Former Lightning associate coach Craig Ramsay was hired as a Bruins assistant. I liked what he did for the Lightning and the defense and the way his quiet demeanor was an opposite to Torts. But I wanted the distinguished board to weigh in.

I always found fascinating the divergence of opinions about Ramsay. Many did not like his stick-first philosophy and seeming disdain for having the blue liners play a more physical style. But there were others who thought he got all he could out of a defensive corps that, really, was never at the top of the league. There was no question he was a good teacher. And granted I only spoke to two defensemen after he left Tampa Bay -- Dan Boyle and Nolan Pratt -- but both seemed genuinely upset Ramsay was leaving.

Then there was the bad cop/good cop thing with Tortorella. Having seen that in action for quite a few years, there definitely was something to it. The best part was, when Ramsay decided to go all John Tortorella on a player or on the group, everybody was so shocked this mild-mannered man raised his voice, jaws dropped everywhere. But the message got across.

The bottom line is Ramsay helped the Lightning to a Stanley Cup title. He left, in part, because his relationship with Tortorella had run its course. Will he be missed? Or is that even a fair question before we see what new assistant Mike Sullivan can do?