with John Tortorella.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was inevitable. After stumbling from the gate 0-7-0, Blue Jackets management had to do something. While they were shopping around for a top-two defenseman, they simply couldn’t find that type of help via the trade market. Their only option left was a coaching change.
Richards becomes the first NHL coach to lose his job this season. He guided the Jackets to a playoff berth in 2013, and did his best to keep his injury-decimated club competitive last season. However, the Jackets put themselves into a deep hole with their current losing skid. Richards struggled to find solutions without success.
In Tortorella, the Jackets get a proven NHL coach who’s a proponent of an up-tempo defensive system involving physical play and shot blocking. He’s also infamous for his short temper. While “Torts” had success in Tampa Bay (winning a Stanley Cup in 2004) and the New York Rangers, he only lasted one season with the Vancouver Canucks after they missed the playoffs in 2013-14. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly he reverses the Jackets’ slide.
I’m not a big Torts fan but will go out on a limb and say he turns the Jackets around to a point pretty quicky. He is a better coach than he showed in Van and the team he is taking 8ver tho young to an extent have oodles of talent when healthy. Goalie Bob starts making some saves and he will look like a miracle worker.
A lots of “ifs” in there. How does he turn a sow’s ear D into a cohesive unit? A miracle worker he ain’t. Maye at some point if the media asks what it will take to put a string on wins together he’ll replay – sarcastically of course – “a save would be nice.”
Totally agree with you Shticky. Don’t think the start was Richards’ fault at all (or not much). They’ll turn it around soon and Torts will gladly sop up the credit.
This move reaks of desperation. He can’t be the only couch out there. ANYONE would have been better. Randy Carlyle even Ton Wilson. The Blue a Jackets whole team is young and younger. Torterella hates young players and destroys their development. This will end badly. But I know Rob Scuderi is a Torts kinda guy. We’ll take Atkinson or Jenner off your hands for him.
lol you read my mind
I agree that Torts likes to yell a lot at players, refs, and other coaches. I would have preferred someone who had a better rep working with younger players. We can all hope that he has learned something after being fired from Vancouver.
This compensation for fired coaches thing tho is madness…van pretty much gets a better return for Torts than they did for Lack?
Would someone please hire Randy Carlyle…he won a cup too ya know. lol
I’m surprised he didn’t get the call over Torts, Carlyle would’ve been my first pick out of the coaching pool that’s left.
I like Torts mainly because the media doesn’t; however, I thought Ted Nolan might of been a good fit in Columbus with all the youth on the team.
I liked Torts, until I didn’t like Torts. He is absolutely brutal with young players. Brutal with offense, power play, team moral, etc. The only thing I miss about him is his epic battles with Larry Brooks from the NY post. His constant BS and public humiliation of players grows old pretty quickly.
brooks
I wonder if Dubinsky is in the front office demanding a trade yet?
@Davelozo prettyfunny tweet about that
First order of business today for Torts was a meeting with Dubinsky
Whoever the source the other day stating the Canucks have not given CBJ permission to talk to Torts should no longer be considered a source.
I did read somewhere where the players that played for him in NYR are going to hate this………..well too bad try winning a game !
The only Ranger player there that ever played for Torts is Dubinsky. Tyutin was gone before he took over in NY. But I don’t believe that Dubinsky is the problem for the state of Columbus.If Gaborik and Anisimov were still there, there would be a line of guys demanding a trade today. I believe Gaborik would sooner retire than play one more game under Tortorella.
Everybody thinks Babcock is the highest paid coach in the NHL. I think not Torts gotta making more by now seems he’s getting paid by almost every team in the NHL
Good news for Clarkson Torts shot blockimg system is jist what the Dr. ordered for a guy who spends most of his game lying on the ice.
And people thought Columbus was decimated by injuries last year. WAIT!. LOL. Hold on to your seats Columbus fans. Get ready for getting up 1 goal in a game and him thinking they can hold on by laying down in front of every shot taken against them.
This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion but I have to say it. First off, as far as coaching standards go, Torts is a good coach based off of the numbers he has put up over his career. HOWEVER, Torts as well all know, has a bad history of losing is players desire to play for him. You would have thought that he learned his lesson in New York but he dragged his bad habits with him to Vancouver. In my experience, people like him don’t change.
Now what drives me nuts is that Columbus has to compensate Vancouver with a 2nd round pick for hiring him. Why does Columbus have compensate another team for hiring a guy who had been fired from the organization? If it was case like Mike Babcock or Jim Benning where they left on their own free will then I could understand being compensated. I would rather have seen Columbus deal away that 2nd rounder to bring in a much needed to defenseman then hire Torts. If he doesn’t change, then he’ll be gone within a couple seasons.