By: Gabriela Yareliz
He is brutally honest. He has been known to speak to the opposing team and coach, his own team, the refs, and the media with the same tone. He has racked up more than $500k in disciplinary fines over the span of his career. In the past, he has told the media bluntly that his team “sucks” and hasn’t done “anything.” (See when he coached the Flyers). He has been ejected from games, gotten into fights in hallways and shown off a hand cast behind the bench. He is that coach that will grab a fool by the collar quick— or at least, that is the vibe. He is passion and fire, and there is no sleeping in his presence— he is John Tortorella.
He was fired for hurting feelings. You know what happens when you focus on feelings? You end up like the New York Rangers— last in the rankings. (See Mike Sullivan).
The Vegas Knights almost didn’t make the playoffs, and now, they are the Western Conference champs.
Their coach, the incredibly controversial and spicy John Tortorella has said on record that the team “activated itself” and knows what it takes to win. And someone as wise as him is right, but we shouldn’t ignore the fact that something shifted when Vegas hired Tortorella with eight games left in the regular season. And listen, Vegas didn’t suck. They were close to being in a playoff spot. They just weren’t. And now, here we are.
Tortorella, Paul Maurice— these are the types of coaches they make movies about. A player as brilliant as Brady Tkachuk wanted to be Torts’ (as he calls him) whipping boy. When the Team USA head coach would step out after a pre-game speech, Team USA players leaned in to hear what Tortorella had to say next. I am convinced that this man was a key part of our win. Don’t think I didn’t notice that when Brady went out on the ice and did something that showed savage leadership, when he would return to the bench, Tortorella could be seen whispering into his ear grinning from ear to ear or patting him on the back with enthusiasm. We saw you, Tortorella, dressed in muted colors try to blend in with the other staff, but always standing out.
Excellence knows excellence.
The Eastern Conference champ hasn’t revealed itself, yet. But here is my Stanley Cup prediction— I don’t think any team wants it as bad as Vegas. After being fired and away from the ice for a bit, this, and the USA victory at the Olympics are Tortorella’s ultimate comeback story. They spell out his grit and winning mindset.
A coach like Tortorella creates space and lights a fire for leaders and brilliance to rise like a hot air balloon. The other teams may play hard, and we know teams like the Carolina Hurricanes lock in and grind— but I don’t think anything will beat the savagery of the Vegas Knights this year because of the voice they have in the locker room. Nothing is more savage than Torts ready to win. They are out to win it. And there is something about a coach and team that are rising from the ashes— they are unstoppable. I hope this will be the Florida Panthers, next year.
That type of hunger must be fed. And Vegas seems to be out to eat everything in its way.
I love rooting for a good coach. This is why Paul Maurice is a top figure for me in the NHL. The best coaches give space for the players to receive their glory, because they are the ones who play. But I like to focus on the voice in the heads of these players.
This year, I am rooting for the indomitable John Tortorella. May his team bring him the honor he deserves and the fruit of the work ethic he has cultivated and instilled over the years. These Knights are fixin’ to slay every dragon in their path. And if that’s not what life is about— what is it about?
Listen to this shorter-than-30-second clip of Tortorella’s pre-game speech with Columbus whenever you need encouragement to take the next step boldly:
It’s that time of year. The Stanley Cup is up for grabs, and you just got to BELIEVE. I believe in Tortorella and the team he was yelling at and inspiring last night. Let’s go!
GABRIELA YARELIZ 