Blue Jackets introduce new head coach

“He’s proven he’s a good coach”, said center Brandon Dubinsky, who played for Tortorella with the Rangers from 2008 through ’12. “He’s going to help our group”. Many bought into that optimism (including me) and this team was listed frequently as a playoff team. For the 2013-14 season the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks swapped coaches with John Tortorella going from New York to Vancouver and Alain Vigneault going from Vancouver to New York. There’s expectations (now) that weren’t there previous year with this club.

Mike Darr caught the last Blue Jackets game coached by Todd Richards Tuesday night.

Buffalo got off to a fast start, but it was Parenteau who opened the scoring when he redirected Roman Polak’s shot from the right point over Johnson’s shoulder at the 1:28 mark. “Everything kept snowballing and losses kept piling up”. A couple of pucks got behind me, but we stood strong.

Prior to the season, Richards and Blue Jackets officials touted this team as the most talented in club history. It wasn’t a matter of if, but when the Jackets would make the move to send him packing and bring in John Tortorella.

Defenseman Ryan Murray knows of Tortorella’s reputation for riding players but said that’s what’s needed.

“I need to be more respectful to certain people”. Any player, and I do mean any player, that isn’t willing to put his body on the line each and every game will quickly find himself benched. His contract with Vancouver ran through the 2017-2018 season, and there is no word whether the Blue Jackets have altered that deal at this point. “It’s not good that that happens, but you know the fans, it’s a way for them to hear their voice”, the R Bar Owner said.

“I had a few rebounds tonight – bad rebounds – and our guys were there to clear it away”. He is also set to coach Team U.S. at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Tortorella acknowledged spending the past year soul-searching to determine what he might have done differently in Vancouver. They have reached the playoffs twice in their 14-year history. I don’t buy that right now but I do plan to take a look at the situation in the near future, so stayed tuned. “So sure, I think you become a better coach when you dig deep”. During his years with Columbus, Richards compiled a 127-112-21 record. They were also concerned about what impact the losing was having on the league’s most beleaguered fanbase after taking in a franchise-record gate on opening night and then seeing home crowds of just 13,803, 13,885 and 14,295.

Goaltender Curtis McElhinney, making his second straight start for struggling starter Sergei Bobrovsky, made 25 saves.

The Blue Jackets play seven of their next eight games on the road.

“The managers – for years – cajoled, begged, pleaded and demanded that we make a change”, Bettman said during the Stanley Cup final in June. “Peter Laviolette’s a good coach, clearly a good coach”. Once the season begins there really isn’t anytime for these things to take place.