Tortorella Shuns Media After Ducks Eliminated by Vegas

John Tortorella appears to be up to his old tricks. Following the decisive win in which the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Anaheim Ducks and eliminated them from the playoffs, the often polarizing head coach, who has a love/hate relationship with the media, shunned reporters and refused to make himself or most of his players available for comment.

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There might be extenuating circumstances that led to this decision following a big win, but according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic:

“John Tortorella declined to speak with the media after advancing to the Western Conference finals. The Golden Knights also didn’t open the dressing room after the game. They brought 1 player into a side room to speak, along with the two who spoke at the podium. I’ve been covering the NHL for nine years and never seen either of those happen once.”

It’s very much a Tortorella thing to do. He’s been testy at times with media and often appears grumpy when asked about wins and losses, how his team played, or to comment on the game. As one fan said, it’s not wonder people don’t like him.

TSN’s Ryan Rishaug suggested that the NHL step in and force Tortorella to do what he’s supposed to as part of his job. Farhan Lalji also noted, “Torts has never really understood that in an effort to protect his guys from the noise actually creates more of it. And he’s only getting worse with every “final” job opportunity.

Marco D’Amico pointed out that coaches are obligated by the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement to speak to media. He wrote, “It’s VERY important to the NHL and they had it codified with the NHLPA for a reason. The NHL needs all the press it can get.”

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