The New York Rangers had a disappointing season one year after making it to the Eastern conference finals and after being dominated by the Boston Bruins in the playoffs in five games, the team decided to ax coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning back in the early 2000s, but his fiery demeanor and curt way with the press soured after the team lost in the playoffs again and now he is gone. Tortorella previously signed an extension with the team and next year was the fifth year for him, but instead general manager Glen Sather decided to ax the coach, which Tortorella said was a surprise when he heard it. The team was the sixth seed in the playoffs after struggling most of the year and after being beaten in five games the franchise felt it was time to move on.
The 54-year-old coach has a strict style of play and while that can win a Cup, the Rangers did not have the depth to do it in New York. Sather said the reason was the fact that the team didn't get a Stanley Cup, but a report from the NY Daily News says that multiple players wanted him gone, one of which could have been goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who said after the loss that he may not sign a long term extension with the team.
Brad Richards may have been one of those players after Tortorella benched him during the playoffs, bringing many to think that he would be on his way out as well with his very big contract. Richards played and won a Cup in Tampa with Tortorella, but the scratching may have been the final straw. "Multiple players," including some "top guys," according to the report, pushed for the coach9ing change after the team lost to the Bruins.
Sather said he wants a new coach by the draft in June and some names include former Ranger forward and ex-Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and ex-Canucks coach Alain Vigneault as well as a number of other names. The Rangers have had issues scoring for years and the power play was a constant issue for the team all season.
