SWITCHEROO: As the Rangers are set to introduce Alain Vigneault (inset) as their new coach today, the Canucks, who are looking for a more defensive-minded coach, are closing in on signing their ex-coach, John Tortorella. (
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It’s starting to look like an old-time coach swap is going to happen, and who would have guessed that three years ago?
With the Rangers getting ready to introduce Alain Vigneault as their new head coach today at 11 a.m. at Radio City Music Hall, the Canucks are closing in on John Tortorella as their new head man, now a finalist for the job with Jacques Martin and John Stevens. The Canucks fired Vigneault after being swept in the first round of this year’s playoffs by the Sharks, and the Blueshirts dismissed Tortorella after they lost to the Bruins in a five-game, second-round series.
There was also no comment yesterday from Mark Messier, who interviewed for the Rangers’ job but was passed over for Vigneault. General manager Glen Sather told The Post’s Larry Brooks on Wednesday that Messier was “very disappointed” to hear the news, and he had yet to respond in figuring out a possible future role with the team. Messier, the Rangers’ icon of the 1994 Stanley Cup-winning team, had been a special assistant to the general manager since 2009.
In February 2009, Tortorella began his 4 1/2 -year tenure behind the Rangers’ bench, and his defense-first, disciplinarian approach eventually turned sour. Following the organizational exit meetings in late May, Sather surprised Tortorella with his decision for dismissal, and it had a lot do with what was perceived as a style of play that had passed him by.
“If you look at the teams that are going to be contending for the Stanley Cup, there are specific ingredients that every team has,” Sather said on May 29, referencing the best teams’ penchant for puck possession and their ability to score goals. “I’d like to take the best of what those teams have and integrate them into our team.”
Tortorella’s teams did a lot of dumping the puck into the zone and chasing it down, starting their offense behind the other team’s net and scoring near the bottom of the league. Yet it was the style that got them to within two wins of the Stanley Cup final last season, when they lost to the Devils in overtime in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
But matched with a necessity to block shots and collapse in the defensive zone, the players themselves got wary and expressed their dissatisfaction one way or another to Sather. That hard-nosed approach is something the Canucks were looking for, which is why Tortorella was scheduled to have his second interview with the club this week.
For Vigneault and Vancouver, the good graces of a 2007 Jack Adams Award as the league’s best coach only went so far. Even after winning back-to-back Presidents Trophies in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Vigneault’s recent disappointment in the postseason sealed his fate.
In 2011, his team lost to the Bruins in a seven-game Stanley Cup final, and followed it up with first-round exit in 2012 to the eventual Cup-winning Kings. With another quick exit this year, general manager Mike Gillis has seen enough and decided it was time for a change.
Vigneault’s teams always have been very good puck-possession teams, which should bode well for the Rangers’ skill players. It also should take some heat off their grinding defensemen, who inevitably wore down as the minutes and blocked shots began to pile up come the spring.
So it looks like a coach swap is going to happen, and it’s to be seen if either or both of the teams can benefit.