93 Anonymous NHL Players Expose Their True Thoughts on John Tortorella
93 NHL players were anonymously polled on their thoughts about league issues, and one of them involved John Tortorella, where he got fully exposed.
Everyone complains about his or her job from time to time, even millionaire athletes playing a game. Spend enough time around NHL dressing rooms, and you'll hear grievances about everything from arenas and coaches to teammates, nightlife (or lack thereof), escrow, and the grind of the season.
In an attempt to enable players to vent some of their frustrations, 'The Athletic' recently asked 93 NHLers to respond to the coach they'd least like to play for.
John Tortorella gets the most votes
No surprise that John Tortorella finished in first place, though there were a few players who defended him, stating there are several guys who actually enjoy playing for him.
Bruce Cassidy finishing second is somewhat surprising, especially after the success he's enjoyed with the Vegas Golden Knights.
"I haven't heard too many good things about the Vegas coach, Cassidy,» another said. «I don't really know him that well, but I haven't heard anything good about him."
A vote was even cast for Anaheim Ducks coach Greg Cronin without anyone being able to pronounce his name.
"I've heard from other players that he's not great to play for,» another player said. «They have a lot of decent skill that they should be a good team, but they're not."
Mike Babcock, whose Columbus tenure lasted all of one game before he received his walking papers, might never again see the inside of the NHL, news players polled here appear more than okay with.
Some votes for Lindy Ruff.
And Rod Brind'Amour? He received a vote. kind of.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| William Nylander | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alex Tuch | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nic Dowd | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Auston Matthews | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Shane Wright | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Bowen Byram | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Knies | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Andrew Mangiapane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Aliaksei Protas | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Provorov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 55 | 38 | 14 | 3 | 79 | |
Capitals | 53 | 35 | 11 | 7 | 77 | |
Oilers | 53 | 33 | 16 | 4 | 70 | |
Stars | 53 | 34 | 18 | 1 | 69 | |
Hurricanes | 54 | 32 | 18 | 4 | 68 | |
Golden Knights | 54 | 31 | 17 | 6 | 68 | |
Panthers | 55 | 32 | 20 | 3 | 67 | |
Maple Leafs | 53 | 32 | 19 | 2 | 66 | |
Wild | 54 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 66 | |
Devils | 55 | 30 | 19 | 6 | 66 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||