Why former Rangers coach made costly $100k decision in playoffs: ‘temper tantrum’
You’d think John Tortorella would be in high spirits after his Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Anaheim Ducks in their best-of-7 second-round playoff series Thursday, winning Game 6 by the score of 5-1. But instead, the former New York Rangers coach made a spiteful, costly decision that somewhat overshadowed his team’s triumph at Honda Center.
Tortorella declined to meet with the media postgame, a no-no per League rules. Plus Vegas closed its locker room to reporters after the series-clincher, instead sending Mitch Marner and former Rangers center Brett Howden to the interview room, and defenseman Shea Theodore to a side room to speak with the media.
NHL rules stipulate that locker rooms be open with players available inside after games, even during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when a podium is also set up for the top stars of the particular contest in a separate interview room.
Needless to say, the League wasn’t thrilled with Vegas nor its coach. On Friday, the NHL fined Tortorella $100,000 and ruled that the Golden Knights must forfeit their second-round pick in this year’s draft.
Considering how often Tortorella’s been fined by the League, and how serious it is about its media rules, why the hell did the 67-year-old coach pull this stunt with his team taking another big step toward trying to win their second Stanley Cup championship?
“I think it was a bit of a temper tantrum,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman stated on the FAN Hockey Show on Friday. “They were upset about the [Brayden] McNabb suspension.”
McNabb, the 35-year-old Golden Knights defenseman, didn’t play in Game 6 because NHL Department of Player Safety suspended him one game for an interference infraction in Game 5. McNabb received a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for a late hit on Ducks forward Ryan Poehling that caused injury.
The late hit occurred nine minutes into the first period. Though the Ducks scored one goal — by Beckett Sennecke — during the five minute power play, the Golden Knights won Game 5 on Pavel Dorofeyev’s overtime goal. That set the stage for Vegas’ series clincher on the road Thursday, one that Poehling was unable to play.
“I guarantee you that thing [Thursday] night was in reaction to the McNabb suspension. They were really upset about it,” Friedman said.
On top of the anger, Friedman added that “on some level, I think Tortorella didn’t want to talk about the suspension” and decided to skip the media proceeding, no matter the cost to him and the team.
Tortorella’s been here before, of course. Many times. Back in the first round of the 2009 playoffs with the Rangers, Tortorella got into it with some Washington Capitals fans behind the bench in Game 5, squirted water on them, and then chucked the water bottle in their direction. That earned the Rangers coach a one-game suspension. He missed a Game 6 loss at Madison Square Garden, and returned only to see the Rangers lose Game 7 down in D.C. 2-1, completing a New York faceplant after leading the series 3-1.
Though by and large on his best behavior with the Golden Knights — you could say even charming — since replacing fired coach Bruce Cassidy on March 29, with two weeks left in the regular season, Tortorella is up to his old tricks. And let’s see how he handles himself as the pressure ratchets up in the Western Conference Final, when the Golden Knights face off against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
