John Tortorella on benching Pierre-Luc Dubois: “I’d do it again…no regrets”
Anthony Scultore
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John Tortorella is an easy coach to read. Give him the effort and you will get rewarded. Do what you’re supposed to and you’ll get treated fairly. Almost everyone who has played for him says the same thing, that he’s tough but fair.
So does Torts have any regrets with how things went with Pierre-Luc Dubois? If you know Torts, you know the answer.
John Tortorella on Pierre-Luc Dubois
Sportsnet’s Christine Simpson sat down with the Blue Jackets head coach to get to the bottom of what just went down in Columbus.
“I don’t believe in trying to change someone’s mind,” he said about Pierre-Luc Dubois. “If someone doesn’t want to be here then that’s a hard thing for me to stomach.”
Simpson courageously followed up and asked Torts point blank, “what do you say to that you are the problem these guys want out of Columbus?”
“A lot of people have some perceptions of me that don’t have a clue who I am,” Torts responded. “My whole being is to treat people fairly and honestly. It is my job to make them the best player they can be, the best person they can.”
RELATED: DUBOIS ON WHY HE WANTED OUT
Torts on benching Dubois: “I’d do it again”
“People told me what was written out there after his last game. People in Canada were calling it The Shift whatever the hell that is,” he began. “I want you to understand that you just don’t bench a player for just one shift. The benching – I’d do it again!”
Simpson asked if he had any regrets, and Torts responded honestly and openly.
“No, I don’t have regrets,” he said. “Did Luc and I have conflict? You’re goddamn right we had conflict. Conflict is a good thing. If you’re honest with a player, and you’re trying to find where we’re supposed to go together, you’re not always going to have agreements.”
“I coached Luc like I coach every other player here,” Tortorella explained. “Like I’m gonna coach Laine when he gets in here. The best thing I can do for a player is to be honest with them everyday.”
RELATED: JARMO KEKALAINEN CALLS OUT DUBOIS
Patrik Laine’s Blue Jacket future
When speaking about Patrik Laine, the Jackets head coach perked up. “I’ve had conversations with Patrik, a couple of them yesterday. He’s a very intelligent guy – wants to know who he’s playing with – what’s the PP setup.”
He then revealed that Laine will likely start on a line with Max Domi. Torts did also admit he has a few different lineups and will decide when he gets his new goal scorer arrives.