John Tortorella Coach's Challenge Failed, So Now He Wants Coach's Challenges Gone From The Game

Yardbarker- The NHL coach’s challenge was introduced this season to help overturn incorrect calls made by referees. Columbus Blue Jackets bench boss John Tortorella isn’t too impressed with the results so far, and after losing a challenge in Monday night’s 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, the veteran head coach wants the entire thing scrapped all together.

“I think we should get rid of it,” Tortorella told reporters after his team’s victory. “I think we should just get rid of it. And let the refs make the call, because if we spend two or three minutes and a coach wastes his timeout to try and get the call right, and we still get it wrong, then why have it.”

The call Tortorella was upset about came in the first period when it appeared Bruins winger Loui Eriksson made contact against Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo with his right skate. Eriksson was in and around the crease and received credit for the goal after the puck deflected off his leg and into the net.A good goal was ruled by the referee, and Tortorella couldn’t believe goalie interference wasn’t the ruling after he challenged the call.

“I wanted my timeout back, quite honestly,” he said. “And listen, I respect the referees, it is a really tough job, but I thought this was for that reason to make their job easier. It gives them a chance to look at it again, get some information from hockey ops (in Toronto), but to get that one wrong it’s just beyond belief to me.”



And people say that John Tortorella is quick to wear out his welcome because he's a bitchy, temperamental asshole everytime he doesn't get his way. Ha, WRONG! He's just looking out for the good of hockey fans everywhere. Sure, this little outburst coincidentally comes after his coach's challenge failed miserably and left him with a goal against and no timeouts remaining, but I have reason to believe that was simply a coincidence. If this play had worked out in his favor he would have been just as happy to speak on behalf of abolishing a rule that is no more than a half of a season old. It's not about what's best for the Columbus Blue Jackets, it's about what best maintains the integrity of the sport. It just so happens that not only did this borderline call go against John Tortorella, but it went against everything that is fair and just. We should ignore every single time the coach's challenge successfully corrected the outcome on the scoreboard, because in my estimation that's not nearly enough to balance out the one instance in which an oft-whiny Head Coach felt he was done a grave injustice by a decision that could have gone either way. 


P.S. Definitely made the wrong call, and I would have been up in arms if a similar play had gone against the Devils.

P.P.S. I don't care because it went against John Tortorella.