Tortorella’s “Go Nitro” Button Pushed

It’s almost like Halloween all over again. It’s either a trick sent by the NHL or a treat for the one’s that attended the game, not to mention the press it got in the States.

Rosters are up to each team and starting the line combination is up to the Coaching staff, but who was right or was it wrong?

Saturday’s game was entertaining as well as simply foolish. Having a game start like it did, does nothing to instill any amount of professionalism or teach today’s youth.

John Tortorella knows this after he blew his stack on Saturday night at the lineup iced by Calgary Flames head Coach Bob Hartley.

The Flames’ lineup — in Tortorella’s eyes — forced the Vancouver coach to ice a similar lineup of tough guys, all of which resulted in a line brawl seconds into the game.

In sheer frustration he took matters into his own hands and paid a visit to the Flames’ locker room after the first period, which drew criticism threw from all sports and news’s media outlet’s.

The problem with a situation such as this carries a common ugliness that is known to players that are not known for their hockey skills or playing ability.

As everyone knows, Calgary coach Hartley had no regrets at putting his fourth line of qualified tough guy’s (Brian McGrattan, Blair Jones and Kevin Westgarth) on the ice to start the game.

Tortorella did what any coach would do and changed his starters to Kellan Lain (playing in his first NHL game), Dale Weiseand Tom Sestito.

The opening draw saw Bieksa replace non-center Lain lining up against and the fight was on.

The choices made by both coaches were the results in having Tortorella’s between-periods antic’s known to the world.

It was great theater not to mention a huge hit on the Internet, but a huge black eye for the league, which quickly summoned Tortorella to New York for an in-person hearing with Colin Campbell early Monday.

This meeting lead to his 15-day (six-game) suspension which prevents him from having any contact with his team “prior to, during or after games,” according to the league release that came out Monday evening. This relegates him to the press box, next to the media.

Tortorella had been a model citizen since taking over the Canucks at the start of the season, but all of his past activities have been well documented.

Things such as his suspension for squirting a fan with water and then firing a water bottle into the crowd during the 2009 playoffs, but more recently his angry exchange with New Jersey head coach Peter DeBoer over a similar confrontation between brutish lineups.

Simply put; he has no business engaging the Flames dressing room at any point and now he’s paying the price, but mostly his team.

“Mr. Tortorella’s actions in attempting to enter the Calgary Flames locker room after the first period were both dangerous and an embarrassment to the league,” said NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell in announcing the decision Monday evening.

“Coaches in the NHL bear the responsibility of providing leadership, even when emotions run high, and Mr. Tortorella failed in his responsibility to the game.”

The bottom line for the league to resolve is that Tortorella was backed into a corner by Hartley no matter how innocent Hartley came off in postgame interviews: “Who? Those guys? Fight? I’m as shocked as anyone.”

Not sure about you, but I’m not buying that pile of garbage and quite frankly I don’t think the league did either.

Hartley got off lucky with only the $25,000 fine because there isn’t a coach in the NHL who wouldn’t have done the same thing as Tortorella if faced with Hartley’s lineup decision.

Campbell was quoted in saying “We are holding Mr. Hartley responsible for the actions of Flames’ right wing Kevin Westgarth, who took the game’s opening faceoff and attempted to instigate a premeditated fight with an unwilling opponent — the Canucks’ Kevin Bieksa.”

If he starts skilled players Daniel or Henrik Sedin or Ryan Keslerand they get pounded, he looks foolish and how would the GM react?

When you employ thugs and dress them as hockey players you simply can’t pretend to be surprised.

The answer for the league is simple, draw up rules that govern these kinds of incidents and have the officials enforce the rules on and off the ice, without getting involved and having missed calls. After all – there are four officials, two of which are Referee’s.

If three guys (or four or five guys) fight three (or four or five) opposing opponents in anything approaching a staged event, assess them all Game Misconducts plus a fine. Money.

In addition the coaches get tossed from the game and receive an automatic suspension and each team gets a $500,000 fine.

Name your poison. If a team gets involved in a second altercation simply double the fine plus the suspension.

A similar situation earlier this season when Philadelphia netminder Ray Emery skated the length of the ice and pummeled Washington netminder Braden Holtby.

Similar suggestions arose at the time which were if a goalie crosses the center red line (or his own blue line) to engage another player, it’s a five-game suspension and an automatic $100,000 fine for the team, paid by the player.

Tortorella ended up paying a steep price for not maintaining control over himself, but it’s time the responsibilities for these situation to be controlled by the league and help promote the sport.

One reporter told me “This is better news’s that the recent Rob Ford scandal.” Sad but probably true, especially in the US!!

Past History:

April 6, 2012: Fined $20,000 for comments after a game at Pittsburgh on April 5.

Jan. 4, 2012: Fined $30,000 for comments after game against the Flyers. Colin Campbell: “There is no justification for speaking as inappropriately and irresponsibly as Mr. Tortorella did.”

Nov. 4, 2009: Rangers forward Dane Byers suspended automatically for one game, while Tortorella was fined $10,000 for actions in Nov. 3 game against Canucks

April 25, 2009: Tortorella suspended one game for squirting a fan with water and throwing a water bottle that struck a fan during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals April 24 vs. Capitals.