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NHL fines Tortorella $20,000, bringing his total on the year to 50k

John Tortorella

New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella speaks to reporters during a news conference, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 at Madison Square Garden training facility in Tarrytown, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Mary Altaffer

The NHL has slapped John Tortorella with his second major fine of the year, dinging him $20,000 for comments made following a 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The New York Rangers head coach was also fined $30,000 after January’s Winter Classic for calling the officiating “disgusting” (and suggesting the refs and NBC collaborated to try and send the game to overtime).

It’s unclear exactly what comment got Torts fined this time around, though it’s not for a lack of options:

-- He called Brooks Orpik’s knee on Derek Stepan a “cheap, dirty hit”.

-- He asked “I wonder what would happen if we did it to their two whining stars over there.”

-- He called Pittsburgh “one of the most arrogant organizations in the league.”

-- He dropped an f-bomb: “They’ll whine about something else over there, won’t they? Starting with their two [expletive] stars.”

Here’s video of Tort’s rant, in case you haven’t seen it yet:

Prior to this season, Tortorella had been both fined ($10,000, for negative comments towards officials in 2007) and suspended (one game, for an altercation with Capitals fans during the first round of the 2009 playoffs.)