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NHL Power Rankings: Who is the best head coach in the league?

By Dave Stevenson

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; A general view of the NHL shield logo before the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

#26: John Tortorella

When the Columbus Blue Jackets hired John Tortorella to be their head coach, many expected him to be different from his tumultuous times with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers. Tortorella, however, is still as stubborn and ineffective as an NHL head coach as ever. His ways are outdated and his yelling just doesn’t work. To make matters worse, he is a pretty big reason why the Blue Jackets traded Ryan Johansen. That isn’t the first time he’s ran a good player (Derrick Brassard and Brandon Dubinsky) out of town and it likely won’t be his last.

Tortorella last saw success as an NHL coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, leading them to a Stanley Cup victory during the 2003-2004 season. Since then, his ego and his stubbornness has dramatically decreased his effectiveness as a head coach. Tortorella also doesn’t deal well with the media. Though his battles with them are quite entertaining at times, to reporters and NHL teams, that has been quite frustrating.

John Tortorella was fantastic as an analyst. He showed a rare insightful side to him and provided a lot of thought-provoking insight into a variety of topics. That’s where he needs to be instead of coaching an NHL team.

Next: #25: Paul Maurice

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