John Tortorella

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John Tortorella (Born June 24, 1958 in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American ice hockey coach and former right wing in the NCAA and ACHL. He was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, with whom he won the Stanley Cup along with the Jack Adams Award for best coach in 2004, succeeding former head coach Steve Ludzik on January 6, 2001. Tortorella was relieved of his position as head coach on June 3, 2008 after six and a half seasons with the Lightning, having compiled a 239-222-36-38 record. The firing took place four years after the team's Stanley Cup victory.[1]

He formerly coached the AHL Rochester Americans and the ECHL Virginia Lancers. He was also an assistant coach for the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks and Rochester Americans, and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, Phoenix Coyotes and New York Rangers. He won the Calder Cup with the 1996 Rochester Americans.

Tortorella is an exuberant coach, known for criticizing his own players and for his somewhat unusual style of systematically rotating goaltending duties. He was particularly hard on Lightning goaltender John Grahame for much of the 2005–2006 season. Grahame subsequently signed with the Carolina Hurricanes before the start of the 2006–2007 season.

He was involved in controversy yet again after game five of Lightning's series against the New Jersey Devils during the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs. During a press conference in which Tortorella was visibly irate and disappointed, he openly cursed on the air and told New York Post reporter Larry Brooks to "get the [expletive] out of here" live on CBC television.

Tortorella was fined $10,000 by the NHL for negative comments he made about the on-ice officials after a 4–3 overtime loss at Atlanta on November 19, 2007.

He played college hockey at the University of Maine from 1978–81, along with his brother, goaltender Jim Tortorella.

John and his wife Christine live in Valrico, Florida with their two children, Brittany, who recently graduated from University of Tampa, and a son named Dominick.

John is also the current coach of the U.S. National Men's hockey team, replacing Peter Laviolette, which included leading the squad at the 2008 IIHF World Championship, where they finished sixth.

On June 3rd, 2008, Tortorella was fired as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Coaching record (incomplete)

Team Year Regular Season Post Season G W L T OTL Pts Finish W L Win % Result Tampa Bay Lightning 2001–0282 27 40 11 4 69 3rd in Southeast -- -- -- Missed Playoffs 2002–0382 36 25 16 5 93 1st in Southeast 5 6 .455 Lost in Second Round 2003–0482 46 22 8 6 106 1st in Southeast 16 7 .696 Won Stanley Cup 2005–0682 43 33 - 6 92 2nd in Southeast 1 4 .200 Lost in First Round 2006–0782 44 33 - 5 93 2nd in Southeast 2 4 .333 Lost in First Round 2007–0882 31 42 - 9 71 5th in Southeast -- -- -- Missed Playoffs Total 492 227 195 35 35 524 2 Division Championships 24 21 .533 1 Stanley Cup
4 Playoff Appearances