Tortorella: "Quite honestly, I deserved to get fired" by Canucks

John Tortorella was on Tampa Bay’s 620 WDAE on Friday morning.

On his personality and if he’s changed as a person/coach since the days when he was coaching the Lightning:

"Yeah, I think you mature along the way. Again, listen – I know I make my own bed on some of these different things that happened. You’re talking to a guy that went down a hallway after another coach last year, which was just so, so across the line and so embarrassing to my organization and my team.

“But it’s the emotion. And that’s what you’re asking about. The emotion of it. Yeah, and you live and die by the sword a little bit there. I think I’ve controlled myself more. I really worked at that last year in Vancouver. That was really one of the bad spots of my season, when I did that. That’s a long story in my mindset there, but as far as dealing with the media and trying to work with them, I’ve really worked at that. Because it’s almost become that’s what was defining me as a coach. And I told the guys – and a really good group of guys out there in Vancouver too - ‘I want to work with you. I don’t want this to be something we’re always talking about. ‘

“And I thought that went really well, as far as our relationship. So yeah, you’re ever-evolving. And I’m doing it now. As I sit here and watch and I watch other coaches. I watch their philosophies. You’re always trying to learn.

“Listen. I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way and I’ll make more, if I have an opportunity to coach again. But as long as you’re trying to learn and be better, that’s the way I look at it.”

On how he always had tremendous respect from his players, and they always enjoyed playing for him:

“You know, there are a lot of things said about me with players and all of these different types of things that people think about, but they really don’t know.

“Like that group of players in Vancouver, I really enjoyed. We had a great first half. But I don’t think I did the job for the team the second half with our consistency and I think that’s what cost me my job, is we just couldn’t stop the losing streaks. We needed to win a couple of games within those areas. And quite honestly, I deserved to get fired after that second half of the year.

“But as far as the players, it’s an open communication. And listen, I’m going to be hard at times. It is my job to push athletes to be the best they can be. Sometimes where they don’t even think they can get to. But I’m always going to listen to them too. And I tell you, as I sit here today talking to you guys, that’s what I miss most. Is that. Is being in the room and seeing what the personalities are. Them coming back at me if they don’t like what they heard from me. And that’s how you develop the relationships.

“And I had some strong ones out there in Vancouver. And along with the other teams too. I think there’s a little bit of misperception, but nothing I can do about that.

“But I tell you. I miss that part of it terribly, is being in the locker room with that team. Those teams.”

Source: 620 WDAE/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

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