John Tortorella hired as head coach of Columbus Blue Jackets

The first coaching move of 2015 did not take long to materialize. Todd Richards has been fired as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets after an 0-7-0 start. John Tortorella, appointed head coach of the US World Cup of Hockey team a while back, will now take over the winless Jackets.

Torts began his NHL coaching career in Tampa Bay with the Lightning, leading the team to the 2004 Stanley Cup. He was hired by the New York Rangers in 2009, where he made the playoffs with them but never had much success and was fired in 2013. He coached Vancouver afterwards and was best known for charging the Calgary Flames locker room on January 18, 2014. He was suspended 15 days without pay for the incident.

Even with his past, being suspended and all, this is a great move. Torts is a respected coach, a proven leader, and knows how to win, as he is the most winningest US born coach in NHL history. Players should rally around him and know that as long as they don’t mess up, he has your back.