The Vancouver Canucks have called a press conference for tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time when it’s expected they’ll announce the hiring of head coach John Tortorella.
Suffice to say, this should be interesting.
First off, how will general manager Mike Gillis explain the hiring? Did he feel the team needed a kick in the behind? Also, what kind of system does he want Tortorella to employ? Gillis has said he likes an ‘an upbeat, fast style of play’, yet Tortorella was apparently fired by the Rangers for dictating too much of a dump-and-chase game.
And, of course, there’s the whole media-relations angle -- what kind of a first impression will Tortorella make on the assembled horde of eager Vancouver reporters, and vice-versa? The hiring has already been lambasted by at least one prominent sports columnist in Vancouver.
Might be worth noting that Alain Vigneault, who the Canucks fired in May, was a big hit with the New York media when he was introduced as the Rangers’ new head coach last week.