Over a lengthy coaching career, John Tortorella has established a reputation for his, ah, intensity. In moments like the playoffs, when tensions are cranked to maximum and coaches scrutinze every moment of game film, then Torts can really take it to another level.
So, all things considered, the Colombus Blue Jackets coach was relatively tame when walking out on his postgame press conference after Thursday’s 4-1 Game 4 loss to the Washington Capitals:
"We laid an egg. That's all I have to say, guys. I'm sorry, I'm not going to break it down for you. Nothing went well for us. It's on us, we have to figure it out and we will." —John Tortorella
The Blue Jackets laid an egg; according to Torts, it was as simple as that. He wasn’t willing to offer his own analysis for reporters, other than saying that they sucked, and when pressed for more detail, the coach walked off. That was that, then.
It isn’t hard to understand where Tortorella is coming from, though. The Blue Jackets gave up their series lead in what was, from the beginning, a game that was clearly in the Caps’ control. This is the playoffs! No rest for the weary.
The Blue Jackets will play their Game 5 against the Capitals on Saturday. Let’s see if they can’t give Torts a reason to get, well, slightly less huffy.
