With Pierre-Luc Dubois finally having his request for a trade out of Columbus granted, the 22-year-old sat down for a candid interview with Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada. During the interview, Dubois was asked point blank whether Tortorella was the reason he asked for a trade. Dubois refused to say anything bad about the controversial coach.
"Before I got drafted to Columbus, I knew what kind of coach he was, and I heard from players that played for him in the past, some when he was in Tampa. I heard from Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. The consensus I got, and this is my opinion, is he helps guys," Dubois said.
"He pushes guys, he motivates guys, he gets guys going. It's hard sometimes to see it when you're 20 or it's in the moment, but all those guys all said the same thing: 'One day when you're older you'll look back at it and you'll remember that he did great things for your career.'"
"I know for some people it might be (Tortorella) that's the reason, but it's not," Dubois continued. "He was a hard coach and I can take it, nothing's personal," Dubois added. "I grew up from a dad that coached and he told me if a coach challenges you it's never personal, he just wants what's best for you, and that's how I see Torts - I have nothing but respect for him."
Dubois' father is an assistant coach with the AHL's Manitoba Moose. Dubois was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets earlier on Saturday in a blockbuster trade for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic, with a third-round pick accompanying Dubois to the Jets. Dubois had let the team know before the season began that he wanted a trade.
"He did good things to challenge you and to make you more mature and for you to grow up, and that's something that I know wasn't always easy, but you have to appreciate the honesty and you have to appreciate he was trying to make me a better player, trying to make me a better person," Dubois added, continuing to address his relationship with Tortorella.
