Torts and the Jack Adams.

[Dr.Brad]

No. Just no. The coach of the year simply isn’t the one whose team implodes when it counts. Eight straight losses. Other than headlines, what’s Tortorella’s strength? Benching his captain didn’t really pan out.

Jon Cooper

[dejeanneret]

Yeah, I think he's out of the running. Still, have to give him kudos for getting that team to vastly outperform expectations this year.

[Pengwin7]

Torts' teams are great working on "no expectations".
Torts' teams are terrible once they get "expectations".
Ersson, case in point... fantastic as a back-up without expectations... awful with expectations.

Torts has always gotten PLUS-production out of hustle & grind.
But he's never been able to "cultivate" skill.
The one really good team he had (Cup TB) was loaded with skill... and he basically just needed to coach up the supplement.

I'm not a Torts fan.
But PHI - their ownership - previous GM - I think... was under pressure from then owners-rep (Dave Scott) to "be better".
And Torts can get an extra +10 standings points out of bad to average rosters.
He did it with those Columbus teams for years.

So... if an owner wants 10 more standings points from a bad/middling team... Torts meets what is wanted.
But he's not "skill" coach.
And PHI doesn't have "skill".
So they aren't really going anywhere proper with him on board.
And they were never an Eastern-level playoff team.

I have a love/hate affair with the guy.
I've said toward him...
He can turn a 4th liner into a 3rd liner.
He can turn a 3rd liner into a 2nd liner.
2nd liners are 2nd liners.
And he can bring a 1st liner down to a 2nd liner.

(https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...000392014.html)

Three 2nd lines and one 3rd line will be middle-of-standings.
But they won't win a playoff round.

I think the Jack Adams needs to be for coaches that can rise-up all players & chemistry on their team.
Torts brings up the hustle & discipline on a team... but other military-ish coaches could do that too.
They just aren't common in the NHL because they aren't "championship"-level coaches.

[metaldude26]

It's a narrative award that typically goes to the team that exceeds expectations the most. Tortorella was on track but the narrative of imploding on the doorstep isn't a good one to have fresh in the mind of voters. He was looking like a shoe-in until this recent stretch so I wonder where the votes shift to. Spencer Carberry's been another popular name, but they may also miss. Perhaps Andrew Brunette and the surging Preds? I'd think Jim Montgomery would be high on people's lists if he hadn't just won it because winning the division again (possibly) after losing their top two Cs is quite the feat.

[Dr.Brad]

Tocchet, for taking the Canucks out from the weeds, to a Division title - or else Cooper, who’s had an aging core and a defense of Hedman and who?? Cooper has deserved this award for the past eight seasons.

[TrailerParkFlyers]

He can turn a 4th liner into a 3rd liner.
He can turn a 3rd liner into a 2nd liner.
2nd liners are 2nd liners.
And he can bring a 1st liner down to a 2nd liner.

This sums up Torts perfectly.

[RizzeeDizzee]

I thought Maurice might have been the guy to beat, as Florida has among the best goal differentials and he's never won the award. But they're kind of limping to the finish, and it might be perceived that he had so much talent his coaching was less integral. Don't sleep on DeBoer, as the Stars do have the best goal differential and he's done really well in getting older and younger players to mesh well.

[TeamRamrod]

If Philly makes the playoffs, not sure how he doesn't win. If they miss then no way. I think it has to go to Brunette, maybe Bowness or whatever his name is in Edmonton (easy to say its a stacked team, but he did right the ship or was at least was there when the made the turn).

[Belexus75]

Tocchet, for taking the Canucks out from the weeds, to a Division title - or else Cooper, who’s had an aging core and a defense of Hedman and who?? Cooper has deserved this award for the past eight seasons.

if Cooper should be considered based on your analysis, i think much bigger consideration should be given to Montgomery.

Personally im giving it to Tocchet and its not close, has not been all season imo. Many had Vancouver in rebuild after last year...

[Axeman33]

I think this is Torts last year behind the bench. I think he moves into a front office job with Philly once this season is over. I hope not because I enjoy his media scrums but I think that is what will end up happening.

[dejeanneret]

if Cooper should be considered based on your analysis, i think much bigger consideration should be given to Montgomery.

Personally im giving it to Tocchet and its not close, has not been all season imo. Many had Vancouver in rebuild after last year...

I think Brunette deserves consideration as well and for similar reasons.

[Pengwin7]

I'd guess that PHI will go with a new coach in the offseason and that they'll be done with Torts.
I'd hedge that 50%+ of the PHI fanbase loves the guy.
But he's not Briere's choice... he's simply a carry-over from Fletcher's GM days.
And he doesn't fit the new "softer" (seriously) direction of the Flyers: Dan Hilferty at the top... Jones... Briere... more "how is everybody feeling about this?" types.
Dave Scott... Bill Barber... Holmgren... these guys have all been slowly pushed out by a Comcast ownership that finally adapted to less of a dictatorship or management.

Flyers management is just TOTALLY overhauled from 2+ years ago.
Torts doesn't fit the group.

By the vibe I get... most of the players don't like him... but have to play nice with their comments.
[I say this - you never hear anybody say "The guys love playing for Torts" - there's textbook supportive comments, but not enjoyable/appreciative type comments. It's a very real vibe]
You hustle... or you sit. Grinders like Hathaway, Laughton, Poehling... this worked for them. They got minutes.

I'd say the end-of-season is actually "best case" for Briere/Jones.
They can let Tortorella go... people will speculate that it was because the players didn't love Torts... and PHI is falling into a 12th/13th overall draft pick.
The benching of Couts (your captain) coupled with the slide out of the playoffs... it's a very, very sour taste to end the year.

I think Torts' ask on effort wears teams down by end of regular season.
I saw somebody on twitter post several bad finishes by several years of Torts' CBJ & PHI teams.

One can give a certain amount of on-ice effort for one 2.5hr game.
One can give a certain amount of on-ice effort for a week of those games & practices... but it's lower than a single game.
One can give a certain amount of on-ice effort for a month of those games & practices... but it's lower than a single week.
One can give a certain amount of on-ice effort for a year of those games & practices... but it's lower than a single month.

I think Torts is just a little out-of-touch with full-season fatigue.
Some people get 90% of something... and fail on 10%.
Torts is great on a week-to-week basis.
He's great getting more out of grinders than anybody could hope.
And he's good at speaking candidly & clearly.

But... he's just not a player's coach.
And the kids in the NHL these day... they don't respond as well to the Torts' types any more.
Babcock was the 2nd last of this generation of coaches.
And Torts will be the last of this generation of coaches.
*done

[Feenom]

He can turn a 4th liner into a 3rd liner.
He can turn a 3rd liner into a 2nd liner.
2nd liners are 2nd liners.
And he can bring a 1st liner down to a 2nd liner.

This sums up Torts perfectly.

I like this, pretty much Torts.