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Let's get physical
We have all heard coach John Tortorella bemoan the lack of physical play in the game. You don't even have to ask him about it sometimes and the conversation turns in that direction. Well, it was interesting timing Friday, when the coach went on a pretty colorful rant and called the league a "ballet'' and "soft.'' That night, the Lightning lost to the Devils and defenseman Dan Boyle said he wants to see the team be more physical, especially with the opposition's defense. ... Read more
Lightning center Halpern injured in U.S. hockey team's loss to Canada
The United States tried to keep up with rival Canada on Tuesday at the world championships. And the Americans did -- until the final minute.
Dany Heatley scored the winning goal with 46.8 seconds left to lift Canada to a 5-4 victory in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
It was Heatley's second goal of the game.
"We didn't want to wait until the last minute, but we'll take it," said Heatley, who scored his fifth and sixth goals of the tournament.
"In the last minute of periods, we hurt ourselves," U.S. and Lightning coach John Tortorella said. ... Read more
Tortorella speaks
Former coach of the year and Stanley Cup-winner John Tortorella addressed the media in a teleconference this morning for the first time since being fired by the Lightning on Tuesday.
The bullet points: he wanted to coach here next season.
+ He feels the team is not far away from being competitive despite finishing last in the NHL.
+ The team would be unwise not to at least consider assistant coach Mike Sullivan as his replacement. ... Read more
Former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella is working his magic elsewhere
Ex-Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, who has positioned the New York Rangers to within one game of upsetting the second-seeded Washington Capitals, has not changed since his days in Tampa Bay.
And it makes Times columnist John Romano miss him. ... Read more
Rangers' John Tortorella says Vinny Prospal is "(ticked) off" about Lightning buyout
Remember when Vinny Prospal did that television interview from the bench at the St. Pete Times Forum after scoring two goals in February 2008 to beat the Canadiens?
Prospal, then on left wing for the Lightning, said it was the biggest moment in his NHL career, and he was pleased to "shove it up to somebody's butt."
The somebody was then-Lightning coach John Tortorella, who had taken Prospal off Vinny Lecavalier's line and drastically reduced Prospal's ice time. The Canadiens game marked his return to Lecavalier's line. ... Read more
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Rick Tocchet praises players, rips flabby media (in fun, of course)
The visuals were very similar to season's past; Lightning players on their knees or bent over their sticks, trying to catch their breath after fitness testing on the first day of training camp. But while those previous seasons were punctuated by the overall weight of what players were put through by then-coach John Tortorella, Saturday's power point was about sport specific exertion. ... Read more
Smaby sent down; Tortorella said it felt a "little weird" to return
The re-shuffling in the Lightning's surplus on defense continued Friday, with D Matt Smaby sent down to AHL Norfolk for conditioning. Coach Rick Tocchet said Smaby, who has yet to play in a game this season partly due to the crowded blueline, could play a lot of minutes for Norfolk this weekend before re-joining the Lightning.
Though Tocchet said he wanted to get Smaby in a game next week, it could be tough, with D Mattias Ohlund close to a return. Ohlund won't play tonight, but said he's hoping to get back pretty soon. ... Read more
Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella and Fredrik Modin's Olympic experience
The feel-good situation with Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Mike Smith -- that coach Rick Tocchet let him go see his girlfriend, Brigitte Acton ski the Olympic slalom for Canada, and how grateful Smith was for the opportunity -- got me thinking back to 2006 and how then-coach John Tortorella handled Fred Modin's Olympic experience. ... Read more
Former Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella talks about "consistency"
Make no mistake about it, John Tortorella loved his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning and will always have a special bond with the players he led to the 2004 Stanley Cup. But he also took to the people he met in the Tampa Bay area. Remember all the charity work he did? He even still has his house in Pinellas County and intends to keep it. So, when the Rangers come to town and Torts talks, people around here listen.
Here is what he said about tonight's game, a huge one for New York, which is just four points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the East: ... Read more
John Tortorella tees off on Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher, who decides not to respond
After the Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 14, Lightning coach Guy Boucher paid a compliment to friend and Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who on Dec. 23 took over downtrodden New Jersey but now has the team playing well. "I think if Jacques had been their since the beginning, they would be up there again," Boucher said.
Well, that comment, as innocent as it was, did not sit well with Rangers coach John Tortorella, who told the New York Post he thought the comment was "a backhanded slap at a good guy" in former Devils coach John MacLean, whom Lemaire replaced. ... Read more
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