HEAD COACH
John Tortorella is entering his sixth full season as head coach of the Lightning after leading the team to three consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, it’s first Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup Championships and two Southeast Division Championships. Voted winner of the 2003-04 Jack Adams Award as the National Hockey League’s top coach after leading the Lightning to the Stanley Cup, Tortorella’s championship team established franchise records with 46 wins and 106 points before embarking on the successful playoff campaign. Tortorella has been touted league-wide for his aggressive forechecking, puck pursuit schemes and a more open offensive system, one which injects high-energy and excitement into the game for fans and players alike. His 2005-06 team tallied a franchise best 246 goals as many of his Lightning players established personal bests in most offensive categories. He now has 164 regular season wins with the Lightning, ranking him as the franchise’s all-time leader.
Under Tortorellas’s guidance, the Lightning have qualified for the postseason three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history after winning the Stanley Cup in 2003-04. His 2005-06 team ranked second in club history in road points and home wins. Tortorella’s Lightning teams have been a vision of discipline as they have consistently ranked in the top 10 in the NHL in fewest penalty minutes.
A 15-year National Hockey League coaching veteran, Tortorella became the fourth head coach in team history when he was named to that position on January 6, 2001. Recognized as one of the top teaching coaches in the game, the Boston native joined the Lightning organization when he was hired on as an associate coach prior to the 2000-01 season. Now in charge of the Lightning for more than four full seasons, Tortorella immediately brought increased expectations and a new level of accountability to the Lightning locker room.
Tortorella began his playing career at Salem State College before transferring to the University of Maine. He spent three seasons with the Black Bears and was twice named an East Coast Athletic Conference All-Star. After playing in Sweden, Tortorella played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League with Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Erie. He spent two seasons as the General Manager and Head Coach of the Virginia Lancers (Atlantic Coast Hockey League) from 1986-87 to 1987-88, where he garnered Coach of the Year honors during both campaigns while leading his ‘86-87 team to the league championship.
Tortorella got his first major break in 1988-89 when he was hired as an assistant coach with the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League. He became an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres the following season, and remained with the Sabres organization through the 1996-97 season. The Sabres recognized Tortorella’s teaching abilities and named him the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, prior to the 1995-96 season. His Rochester team won the Calder Cup in 1996 and followed that up with the best record in the AHL’s Northern Conference during the 1996-97 regular season.
Tortorella returned to the NHL in 1997 as an assistant with the Phoenix Coyotes, where he spent two seasons before joining the Rangers for 1999-2000. He served as the Rangers’ interim head coach for the final four games of the ‘99-00 season before joining the Lightning staff. |
