Lecavalier: Tortorella was 'very tough on young players'

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Vinny Lecavalier said he believes John Tortorella is a good coach and a good person.

He appreciated the on-ice structure Tortorella brought in seven seasons as Lightning coach and said, "Definitely he will have success. I don't think he'll have a tough time finding another job."

Still, the superstar center said, there were times last season that Tortorella's finger-to-chest style was difficult for some younger players to handle.

"He was very tough on young players," Lecavalier said. "His emotions sometimes made it difficult. I'm not saying that in a bad way. That's the type of coach he is. He is very aggressive, very emotional and very into the game."

Lecavalier has a unique perspective on Tortorella, fired last week in the aftermath of the team's last-place finish.

He was 20 in January 2001 when Tortorella took over for the fired Steve Ludzik. An admittedly difficult relationship was never friendly but morphed into respect as Lecavalier matured into one of the league's best players and Tampa Bay won the 2004 Stanley Cup title.

No surprise, then, Lecavalier spoke carefully when asked how Tortorella might have meshed next season with so many youngsters, including defensemen Alex Picard, 22, Shane O'Brien, 24, Matt Smaby, 23, and Mike Lundin, 23; goalie Mike Smith, 26; and Steve Stamkos, 18, who will be drafted No. 1 and might be asked to be the second-line center.

"It could be good for some and not so good for others," Lecavalier said Tuesday from Montreal, where he is rehabbing after right shoulder surgery. "Everybody knows how Torts is, and after a few years you get to understand it a little more.

"But he's very demanding on young players, and I don't think everybody takes him the same way, which is normal. Everybody reacts differently to different situations. Some guys don't react well to that."

They got off on the wrong foot when Lecavalier's captaincy was taken away before the 2001-02 season and Tortorella sat Lecavalier in the first game that season (for his own good, Tortorella said at the time) after Lecavalier ended his training camp holdout that extended through the opener.

"We've had our differences, but that's how it is," Lecavalier said. "You're not always going to agree with the coach and the coach is not always going to agree with players. I've had tough years with him, but our relationship the past few years is not even close to being when I started."

Even so, Lecavalier said he has not spoken to Tortorella since the firing (which apparently opens the door for incoming ownership to hire Barry Melrose) and does not know if he will. Still, he said he wishes Tortorella well.

"You never wish that on anybody," Lecavalier said of being fired. "But things happen. It's part of the business. And with new ownership coming in, maybe to have a different type of coach, a different philosophy. I don't mean the old one or new one is better, but sometimes change is good."

Comments on this article

by Dan	Jun 14, 2008 11:01 PM
It was a disappointing season, i believe the team had so much more talent and would love to see Melrose in the box with the lightening superstars of vinny, martin and others. wish we still had prospal and richards tho rather than a new coach.

by John	Jun 12, 2008 12:51 PM
Casper, That's hilarious,(and right on target). I thought I was the only one that felt that way!

by LizzyT	Jun 12, 2008 12:31 PM
I think the fact that Vinny never contacted Torts after he was fired says alot. Vinny will finally be out from under his thumb.

by Carol	Jun 11, 2008 5:31 PM
Stranger things have happened and maybe, just maybe, this upheaval is exactly what we need! I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'd become deaf to constant negativity. Kind of how husbands become deaf to their wives nagging! Good luck Torts. GO BOLTS

by Casper	Jun 11, 2008 4:26 PM
Coach goes, Vince stays. Yeay. Seems like health, wealth and free draft choices of the area's finest women are enough to keep him here (Already has his name on The Cup.). With no driving force behind him now, how is he worth Ovechkin dollars???

by Jim from NJ	Jun 11, 2008 4:25 PM
Maybe Feaster should have hired these younger players' husbands instead huh?

by TOPFLITE	Jun 11, 2008 4:25 PM
Sometimes a good coach is not a good fit for the circumstances. After a while, extreme dicipline coaches wear on the players. That's why Bill Parcells doesn't stay anywhere for very long. His & Torts style of coaching gets old. Success is short term.

by Casey	Jun 11, 2008 4:24 PM
Torts helped turn the franchise around, coached them to their first Stanley Cup, and helped Vinny become a great player. 'Nuff said.

by Geo	Jun 11, 2008 4:21 PM
It seems no one was complaining when their names were being engraved on the cup. I guess Scotty Bowman was all hugs and kisses too.

by Horatio	Jun 11, 2008 4:21 PM
Can you feel the warm and effusive endorsement of John Tortorella streaming from the very diplomatic Vincent Lecavalier? Neither can I! Somewhere, Lightning players are still celebrating the good news of John's departure.

by steve	Jun 11, 2008 4:16 PM
Coaches usually wear out their stay eventually...Torts did a great job but its time for new blood... hopefully not Hollywood Barry

by Puppa	Jun 11, 2008 4:13 PM
Koules is ruining this team and franchise. The door will be opened for Feaster, too, which stinks. They're undercutting his authority to where he'll be a GM in title only. Melrose has been a talking head for too long. We're in for the big slide here.

by jim	Jun 11, 2008 3:52 PM
loved the coach but the rule changes was supposed to help this team's style and it did nothing. was it really just having the bad goalie and why did we do so bad on the last 3 goalies. should have never let the bulin wall go!!!!

by Matt	Jun 11, 2008 3:46 PM
Haha, the truth is starting to come out on "The Great Tortorella". What a shocker!!!

by David	Jun 11, 2008 1:29 PM
Torts is a great coach and we will miss him here in Tampa.

by Bill	Jun 11, 2008 1:16 PM
Maybe some of these spoiled prima dona players need to be told how the cow eats the cabbage.

by Boltsfan	Jun 10, 2008 8:47 PM
Please--It is the NHL not figure skating! It is a tough sport & if you can't handle it from your own Coach you aren't going to make it out there. I'm sure we'll see Torts coaching the U.S. team in the next Olympics. Thanks Torts--Tampa owes you alot!

by Chris	Jun 10, 2008 6:58 PM
I really credit Torts with bringing Vinny along as a player. I recall a lot of ego in his first few years, and I think he owes his more humble approach and development to his former coach. It's nice to see he didn't bash the guy.

by chris	Jun 10, 2008 5:50 PM
Regardless V4 seems to have turned out ok, torts IS the winingest US coach and TBL did win a cup under him. His style can't be all bad, young guys learn how it is and can take it or not, the public whippings are little over the edge but overall ....