John Tortorella has been fined $25,000 by the NHL for “conduct during a media availability” following the Columbus Blue Jackets’ elimination in Game 5 last week to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After Columbus was knocked out in Game 5, the Blue Jackets head coach was in no mood to answer questions. Tortorella cut short his post game videoconference after two questions and was clearly frustrated from the beginning.
“I’m not going to get into the touchy-feely stuff and the moral victories and all that. You guys be safe,” were his final words before walking off the podium.
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Tortorella has a long history of being fined for the NHL. This isn’t even his first fine this season. In fact, this one is the league collecting on the “conditional” fine it handed him in January after he criticized officials for a time-keeping error. He needed to keep on his best behavior until Dec. 29, 2020 to get out if it. He lasted eight months.
We’ll see if Blue Jackets fans start another GoFundMe campaign.
According to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, Tortorella’s fines have amounted to $162,000 in his NHL coaching career. The NHL Foundation, where the money goes towards, is probably very thankful.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.