When you think of John Tortorella, you immediately think of three things. 1) Screaming. 2) Yelling, 3) For some reason, coaching only teams clad in blue. Maybe instead of that last one, you think of his face turning red, from all the hollering. This year in Columbus, they are making note of his gamesmanship.
Perhaps it’s only because this is the first time it has ever been done by any coach in Columbus, or perhaps it’s becase Torts seems like the type of guy that would have bag skates on easy days at practice, but Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch has surprised his readers with the news that Tortorella is giving players GameDay mornings off.
Anyone who broadens their horizons outside of hockey knows that this is a pretty common strategy of successful coaches and managers. The season can be grueling, and fresh legs are invaluable. Gregg Popovich and San Antonio Spurs regularly rest their starters through the regular season. No baseball team runs players out for all 162 games of their extraordinarily long schedule. Why shouldn’t hockey coaches give their players a bit of a break too?
Some critics will point to the comparison and note that the Spurs play far more games than the Blue Jackets, thanks to frequent trips into the postseason for San Antonio, and as noted, Major League ballplayers play nearly twice as many games as their NHL counterparts. As hockey fans are fond of pointing out, though, hockey is a much more physical game.
The Blue Jackets’ schedule begins to pick up over the next few weeks, so now is the perfect time to try out this scheme. If Columbus can get through a tough stretch with their wits about them and their heads above water, it will be easy to say that the strategy worked out. If their decent start bogs down, and the team looks lazy, then you might begin to see some second guessing. Right now, the goal is for players to have a second wind.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
