might as well hire Butter
- numbear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ8Si8VVcl8

“Torts obviously talks way more than Alain did. He comes in the room way more, but the biggest thing is, Alain was more rational in his decisions and they were based on the past or stats. Torts is more gut feeling, and he’ll tell you he has a feeling in his stomach and ‘I’m going to shake up my lines’ or call this play. For the most part, Alain let us decide how we wanted to play as a team. He manages his bench well and they (Rangers) seem to be rolling four lines, and they’ll be a dangerous team in the playoffs.”

-Alex Burrows






Another poster at HF in response:

"Does that sound like a Mike Gillis coach? Mike Gillis who is always cerebral and analytic about the game. He's a student of money ball, which basically says that intangibles and "gut feelings" are terrible ways to manage a team. This is GMMG who puts a lot of stock into objective advanced performance metrics and stats (he doesn't say what things they track, but that metrics are very important). The guy who had players keeping logs of their sleeping habits and diets?

I'm more and more convinced that Aquaman made the final decision on Torts"




I totally agree, this was definitely a FA hire, all signs point to it.

“Torts obviously talks way more than Alain did. He comes in the room way more, but the biggest thing is, Alain was more rational in his decisions and they were based on the past or stats. Torts is more gut feeling, and he’ll tell you he has a feeling in his stomach and ‘I’m going to shake up my lines’ or call this play. For the most part, Alain let us decide how we wanted to play as a team. He manages his bench well and they (Rangers) seem to be rolling four lines, and they’ll be a dangerous team in the playoffs.”

-Alex Burrows




- Nucker101

Tell us what you really think Burrows. The players have really started taking indirect shots at Torts in the media.

Tell us what you really think Burrows. The players have really started taking indirect shots at Torts in the media.
- 89_hockey

Another post on HF:


"This is from players on the team, and if you have been around hockey watch for it.
Here is why Torts system doesn't work with this team.

Blocking shots.....this is THE most over hyped thing since he came here. EVERY team blocks shots when the opportunity is there. When AV was coach, nobody stepped out of the way of blocking shots if they could lol. Nobody on ANY team does that, all teams now have players in lanes instead of sticks in lanes, its just a defacto of hockey now BUT the difference is this. Torts has asked his players to block shots by collapsing on the puck. Chris Tanev and Alex Burrows have gotten injured because of this style and to an extend Sedin and Kesler as well. He wants players to drop body in front of shot, instead of taking a lane away and standing up. Vigneault forced PK to wear skate guards because most of the shots were off shins and lower. A shot off the shin really doesnt hurt unless someone has time to really tee it up. Having players drop on the puck has and will lead to injuries with broken bones more so that squaring a guy up standing which is what AV asked them to do, but was never publicized as much as Torts. The reason why Torts teams block alot of shots is because they dont have the puck as often as the opposition. Leads me to point 2.

Sedins like Torts, and the ice time, but are not happy with being asked to take the puck over center and dump it in. Its literally neutralized Henrik. Henrick was actually a high risk/high reward type puck carrier, most times it worked out. Asking one of the most creative passers in the game to dump a puck in and retrieve instead of making a pass over a defenders stick or thru his legs for fear of turnover makes the sedins......well.....the sedins of this year. This is confirmed by someone very close with the team, also Ferrarro commented on it in a 1040 interview. Torts wants the puck to go 200 feet.....Hank and Dank need to play with puck possession, just simple fact. They are frustrated.

2 man forecheck.....not used my many teams anymore. The 2-1 high-2 is ONLY effective with forwards with speed, canucks aren't really that team. Very easy to defend this type of forecheck nowadays, its easily sniffed out, leading to way too many odd man rushes if it doesnt work, most times it doesnt. AV had a 1-2-2 which is not as 'exciting' but WAY more structured.

Defensemen activating. One of the most under talked about changes Torts has employed. Guys like Juice, Edler like to activate strong side, they have been told not too. a '50/50 puck' the defender ALWAYS has to skate back and jockey and wait for 3rd man high to backcheck. It sucks to be honest. Canucks made their hay for years with strong side (why AV liked having proper handed defensmen play their strong sides) Defemsmen keeping the play active by pinching. YES we used to see some blunders causing a 2-1 the other way under AV but the pros (which we dont see/talk about) outweigh the cons. The twins offense has been tempered by not having D activate and keeping pucks alive. The Erhoff, Juice, Edler days of keeping that puck in, tiring out opposition and twins out waiting etc are done now because of Torts.

Using aging Sedins to penalty kill. Really its Torts trying to make a headline, like usual. The canucks are FULL of Penalty killers lol. 9 forwards worth to be honest. AV put the twins in a position to exceed with mainly offensive zone starts. Having them chase a puck and block shots for 45 seconds only to go even strength and throw Dave Booth, Zack Dalpe, and Jannik Hansen is ridiculous. Still very very good players in their own right, but they need to play a certain type of game to do this. Torts is not sedin-friendly

Defesive Battles.....watch for this one. Quite mind boggling actually. 90% of coaches teach a defensman to 'take the man in to the boards defensively and pin him, second man in takes puck. Always first man body, second man puck. Torts does not use this style and it boggles me. Its proven, it works. He wants D to hold puck and then move puck. Its a recipe to get painted to the glass, lose the puck, and confuse the goalie. so unorthodox, and not sure why broadcasters have not picked up on this, the players have, that I know.


