Despite hindsight being what it is, and a night and a day of pondering in their pockets, consensus surrounding the necessity of the on- and off-ice antics of last night’s Vancouver-Calgary hockey game remains elusive for the Canucks faithful.
Breaking a three-game losing streak, or the return to the line-up of injured stars Alex Burrows and Roberto Luongo would have made the headlines any other day.
But today, the talk of the town wasn’t focused on the players.
Instead, Coach John Tortorella and his fiery temper were catapulted to the spotlight.
Following a penalty-packed first period, with five fights starting a mere two seconds after the puck was dropped, Tortorella took his anger to the Calgary Flames dressing room apparently looking to get up close and personal with opposing coach Bob Hartley.
“People either love it or think it’s a disgrace and an absolute stain on the game,” Team 1040 Radio sports analyst Blake Price said.
Tortorella wasn’t thrown from the game for his actions, and returned to the bench to coach his team to an eventual win in the shootout.
The trouble began brewing when Hartley started the game with a line of tough guys.
“This was absolutely orchestrated on the Calgary side,” Price said. “The question is whether or not John Tortorella actually had to respond the way he felt he was compelled to respond.”
The majority of fans CTV British Columbia interviewed on Sunday agreed with the coach’s decision to start his line of feisty players in response.
“He was protecting his team and I would have done the same thing,” one fan said.
Tortorella is expected to face some form of league discipline for his actions, and is expected to meet with the league on Monday, prior to the team’s next match against Edmonton on Tuesday.
“If I’m a betting man, John Tortorella’s not going to be at that game, “ Price said.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Penny Daflos.
