Master Motivator Tortorella's Bad Words Get Good Results; Blue Jax Shock Lightning Twice
The NHL playoffs are upon us at last, and John Tortorella is all fired up.
The Columbus Blue Jackets' animated leader has been in top form before his boys tookhave taken the ice against the top-seeded and Presidents Trophy holders Tampa Bay Lightning.
Torts has never been one to mince words or spare feelings, and his pre-game speech before Game 1 was no exception.
Viewer discretion advised:
Language, sir.
Actually, it was spot on, as Torts channeled his inner Pacino.
The results speak for themselves, as the Blue Jackets spotted Tampa a three-goal lead before a furious third-period rally gave them an improbable 4-3 win in Game 1.
Torts was in fine spirits afterwards, too, even yucking it up with the assembled media throng.
John Tortorella wasn't too fond of the odor in the press room. 🤢🤣#CBJ pic.twitter.com/dBSPykjENK
— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) April 11, 2019
Dude's probably right.
The good times continued in Game 2, minus the drama:
Tampa Bay held the best regular-season record by a significant margin and were 30 points better than Columbus, but somehow they find themselves down two games in the first round.
Because playoff hockey.