Vancouver Canucks Introduce John Tortorella as Next Head Coach
By Josh Hill
While the Boston Celtic literally traded their head coach to the other side of the country, the Vancouver Canucks and New York Ranger did the same thing without the aspect of a trade. Former Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault was hired as the next head coach of the New York Rangers last week and now former New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella has been named and introduced as the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
“We are proud to introduce John Tortorella as Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks,” said President and General Manager Michael D. Gillis, via NHL.com “John has coached championship teams and is passionate about winning. He has a proven ability to bring the best out of his players and we believe he has all of the qualities to bring our team success.”
Tortorella fits right in with the aggressive and unforgiving style of hockey that the Canucks play and his winning streak and attitude are something the Canucks covet. It will be interesting to see how he handles player in Vancouver, as it turns out his roster in New York was much more sensitive then initially thought and their hurt feelings over his treatment of them was a motivating factor in his firing.
He’s won a Stanley Cup and been a staple in the postseason in the last decade but his attitude with the media and his blunt way of putting things is what he’s known for and is something that doesn’t rub everyone the right way.
But the Canucks know what they’re getting in Tortorella and above anything else, they’re getting a head coach who has the talent to take them back to the highest level in the NHL.