Even with the Pierre-Luc Dubois saga now officially over in Columbus, the debate over John Tortorella will likely carry on, as it has now for years. Whenever a player requests a trade, if Tortorella is their coach at the time, it will definitely be brought up that the person doesn't want to play for him. At least two of his former players are coming to his defence, though.
''Not sure why Torts gets all this hate. Most former players loved playing for him, tough but very fair,'' said former NHL goaltender Eddie Lack, who played under Torts with the Vancouver Canucks in 2013-14.
''And yes, I know I should love him because he started me in the Heritage classic, but I also loved him when I barely played,'' Lack continued.
Lack's Tweet prompted a former teammate to also express his love for Tortorella.
''Best coach I had in NHL,» said Tom Sestito, who also played for Tortorella in Vancouver. «[I] would run through a wall for that guy. His camps were hell but that was expected lol.''
As for Dubois, despite what a lot of people think, he also refused to bad mouth Tortorella, calling him tough, but fair and someone he respected greatly. You can read more of his comments here.
-
