So I've been doing a lot of reading up on fan opinions/thoughts on the Rangers being a part of HBO's "24/7" series this year (it's August, what else would you like me to do?), which is now an automatic when you participate in the January Winter Classic. Everyone is excited to see behind the scenes clips of obvious names like Sean Avery, Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust and so on. And then there is head coach John Tortorella. For those of you who anticipate seeing Tortorella drop enough F-bombs to wipe out an entire city, I think you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
To begin with, Tortorella despises cameras - just absolutely hates him. A simple read of his body language during those pregame interviews with Sam Rosen prior to gametime scream discomfort and awkwardness. Also, I know Jesse Spector of the Daily News, at some point, started recording Tortorella pregame/postgame conferences on a portable camera for later upload on YouTube last season. There were several instances in which Torts either requested the camera to be out of his face or made a wise remark about how the video would later be published on the Internet.
Don't expect any different behavior when HBO rolls in their high-definition monsters into every locker room speech and practice. Tortorella is going to be uncomfortable with those things following his every move to begin with, but that's not the only thing that will prevent him from embarrassing himself on the show.
Everyone saw the way Bruce Boudrea's apparent coaching techniques were exposed when his Capitals were on the show last season. If anything, the man lost a ton of respect for the way he always flung some kind of swear, sometimes between every word. That's not professional, that's not a "technique" - it's amateur. Believe it or not, Tortorella cares about his image and certainly will not want the entire league thinking he is a hot-headed clown that acts as if he is in an immature high school locker room environment.
And it's not only Tortorella's image that's on the line here. The Rangers as an organization are well-known for their classy ways and respectable behavior. By no means will owner James Dolan be pleased if that reputation is diminished in any way, shape or form because of Tortorella flying off the handle on a television show. Tortorella, I'm sure, knows that as does GM Glen Sather.
So don't expect Torts to be the center of attention when the show airs later this winter. He'll have his moments no doubt, but he'll be nothing like Boudreau. The Rangers will have a team to be proud of this season and the coach is going to want them, rather than him, to absorb the limelight as much as possible. That's what the show is about anyway, and the players should be the center of attention, not the coaches. I guess Boudreau couldn't grasp that concept.
If you want to see immature screaming, cursing and what not, pay close attention when the Flyers' Chris Pronger gets his facetime. He'll entertain you if that is what you are looking for.
By the way, let's hope that tie in the above picture makes limited to no appearances on the show. That looks like a Wal-Mart special.
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