Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Here’s what they’re saying about John Tortorella

Torts2

A smattering of quotes, anecdotes and opinions in the wake of John Tortorella’s latest presser (which clocked in under one minute).

Links

-- Steve Serby of The Post has a great piece about “The Last Angry Man.”

-- Michael McCarthy of USA Today breaks down who’s ripping Torts for his surly non-interviews.

Excerpts

David Shoalts, Globe and Mail:

“Dealing with jerks is part of the job. We can complain that someone like Tortorella is not being accountable to the fans when he pulls his condescending prima donna routine but we can’t ignore him. There are times when he comes out with far more candid observations about his players and opponents than other coaches ever do when the mood strikes him and we would not be doing our jobs if we too were acting like divas and weren’t around to record them.

“Besides, one of the privileges of the media is always getting the last word.”

Steve Politi, The Star-Ledger:

“Get to your seats early, folks, because this one-man act is a short performance. Here is the entire transcript of the Rangers coach’s news conference, all 36 words Coach Gruntorella uttered after the Devils outhustled and outworked his team on its home ice: A number of things. I’ll keep it in the room. No. No. I answered your first question. No. You need to improve as a hockey team every game. I’m going to keep it in the room.

“Trust me. You don’t need the questions. Tortorella got a few YouTube laughs with his routine at news conferences early in the playoffs, but now the reviews are all about the same.

“The act is tired, and especially so on a night when it isn’t unreasonable for the fans to expect some answers. You can say he doesn’t owe the media a thing, but the paying customers can’t ask the question themselves. And it’s a fair one: Why was your team so flat for most of this game?”

Katie Strang, ESPN NY:

“Tortorella also declined to elaborate on the effort, the necessary adjustments and virtually every other question in a particularly curt postgame news conference.

“Instead, Tortorella said he’d rather “keep it in the room,” which is exactly where the media now will direct their questions given his unwillingness to answer them.

“Maybe that’s the desired effect, but for a coach who seems to loathe distractions, he sure is creating one.”