Blue Jackets John Tortorella thinks there is not enough hate in the NHL

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella opened up about his feelings towards the new NHL, and how he wishes there was more ‘hate’ in today’s game

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella is never afraid to let everyone know what’s on his mind. He’s blunt, which is a blessing and a curse. If you’re a fan of his, you love it because nobody’s blunt these days. But if you’re not, you probably find him whiny and annoying.

Tortorella is never one to shy away from expressing his feelings. He’s also one who has engaged in a bit of hate, especially with the Pittsburgh Penguins. After an optional skate in St. Louis, Tortorella opened his mouth again, talking about a lack of hate in today’s game. Fair warning, he does use some explicit language. His comments begin right around the 1:45 mark.

"It’s a little frustrating… the game’s changed. For some dinosaurs in it, it’s very frustrating, I must admit. It’s like a big hugfest sometimes. There’s no… there’s no hate, and I miss that."

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Tortorella’s not wrong. He has a unique way of getting his point across, but again, he is not wrong. The NHL is becoming a skilled-driven league, as opposed to the bruising, high-octane power struggle it seemed to be before. People tend to resist change and hockey players (and coaches) are no different.

This goes back to the elimination of enforcers, the rule changes to create more space and scoring chances, and the idea that hockey is actually a speed and skill game, as opposed to a highly physical one. With player safety being a major concern in physical sports, especially in the National Football League, there is a good reason for all the changes being made to improve player safety.

Concussions continue to plague both the NHL and NFL. Both organizations are doing what they can to prevent player injuries, but also maintain the sports everyone has come to love.

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For the NFL, it seems to be a more pressing concern, and steps have been made to create more protocol during games. However, for the NHL, there is a slight difference given that the physical aspects of the game are not nearly as troublesome or consistent as the NFL.

For hockey fans, a healthy dose of good hits and fights have always been a part of the game. As we conclude 2018, it looks like the NHL would like to move in the opposite direction, and for good reason. Over the last half-decade, the league has done what it can to move towards a less physical, but more skilled game, while also managing fan expectation and disappointment. This seems to be the source of Tortorella’s displeasure.

Has it Gone Too Far?

This seems to be Tortorella’s main argument. If you replace the word “hate” with “fire” or “heart”, it might make a bit more politically-correct sense. The hate was derived from the heart and fire of playing an opponent.

But the real question is, is there a direct correlation with the changes in the game and the lack of heart? Being physical is not the only way to show you care. With that said, Tortorella’s comments seem to be more of a direct call out of the Columbus Blue Jackets than anything else.

One of the best examples in modern day NHL would be the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers rivalry. Over the last 10 years, their rivalry has been a healthy dose of offensive craziness and physical toughness. Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux do not like each other, and it shows when these two teams meet, especially in the playoffs. While there was plenty of physical confrontations, both teams did most of the talking in skill, hence the ridiculously high-scoring games.

Outside of that, is there really any more heated rivalries left in the NHL? Not to mention, are we, as fans, witnessing a dying love for the physical side of the game? While Tortorella wishes for more of the old, there is plenty of reason to accept the new.

There is truly two sides to this argument. The San Jose Sharks and the New York Islanders showed plenty of fire earlier this month, after several players were sent off for their ‘physical’ play. Fights broke out, game misconducts were given, and surely the fans loved every minute of it. However, what happens if Anders Lee smashes his head off the ice, or Evander Kane loses his footing and suffers another leg injury? These are the things that need to be considered as the game continues to evolve.

There has been plenty of buzz that the NHL could do better with a non-contact rule. Eric Lindros was the most recent star to hint towards something similar. He later corrected his statements to simply say ‘the NHL is at an interesting crossroads’. Regardless of what he meant, there is clearly a move towards a safer game, something that could not have even been brought up more than 10 or 20 years ago.

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For now, fans and Tortorella need to accept that the game is forever changing. However, does that mean the fire and the heart needed to succeed should disappear? Probably not. But maybe it’s time for coaches like Tortorella and fans who feel the same way to find other ways to generate that same fire and heart. Chances are the NHL will continue to move in the opposite direction whether they like it or not.

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