John Tortorella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Tortorella |
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Tortorella with the Rangers in November 2011
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| Born | June 24, 1958 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Hampton Roads Gulls Erie Golden Blades Virginia Lancers |
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| Current NHL coach | Philadelphia Flyers | ||
| Coached for | New York Rangers Tampa Bay Lightning Vancouver Canucks Columbus Blue Jackets |
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| Playing career | 1982–1986 | ||
| Coaching career | 1988–present | ||
John Tortorella (born June 24, 1958) is an American professional ice hockey coach. He is currently the head coach for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before joining the Flyers, Tortorella coached the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks.
He is famous for leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup in 2004. John Tortorella is the first American-born NHL coach to reach 500 wins. By the end of the 2023–24 season, he had 742 wins, placing him ninth all-time. He has also won the Jack Adams Award twice, which is given to the NHL's best coach.
Tortorella is known for being very direct and sometimes challenging. He has even criticized his own players and people in the media. He also used a system in Tampa Bay where goalies would take turns playing. This system returned when he coached the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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Playing Hockey
John Tortorella went to Concord-Carlisle High School in Concord, Massachusetts. He is honored in the school's athletic Hall of Fame. His brother, Jim, who was a goalie, is also on the wall.
John, nicknamed "The Paper Italian," played as a right wing for three years. He played for the University of Maine from 1978 to 1981. His brother Jim also played with him at Maine. Jim later became an assistant coach for Harvard.
After college, Tortorella played hockey in Sweden for a year. He played for Kristianstads IK in 1981–1982. Then, he returned to the United States. He played four years of minor professional ice hockey from 1982 to 1986. This was in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL). During this time, he played for the Hampton Roads Gulls, Erie Golden Blades, and Virginia Lancers. John Tortorella never played a game in the NHL as a player.
Coaching Career
Early Coaching Days
John Tortorella started his coaching career with minor league teams. He coached the Rochester Americans in the AHL. He also coached the Virginia Lancers in the ECHL. He won the Calder Cup with the Rochester Americans in 1996.
Tortorella is even credited with coming up with the name for the ECHL. This happened during a meeting in North Carolina. He was coaching the Virginia Lancers at the time.
Tampa Bay Lightning Success
Tortorella became the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2000–01 season. The team had been struggling for years, often losing 50 or more games. Under his leadership, the team slowly started to improve.
In the 2002–03 season, the Lightning had their first winning season with Tortorella. They won their first Southeast Division title. They made it to the second round of the playoffs. Tortorella was also a finalist for the Jack Adams Award that year.
The 2003–04 season was a huge success. The Lightning won the Southeast Division again with 106 points. They were the top team in the Eastern Conference. They defeated the New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, and Philadelphia Flyers. This led them to win the Prince of Wales Trophy. In the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, they beat the Calgary Flames in seven games. This was the first Stanley Cup win in the team's history. Tortorella became only the third American-born coach to win the Stanley Cup. A few days later, he won the 2004 Jack Adams Award.
After the NHL lockout, in the 2005–06 season, the Lightning's starting goalie left. Tortorella was tough on the new goalie, John Grahame. Even though the Lightning won 44 games in 2006–07, they didn't win their division.
On March 11, 2008, Tortorella set a record. He passed Bob Johnson for the most wins by an American-born NHL coach. He had 235 victories. After being fired by the Lightning, he worked as a TV analyst.
New York Rangers Journey
John Tortorella became the head coach of the New York Rangers on February 23, 2009. He replaced Tom Renney. On March 17, he again became the American-born coach with the most NHL wins.
During the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, Tortorella was suspended for one game. This was because of an argument with fans. He threw a water bottle and tried to poke a fan with a stick. The NHL suspended him the next day.
On November 20, 2010, Tortorella made history again. He became the first American-born coach to reach 300 NHL victories. This happened when the Rangers beat the Minnesota Wild.
In the 2011–12 season, he led the Rangers to a great record. They had 51 wins and 109 points, the best in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost in the Conference Finals to the New Jersey Devils. Tortorella was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the third time.
On March 26, 2013, Tortorella reached 400 career victories. This was against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers fired Tortorella on May 29, 2013. This was after they were eliminated from the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks Time
The Vancouver Canucks hired Tortorella as their new coach on June 25, 2013. He replaced Alain Vigneault. Vigneault then took Tortorella's old job with the Rangers.
Tortorella got his first win with the Canucks on October 5, 2013. They beat the Edmonton Oilers 6–2.
On January 18, 2014, Tortorella caused a stir. He tried to confront the Calgary Flames coach, Bob Hartley. This happened after a fight broke out early in the game. Tortorella was suspended for 15 days without pay by the NHL.
On March 2, 2014, Tortorella made a controversial decision. He chose to start Eddie Läck over Roberto Luongo in the 2014 Heritage Classic. Luongo was upset and was traded two days later.
Tortorella's time with the Canucks lasted only one season. The team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. On May 1, 2014, Tortorella was fired.
Columbus Blue Jackets Era
On October 21, 2015, Tortorella was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets. This was after the Blue Jackets started the 2015–16 season with a very bad record.
On March 19, 2016, Tortorella coached his 1,000th NHL game. He became the 26th coach in NHL history to do so. He was also the first American-born coach to reach this milestone.
On December 18, 2016, the Blue Jackets beat the Canucks. This made Tortorella the first American-born coach with 500 victories. His success in the 2016-17 NHL season earned him his second Jack Adams Award.
On January 10, 2019, Tortorella reached 600 victories. He was the first American-born coach and 19th overall to do so. In the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, his Blue Jackets won their first playoff series ever. They beat his old team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tortorella was fined by the NHL twice for his comments. Once in 2020 for criticizing officials. Another time for his actions during a media interview. Despite this, he was a Jack Adams finalist again.
On May 9, 2021, Tortorella and the Blue Jackets decided to part ways. He finished his time there with the most wins of any coach in the team's history.
Philadelphia Flyers Present
After working as a TV analyst for a season, Tortorella became the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers on June 17, 2022. On December 29, 2023, he coached his 1,500th NHL regular season game. He is the eighth coach in NHL history and the first American-born coach to reach this mark.
On March 9, 2024, Tortorella was ejected from a game. He had a verbal argument with the referees. He stayed on the bench for several minutes before leaving. The next day, he was suspended for two games and fined $50,000.
Coaching Team USA
Tortorella was an assistant coach for the United States men's national ice hockey team in 2008–2009. He led the team at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.
He was chosen to coach Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Before the tournament, he said he would bench any player who protested during the national anthem. The team did not make it out of the group stage, losing all three games.