Anyways, this is a Veteran team, Torts is absolutely the wrong man for the job.

Outside of that, GMMG is a whole other issue. Went from having best goaltending tandem to mediocre to bad one....Got nothing in return for Good assets....stripped Kes and made him unhappy, etc etc etc. its been a circus since GMMG has been here."

Well, I need a drink.

Another post on HF:


"This is from players on the team, and if you have been around hockey watch for it.
Here is why Torts system doesn't work with this team.

Blocking shots.....this is THE most over hyped thing since he came here. EVERY team blocks shots when the opportunity is there. When AV was coach, nobody stepped out of the way of blocking shots if they could lol. Nobody on ANY team does that, all teams now have players in lanes instead of sticks in lanes, its just a defacto of hockey now BUT the difference is this. Torts has asked his players to block shots by collapsing on the puck. Chris Tanev and Alex Burrows have gotten injured because of this style and to an extend Sedin and Kesler as well. He wants players to drop body in front of shot, instead of taking a lane away and standing up. Vigneault forced PK to wear skate guards because most of the shots were off shins and lower. A shot off the shin really doesnt hurt unless someone has time to really tee it up. Having players drop on the puck has and will lead to injuries with broken bones more so that squaring a guy up standing which is what AV asked them to do, but was never publicized as much as Torts. The reason why Torts teams block alot of shots is because they dont have the puck as often as the opposition. Leads me to point 2.

Sedins like Torts, and the ice time, but are not happy with being asked to take the puck over center and dump it in. Its literally neutralized Henrik. Henrick was actually a high risk/high reward type puck carrier, most times it worked out. Asking one of the most creative passers in the game to dump a puck in and retrieve instead of making a pass over a defenders stick or thru his legs for fear of turnover makes the sedins......well.....the sedins of this year. This is confirmed by someone very close with the team, also Ferrarro commented on it in a 1040 interview. Torts wants the puck to go 200 feet.....Hank and Dank need to play with puck possession, just simple fact. They are frustrated.

2 man forecheck.....not used my many teams anymore. The 2-1 high-2 is ONLY effective with forwards with speed, canucks aren't really that team. Very easy to defend this type of forecheck nowadays, its easily sniffed out, leading to way too many odd man rushes if it doesnt work, most times it doesnt. AV had a 1-2-2 which is not as 'exciting' but WAY more structured.

Defensemen activating. One of the most under talked about changes Torts has employed. Guys like Juice, Edler like to activate strong side, they have been told not too. a '50/50 puck' the defender ALWAYS has to skate back and jockey and wait for 3rd man high to backcheck. It sucks to be honest. Canucks made their hay for years with strong side (why AV liked having proper handed defensmen play their strong sides) Defemsmen keeping the play active by pinching. YES we used to see some blunders causing a 2-1 the other way under AV but the pros (which we dont see/talk about) outweigh the cons. The twins offense has been tempered by not having D activate and keeping pucks alive. The Erhoff, Juice, Edler days of keeping that puck in, tiring out opposition and twins out waiting etc are done now because of Torts.

Using aging Sedins to penalty kill. Really its Torts trying to make a headline, like usual. The canucks are FULL of Penalty killers lol. 9 forwards worth to be honest. AV put the twins in a position to exceed with mainly offensive zone starts. Having them chase a puck and block shots for 45 seconds only to go even strength and throw Dave Booth, Zack Dalpe, and Jannik Hansen is ridiculous. Still very very good players in their own right, but they need to play a certain type of game to do this. Torts is not sedin-friendly

Defesive Battles.....watch for this one. Quite mind boggling actually. 90% of coaches teach a defensman to 'take the man in to the boards defensively and pin him, second man in takes puck. Always first man body, second man puck. Torts does not use this style and it boggles me. Its proven, it works. He wants D to hold puck and then move puck. Its a recipe to get painted to the glass, lose the puck, and confuse the goalie. so unorthodox, and not sure why broadcasters have not picked up on this, the players have, that I know.


Anyways, this is a Veteran team, Torts is absolutely the wrong man for the job.

Outside of that, GMMG is a whole other issue. Went from having best goaltending tandem to mediocre to bad one....Got nothing in return for Good assets....stripped Kes and made him unhappy, etc etc etc. its been a circus since GMMG has been here."
- Nucker101

Fairly comprehensive analysis. The one that I would add as concerns the last sentence regarding Gillis and this being a circus, is to what extent the owners are pulling the strings behind the scenes. I don't think it's a fully autocratic situation but I'm sure they have at least been a tad 'persuasive' in the management of the team. I hope the extent of this dynamic is merely exaggerated by media, as think what you will, but Gillis isn't exactly the clued-out moron people seem to think he is (and no, I'm not giving him a pass but managing by proxy has been proven time and again to be unsuccessful and the usual reason for any type of dysfunction

Pierre LeBrun on TSN just said Torts is likely gone. Didn't mention Gillis. I gotta believe Torts was FA's choice and now he's gonna let Gillis hire his own guy.
- Nucker101

Gillis looks like Mr Potato Head these days.

