John Tortorella Calls The NHL The "No Hit League", And He's 100% Factually Correct
Len Redkoles. Getty Images.John Tortorella gets a bad rap for being this hardo "old time hockey, back in my day" type of coach. I mean, that's absolutely what he is. It's just that I don't think he should get a bad rap for it. If anything, those types of guys should be revered in today's game. Because those old school hardos are the only ones who are going to save hockey and protect the players. They might be pricks, but they have the players' best interest in mind by not creating the softest version of the game possible.
What's that saying? Tough times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create tough times.
Right now it's clearly great times in the NHL with all the superstar talent in the league. But the NHL has done everything in its power to "protect" and coddle that superstar talent, and it's creating weak players who never had to learn how to take a hit.
Garnet Hathaway absolutely STEAMROLLED Luke Hughes the other night. Just launched the young men into a separate dimension. Now there were plenty of things that were wrong about that play, but Garnet Hathaway did none of them.
For starters, the ref didn't blow the whistle until Hathaway already made contact with Luke Hughes. They're racing for a loose puck, Luke Hughes lays off in the race, there's no whistle blown and Garnet Hathaway has spent his entire life being told that you play until the whistle. No whistle = green light. It's not a late hit, Luke Hughes completely gave up on the play, wasn't prepared to take a hit because he figured the icing would have been called seconds ago, and on top of everything you had Siegenthaler throw an extra push of momentum behind Hathaway. Maybe you can call a minor for boarding there, but that's it. 5 and a game is absolutely laughable.
And that's where the league is failing the players. Because the league shouldn't be focused on penalizing Garnet Hathaway for playing the game the way it is meant to be played. They should be focused on making sure that players come into the league learning how to not put themselves in those vulnerable positions to get their shit lit the fuck up. Luke Hughes shouldn't feel comfortable enough out there to completely let up on a play for a loose puck in the corner. But the more the league focuses on protecting guys like Zegras because they can do fancy stick tricks, the more guys like Luke Hughes will get rocked into oblivion because they're not taught how to take a hit.
The logic is all fucked. That's the issue. And that's why there is always going to be a need for assholes like Torts in the game.