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Torts suffers two broken ribs in a collision, not expected to coach versus Bruins

Dallas Stars v Vancouver Canucks

VANCOUVER, BC - NOVEMBER 17: Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks John Tortorella speaks to the media after his team lost to the Dallas Stars after their NHL game at Rogers Arena on November 17, 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Ben Nelms/Getty Images)

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John Tortorella isn’t expected to be behind the bench for the Columbus Blue Jackets when they face the Boston Bruins on Saturday, after suffering two broken ribs in a collision with Rene Bourque during an outdoor practice Friday, the club announced on its website.

According to the Blue Jackets, Tortorella didn’t travel with the team to Boston.

From Aaron Portzline of the the Columbus Dispatch:

He was skating with speed up the left wing during a drill and clipped Tortorella, who was standing along the boards with his head turned. Tortorella twisted in the air and landed on his backside, remaining on the ice for several minutes as medical staff attended to him.

“You never like seeing anyone in pain and that was so unfortunate,” said Nick Foligno, as per the Blue Jackets website.

“I felt so bad for John and for (Bourque). The one thing about Torts is he’s tough – he’s a lot tougher than all of us. When you see him down like that, you know he’s pretty hurt. It was scary.”

This means associate coach Craig Hartsburg will assume the coaching duties, with Torts expected to be out.

As written earlier, this kind of sums up the season in Columbus.