True Canucks fans are cheering for the following teams tonight:

Devils
Canes
Jackets
Leafs
Caps


Hopefully at least 3 of those teams win tonight, 4 would be great.
- Nucker101

I can handle a Leafs win providing a) no goals for Kesel b) Caps win c) Jackets win

I can handle a Leafs win providing a) no goals for Kesel b) Caps win c) Jackets win
- docmorgan

Leafs up 2-1 on Flames
Canes up 3-1 on Pens
Jackets up 2-0 on Avs
Was hoping WAS-DAL would be a 3-pointer but it's 3-0 DAL

“Torts obviously talks way more than Alain did. He comes in the room way more, but the biggest thing is, Alain was more rational in his decisions and they were based on the past or stats. Torts is more gut feeling, and he’ll tell you he has a feeling in his stomach and ‘I’m going to shake up my lines’ or call this play. For the most part, Alain let us decide how we wanted to play as a team. He manages his bench well and they (Rangers) seem to be rolling four lines, and they’ll be a dangerous team in the playoffs.”

-Alex Burrows






Another poster at HF in response:

"Does that sound like a Mike Gillis coach? Mike Gillis who is always cerebral and analytic about the game. He's a student of money ball, which basically says that intangibles and "gut feelings" are terrible ways to manage a team. This is GMMG who puts a lot of stock into objective advanced performance metrics and stats (he doesn't say what things they track, but that metrics are very important). The guy who had players keeping logs of their sleeping habits and diets?

I'm more and more convinced that Aquaman made the final decision on Torts"




I totally agree, this was definitely a FA hire, all signs point to it.
- Nucker101

Of this I have no doubt. I don't think MG has any real pull anymore. I realize its FA's money but Jebus your a business man not a hockey guru. Casual fan as GM not cool. Has he ever even wore skates? If I was GM and the owner told me who he wanted as coach I would tell him to get Fu@ked and walk. As soon as your decision making is taken away its not a good position to be in.

Leafs up 2-1 on Flames
Canes up 3-1 on Pens
Jackets up 2-0 on Avs
Was hoping WAS-DAL would be a 3-pointer but it's 3-0 DAL
- Nucker101

3-1 leafs now.

3-1 leafs now.
- Chest Rockwell

Clarkson might reach 12 points yet this season.

Of this I have no doubt. I don't think MG has any real pull anymore. I realize its FA's money but Jebus your a business man not a hockey guru. Casual fan as GM not cool. Has he ever even wore skates? If I was GM and the owner told me who he wanted as coach I would tell him to get Fu@ked and walk. As soon as your decision making is taken away its not a good position to be in.
- thundachunk

I'm sure there are a few million reasons that mitigate being a 'yes' man

Oilers have lost 40 games in 4 of the last 5 seasons. Rest of NHL has 6 combined 40 loss seasons during the same stretch

@Craig button

It has become evident that Gardiner has the skill that scarrs people. Unfortunately 3 of them are behind his bench

Clarkson might reach 12 points yet this season.
- docmorgan

He's going to go on a point streak so the leafs finish just out of the playoffs and don't get a good draft pick

He's going to go on a point streak so the leafs finish just out of the playoffs and don't get a good draft pick
- 89_hockey

Atta boy Clarkson. (frank)em in the of season too. Man was born to be a leaf

Clarkson might reach 12 points yet this season.
- docmorgan

Clarkson will now will the leafs into the playoffs and all will be forgiven

Clarkson will now will the leafs into the playoffs and all will be forgiven
- Yeti1181

I don't know which is funnier, Clarkson playing well enough to help a team win or the leafs making the playoffs
Next your gonna tell me Hansen develops goal scorer hands and the oilers will some day be in a playoff race after xmas

What's up law man?

After the season we've had, my fun meter is getting a bit tired. I'll be watching tonight periodically; strange how Torts just won't give the kids like Jensen a chance despite his hot start? Heard on the radio this morning that he's skating on the third line with Mathhias and Higgins…right or wrong, he'll stay true to HIS ideals to the very end???
- LeftCoaster

And I thought they were supposed to give the kids a real chance this year. Now that they are practically out they should at least honour this. One of the things I really can't stand about Canucks management is all the BS they spew and never have the intention of falling up.

I can handle a Leafs win providing a) no goals for Kesel b) Caps win c) Jackets win
- docmorgan

Well that didn't quite work out.

I don't know which is funnier, Clarkson playing well enough to help a team win or the leafs making the playoffs
Next your gonna tell me Hansen develops goal scorer hands and the oilers will some day be in a playoff race after xmas

What's up law man?
- Bieksa#3

Clarkson and Clowe probably the worst 2 signings in recent years. I have a feeling this off season we may see worse.

Been a long time since I have seen so many empty seats at a Canucks game. Tortorella Hockey is about as fun as watching paint dry....

1-0 NYR!

1-0 NYR!
- Nucker101

Tough hockey to watch.

Tough hockey to watch.
- thundachunk

Edler-Garrison