When last we saw the Rangers and Devils facing off, there were fights three seconds into the game and head coaches John Tortorella and Peter DeBoer were busy sniping at each other through the press. Now that they’re facing off in the Eastern Conference finals, Tortorella’s tune has changed just a bit.
Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News hears it from the Rangers coach about how he hopes his team has put all that stuff behind them and isn’t getting caught up in the hype.
“I’m not too interested in and I hope the team isn’t too interested in getting caught up in all the sideshows as far as Jersey-New York Rangers,” said Tortorella, who critiqued the “crappy setup” of his press conference on Sunday and labeled NHL hockey “a game of Ping-Pong” since the red line was removed before wrapping up after 10 minutes. “I think it’s great for the area don’t get me wrong,” Tortorella said of the Battle of the Hudson between the Rangers and Devils, “but we have to concentrate on who we are and what we have to do.”
No word yet if Tortorella got those pesky neighbor kids off his lawn or not.
It’s amusing to see Tortorella get focused for the start of the series (Game 1 is tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN) after the way the regular season ended between these two teams. If he’s banking on the talk to be minimized though, he’s going to be sorely disappointed/angrier about things.