John Tortorella says NHL is moving in a direction he doesn't like when it comes to physicality

Ever since Patrik Laine joined the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this season, sports media in his home country of Finland has shown great interest in his new head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella, as most are already aware, is a colourful character who's always good for a few quotes. He's the type of person that, love him or hate him, wears his heart on his sleeve and will always give an honest answer to a question whether the response might be considered controversial or not.

Ilta-Sanomat in Finland published a lengthy interview with Tortorella on Friday, getting this thoughts on several things going on in the NHL. One of the things he made very clear is that he believe the league is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to hitting and values.

"I miss the old type of player and old-fashioned hockey," said Tortorella. "There were clashes on the ice and the players acted as cops. There are so many rules and different levels of discipline in the NHL today that this has become a «no hitting" league. I know people consider me a Neanderthal when it comes to these opinions, but I don't care. I don't want to lose the values ."

There's no doubt there is an increased emphasis on speed and skill in today's league, and Tortorella said he is absolutely fine with that.

"...but this has gone too far," Tortorella stated. "I think the game has lost some of its old values. I want to evolve and adapt to the new age, but I think today's players need to learn some of the good old values."

There are many hockey fans who will likely agree with this. Torts states he has no desire to see players getting hurt, but misses the physicality from his own playing days, adding "there is no longer enough anger in the league."

Tortorella also talked about how the league is getting younger and how those young players can be very impatient.

"Wait your turn. It is my most important guide for young players," Tortorella said. "This applies both to the financial side and to how the player presents himself to the team and the entire community around him. Today's athletes come to the league with great confidence. Sometimes when I look at some players on or off the ice, I wonder who the hell they think they are?"

"The NHL is a league of young and stupid players. Nowadays, you see a lot of mistakes in games. In the past years, I was the coach who tried to model the whole game beforehand because I couldn't stand the mistakes. Now all players have to do is play. That's why coaching players' minds is very important."

Source: Ilta-Sanomat

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