BOSTON — John Tortorella fielded nine questions in his press conference before the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday night at TD Garden. None of those questions were about Rick Nash’s zero goals in this postseason, about Brad Richards and his precipitous fall from grace, captain Ryan Callahan and his rather uneventful first round and how to cope with injuries to Marc Staal and Ryane Clowe.
So, for the second year in a row, the Rangers coach has found a way to continue one of the most amazing illusion acts of all time — drawing attention to himself by being grouchy and stubborn with the media, at least somewhat relieving the pressures on his team.
“Don’t ask me questions about me,” Tortorella said in response to the first question he was asked this series. “Ask me questions about the team. Please.”
Just minutes before, Bruins coach Claude Julien — not exactly a loquacious bard — made clear the respect he had for Tortorella as a coach, and sarcastically lamented the job the media has in front of them with trying to pry answers from the prickly Rangers bench boss.
“I’m sure he’s excited about answering your questions,” Julien said. “He always is. Good luck, guys.”
In the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference finals last season, much was made about Tortorella and his terse and stern answers to the media throughout the month-long postseason. Cable stations made montages with his video clips, reporters timed and wrote about the length of the sub-one-minute sessions, and it all became a big vapid yuk-fest.
What it did do was focus the attention away from his team and its problems, with less time to poke and prod the players with the same questions day after day in hopes of building a mountain out of a molehill.
“Watching the games, it was like they made a bigger deal out of [Tortorella] than the games,” said 22-year-old defenseman John Moore, who was home last spring and summer as a member of the playoff-less Blue Jackets before coming over to the Rangers this season as part of a trade-deadline deal for Marian Gaborik. “I think if you take a step back, you understand what he’s doing. He’s taking the focus away from players and is making it about him. I think it’s a very smart move.”
Chris Kreider has not been in the good graces of his coach this season, the rookie forward wearing out a seat on the Hartford-to-Manhattan bus with his numerous assignments and recalls from the AHL’s Connecticut Whale. But Kreider, with a maturity beyond his 21 years, also recognizes the ways of Tortorella as a positive rather than a sideshow.
“As a player, it’s awesome,” Kreider said. “He’s straightforward, he’s honest and highly competitive. That’s all you can ask from a coach.”
Added Moore, “I think he relays the messages that need to be said to us, and really it’s all about the guys in this room and keeping it in the room.”
So John, about Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask?
“I don’t coach him,” Tortorella said. “I’ll answer questions about the Rangers, not Boston.”
OK, how about your relationship with Julien, who said, “I respect John for who he is and what he is.”
“I’m not going to talk about that,” Tortorella said. “I’ll talk about the Rangers.”
OK, but blocking shots, that’s your thing, right? Are you concerned about blocking one coming a million miles an hour from Zdeno Chara?
“No, not at all,” Tortorella said.
Well then, at least now the spotlight knows where to focus, and it’s a familiar face, no question.