Friday, June 6, 2014

Tortorella Fired!


On May 1st, 2014, the Vancouver Canucks team president, Trevor Linden, fired the Vancouver Canuck’s head coach John Tortorella alongside with assistant coach, Mike Sullivan. Tortorella was hired as Canucks head coach following the firing of Alain Vigneault on May 23rd, 2013. Tortorella’s first forty games in Vancouver were promising, as the Canucks were 23 – 11 – 6, which looked like a promising spot in the 2013- 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sadly Tortorella wasn’t the right man for Vancouver as, “he took a 100-point team and was in the driver’s seat when it became an 83-point team.” Linden had no choice but to fire the head coach as the Canucks failed to qualify for the playoffs this season.

I was skeptical about the firing of Vigneault back in 2013. The hiring of John Tortorella gave me hope when I heard that he was going to be the new head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, as I knew that he had eight Stanley Cup appearances alongside with one Stanley Cup Playoff Championship in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lighting under his coaching record. I thought that the Canucks would go far with Tortorella as head coach but this year’s season would prove to differ. The firing of Tortorella was a good call by Linden as Tortorella’s first and last season was upsetting for all Canucks fans and me. I remember watching the Canucks lose to the Anaheim Ducks the evening of January 15, 2014 with a final score of 9-1. It was after loosing that game against the Ducks that I gave up watching hockey for the 2013-2014 season… I lost all hope for Vancouver. Vigneault must be happy about being the head coach of the New York Rangers, as they have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Its ironic how Vigneault who was on the losing team, is now on the winning team! Hopefully Vancouver’s next head coach will be better than our last. I can only wonder and hope for what next season holds, as the Canucks future looks promising with Linden as president. 


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