John Tortorella fired: Who will replace him?
Rangers Coach John Tortorella was fired just four days after New York was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, despite having a year left on his contract.
John Tortorella, then the head coach of the New York Rangers, talks with his team during Game 5 in the first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, May 10. The Rangers fired Tortorella on May 29, four days after New York was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Alex Brandon / AP
NEW YORK
The Rangers have fired coach John Tortorella, four days after New York was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Tortorella was unexpectedly dismissed Wednesday with one year left on his contract. He led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference finals last year and into the second round this year before New York was eliminated in five games by the Boston Bruins.
The combative coach, who was hired to replace Tom Renney in February 2009, achieved some success with the Rangers but couldn't match the Stanley Cup title he earned in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Last season, Tortorella led the Rangers to 51 wins — the second-most in franchise history — and 109 points before they were beaten by New Jersey in the conference finals.